Hurricane Milton, which has reached category 5 and is dangerously approaching the west coast of Florida, has prompted a series of preventive measures across the state, including significant changes in the operating hours of major supermarket chains, such as Walmart.
Some customers are arriving at their Walmart supermarkets and have found them closed since Tuesday afternoon. This happened to TikTok user @hulk___22, who resides in Sarasota and missed out on acquiring some products by leaving the shopping until the last minute.
Meanwhile, residents of Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and Palm Beach continue to stock up, while stores in other areas of Florida have started to close their doors early as part of the preparations to face the cyclone.
Here is a detailed list of how Milton is affecting the schedules of major grocery stores in Florida:
Walmart
The company has just launched its Holiday Deals (from October 8 to 13) with discounts of up to 82% on Christmas products. However, the campaign is not a priority right now for residents in Florida, who are making their big purchases in the aisles of food and water.
According to an interactive map available on the Walmart website, there are 66 stores that have already closed in Florida since Tuesday at 4:15 p.m. Customers are advised to check the status of the locations online.
Publix
The stores in Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties will be open during their regular hours on Wednesday and Thursday.
The stores, from Martin County to Flagler County on the Atlantic coast, as well as from Collier to Marion on the Gulf coast, are closed from Tuesday between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. and will remain that way until Thursday.
Sedano's
The stores in the Miami and Fort Lauderdale areas will maintain their regular hours. The stores in Orlando will close on Wednesday with no confirmed reopening date.
Fresh and More
Three stores in Tampa, one in Deltona, and one in the Lehigh Acres area in Lee County will close on Wednesday, and the reopening date has not yet been determined.
Winn-Dixie
A list of stores possibly affected by Hurricane Milton will be updated at least twice a day on the company's website. In areas where greater impact from the hurricane is expected, stores have been closed since Tuesday afternoon and will remain closed on Wednesday and likely this Thursday.
Target
Some stores in the Tampa-St. Petersburg area (such as those located on University Plaza St., N. Dale Mabry Hwy., and Dale Mabry Hwy.) were open until 10:00 p.m. on Tuesday, and in Orlando, until 11:00 p.m. All stores will close on Wednesday and will reopen on Thursday, as circumstances allow.
Aldi
At least three stores in the Tampa area and 12 in the Orlando area closed since noon on Tuesday. They are scheduled to reopen on Thursday. Customers can check the status of their stores on the Aldi locator.
Whole Foods Market
The stores in Orlando, Tampa, and Sarasota are already closed. The reopening is scheduled for Thursday at 8 a.m., but it will need to be assessed if it is possible for all of them to open.
Local authorities and supermarket chains are coordinating efforts to ensure that communities are informed about scheduled closures and reopenings.
Residents in Florida who have not done their shopping should stock up in time. Authorities are urging everyone to remain calm and follow official recommendations to ensure personal and community safety.
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