Dear business leaders:

We want to thank you and the many other essential businesses that have remained open during this unprecedented pandemic.  Your businesses are providing necessary items to the community while we all navigate this crisis together.  I write to raise concerns that have arisen in our client community – individuals with disabilities – who are having trouble accessing your businesses and services.  When individuals with disabilities seek to obtain necessary items either by shopping in-person or through online orders with delivery services, they are not able to access the items as needed.

To address these concerns, we request two solutions: 1) as an in-store accommodation, create an hour of shopping for individuals who are higher-risk as identified under the CDC guidelines; and, 2) as an online delivery services accommodation, provide a checkbox option for higher-risk individuals to self-identify at the checkout to be prioritized for earlier delivery times.

First, we appreciate many stores have staggered shopping hours for individuals who are 60+ years of age, and believe this is a positive example of how to assist individuals who are vulnerable during this pandemic.  Based on the same concept, we request that you provide additional staggered times for the other CDC identified higher-risk groups.  For example, individuals who are immunocompromised are in the higher-risk group and do not always fall within the 60+ year of age category that your store is currently accommodating.  Setting aside additional times for these individuals would provide reasonable access to your stores. Without them, a trip to the grocery store could risk their lives.

Second, many individuals with disabilities who rely on delivery services for essential items are concerned that some necessary items are taking two or more weeks to be delivered.  Because these individuals with disabilities have no other means of obtaining these essential items, we ask that you prioritize their delivery orders.  To accomplish this, we recommend adding a checkbox to all delivery orders that allows individuals to self-identify as an individual with a disability or someone in the CDC higher-risk categories. Those orders should then be prioritized in your delivery service scheduling. This simple step would ensure that people who do not have the option to leave home, sometimes even without a stay at home order, can continue to receive the items they need to live.

Disability Rights California is the largest disability rights organization in California and the nation, and we are working to protect and advocate on behalf of our client community – individuals with disabilities. We thank you for your consideration and we are open to discussions about these issues or any other issues as they might affect individuals with disabilities. Please feel free to reach out to me at Andy.Imparato@DisabilityRightsCA.org or (443) 386-2935.

Sincerely,
Andrew J. Imparato
Executive Director
Disability Rights California

Albertsons Companies: Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Pavilions
Chief Executive
Vivek Sankaran
President & Chief Executive Officer
250 E Parkcenter Blvd
Boise, ID 83706
Vivek.Sankaran@albertsons.com

Aldi
Chief Executive
Jason Hart
1200 N Kirk Rd.
Batavia, IL 60510
jason.hart@aldi.us
(630) 879-8100
Brenda Ramsey
ALDI US Corporate Manager - Customer Service Operations
1200 N Kirk Rd.
Batavia, IL 60510
Brenda.Ramsey@aldi.us

Arden Group, Gelson’s Markets
President and Chief Executive Officer
Rob McDougall
16400 Ventura Blvd., Suite 240
Encino, CA 91436-2123
(818) 906-5700

Costco
Chief Executive
W. Craig Jelinek
Chief Executive Officer
999 Lake Drive, Suite 200
Issaquah, WA 98027
cjelinek@costco.com

Dollar General
Chief Executive
Todd J. Vasos
(615) 855-4000
100 Mission Ridge Goodlettsville
TN 37072 United States
tvasos@dollargeneral.com

Dollar Tree, Inc.
President and Chief Executive Officer
Gary M. Philbin
500 Volvo Parkway
Chesapeake, VA 23320
* All mailings must be sent to: Corporate Secretary
gphilbin@familydollar.com

Kroger, Ralph’s, Food 4 Less, Foods Co.
Chief Executive
Rodney McMullen
1014 Vine Street
Cincinnati, OH 45202-1100
Rodney.mcmullen@kroger.com
Megan Shaffer
Senior Director of Retail Operations
1014 Vine Street
Cincinnati, OH 45202-1100
Megan.Shaffer@kroger.com

Fairway Market
Chief Executive Officer
Abel Porter
2284 12th Ave.
New York City, New York
(646) 616-8000

The Fresh Market
Chief Executive
Jason Potter
628 Green Valley Road
Suite 500
Greensboro, NC, 27408
jpotter@thefreshmarket.com
jason.potter@thefreshmarket.com
Media Contact: 336-402-6638

Grocery Outlet
Chief Executive
Eric Lindberg
CEO
(510)-845-1999
5650 Hollis Street
Emeryville, CA 94608 United States

Northgate Gonzalez Market
Owner/Co-President
Miguel Gonzalez, Jr.
1201 N. Magnolia Ave.
Anaheim, CA 92801
(714) 778-3784

Sam’s Club
Chief Executive
Kathryn McLay
President and CEO
2101 S.E. Simple Savings Drive
Bentonville, AR 72716-0745
Kathryn.McLay@samsclub.com

Smart & Final
Chief Executive
David G Hirz
President and CEO
600 Citadel Drive
Commerce, CA 90040
dave.hirz@smartandfinal.com

Sprouts
Chief Executive
Jack Loudon Sinclair
CEO
5455 East High Street, Suite 111
Phoenix, AZ 85054
jacksinclair@sprouts.com

Stater Bros Market
Chief Executive
Pete Van Helden
CEO
301 South Tippecanoe Avenue
San Bernardino, CA 92408
pete.vanhelden@staterbros.com

Stop & Shop
President
Gordon Reid
1385 Hancock St.
Quincy, MA 02169
(800) 767-7772
gordon.reid@aholdusa.com

SuperValu
Chief Executive
Mark Gross
President & CEO
7075 Flying Cloud Dr.
Eden Prairie, MN 55344
mark.gross@supervalu.com

Target Corporation
Chief Executive
Brian C. Cornell
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
1000 Nicollet Mall
Minneapolis, MN 55403
brian.cornell@target.com
Samir Shah
Senior Vice President, Stores
1000 Nicollet Mall
Minneapolis, MN 55403
samir.shah@target.com

Trader Joe’s
Chief Executive
Dan Bane
800 South Shamrock Avenue
Monrovia, CA 91016
(626) 599-3700
dbane@traderjoes.com
Jon Basalone
President, Stores
800 South Shamrock Avenue
Monrovia, CA 91016
jbasalone@traderjoes.com

Vallarta Supermarkets
Chief Executive
Enrique Gonzalez, Jr.
12881 Bradley Ave.
Sylmar, CA 91342
enrique.gonzalez@vallartasupermarkets.com
Corporate Main Phone: (818) 898-0088

The Vons Companies, Inc.
Chief Executive Officer
Lawrence A. Del Santo
5918 Stoneridge Mall Road
Pleasanton, CA 94588
(877) 723-3929

Walmart
Chief Executive
Doug McMillon
President and CEO, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
702 SW 8th St
Bentonville, AR 72716
Doug.McMillon@wal-mart.com
Dacona Smith
Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Walmart U.S.
702 SW 8th St
Bentonville, AR 72716
Dacona.Smith@wal-mart.com

Whole Foods Market
Chief Executive
John Mackey
550 Bowie Street
Austin, TX 78703-4644
(512) 542-0215
john.mackey@wholefoods.com
Jason BuechelChief Operating Officer
550 Bowie Street
Austin, TX 78703-4644
Jason.Buechel@wholefoods.com

99 Cents Only Stores
President and COO
Jason Kidd
4000 East Union Pacific Ave
City of Commerce, CA 90023
(323) 980-8145
jason.kidd@99only.com

Amazon Stores
Chief Executive Officer
Jeff Bezos
410 Terry Avenue North
Seattle, Washington 98109
jeff@amazon.com