Pharmacies Across Country Adjusting Services for High-Risk, Senior Citizen Shoppers

Following the precautions many grocery stores across the nation have taken, various pharmacies in the United States are altering their hours and other services to cater to high-risk and senior citizen shoppers due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) spread.

For example, Kroger Pharmacy in Georgia announced it will be opening its pharmacies an hour earlier than usual to help these specific groups. “The new pharmacy hours will give seniors and at-risk individuals who take advantage of our dedicated shopping hours added time to talk with a pharmacist and pick up their prescriptions without having to wait for the pharmacy to open or make a separate trip,” said Felix Turner, corporate affairs manager for Kroger’s Atlanta Division, in a press release. “We are installing plexiglass shields at all registers, pharmacy counters and Starbucks counters.”¹

Safeway-Albertsons has also announced adjusted services for COVID-19, including enhanced delivery services, free pharmacy delivery, and dedicated shopping windows. According to the statement, Safeway-Albertsons has “set aside dedicated shopping hours for senior citizens and other at-risk populations, such as pregnant women or those with compromised immune systems, who have been advised to avoid leaving home as much as possible.”²

Walgreens introduced drive-thru options for shopping and free shipping of online items with no minimum. Additionally, a seniors-only hour has been implemented on Tuesdays from 8 am to 9 am for seniors to come into the store.³

Walmart has also taken this step with their stores, releasing a statement that a senior shopping hour will be hosted every Tuesday from 6 am to 7 am. The pharmacy has implemented no-contact curbside pickup and mail delivery to further cater to those at high-risk for COVID-19.⁴

Southeastern Grocers companies have integrated the senior and high-risk hour at their stores, during which pharmacists will be able to provide prescription refills, influenza and pneumonia vaccines, and customer counseling.⁵

REFERENCES

• Baxley, Justin. Kroger now has earlier pharmacy hours for high-risk shoppers during coronavirus pandemic. The Telegraph. https://www.macon.com/news/coronavirus/article24160706html. Published March 29, 2020. Accessed March 30, 2020.
• Landers, Jamie. A message from Safeway/Albertsons to customers. https://www.signalsaz.com/articles/a-message-from-safeway-albertsons-to-customers/. Published March 27, 2020. Accessed March 30, 2020.
• Introducing new services for seniors. Walgreens. https://www.walgreens.com/topic/promotion/seniorday.jsp. Updated March 2020. Accessed March 30, 2020.
• Important Store Info. Walmart. https://corporate.walmart.com/important-store-info. Updated March 2020. Accessed March 30, 2020.
• Bi-Lo: Stronger Together. Bi-Lo. https://www.bi-lo.com/community/covid19response. Updated March 30, 2020. Accessed March 30, 2020.