For a couple of weeks, this appears to be the new normal at the grocery store. Since COVID-19 cases have become more pronounced in Hinton and Summers County there has been a pronounced interest in some of America’s favorite paper products. Paper towels and toilet paper arrive on a truck on the same day(s) of the week and many in the buying public seem to know exactly when the items hit the shelves.
Several employees at Kroger had the same thing to say, “when the products are stocked they’re literally all sold within an hour.”
Empty shelves remain for days at a time. There’s no question about why the products are so popular, but why they’re selling out so quickly remains a puzzle. One stocker confided the warehouse isn’t sending enough supply to meet demand, while others can only speculate about supply chain issues or hysterical buying as the flu season collides with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Shoppers are mostly patient about the regularity of the wipe-out of paper on rolls, but some are getting pretty frustrated. Brandi Reel of Hinton sighed “this is getting out of hand. I can’t find a be lot of stuff we’ve gotta have, like bleach or disinfecting wipes.”
On the other hand, however, there’s a significantly higher percentage of shoppers wearing masks and that is a good thing, as well as signs limiting the number of products our fellow shoppers can buy of particular items.
This page is available to subscribers. Click here to sign in or get access.