据美国中文网报道，在新型冠状病毒疫情爆发期间，美国几家大型零售连锁店宣布缩短营业时间，让员工们有更多的时间来清洁商店和补充库存。
当地时间3月11日，美国旧金山湾区奥克兰的一家Costco超市摆放饮用水的货架上，张贴着每位会员限购两件的通知。随着新冠肺炎疫情的发展，美国多地出现民众抢购生活物资的现象。
中新社记者 刘关关 摄
超市连锁Publix在佛罗里达州和南部各州拥有1200多家门店，该公司将在美国东部时间晚上8点，比以往营业时间提前两小时关闭，以便让员工有时间补充库存并对货架进行消毒。Publix的药店也将在美国东部时间晚上8点关闭，直到另行通知。
Publix首席执行官托德•琼斯(Todd Jones)在该连锁店网站上的一份声明中表示:“Publix将继续致力于保持员工的健康，保持我们的店铺正常营业和库存，为我们所有的社区提供服务和支持。”
Giant总部位于宾夕法尼亚州，在大西洋中部地区拥有近200家门店。该公司此前宣布，其24小时营业的门店将于午夜开始关闭，并于次日美国东部时间早上6点重新营业。
该公司在一份新闻稿中引用了与Publix相同的理由:“这一决定是作为公司对新冠病毒大流行的应对措施的一部分，并将允许门店团队成员在每日到货时有更多时间对货架进行消毒和补充库存。”
当地时间2月28日，旧金山湾区福斯特城的一家大型超市里，民众在购买卫生纸。
中新社记者 刘关关 摄
Giant24小时营业的门店大多在宾夕法尼亚州，只有一家在马里兰州。位于这些商店内的药房将继续正常营业。
Giant的公关经理阿什利·弗劳尔斯(Ashley Flowers)在一份声明中说，“我们目前正面临许多家庭必需品的短缺和缺货，包括消毒和清洁产品。我们的重点是尽快恢复库存，”
Giant没有对每个人可以购买的物品数量设置限制。各门店定期清洁购物车、购物篮、收银台等。
美国东南部的大型连锁超市哈里斯·迪特(Harris Teeter)14日在“推特”上表示，从15晚上开始，他们将每晚9点关闭门店，以便集中精力进行清洁和补充货物，并保障员工的健康。
其它食品杂货连锁店，包括克罗格(Kroger)、艾伯森(Albertsons)、得克萨斯连锁企业H-E-B、乔氏(Trader Joe's)、沃尔玛(Walmart)、塔吉特(Target)、BJ's和全食超市(Whole Foods)，尚未宣布对营业时间有任何改变。但他们在自己的网站上表示，鉴于目前的疫情，他们将做更多的清洁工作。
沃尔玛在3月10日表示，它正在“评估是否修改一些24小时营业场所的营业时间，以便进行额外的清洁工作”。
Rush to buy, frequent inventory shortage, shortening business hours of many large supermarkets in the United States
Chinese business hours reported that during the novel coronavirus outbreak, several large retail chains in the United States announced shorter business hours, allowing employees more time to clean stores and replenish inventory.
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On March 11, local time, a notice that each member can only buy two pieces of drinking water was posted on the shelves of Costco supermarket in Auckland, San Francisco Bay area. With the development novel coronavirus pneumonia, many people panic buying life materials in the US. Photographed by Liu Guanguan, reporter of China News Agency
Publix, a supermarket chain with more than 1200 stores in Florida and the southern states, will close at 8 p.m. EST, two hours earlier than usual, to give employees time to replenish inventory and disinfect shelves. Publix's drugstores will also be closed at 8 p.m. EST until further notice.
"Publix will continue to work to keep our employees healthy, keep our stores open and in stock, and provide services and support to all our communities," Todd Jones, publix's chief executive, said in a statement on the chain's website
Based in Pennsylvania, giant has nearly 200 stores in the mid Atlantic region. The company previously announced that its 24-hour stores would be closed at midnight and reopened at 6 a.m. EST the next day.
The company cited the same reason as publix in a press release: "this decision is part of the company's response to the new coronavirus pandemic and will allow store team members more time to disinfect and replenish their shelves when they arrive daily."
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On February 28 local time, people were buying toilet paper at a large supermarket in foster City, San Francisco Bay area. Photographed by Liu Guanguan, reporter of China News Agency
Most of giant's 24-hour stores are in Pennsylvania, with only one in Maryland. Pharmacies in these stores will continue to operate normally.
Ashley flowers, giant's PR Manager, said in a statement, "we are currently facing a number of shortages and shortages of household necessities, including disinfection and cleaning products. Our focus is to restore inventory as soon as possible
Giant doesn't have a limit on the number of items everyone can buy. Every store should clean shopping cart, shopping basket and cash register regularly.
Harris teeter, a large supermarket chain in the southeast of the United States, said on twitter Thursday that from the 15th night, they will close their stores at 9 o'clock every night, so as to focus on cleaning and replenishing goods and protecting the health of employees.
Other grocery chains, including Kroger, Albertsons, Texas Chain H-E-B, Trader Joe's, Walmart, target, BJ's and whole foods, have yet to announce any changes in business hours. But they said on their website that they would do more cleaning in view of the current outbreak.
Wal Mart said on March 10 that it was "assessing whether to modify the hours of some 24-hour locations for additional cleaning work.".
