North Texas News

Some grocery stores in the Denton area have reduced hours to give employees time to restock items that shoppers have been frequently buying – such as toilet paper, bottled water and disinfectants – as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. 

Walmart management in Denton posted a flyer that said that the two Walmart locations in the area will be open from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Both Walmart locations are usually open 24 hours. 

Denton residents have been finding it difficult to find the items they need in stores. 

“There have been a lot of empty shelves and it’s been hard to find toilet paper from here to Walmart in Fort Worth,” Nate Hernandez told the Denton Record-Chronicle. “However, I was surprised to find Lysol and disinfectant wipes.”

WinCo Foods is another store that is usually open 24 hours, but has changed its hours to 5 a.m. to midnight. 

The store is also limiting the number of in-demand items customers can buy, WinCo management said. 

Another Denton resident, Connie Culver, said she has been having a hard time purchasing most items that she needs in local stores. 

“I was just at Walmart on Loop 288, and I came over [to WinCo], because there was just nothing over there,” Culver said. “Hopefully I have better luck here than what I did anywhere else, and then I can call it a day.”

Other local businesses are making changes to help keep customers safe from COVID-19, such as limiting operating hours and thinking of new business strategies. 

Boca 31, a local restaurant, said its downtown Denton and Keller locations will be closing early. They will now close at 4 p.m. when before they closed at 9 p.m. The restaurant also said that it will be offering curbside pickup for family-sized food trays. 

“We are cleaning and sanitizing our restaurants and equipment very frequently and our teams are continuing to practice and emphasize health habits. ... We are ready to work on this together as a community and overcome any challenges that will come our way,” Boca 31's statement said.