This week Hy-Vee Inc. began requiring that all store and distribution center employees throughout its eight-state region in the Midwest wear masks or other facial coverings while at work in response to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
For the past several weeks, Hy-Vee had provided and strongly encouraged masks to all employees. Starting Monday, the company said, “wearing a mask or other facial covering inside Hy-Vee stores is mandatory for employees to help protect both our employees and customers.”
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, Hy-Vee has taken a number of measures to ensure the health and well-being of its employees and customers over the past several weeks. Other efforts include temporary plexiglas barriers installed at all check stands and pharmacy, customer service and convenience store counters; social distancing indicators on the floor wherever lines typically form in the store; one-way directional signage for all aisles; sanitation of all carts and checkstand belts between each customer use; special shopping times for older and more vulnerable shoppers and more. The retailer is also limiting customer traffic in stores by recommending a one-person-per-cart rule.
West Des Moines, Iowa-based Hy-Vee, which operates 265 stores in eight Midwestern states, has also seen demand for its Aisles Online grocery ordering service has grown significantly during this time, and has made some adjustments to the program including opening more Aisles Online timeslots for customers to choose from; partnering with grocery delivery service DoorDash to offer 20,000 free deliveries to “high-risk” Hy-Vee customers; and setting aside a reserved Aisles Online pickup hour from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m., seven days a week, for those who are considered “high risk.”
High-risk customers include those who are aged 60 and older; expectant mothers; and anyone with an underlying health condition that makes them more susceptible to serious illness.
Pharmacies at Hy-Vee locations are also open to serve these customers from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. These locations include pharmacies inside its grocery stores, Mainstreet locations, Dollar Fresh stores and Hy-Vee Drugstores. All other customers are asked to respect this hour reserved for these high-risk customers, and limit their online shopping orders to time slots available 8 a.m. or after, seven days a week.
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