Arkansas-based retailer announces Saturday its stores will go to a 6 a.m.-11 p.m. business day to clean and restock, deal with virus pandemic Walmart is getting out of the 24-hour business, at least for the time being. The retail giant announced Saturday all of its stores will have set open and close hours beginning Sunday. That means stores like the one in Colonial Heights will not be open round-the-clock anymore, at least for the foreseeable future, while the company deals with the novel coronavirus pandemic. Those stores’ new hours will be 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. weekdays. At the area’s two other Walmart stores, the change in times will be minimal. Walmart in Chester already operates on that schedule. The directive means the Petersburg store will open at its normal time and close an hour earlier. Smith praised Walmart associates for adapting to the changes the pandemic has forced on retailers, saying he “could not be prouder” of them. “I don’t think any of us have been through an experience like this,” Smith said in the statement. Walmart has a temporary emergency-leave policy in place for employees who might be affected by the pandemic. Smith said. Earlier on Saturday, Florida-based supermarket chain Publix announced it was moving its traditional closing time up two hours to 8 p.m. weeknights for the same reasons as Walmart. Publix operates 15 stores in Virginia, but its only Tri-City area store is at Colonial Square Shopping Center in Colonial Heights. Other major grocers with a Tri-City area presence — Kroger in Chester, Aldi in Colonial Heights and Chester, and Food Lion with multiple stores — have not adjusted their store hours yet, but all say they are stepping up their cleaning policies. Kroger and Aldi also are placing quantity limits on some products. With over 100,000 communities about every topic you could think of (and a few you’d probably never think of if it wasn’t for the creativity of strangers on the internet), Reddit is the place where you can dive into anything and connect with people on any topic. A few things you’ll find on Reddit… ■ Thousands of communities Reddit Premium: Payment will be charged on a recurring monthly or annual basis to your Google Play account. Your monthly or annual Premium subscription will automatically renew unless you cancel at least 24 hours before your subscription ends. Cancel anytime in your device’s Account Settings. No partial refunds. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Walmart Supercenters were typically open 24-hours per day. During the pandemic, the chain limited hours and now generally open at 6 a.m. and close at 11 p.m. The overnight closure allowed for extra cleaning and time to restock shelves amid shutdowns and fewer employees. Now, despite changes in COVID protocols and numbers, Walmart said it has no plans to return to its pre-pandemic hours. “There are no plans at this time to return our Walmart stores to 24-hour per day operations,” Charles Crowson, director of Walmart Press Office Corporate Communications, told WSFA. The retailer has returned some departments to regular hours. Starting in July, Walmart’s pharmacies and vision centers returned to regular operating hours of 9 a.m.-9 p.m. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. |