Although many of its shelves are sparse or empty, Coborn’s is reassuring customers there’s no need to worry about a food shortage, as their suppliers continue to tell them the food supply chain is very strong.

“There will be plenty to go around,” said Emily Coborn, vice president/operations. “Simply plan your grocery shopping as you would any normal week and there will be plenty for everyone. We’re here to serve you all.”

“All Coborn’s stores are experiencing high demand across all product items,” said Chris Coborn, CEO, explaining the situation is fluid each day. “Our employees are working diligently to restock store shelves and have the most product available for our customers. Our supplier, transportation teams, and our employees are trying their best to ensure people can get what they need so they can stay at home.”

Along with shortening store hours in order to give their employees ample time to restock shelves and sanitize the stores, Coborn’s is implementing additional procedures and changes to help minimize the spread of the virus.

Plexi-glass shields are being installed at each of the registers to minimize risk to both guests and employees during checkout. They’re also being installed at the pharmacy counters for those stores that don’t have a drive-thru. For those that do, all pharmacy drop off and pick up has been moved to drive-thru only.

Pharmacy customers can also request their prescriptions be mailed to them at no cost, or they can call ahead and request curbside pickup.

Although they haven’t yet banned the use of reusable shopping bags, Coborn’s is asking customers that use them to wash their bags regularly and added that guests may be asked to bag their own groceries. Customers will be informed if the policy changes.

Those coming into the store will see new signage recommending customers keep two shopping carts of space between each other.

For customers who are vulnerable to the virus, don’t want to risk coming into the store, or are just short on time, Coborn’s offers online shopping at shop.coborns.com. Coborn’s employees gather the requested items for the customer, who can then pick them up curbside.

Because of the rise in online orders and work to keep customers and employees safe and healthy, the company has begun hiring temporary employees in order to have the staff needed to meet the needs of their guests.

As a reminder, Coborn’s has asked that customers reserve the first shopping hour of the day for the elderly and others who are vulnerable to the virus, so they can shop when the stores are at their cleanest.

“These are unprecedented times, indeed,” said Emily Coborn. “But please know, we are here for you, ready to serve you with our best effort to ensure you have a safe shopping experience.”