LIC Grocery Store Axes Late Night Hours

LONG ISLAND CITY, QUEENS — The hungry residents of northwest Queens can no longer pick up groceries at Stop & Shop at all hours of the night.

As of Sunday, the Long Island City grocery store at 34-51 48th Street is opening daily from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., a Stop & Shop spokesperson said.

This shaves hours off the old schedule which saw the grocery store remain open until 11 p.m. on Sunday and midnight all other days, the spokesperson said.

The cutback in hours comes not just to northwest Queens, but a majority of Stop & Shop stores, after the company found that fewer customers shop late at night, especially in winter months, according to the spokesperson.

Most Stop & Shop stores, which open at 7 a.m., are now closing at 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 9 p.m. on Sundays, according to the spokesperson.

Some late-night shoppers in northwest Queens were disappointed to hear about the store's change in hours.

One, who already went shopping past 10 p.m. twice in Jan., said that the change was "bad news."

Another, who gets out of work at 10 p.m. was also disappointed, writing, "It was helpful that they were open a little later."

(Food Bazaar, which is located nearby on Northern Boulevard, is open 24 hours, a third late-night worker pointed out on the thread.)

Another neighbor pointed out the cutback could be seen as"good news" for one group: Stop & Shop workers, who won't have to work as late.

You can check the hours for a specific Stop & Shop here, though the hours for the 48th Street locations haven't been updated yet.