UPDATE, 3/20: Foodland will be opening its doors early for seniors and people with disabilities. They set aside 7 AM to 8 AM Monday through Sunday for that to happen.
No Frills will be opening early twice a week to allow seniors and those with disabilities to shop uninterrupted in the morning. Foodland says plans are being put in place, but are waiting for further direction from their parent company Sobeys.
Co-owner of No Frills Tony McLaughlin says starting this Friday, seniors and people with disabilities will be able to shop on their own for an hour starting at 7 AM. It will be done every Friday and Tuesday until further notice. McLaughlin says the standard age to define a senior is 65.
Foodland’s owner Joe Favot says he expects to get further direction from their parent company Sobeys on Friday.
McLaughlin says No Frills’ hours are going to be cut by an hour from Monday to Saturday to allow them to clean and re-stock shelves. They will now close at 8 PM. “I have noticed that the evenings are quiet, so I don’t think it will be too much of a disruption,” he says. They will still be open until 6 PM on Sundays.
He adds that their distribution centre is still backed up, but working hard to catch up. “We know that when it comes we’ll have staff to get it on the shelves,” McLaughlin says.