From today, Shepparton, Shepparton East and Mooroopna Woolworths will open exclusively for the elderly and those with a disability to shop from 7 am to 8 am.
The measures come as Woolworths announced yesterday it was selling seven weeks’ worth of toilet paper in one day.
Coles in Mooroopna, Shepparton and Riverside Plaza Kialla have also followed suit, set to launch an identical "community hour" (7 am to 8 am) tomorrow in an effort to address unprecedented demand.
Both Coles and Woolworths have also announced the temporary suspension of click-and-collect services across Australia as they struggle to stock up following an "exceptional" spike in sales.
“To dedicate vans in our network to delivering groceries to those in genuine need, especially the most vulnerable and those isolated, home delivery orders for other valued customers will be temporarily suspended,” a Coles spokesperson said.
“We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience that this will cause and a further announcement about this will be made in the coming days.”
Mooroopna's Mardi Crocker, 66, is among locals celebrating the temporary changes.
She experienced a traumatic incident in a supermarket 15 months ago when another shopper pushed her against a wall with a shopping trolley.
“What if someone is angry and comes at me again with a shopping trolley?" she said.
“I can’t hold myself up against a 10-year-old, let alone a woman who wants toilet paper.
“Now I know I can rest – and there must be lots of other older people out there that are worried, too.
“It’s good that common sense is prevailing – Woolworths truly deserves a thumbs up.”
Access to Woolworths and Coles stores during the exclusive hour will require a relevant government-issued concession card.
Once this hour is complete, all other customers will be invited through the doors to complete their grocery shop.
While IGA Xpress Shepparton and Fairleys SUPA IGA will continue with normal hours, Ritchies SUPA IGA in Tatura will give preference to the elderly and those with a disability in the first hour of service.
“We already open at 7 am, but if, for instance, there is a 30-year-old and an elderly person in line at the deli, we will give the elderly person preference,” manager Sheree Wootton said.
Although Fairleys SUPA IGA will not be making changes, store manager Steven Murray said the shop would continue offering home deliveries.
“People can just call the store to set up an account and we'll deliver the same day,” he said.
“We have decided not to offer a separate shopping event as we already open early and have a lot of trade from farmhands and others at that time, and we can't turn everyone away.
“We also have staff patrolling the shop floor to encourage calm and let people know there is no urgency and no shortage of products.
“We have no trouble with suppliers, there's just a slight delay in deliveries because of exploding demand.”
Both Woolworths and Coles will begin shutting their doors at 8 pm to allow staff to clean stores and replenish shelves.
At this stage, Woolworths’ revised opening hours will be in place until Friday, March 20, with opening arrangements to be reviewed at that point.
Coles’ hours will also be reviewed as necessary.
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