People have been hitting grocery stores hard during the coronavirus pandemic, and the social distancing necessary to slow its spread.
As a result, grocery stores have significantly changed how they operate in order to adapt to the heightened demand for items like toilet paper and hand sanitizer.
Below is a guide to grocery stores in the Cayuga County area: Hours, hours for seniors only to shop, item limits and more.
(Editor's note: If you have a store to add, or a change to make, please email citizennews@lee.net.)
Aldi
Address: 1651 Clark St. Road, Aurelius
Hours: 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily
Senior hours:听None at this time, but people who want to avoid crowds are advised to come later in the day.
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Item limits:听Most in-demand items limited to two or four; limits subject to demand and availability. In-store signage updated regularly.
Other: Paying by card and maintaining distance from employees encouraged to reduce risk of community spread. Delivery and curbside pickup available through Instacart.
Info: Call (855) 955-2534 or visit
BJ's Wholesale
Address: 11 Plaza Drive, Sennett
Hours: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sundays
Senior hours: 8 to 9 a.m. daily for seniors 60 and older (beginning Sunday, March 22)
Item limits: Two per person of each of the following: all canned meats and proteins, butter, eggs, milk, ramen noodles/cups, Campbell's soup, dish liquid, hand soap, sanitizer, canned vegetables, bath tissue, rice, non-flavored water, disinfecting spray and sanitizing wipes.
Other:听Delivery and curbside pickup available through Instacart. First responders and health care workers without a membership can shop from 8 to 9 a.m. Sundays.
Info: Call (315) 252-5300
Dollar General
Addresses: 343 Genesee St., Auburn; 72 Utica St., Port Byron; 8881 S. Seneca St., Weedsport; 133 Main St., Moravia; 2504 W. Main St., Cato; 1159 Route 5, Elbridge
Hours: 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily
Senior hours: 8 to 9 a.m. daily
Item limits: Three per person of any combination of sanitation products, including toilet paper, paper towels, hand sanitizer, soaps and baby wipes.
Info: Auburn: (315) 753-8230; Port Byron: (315) 626-1972; Weedsport: (315) 626-0090; Moravia: (315) 994-2905; Cato: (315) 626-1224; Elbridge: (315) 892-1471
Maxwell's Food Store
Address: 43 N. Lewis St., Auburn
Hours: Open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily except for Wednesdays
Senior hours: None at this time.
Item limits: None at this time.听
Info: Call (315) 253-5621
Modern Market
Address: 1 E. Cayuga St., Moravia
Hours: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily
Senior hours: None at this time.
Item limits: (Unavailable)
Info: Call (315) 497-1911
Shurfine
Addresses:听177 Cayuga St., Union Springs, and 8963 N. Seneca St., Weedsport
Hours: 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily
Senior hours: None at this time, but the store encourages seniors to shop between 7 and 8 in the morning.
Item limits:听One per person on toilet paper at both stores; two per person on hamburger or hot dog rolls at the Weedsport store.
Info: Call the Union Springs store at (315) 889-5516 and the Weedsport store at (315) 834-3013
Tops Friendly Markets
Addresses:听352 Genesee St., Auburn; 227 E. Main St., Elbridge; and 40 Fennell St., Skaneateles
Hours:听6 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily
Senior hours:听6 to 7:30 a.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays for seniors 60 and older
Item limits:听Two per person of each of the following: adult care, baby formula, baby wipes, bath tissue (18 roll pack or larger), big pack chicken, bleach (one container), cereal (four boxes), cleansing flushable wipes, commercial breads and rolls, cough and cold, diapers, disinfectant sprays, disinfectant wipes, eggs, facial tissue, flour (one package per customer; all brands, all sizes), four total gallons of water per customer (includes spring, distilled, purified or three-pack gallon water), fresh ground beef, pork, chicken and sausage, frozen vegetables (four bags), hand sanitizer, laundry detergent, liquid dish detergent, milk, multipack water (includes all brands), oatmeal, pain remedies, pasta sauce (four jars), peanut butter, rubbing alcohol, sanitary protection, sugar (one package per customer; all brands, all sizes), Tops stick butter quarters (16 ounces)
Other:听Customers must wear face masks. The bulk bin section is closed temporarily; many of the products are available in prepackaged form.听Delivery and curbside pickup available through Instacart.
Info: Call (315) 252-7995 or visit
Walmart
Address: 297 Grant Ave., Auburn
Hours: 7 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. daily
Senior hours: 6 to 7 a.m. Tuesdays for seniors 60 and older
Item limits: One per person of the following: paper products, milk, eggs, cleaning supplies, hand sanitizer, water, diapers, wipes, formula and baby food.
Other: Vision Center is operating on normal schedule, providing essential services only. No more than five customers allowed for each 1,000 square feet of the store.
Info: Call (315) 255-0532 or visit
Wegmans
Address: 1 Loop Road, Auburn
Hours: 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily
Senior hours: None at this time. From Wegmans' website: "We do not recommend putting an entire population of highly susceptible people together in one location, at one time. Products arrive at each of our stores at different times throughout the day. Because of this, we cannot guarantee the availability of the key items these customers would be looking for. Lastly, there are many wonderful people and community services in every market who can serve as a resource for those who fall in these susceptible populations. This is a rapidly evolving situation and we will continue to monitor and adjust accordingly."
Item limits:听One per person of each of the following: baby wipes, baby medication, diapers, packaged breads and rolls, bleach, laundry boosters and pre-treaters, disinfecting wipes, household cleaners, butter, eggs, milk, buttermilk and milk substitutes, frozen vegetables, boxed cereal, canned and packaged fruit, canned meat and beans, canned seafood, canned vegetables, flour or corn meal, hot cereal, juices, packaged dinners and entrees, packaged milk, packaged pasta, pasta sauce, peanut and other nut butters, rice, soups, sugar, sugar substitutes and corn syrup, water, allergy medications, anti-bacterial hand soaps, blood pressure monitors, health trackers, thermometers, vaporizers and humidifiers, cold and sinus items, cotton balls, pads and swabs, feminine hygiene items, first aid items, hand sanitizers, herbal supplements, homeopathic items, incontinence items, mouthwash, nutritional meal replacements (bars, shakes, powders), pain relief items, shaving items, sports medicine items, stomach relief items, toothpaste, vitamins, bacon, beef, chicken, ground meat, ham, lamb, pork, sausage, turkey, veal, bath tissue, facial tissue, paper towels, bananas (bunches), grapes, carrots, potatoes
Other:听Customers must wear face masks.听The following areas of the store are temporarily closed: self-serve areas in coffee, prepared foods, bakery and bulk foods, and the Market Caf茅 seating area.听Delivery and curbside pickup available through Instacart. Shopper capacity limited to 15%-20% of maximum.
Info: Call (315) 255-2231 or visit
Gallery: Maxwell's Food Store is an old friend you can count on during the coronavirus pandemic
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At Maxwell's Food Store, the front page headlines and Scott Maxwell's mask are a sobering visual about life in Cayuga County during the coronavirus pandemic.
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Bobbie Maxwell makes sure to disinfect the checkout station at Maxwell's Food Store in Auburn during the coronavirus pandemic.
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Scott Maxwell wears a mask as protection due to serious underlying health conditions that puts him at a higher risk for severe illness during the coronavirus pandemic.
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Customers order from the deli at Maxwell's Food Store in Auburn during the coronavirus pandemic.
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Colorful florals create a pleasant ambience at Maxwell's Food Store in Auburn during the coronavirus pandemic.
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Maxwell's Food Store struggles to keep toilet paper in stock due to the high demand during the coronavirus pandemic.
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Larry Maxwell weights ground beef for the meat case at Maxwell's Food Store in Auburn during the coronavirus pandemic.
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Scott Maxwell chats with a customer at check-out at Maxwell's Food Store in Auburn during the coronavirus pandemic.
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Bobbie Maxwell helps her husband, Scoot, organize groceries for delivery at Maxwell's Food Store in Auburn during the coronavirus pandemic.
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Scott Maxwell loads the truck with boxes of groceries for his delivery route at Maxwell's Food Store in Auburn during the first weeks of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020.
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The Maxwells: Bobbie, left, her husband, Scott, and Larry, right, pose for a family portrait at their Auburn grocery store in 2020.
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Maxwell's Food Store in Auburn is an essential business to the community during the coronavirus pandemic. Maxwell's has been a family owned grocery store for 90 years.
Lake Life Editor David Wilcox can be reached at (315) 282-2245 or david.wilcox@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter .
David Wilcox
Executive editor
