As a family company, we’re instinctively guided by our values to make the right decisions for our customers, communities and each other. As we all continue to adjust to the impact the coronavirus has had on our daily lives, I want you to know we’re here for you.
We’re committed to making sure you continue to have access to the food, medicine and fuel you need for your families, especially in states where shelter-in-place orders are in effect. We take great pride in this responsibility because we know the work we’re doing is making a real difference for our communities.
We also know there are people in our communities who are more vulnerable to developing serious complications from COVID-19, such as seniors and those with underlying health conditions. To give them some additional peace of mind when shopping with us, we’re now closing our stores overnight to allow for deep cleaning and stocking. This allows us to offer them dedicated shopping hours before the stores open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7-8 a.m.
This week, we also began offering dedicated shopping hours to our first responders and essential services workers – including our own Meijer team members – who continue to serve our communities. Those hours are Mondays and Wednesdays from 7-8 a.m.
We know that health care workers, emergency responders, infrastructure partners, and our own Meijer team members have been working around the clock to serve our communities. By offering these dedicated shopping hours, we hope to make it a little easier for them to get the products they need for their families too.
We began offering these dedicated shopping days and times yesterday, and I’ve been truly moved by how many people in our communities are coming to our stores in need of this service. I’m so proud of our teams for all they’ve done to implement this new schedule so quickly, and we’ll continue to make more improvements.
At Meijer, we know our team members are the heart and soul of our company and we appreciate them for the amazing work they’re doing every day. We’re providing our hourly front-line teams with a weekly appreciation bonus on top of their weekly pay. That’s in addition to resources like our pay continuation program, free online COVID-19 screenings, backup care reimbursement program, and our team member relief fund.
At a time when many in our local communities are suddenly in need of part-time or temporary work, we’re hiring more team members in our stores and supply chain locations. These extra hands will help us meet increased demand and ensure all team members have time to rest and recharge. If you know of someone who is in need of this opportunity, they can apply on our careers page at Meijer.com.
Of course, our primary focus is to provide a safe environment for our customers and team members. This includes the continuous cleaning and sanitization of our stores and ensuring we’re practicing social distancing. You may have noticed we now have visual markers on the floor of our checkout lanes. These markers are there to guide you on maintaining a six-foot distance between you and the customer in front of you for your safety.
As an extra precaution, we’re also asking customers to please limit the use of reusable bags for your Shop & Scan purchases only. We’ll continue to provide single-use plastic bags for your purchases at our checkout lanes and self-checkout. We appreciate your cooperation and understanding.
Our thoughts continue to be with those whose lives are impacted by the effects of the coronavirus in our communities, and we want to help. Last week, we gave $4 million to United Way agencies across the Midwest to support their much-needed services in our communities. We’ve increased our stores’ donation budgets to support local needs, and more than 400 pantries across the Midwest have now received their portion of the $2.2 million donation we made to our Simply Give partners.
In my 30+ years with Meijer, one thing that’s proven true again and again is that in times of need, our communities will always come together to support one another. We appreciate your loyalty and we’re committed to continuing to serve you during these uncertain times.
Thank you.