Costco, Trader Joe's, Walgreens add seniors-only shopping hours

March 24 (UPI) -- National store chain Costco on Tuesday joined an expanding list of U.S. retailers that will begin holding shopping hours exclusively for senior Americans during the coronavirus crisis.

The members-only chain said customers aged 60 or older will be able to shop exclusively between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The expanded hours began Tuesday.

"The pharmacy will also be open during this hour; however the food court will maintain its normal operating schedule," Costco wrote in a Facebook post. "These hours apply to all locations except the Business Centers, which will remain open during regular hours."

Costco joins fellow big box chains Walmart and Target and some other chains in offering seniors-only shopping hours, usually early in the day, to allow exclusive access to store shelves that may otherwise be cleaned out during normal shopping hours.

Grocery chain Trader Joe's and Walgreens pharmacies also instituted seniors-only shopping hours on Monday. Trader Joe's reserved the first hour of each shopping day for seniors, while Walgreens set aside Tuesdays from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m.

Whole Foods, Winn-Dixie, Safeway, Publix, Giant Food, Foodtown and Albertson's are other grocery chains that have introduced exclusive shopping times for seniors.