Supermarkets Assure:

There’s Plenty Of Food

Buy Only What You Need, Shoppers Advised

By ELIZABETH COOPER • Special to www.AllOTSEGO.com

First it was toilet paper and hand sanitizer.

Then chicken.

Then pasta.

Our usually full supermarkets now feature empty shelves where products we rely on used to be.

Tops, Price Chopper and Hannaford are all struggling to keep up with unprecedented demand as consumers stock up in the face of the COVID-19 virus crisis, but that doesn’t mean the food supply is in jeopardy.

“There have been some logistical bumps along the way based on increased demand across the country, but essentially there is plenty to go around,” said Price Chopper spokeswoman Mona Golub.

“We continue to receive deliveries on a daily basis and we continue to supply stores according to their size and volume on a daily basis,” she said.

Still, the stores are not as full as they usually are.

“The challenge is getting product delivered and on store shelves at a speed that matches the extraordinary demand,” Hannaford spokeswoman Ericka Dodge said in an emailed statement.

Dodge said in some cases they are looking for new sources of supplies when usual sources dry up.

Tops spokeswoman Kathleen Sautter echoed the others and said there have been situations where limits were placed on how many of certain items consumers could buy.

Once everyone has what they feel they need, things should even out, they said.

In the meantime, everyone should respect one another’s needs.

“We encourage customers to purchase only what they truly need and leave some for others,” Dodge said. “Doing this will ensure that others will have access to products they need too.”

►Safety a priority

Protecting workers and shoppers from the virus is also a priority for the markets.

At Price Chopper, stores are closed from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. so professional cleaners can sanitize stores. Cashiers are asked to clean the areas around their registers after every customer and are asked to wash their hands every half hour.

Stores are open only for the elderly and immune compromised from 6 a.m. to 7 a.m. so they can shop with minimal risk of being exposed.