Upper Spencer Gulf supermarkets struggle as shoppers travel to regions to stockpile
Country supermarkets in the Upper Spencer Gulf are struggling to cope, with people travelling from as far as Adelaide in an attempt to stockpile.
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Supermarkets across the Upper Spencer Gulf are feeling the pinch of coronavirus, as people from Adelaide travel to the area in a desperate attempt to stockpile.
While the panic shopping brought on by COVID-19 reaches new levels, people in country and regional areas have been told it may be weeks until the shelves are restocked with essential items such as toilet paper and paper towel.
A staff member at a Woolworths store in Port Pirie said shoppers are coming from far and wide including Adelaide to try and buy certain items, but the stock simply isn’t there.
“People are coming from everywhere and we just can’t keep up with stock, we are even getting people from Adelaide coming here trying to stock up,” the staff member said.
“We get new stock in every night, but there is no guarantee what will be on the truck and some of the items we are completely out of haven’t been coming in.”
It is a very similar story across all supermarkets in Whyalla, Port Augusta and Port Pirie, with items such as toilet paper, paper towel, tissues, sanitiser and meats completely out of stock.
At Coles in Port Augusta staff confirmed people are travelling up to five hours just to do shopping.
“These people are travelling here and they get very upset when they see the shelves just as bare as they are in the city,” the Coles staff member said.
“The reality is we are no different to the city in the stock we have, the difference is it takes us twice as long to restock some items.”
Up to 100 shoppers are lining up at some stores in the evening when the shelves are restocked and it is believed some stores are considering acquiring security or police presence to maintain order.
Port Augusta resident Glenda Howarth said she has been left stunned by the attitude of shoppers and is stressed about providing for her family.
“It has been a tough time in the last week or so, I have been trying to shop for me and my four kids and it has just been chaos,” Ms Howarth said.
“I have never seen the shops like this and I never thought I would say that I am battling to buy toilet paper, the shops are crazy and as soon as the shelves are restocked they are emptied in minutes.”
Panic buying in South Australian supermarkets has extended beyond toilet paper to meat, flour, sugar, cake mix, long life milk and eggs.
Shelves have been stripped of various essentials as increasing numbers of office workers have been ordered to work from home.
With restaurants, hotels and cafes already experiencing plummeting patronage, South Australians are opting to eat indoors.
A visit to two supermarkets at Athelstone by The Advertiser found their meat shelves bare by mid-afternoon on Tuesday.
Also stripped or severely depleted were shelves of pasta, rice, sugar, flour, cake mix, eggs, pasta sauce, canned vegetables and tinned tuna.
One of the most surprising items in demand was kitty litter.
Opposition Leader Peter Malinauskas joined Premier Steven Marshall today in appealing for calm in supermarket aisles.
Mr Malinauskas said that he understood the desire of people wanting to prepare but “the panic in supermarkets has got to stop”.
“I plead with all South Australians, next time you are at the supermarket or your local shops, ask yourself, do I really need this or will someone else need it more,” he said.
Mr Malinauskas said many South Australians, epecially those who were vulnerable, were unable to stockpile.
“It’s a cycle that breeds more panic buying,” he said.
“Now, more than ever, we need to look after each other.”