Coronavirus impact: Grocery store shelves may be getting fuller with some products easier to find after panic buying frenzy
ALAMEDA, Calif. (KGO) -- Remember grocery shopping before the novel coronavirus pandemic? Before the panic buying and empty store shelves? We're not back there yet, but there are early signs that things are improving.
It's still a roll of the dice that you'll find everything you want at the local grocers.
Alison Gordon hasn't been able to buy flour for three weeks. Other products are hit and miss.
"You know it just depends on what time of the day you go in and what days. Sometimes I can go into stores and there's very little produce and other times I go in and it's loaded," Gordon said.
And for grocers, good luck getting re-stocked when COVID-19 cases started to explode.
"First it was nothing," said Joe Trimble, owner of Encinal market in Alameda. But now he says it's getting a little easier to replenish supplies.
"I do believe the supply chain is catching up with demand. I don't know how long it's going to take to completely catch up," Trimble said.
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In a statement, the California Grocers Association agreed saying, "In general the supply is stable and returning to normalcy as quickly as possible." And that "many products that had been in short supply (like toilet paper) are beginning to be seen more on store shelves."
Encinal Market is getting more toilet paper but they still can't keep it on shelves. But eggs which were tough to get are now plentiful."
Trimble says in early January it was easy to find everything he needed from suppliers. But, now - They're getting in more toilet paper but they still can't keep it on shelves.
"Eggs which were tough to get are now plentiful," Trimble added.
"As far as what's coming into the store, I'd say the fill rate is between 35 and 50%."
Trimble says that's better than 25% fill rate a couple of weeks ago.
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