Albertsons grocery stores are changing their hours and reserving a two-hour morning block on Tuesdays and Thursdays for seniors, pregnant women and immunocompromised shoppers.
The store announced on its Facebook page that it's reserving the 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. time so those most vulnerable shoppers can get supplies they need during the run on stores because of the coronavirus spread.
"During those times, we ask that you avoid shopping so that the stores can be available for senior citizens and other at-risk members of our community, such as pregnant women or those with compromised immune systems," store officials wrote on Facebook.
Albertsons has six stores in Billings, which now close early at 9 p.m. to allow for restocking.
The Idaho-based grocery chains joins Target, which has two Billings stores, and other retailers in reserving time for certain shoppers to avoid shortages.
Retailers have reported shortages in toilet paper, rice, chicken and other essential as people stock their pantry in preparation for possible quarantines for coronavirus.
