KHTS Radio Santa Clarita Radio – Santa Clarita News
In the face of a massive spike in demand from Santa Clarita shoppers for essentials, some Santa Clarita grocers have adjusted hours to deal with expanded stocking needs, to give employees an opportunity to take care of themselves and in some cases to offer a shopping time slot to those most vulnerable to coronavirus, COVID-19.
In addition to adjusting their hours, all Vallarta Supermarket locations are expected to be open from 7 a.m. – 8 a.m. exclusively for those 65 or over, pregnant women and those with disabilities, effective Wednesday, March 18.
Santa Clarita locations can be found in Newhall on Lyons Avenue and in Canyon Country on Soledad Canyon Road. In order to cope with stocking needs, Vallarta Supermarkets have also instituted temporary store hours from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. for the foreseeable future.
Related: Santa Clarita Residents Offer Helping Hands To Neighbors During Coronavirus Outbreak
To better serve customers, Albertsons and associated brands such as Vons are temporarily changing hours in order to restock items that are in high demand in all stores, staying open between the hours of 7 a.m. and 9 p.m., according to officials. Special hours for people vulnerable to COVID-19 between 7 a.m. – 9 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays are soon to be available.
Ralphs, a subsidiary of Kroger, announced its stores would temporarily be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., according to officials. Ralphs is also offering dedicated shopping for senior citizens age 65 and older from 7-7:30 a.m. daily beginning March 20.
Stater Brothers has announced new hours of 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., including for the Canyon Country location. Additionally, Stater Brothers are set to open at 7:45 a.m. for seniors over 65 years old.
Beginning Monday, March 16 and until further notice, all Trader Joe’s stores will be open from 9 a.m. until 7 p.m. to support crew members in taking care of one another and their customers.
Whole Foods is changing store hours from 8 a.m. – 9 p.m., with special senior-only hours from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. However, hours are subject to change in the near future.
ALDI stores across the country will be open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, including the Newhall location.
Smart & Final hours have been reduced to 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. as of Saturday, and local stores will now be opening 30 minutes early for seniors from 7:30 a.m to 8a.m.
Target is offering senior shopping hours on Wednesdays from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m., with regular hours from 8 a.m. – 9 p.m. every day of the week.
Larger retailers such as Costco and Sam’s Club have been hit with the brunt of the rush for supplies, and have modified their hours accordingly.
Sam’s Club is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. – 8 p.m. and on Sundays from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. until further notice.
As of Thursday, March 19, Costco is now offering special operating hours exclusively for members who are over 60 years of age or have physical disabilities on Tuesdays and Thursdays between the hours of 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. Only members who meet these criteria woul be invited to shop during these hours and no guests will be admitted, according to Costco officials. Besides these special hours, Costco is maintaining their regular store hours of Mon-Fri from 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Ed. Note: This story has been updated as of March 19, 2020.
Sponsored Articles
KHTS FM 98.1 and AM 1220 is Santa Clarita’s only local radio station. KHTS mixes in a combination of news, traffic, sports, and features along with your favorite adult contemporary hits. Santa Clarita news and features are delivered throughout the day over our airwaves, on our website and through a variety of social media platforms. Our KHTS national award-winning daily news briefs are now read daily by 34,000+ residents. A vibrant member of the Santa Clarita community, the KHTS broadcast signal reaches all of the Santa Clarita Valley and parts of the high desert communities located in the Antelope Valley. The station streams its talk shows over the web, reaching a potentially worldwide audience. Follow @KHTSRadio on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Thank you for this valuable information. Could you please share which are offering exclusive seniors hours?
Found out today, not Trader Joe’s. Very disappointed they are not offering senior/disabled hours. I’ve shopped there for decades and feel right now, they should be doing more. Adjust their hours for crew & store yes, but please remember the customers who would appreciate assistance as well.
Please consider the less fortunate and donate to the SCV food pantry, supplies are little to none largely due to hoarding and panic buying. They are in desperate need.
Thank you
Lancaster has made it mandatory for grocery stores to set aside 2 hrs for seniors to shop. Maybe we need to do that too. I was in the Sand Cyn Vons on Saturday and saw all these millennials running around like the seagulls in Finding Nemo – Mine, Mine, Mine.
Yes. I appreciate knowing the stores new hours. Is it possible that only the Vallarta markets are offering senior hours? The other stores need to wake up!
Target is starting early shopping hours on Wednesdays from 8:00 am-9:00 am (starting tomorrow) for elderly shoppers.
I’m hopeful that other chains whether that is Kroger (Ralphs, Food4Less), Albertsons Companies (Albertsons, Pavilions, Vons), Amazon (Whole Foods), Aldi Nord (Trader Joe’s), Aldi Sud (Aldi) and Stater Bros. Holdings (Stater Bros.) will offer a set and consistent set of hours for seniors and disabled during this operating environment
WITHOUT adfitional governmental intervention/regulation.
What the city of Santa Clarita can do through it’s city operated transit department is to insure that Dial-A-Ride and Access Services are fully available between 7 and 9 a.m. so seniors/disabled have enough slots set aside for those grocery shopping trips during this short one hour window that some of the markets are currently offering.
SO_CAL_RETAIL_SLUT
Costco has a sign one like item per customer what a great thing to do so people are not hoarding and stock piling , I think all stores should that .
Thank you for using the term “most vulnerable” instead of “elderly – age 65 and above.” As part of this group I’m stating to feel stigmatized by the language in the headlines. Thanks you!
Ha, I hear you Carol! I’m in that age bracket and always felt pretty vibrant and healthy, not particularly “elderly!”
Uh-oh! It seems someone – or a group has allegedly threatened Ralphs parent company, The Kroger Co. with litigation if Kroger offers “special” hours at any of their California stores.
I’m on the lookout for the case filing…haven’t seen anything…yet.
Supposedly, it’s a violation of the law to offer or restrict certain hours of the day based on age. Although, Sam’s Club and Costco do offer special hours based on membership classification.
If this supposed litigation is local to the SCV, possibly, Scott Wilk’s office can help.
We’ll see where this ends up. If hoarding stops, this will become a non-issue.
SO_CAL_RETAIL_SLUT