Bed Bath & Beyond Set To Reopen: Dedicated Shopping Hours, Curbside Pickup, Customer Limits And More

As Bed Bath & Beyond (BBBY) readies to reopen its stores, the company has initiated a number of safety measures that are designed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The home goods retailer said it plans to keep the majority of its stores closed until at least May 30.

Bed Bath & Beyond plans to use a phased-in approach to reopening its stores with about 20 Bed Bath & Beyond and Christmas Tree Shops opening by May 22 based on state and local regulations.

Bed Bath & Beyond’s Baby and Harmon stores have remained open during the coronavirus pandemic as they provide essential goods for families. Bed Bath & Beyond closed the majority of its stores in March because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The company will offer curbside pickup and in-store pickup at about 750 locations or at least 50% of its retail fleet. With the curbside and in-store pickup services, Bed Bath & Beyond will expand its fulfillment capabilities, shipping online orders in two days or less. In-store pickup orders will be available in two hours or less as well as for curbside delivery purchases.

Changes at stores will include a limit on the number of customers allowed inside to promote social distancing, and early shopping hours for customers over the age of 60 and those at high risk. Bed Bath & Beyond will also provide cart wipes and hand sanitizer dispensers in its stores and has enhanced its cleaning protocols. Stores employees will be wearing masks and practicing social distancing while inside the stores.

"As we initiate our store re-opening plans, we continue to prioritize the health and safety of our associates and customers,” Mark Tritton, president and CEO at Bed Bath & Beyond, said in a statement. “To help ensure our customers can shop safely with confidence, we are implementing a new Store Safety Plan, enhancing our existing protocols and based on the latest guidance from federal, state and local government and health authorities.

"Our strong financial flexibility and liquidity allows us to take this measured, market-by-market approach to re-opening stores. We will only open our doors to the public when we believe it is safe to do so, while carefully managing costs and monitoring performance as we scale up our operations over time. This approach allows us to continue to make strategic investments in our digital and fulfilment capabilities to build an omni-always shopping experience for our loyal customers,” he added.

Shares of Bed Bath & Beyond stock were down 6.40% as of 2:39 p.m. EDT on Wednesday.