Metro-east grocery stores replenish food supplies, but some items still hard to find
People are still worried about coronavirus, but the sense of anxiety bordering on panic that pervaded metro-east grocery stores over the weekend has dissipated.
That’s according to several shoppers who ventured out on a rainy Wednesday and found most of the items they needed on store shelves.
“It was much worse over the weekend,” said Kelsey Seim, 27, of Collinsville, a chiropractic assistant who was loading her vehicle with groceries at the Collinsville Aldi store. “It was crazy.”
Last week, officials across the country began closing schools, restaurants and other public places to slow the spread of coronavirus, a respiratory illness also known as COVID-19 that has been declared a pandemic. People rushed out to stock up on food and other supplies.
A few days ago, Seim couldn’t find chicken, milk, eggs or bread. She was able to get all of those items on Wednesday afternoon. But many stores were still out of toilet paper, paper towels, hand-sanitizer and disinfectant wipes.
“I could always use more toilet paper because when you can’t find it, you get down to the nitty-gritty,” said Kelsey’s mother, Kathy Seim, 54, of Collinsville, who works for an insurance company. “I probably have enough for a week.”
Kathy Seim also would have bought a package of ground beef at Aldi, but the store was out of it.
Milk, bread, eggs and other basic food items are always in high demand during emergencies, including snowstorms, said Paul Simon, spokesman for the St. Louis-based Schnucks supermarket chain.
“Our logistics, delivery and warehouse folks are working around the clock,” he said Wednesday. “... We have 112 stores, so we have shipments going out at all times.”
Limits on high-demand items
Schnucks is getting shipments of toilet paper from suppliers, but not enough to meet demand, and people are buying it up quickly after it’s put on shelves, Simon said.
That’s why several stores are limiting the number of high-demand items that customers can buy to avoid hoarding during the coronavirus scare.
At Schnucks, limits include one bottle of multipurpose cleaning spray, two packages of toilet paper, two packages of paper towels, four bottles of hand-sanitizer, four bottles of rubbing alcohol and four containers of disinfectant wipes, when they’re in stock.
“I got the last bottle of Clorox,” said Frank Watson Jr., 75, of Fairview Heights, who was leaving the Fairview Heights Schnucks store on Wednesday afternoon.
Watson was buying the bleach for a friend. He already had his own bottle at home.
The only other items Watson needed were charcoal and broccoli, and he got both. As an Air Force retiree, he prides himself on knowing how to be prepared for emergencies at all times.
“I don’t hoard,” he said. “I buy what I need for one person, and I have enough to last me for a month. I use these things judiciously, so I’m not in danger of running out. I’m a diabetic, and I always have my freezer full of chicken and fish.”
At Aldi stores, limits include two packages of toilet paper, two packages of paper towels, four canned goods, two cartons of eggs, two jugs of milk, two loaves of bread, four cans of soup and four boxes of broth.
Representatives of Walmart and Dierbergs Markets did not return calls for comment Wednesday.
First day out of the house
Wednesday was the first day Brandyn McDaniel had been out of his house since Friday. He and his family are practicing “social distancing,” as recommended by medical experts.
McDaniel, 38, a health and P.E. teacher who lives in Caseyville, found everything he needed at the Fairview Heights Schnucks store.
“We have a pretty good supply at home,” he said. “I got ingredients for soups that will last a little while. I got milk, some canned goods, tomatoes, fruit for the kids, veggies for salads and some things to restock the bar.”
Bobbie Walz went to Walmart on Carlyle Avenue on Wednesday, just to look at tools. He had enough groceries at home.
But Walz, 45, a roofer who lives in Shiloh, got very frustrated on Saturday, when many shelves were empty and people were acting as if they were in “zombieland,” he said.
“The store was out of toilet paper. It was out of bread. It was out of eggs. The only thing I could find that I needed was cheese. It was insane. It’s getting a little better, but the shelves are still kind of bare.”
At Walmart on Wednesday, there was a large selection of candy, soda, chips, beer, wine, bakery goods, produce and salad dressing. Supplies of eggs, meat, canned goods, peanut butter, spaghetti sauce, laundry detergent and cleaning supplies were low.
Juanita Hall, 61, of Belleville, a retired school custodian who fosters her grandchildren, found everything she needed at Walmart.
“I’m already stocked at home,” she said. “I just had to get rubbing alcohol, a couple of blankets and some food for the kids. They love pizza rolls. I have meat in the freezer and plenty of canned goods, macaroni and cheese, stuff like that.”
Small grocers can act quickly
Market Basket, an independent family-owned grocery store in Edwardsville, has experienced some of the same challenges as large supermarkets, trying to meet increased demand.
But co-owner Jason Stevens said shoppers can sometimes find items at his store that aren’t available elsewhere.
“I think we’re a little more nimble,” he said. “We heard that some stores were running out of ground beef and chicken (last weekend), and we were able to call our meat supplier and get a delivery pretty quickly.”
That said, Market Basket was out of toilet paper and hand-sanitizer on Wednesday, like other stores. Stevens isn’t sure when he’ll get more in.
“We have a truck coming Friday, just like we normally do,” he said.
Some grocery stores are implementing other changes to get through the coronavirus pandemic, including shortened hours of operation.
Schnucks has closed most of its courtesy counters, where people buy lottery tickets, pay bills and conduct other business, turning more employees into checkers. In Illinois, counters will remain open at stores in Alton (Homer Adams Parkway), Carlyle, Fairview Heights, Cahokia and Granite City.
On Wednesday, Schnucks began setting aside the first hour of each day (6 to 7 a.m.) for shopping by seniors ages 60 and above and others at higher risk of contracting coronavirus.
“By allowing seniors and those who are most at risk to be the first in our stores, we hope we can make it just a little bit easier for them to feel comfortable while picking up the groceries and household items they need,” according to a statement on the chain’s website.
This story was originally published March 19, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
