RETAIL giant Hy-Vee is planning to make two major changes to its stores – and could end a popular service in select stores.
Hy-Vee bosses have said they want to create a “family-friendly atmosphere” for shoppers and improve the overall experience.
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Hy-Vee is all set to slash its bar service in “select stores” from May 1, according to the company’s spokesperson.
Tina Potthoff said that the company is also planning to make more changes to its in-store restaurants, including eliminating waitstaff.
Stores ceasing service of alcoholic beverages will include all those with Market Grilles in the Des Moines metro,
West Des Moines-based Hy-Vee will also begin having customers order at the counter, rather than waiters coming to the tables.
The company is making the changes to implement uniform ordering procedures at every Market Grille, Ms Potthoff added.
She said: “We remain committed to providing a family-friendly atmosphere that prioritizes an exceptional experience for everyone.”
Ms Pottoff said that customers can place orders for breakfast and lunch menu items at the restaurant’s counter pay station from 6am to 2pm daily.
After that the counters will close but customers can order from other food counters in stores, such as fried chicken, Hy-Chi Chinese food and sushi – all intill 8pm.
“Right now, we have different setups at multiple locations. This now makes the experience consistent across all our stores,” Potthoff said.
It comes after Hy-Vee began axing self-checkout at certain stores, hoping to improve things for customers.
Spokesperson Tina Potthoff said some stores have scrapped self-checkouts in recent months.
At other stores, the scan and pay systems have been switched to speedy express lanes with a ban on baskets holding 12 items or more.
“We just want to provide a better customer experience in several of our stores by bringing back the face-to-face interaction with our employees that we had pre-Covid,” she said, per the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
She reportedly declined to give a full list of the Hy-Vee stores making the changes, but the 8701 Douglas Avenue store in Urbandale had scrapped all self-checkout lanes as of Monday.
The chain had added self-checkout to most of its stores in 2019.
In 2020, Hy-Vee went on to implement further self-checkout options as the Covid pandemic raged on.
It went on to ditch its Scan & Go systems in 2023.
“Hy-Vee’s Scan & Go service will be disabled, effective Monday, Feb. 20,” the company announced on its website at the time.
The app was launched in 2021 and was designed to allow customers to scan items on their phones as they shopped throughout the store.
Then, shoppers could skip the checkout line and pay by just scanning the app.