Las Vegas Smith’s stores to reserve earliest hour for seniors

For all of you senior shoppers who just want to get a roll of toilet paper or a dozen eggs and have been thwarted and jostled by panic-buyers, help is on the way.

Smith’s Food & Drug announced Tuesday that it would reserve the hour of 7 to 8 a.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays for its older shoppers, starting Wednesday.

In a statement announcing the new accommodations, the company noted that seniors have been found to be more susceptible to coronavirus and added that each store will have employees on hand to help those who need it. Smith’s, whose parent company is Kroger, also is considering opening pharmacies earlier for seniors.

“We request that customers respect these hours for the health of our community,” corporate affairs manager Aubriana Martindale said in a statement.

Smith’s also is waiving fees for curbside pickup through April 18 for those whose verified age is 60 or older and will consider extending that period.

For all other customers, store hours are 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, until further notice.

Dollar General stores, of which there are more than a dozen in the valley, also are dedicating the first hour of each day to senior shoppers.

Contact Heidi Knapp Rinella at hrinella@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0474. Follow @HKRinella on Twitter.