At a time when it feels like you have to wear a hazmat suit to buy groceries, it is critical to know if delivery or pick-up services are available at your local supermarket and what hours the stores are open.
For many stores in the Twin Counties, cashiers can be seen behind Plexiglas barriers, while other workers disinfect shopping carts, all donning masks and gloves. Some stores have added floor markings to route foot traffic in a more organized fashion, or to dictate how close shoppers should be to one another in line.
Walmart, Shop Rite, Hannaford and ALDI began limiting the number of customers allowed in its stores at one time.
Some local supermarkets offer options to purchase groceries without having to go in the store at all.
Tops Markets has delivery services available at its locations in Greenville, Tannersville and Coxsackie, Tops Markets Public and Media Relations Manager Kathy Sautter said. Store pick-up is not available at these locations, she added.
Price Chopper’s Chatham store offers delivery services, Vice President Mona Golub said.
“Our Saugerties, Bethlehem, Glenmont and East Greenbush stores offer pick-up, as do our stores in Lenox and Great Barrington, Massachusetts,” Golub said.
Hannaford Supermarkets does not offer delivery service at its Cairo, Valatie and Hudson locations, spokeswoman Caitlin Cortelyou said.
Walmart in Hudson is offering store pick-up but the Catskill location does not yet offer this service, spokesman Casey Staheli said. Neither location has delivery services. To search for pick-up locations or see if you are in the delivery area, visit grocery.walmart.com.
Many stores in the region are offering select shopping hours for the elderly and immunocompromised.
Hannaford Supermarkets open early from 6-7 a.m. Tuesday to Thursday to serve these shoppers.
“Dedicated shopping hours allow these customers to shop before others come to the store and will allow for a less crowded shopping environment, which enables better social distancing,” Cortelyou said. “Hannaford associates are not requesting ID for entry, and we encourage the community to respect the intention for the early opening.”
Tops Markets locations have senior hours from 6 to 8 a.m. on Tuesday and Thursdays. Tops pharmacies also began opening at 7 a.m. on these days to align with the store hours, Sautter said.
“On those days, pharmacies will also close at 8:00 p.m. or their normal closing time, whichever is earlier,” Sautter said. “If you are able, please call in your script(s) ahead of time to reduce the amount of time you are in the stores. We are requesting that if someone else is picking up your script to advise our pharmacy staff who that individual is and remind them that they come prepared with photo ID.”
Price Chopper has dedicated shopping hours for these customers every day from 6-7 a.m.
ALDI stores have reserved 8:30-9:30 a.m. on Tuesday and Thursdays for vulnerable shoppers, according to the store’s website.
The senior shopping hour at Shop Rite is from 6-7 a.m., seven days a week.
Seniors age 60 and older can have a less crowded shopping experience at Walmart each Tuesday from 6-7 a.m.
The auto care centers at Walmart locations are closed and the vision centers are available with limited hours for limited services, such as eyeglass repairs.
Walmart pharmacies are offering a variety of options for seniors and other high-risk residents such as drive-thru, no-contact, curbside pick-up and mail delivery.
Price Chopper, Shop Rite, Hannaford Supermarkets and Tops Markets are not accepting bottle and can returns at this time.
Shoppers who want a more local experience can buy produce from local farms such as Black Horse Farms in Athens.
“They call in and place their orders, we’ll put the order together and they can either pick it up curbside or we have a schedule for when we do deliveries,” employee Anna Buhrmaster said.
The meats, cheeses and other dairy products that the store sources from other local farms have been popular lately, Buhrmaster said, and many customers have been taking advantage of the delivery and pick-up options, she said.
Black Horse Farms offers a Community Supported Agriculture farm share, where customers can receive 20 weeks of produce June through October. Prices vary depending on share option and can either be paid in full or on a weekly basis.
To place an order, email blackhorsefarmscsa@gmail.com.
Deliveries will be made to the New Baltimore, Ravena, Selkirk, Delmar, Glenmont and Albany areas on Mondays; Catskill, Saugerties, Palenville, Hunter and Tannersville on Tuesdays; Cairo, Coxsackie, Earlton, Greenville, Round Top and Windham on Wednesdays; Athens, Sleepy Hollow Lake, Catskill and Saugerties on Thursdays; and Hudson, Coxsackie and Athens on Fridays.
Love Apple Farm Manager Diane LaConte said pick-up orders are also on the rise.
Customers can email orders@loveapplefarm.com and will receive a grocery list, bakery list and a Grab-to-Go menu, LaConte said.
“We will fulfill their request the same day up until 4:30 p.m.,” LaConte said.
Love Apple’s orchards, playground, petting zoo and cafe are closed, LaConte said.
“We were offering take-out,” she said. “There wasn’t enough business. If the state eases up on some of the restrictions, we may consider reopening.”
Love Apple’s market remains open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. to the public. LaConte requests that shoppers wear masks and avoid shopping in large groups.
While many are finding themselves at home going stir crazy, Love Apple Farm will be well stocked with gardening supplies, should one decide to take up a new hobby or expand on an existing one.
In the coming weeks, the market will be selling seeds from Hudson Valley Seed Company and starter plants from Markristo Farm, LaConte said.