Lunds & Byerlys, Hy-Vee ask shoppers to come to stores alone

Lunds & Byerlys has sent a notice to customers asking that only the people buying groceries be in the store.

The Twin Cities chain also said it would limit the number of people in its stores if necessary during the Easter and Passover holiday weekend to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

The moves are among many by supermarkets, ethnic groceries and big-box stores to protect both employees and shoppers.

Many are now making some aisles one-way to reduce congestion and further encourage social distancing. Protective shields have been added for cashiers, customer-service desk employees and baggers.

Lunds & Byerlys on Wednesday announced several new changes.

"These decisions are grounded in current guidance from health authorities and our commitment to providing you a safe and welcoming environment," the company said in a statement.

Target also said it was monitoring traffic in stores and would limit customers if necessary. Some Trader Joe's have been doing that for weeks.

Last week, Hy-Vee added one-way aisle traffic and one-person-per-cart guidelines. This week it started to provide employees with masks, but employees were able to provide their own previously.

Like Target, Lunds & Byerlys employees will soon be provided with cloth masks at the beginning of their shifts and encouraged to wear them. The shipment is expected within a few days. Kowalski's is asking employees to wear their own protective masks and has ordered them for employees.

Lunds & Byerlys also is making minor changes to online ordering. Due to demand, wait times for delivery and curbside pickup are one to two weeks out.

From now on, the company will no longer call customers about substitutions made for out-of-stock items. Customers can still choose whether to allow those substitutions.

Orders can still be changed up to 24 hours before delivery and pickup, and Lunds & Byerlys encourages customers to check back if to see if anyone has canceled orders if they want a time that is sooner than the ones they saw when online.

Kowalski's recently extended curbside pickup times from noon to 7 p.m. The additional hours have reduced wait times from nine days to about four days.