Shoppers flock to stock up at supermarkets ahead of SA lockdown

Panicked SA shoppers have already rushed to supermarkets, ignoring appeals for calm and assurances over supplies.

Line-ups at supermarkets emerged within minutes of the snap lockdown announcement on Tuesday, with shoppers ignoring appeals for calm.

Supermarkets and bottle shops will remain open throughout the seven-day lockdown, and major retailers have offered assurances over supplies. But that wasn’t enough to stop shoppers from rushing to stock up on essential items.

Foodland in Norwood Place was one of the first supermarkets to be inundated with customers, with staff quickly having to manage line-ups of shoppers.

It came just minutes after Premier Steven Marshall warned there was no need for panic.

“There’s no need for panic buying – we already had restrictions in place with regards to moving to only essential retail,” he said during the lockdown announcement.

The line-up at Foodland, Norwood Place, emerged soon after Tuesday’s lockdown announcement. Picture: Tricia Watkinson

“We’ve seen with this situation before, here in South Australia and interstate, that there are plenty of supplies going through to our supermarkets.

“You will be able to leave home for those essential purchases like food – there is no need whatsoever for panic buying.”

During Tuesday’s lockdown announcement, SA Police Commissioner Grant Stevens confirmed that as well as supermarkets, bottle shops would remain open for pick-up purchases.

Masks, he said, were required in supermarkets and other indoor retail activities.

Pre-empting the rush on supplies, Coles and Woolworths introduced a temporary two-pack limit on toilet paper purchases on Monday, following the introduction of heightened restrictions but before the move to a full lockdown.

“We have plenty of stock in our supply chain, and purchase limits are a temporary measure to help us manage demand so that we can return our stores to a fully-stocked position as quickly as possible,” Coles said in a statement.

“We ask that customers stay calm, shop normally and be respectful to our hard-working team members.”

The line-up at Foodland at Norwood Place. Picture: Tricia Watkinson

Woolworths SA general manager Karl Weber said there was plenty of stock in its supply chain, and “our team members will be hard at work making sure it continues to flow into our stores in large volumes for our customers”.

“As always, we encourage our customers to be mindful of others in the community and buy only what they need,” he said in a statement.

“We also ask customers to follow all social distancing and Covid-safe measures in our stores and to treat our team members with respect as we work through this unsettling time together.”

Drakes Supermarkets, which placed temporary two-packet limits on toilet paper purchases last August, has not put limits on purchases this time around, but director John-Paul Drake urged customers to refrain from buying in bulk.

Mr Drake, who famously gave the “one finger salute” to a shopper who tried to get a refund on 150 packs of toilet paper during the first round of panic buying, said the unnecessary stockpiling of items like toilet paper had the potential to create supply chain issues.

“How people haven’t learnt from the first, second or third time – it’s not necessary to stock up on grocery items,” he said.

“We have plenty of stock in our distribution centre and our team are working around the clock to get more stock to our shelves, but this takes time. Please, buy only what you need and we won’t have supply issues that we saw last year.”

National Retail Association chief executive Dominique Lamb reiterated the Premier’s call for calm.

“We urge South Australian shoppers to be patient and only purchase what they need,” she said.

“Supermarkets and grocery stores remain open under even the tightest level of restrictions.”

Originally published as Shoppers flock to stock up at supermarkets ahead of SA lockdown