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Coronavirus impacts local grocery, convenience stores

4 min read
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Grocery and convenience stores are considered essential to ensure an accessible and continuous food supply, and they are adjusting to this era of the coronavirus amid reports of increasing cases of the disease and shortages and runs on items like paper towels, sanitary wipes and toilet paper.

Sandy Bruce, general manager of the Shop ‘N Save markets in Masontown, Millsboro and Carmichaels said that, when the coronavirus started making an impact on public awareness at the beginning and middle of March, things “were crazy” at the stores.

“You couldn’t even find a parking space in our lots,” she said.

Bruce said there was a run on items like toilet paper, paper towels, ground meat, hand sanitizer and Lysol wipes. Toilet paper was especially in demand, and the store had difficulty keeping it in stock. Since then, it’s limited sales to one role per customer, but it still seems to go as quickly as it’s stocked on the shelves.

While the store is gradually getting back to normal, warehouses are empty of several items like Lysol wipes and hand sanitizer, but even these are currently being replenished.

One unexpected development was a notice from bread-making businesses that reported they’d be making only white and Italian bread for the next two weeks.

“We’re also out of yeast, but that seemed to be in short supply even before the outbreak of the virus,” Bruce said.

At the Rices Landing Giant Eagle, owner Joe Throckmorton reported runs on the same items that seem to be most in demand all across the country – hand sanitizer, toilet paper and bottled water.

One way the coronavirus has impacted the store is by doubling food sales.

“One reason why we’ve been so busy is because restaurants account for 55%, if not more, of food consumption,” Throckmorton said. “With the virus closing restaurants, except for food take-out, people are cooking and eating more at home.”

The store is also selling more yeast. Before the scare, Throckmorton said he was selling very little yeast. Now, people seem to be baking more at home, which includes bread. The fact that Easter is just around the corner also increased demand.

“With the borders now closed to trade, other items may be harder to get in the future,” he said.

One advantage he said his store has is the fact that it gets deliveries every day, which means the items in demand are frequently restocked.

One concern many grocery store owners have pointed out now that the borders are closed is the possible shortage of migrant workers to pick and harvest the crops in the field. This may lead to further shortages down the road.

At the Jefferson BFS Foods, Tanya Conard, assistant manager, reports that sales of snack items, beverages and grab-and-go foods like soups and burgers are down.

“People are paying for their gas at the pumps and not coming into the store to purchase other items,” she said.

In mid-March, Conard reports that people were snatching things like toilet paper, Lysol and bleach off the shelves. After a delivery on March 25, the store is now “pretty well stocked” with these items.

Over at Hopkins General Store in Nineveh, employee Sharon Hildreth reports that the same in-demand items reported across the nation are in short supply. Even so, business has been steady, as people come in for a variety of goods, including deli sandwiches and roller grill items like hot dogs, kielbasa and breakfast items.

“We’re even seeing new people come in,” Hildreth said. “I guess they’re trying to support local businesses as best they can.”

Recently, the Department of Agriculture issued guidance for the commonwealth’s essential grocery stores to ensure continuation of services to Pennsylvanians while maintaining a healthy workforce. For information as it relates to agriculture during COVID-19 mitigation in Pennsylvania, visit agriculture.pa.gov/COVID. For the most accurate, timely information related to health in Pennsylvania, visit on.pa.gov/coronavirus.

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