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Lidl and Tesco in Ireland have announced dedicated hours for the elderly so they can shop before other members of the general public, The Independent reports.

The daily updates on the coronavirus pandemic have prompted many individuals to panic-buy food and household supplies, despite retailers discouraging them from doing so.

Stockpiling may prevent vulnerable members of society, such as the elderly, people with disabilities and those with health conditions, from buying items they need.

With that in mind, several supermarkets have been introducing shopping hours specifically for the elderly, so they don’t have to worry about products being sold out by the time they enter the store.

On Monday 16 March, Lidl Ireland shared a tweet outlining how it’s new dedicated shopping hour for the elderly will work.

“We’ve been listening to your feedback and we will be implementing priority shopping hours for the elderly across all 163 Lidl stores in Ireland, 9-11am every day, until further notice,” the tweet read.

Tesco Ireland has also followed suit, stating that it is encouraging the elderly and their carers to shop at its stores on specific days of the week.

“This is a time for help. And at Tesco, thousands of our colleagues are working hard to help make sure that our communities have everything they need,” the company’s statement read.

“From Wednesday March 18th, we will introduce dedicated time-in-store for over 65s and family carers.

“Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings up to 9am will now be a dedicated time for our senior citizens and family carers to have more space and a helping hand where needed.”