Supermarket chain surprises health care workers, first responders with free groceries

Bi-Lo and its parent company surprised frontline workers of the novel coronavirus crisis this week with free groceries in all of its stores.

Southeastern Grocers, parent company of Bi-Lo, Fresco y Más, Harveys Supermarket and Winn-Dixie grocery stores, paid the grocery bills for thousands of health care professionals and first responders Monday night.

The stores offer a designated shopping hour for first responders and medical professionals from 8 to 9 p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays.

The grocer took the lead from filmmaker and actor Tyler Perry, who last Wednesday during the senior and high-risk shopping hour paid for the groceries in 29 Louisiana Winn-Dixie stores, according to a company statement. Dedicated seniors and high-risk customer shopping hour is 8-9 a.m. weekdays.

“We were inspired to pay it forward and hope to inspire others so we can continue to lift spirits during this difficult time,” said Anthony Hucker, president and CEO of Southeastern Grocers.

The chain operates in seven Southeast states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina and South Carolina.

Southeastern Grocers Gives Foundation also donated $250,000 to Feeding America in March to help food banks throughout the Southeast.

Bi-Lo also is hiring more than 5,000 positions for people who have been affected by restricted working hours or job loss as a result of mandated store and restaurant closures because of COVID-19.

Safety in stores

Southeastern Grocers has elevated safety standards. This includes modified hours to allow for a deeper, more comprehensive cleaning process as well as the installation of Plexiglas partitions at all store registers, customer service desks, pharmacies and liquor store counters.

Customers are asked to maintain a two-cart-length distance throughout the store and at checkout by using floor markers set to encourage social distancing.

Customers are also asked to use touch-free payment options.

All Bi-Lo grocery stores also are doing worker temperature checks when they report to work, according to the company.

Southeast Grocers, based in Florida, has 544 stores throughout the Southeast, including one Bi-Lo store in Charlotte and about 13 others in the area, including Monroe, Stanley, Gastonia, and Rock Hill and York in South Carolina. There is one Harveys Supermarket in northwest Charlotte.

This story was originally published April 14, 2020 at 9:47 AM.