CHARLOTTE — Once a common sight, 24-hour stores are now a thing of the past.
No matter if it was the middle of the day or 3 in the morning, the Cotswold Harris Teeter used to be open — so was the South Park Harris Teeter and Walmart stores across the country.
Zee Phelps says those were the good days.
“If I needed something at night time, it’s convenient,” Phelps said.
Unfortunately, grocery expert Phil Lempert says it’s unlikely they’ll return. He said it all comes down to labor.
“We have a shortage of people working in supermarkets,” he told Channel 9’s Joe Bruno. “They have to pay more to get people on an hourly basis to go into a supermarket. There’s more supermarkets now than ever before, so they’re really competing with each other. So it’s all about dollars and cents.”
Most Harris Teeter stores are now open from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. The company phased out of 24-hour storers in 2020, and a spokesperson says there are no plans to change back any time soon.
Changes in shopping habits during the Covid-19 pandemic also played a role. In some cities, people can now use delivery apps to have groceries delivered no matter the time.
Just because late hours are a thing of the past now, it’s possible grocers will reconsider if shopping habits change.
While grocery stores are closed, there are plenty of places open late at night, and it’s not just gas stations and hospitals. Tune in WSOC-TV at 11 p.m. for the places you can go when most people are sleeping.
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