Australian retailers reporting ‘short supply’ of winter essential

Shoppers have noticed a supermarket staple is currently very hard to find, prompting Australian retailers to issue an urgent warning.

First it was toilet paper, then it was lettuce – now another household staple is in short supply.

Australian retailers are reporting a national shortage of tissues as a result of the monster flu season sweeping the country.

Influenza cases have spiked since we entered our first winter season after Covid restrictions were stripped back.

The rising numbers have prompted experts to issue warnings of “a flu season like no other” after two of the mildest seasons on record – and also sent Aussies scrambling for cold and flu essentials it seems.

Frustrated shoppers have taken to social media with gripes about the lack of tissues in supermarkets, prompting supermarkets to reassure customers while blaming ongoing supply chain issues worsened as a result of the pandemic.

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Australian retailers are reporting a supply shortage of tissues as we grapple with the worst flu season in years. Picture: Twitter

Woolworths told news.com.au it was working “closely with suppliers” in a bid to rectify the problem.

“Given the recent cold snap and early start to the flu season, there’s quite a lot of demand for a range of medicinal and paper goods products including cold and flu tablets, throat lozenges and tissues,” the spokesperson said.

“While customers might notice that the availability of some of their preferred brands might be limited, we continue to offer a wide range of alternatives across these ranges.”

As well as tissues, shoppers have claimed other cold and flu products are missing from shelves. Picture: Twitter

Coles is experiencing a similar shortage, explaining it is an industry-wide issue affecting Australia.

“Customers may notice that some stores might not have their usual brands of facial tissues in stock at the moment,” a spokesperson told news.com.au

“We want to assure customers that there will be enough stock to get them through this flu season.

“We are encouraging shoppers to be flexible if the products they would usually purchase are not available.”

As well as tissues, shoppers are reporting a shortage of other cold and flu products including paracetamol and lozenges.

I thought, "there's a cold going around" was just a thing people said, but when I went to woolies for tissues and panadol, both sections were almost entirely empty 🤯 🤧

— Ricardo Enrique (@ricardo3nrique) June 9, 2022

Tissues! Woolies and coles shelves empty last night..m

— Sharna Nicole 🙈🙉🙊 (@sbooth29) June 7, 2022

Can I ask, do you not do the 4 ply anymore as it is some weeks since I have been able to purchase. Also, the tissues seem to be in short supply at Coles

— Sally Burke (@SallyBurke12) June 14, 2022

News.com.au understands Aldi is also affected.

Products for surviving the cold and flu season are not the only shopping staples in short supply at the moment, with lettuce crops being wiped out by recent flooding events in Queensland and NSW, sending prices soaring as high as $12 for a single head.

Earlier this week, experts warned the flu season could have potentially “life-threatening” consequences, with the Australian Influenza Surveillance Report revealing young Australians are the most at risk.

The flu season began early this year, with illness increasing a month before the seasonal reporting period even began.

So far this year there have been 87,989 influenza cases reported to the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System in Australia. More than 54 per cent of those flu cases were diagnosed within the last two weeks.

For the past two months, the number of confirmed flu cases per week has exceeded the five-year average.

According to the report issued by the Department of Health, 733 people have been hospitalised with the flu since April.

Originally published as Australian retailers reporting ‘short supply’ of winter essential