Pick n Pay introduces special shopping hour for pensioners

Pick n Pay will open all its supermarkets and hypermarkets an hour earlier every Wednesday for the exclusive use of elderly customers who need to shop for their groceries and essentials. The decision comes in response to requests from the retailer's online community to ease the impact of the Covid-19 outbreak on vulnerable citizens, as stores become chaotic due to panic-buying and stockpiling.

The initiative will start tomorrow, Wednesday 18 March 2020, and stores will be open exclusively for customers over the age of 65 years from 7am to 8am. Customers should have a valid ID to enter the store during this time.

“A special shopping hour for pensioners was a great suggestion by our online community and we very quickly worked with our stores to make this a reality,” says John Bradshaw, retail executive: marketing at Pick n Pay.

“All our actions are focused on supporting the wellbeing of our customers. We know that the coronavirus is more of a threat to older people, and it is thus especially important that our older customers limit the number of times they are in busy spaces as much as possible. This dedicated shopping hour for our elderly customers will give them exclusive use of the store.”

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Every Wednesday, all Smart Shoppers over the age of 60 will also earn double points in-store. Customers can claim this voucher at the Smart Shopper kiosk or mobile app provided they have updated their Smart Shopper profile with their date of birth.