But supermarkets across the UK, Europe, US and Australia are nonetheless\nmaking changes to operations to meet increased demand and keep employees safe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Have you read?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n ‘There is enough for everyone if we all work together’: UK supermarkets are\nbesieged by customers<\/p>\n\n\n\n Amazon warehouses will receive only vital supplies in the U.S. and Europe\namid coronavirus pandemic<\/p>\n\n\n\n Operating more than 3,400 stores across the UK, the supermarket chain\nTesco, as just one example, announced \u201cchanges to simplify what we do, create\nthe most helpful shopping experience we can, and support our hard-working\ncolleagues.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n For people who are used to popping by the store any day, any time, and\nalmost always finding whatever we want on the shelves, these changes may come\nas a surprise \u2013 and another source of anxiety during the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But supermarkets want you to know: there\u2019s absolutely no need to panic.\nThere\u2019s plenty of food and supplies for everyone, and these changes will ensure\nthey will continue to be available for the foreseeable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are 5 things supermarkets want you to know right now.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 1. Don\u2019t panic if you see empty shelves.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Empty shelves don\u2019t mean there\u2019s a shortage of food and supplies. They\nsimply mean stores and supply chains need to catch up with increased demand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOur supply chain is experiencing a truly unprecedented event with this\ncrisis. We have never seen levels like this across the United States. And\nthat’s actually impacting supply chains,\u201d said Greg Ferrara, president of the\nNational Grocers Association in the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo, when you go into a store, if you see empty shelves, it’s taking us a\nwhile to get the product flowing through supply chain back to the stores. But\nit is coming. It is coming through our warehouses. It coming to the stores.\nThere is plenty of supply in the supply chain,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe just need time to catch up.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Some supermarket chains are slimming down product ranges so they can focus\non essentials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe need to make food manufacture as efficient as possible \u2013 it makes no\nsense to pause to change packet sizes or change from one type of pasta to\nanother,\u201d explained one UK supermarket.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe have 20 different sizes and styles of pasta, we are moving that to\nsix.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n To allow employees to focus on \u201cstocking shelves, helping to provide the\nessential groceries you are looking for and to avoid waste,\u201d Tesco will close\nmeat, fish and deli counters and salad bars. Expect to see cafes, pizza\ncounters and coffee machines closed in stores, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This doesn\u2019t mean we\u2019re running out of meat, salad greens or coffee beans;\nit just means you need to prepare these items at home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2. There is enough food to go around if everyone buys fairly.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n To cope with the supply chain disruption, stores are encouraging customers\nto buy only what they need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Belgium\u2019s Colruyt supermarket chain said hoarding is \u201creally not necessary\u201d\nbecause there\u2019s plenty of supply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Following a frenzied week of people around the world panic-buying\nessentials like toilet paper, some supermarkets are restricting purchases to\nensure there\u2019s enough for everyone. Tesco is limiting purchases of all items to\nthree per customer to prevent unnecessary hoarding, while Sainsbury\u2019s is\nlimiting toilet paper, soap and UHT milk to two per customer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the United States, Harris Teeter customers may only buy three items in\nthe following categories: toilet paper, canned meat, pasta, cleaning supplies and\ncertain medications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3. Supermarkets are hiring to cope with demand.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n While many employees, particularly in the retail and hospitality sectors,\nare facing job losses, supermarkets are hiring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the UK, Co-op has 5,000 new temporary jobs available, and encourages\npeople to walk to their nearest store with a \u201cview to starting work in a matter\nof days.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Workers are also needed to keep supply chains moving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The fruit and berry industry \u201cwill be mounting a large-scale recruitment\ncampaign to encourage people who are in the UK and looking for work because of\nthe current economic impact of the coronavirus to come and work on our farms,\u201d\nsaid Nick Marston, chairman of British Summer Fruits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 4. Elderly and vulnerable people have their own shopping hour.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n While researchers are still studying COVID-19 and how it\u2019s transmitted, we\nknow the elderly and those with underlying medical conditions face higher risk\nof complications and death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To ensure these populations have plenty of food and supplies with lower\nrisk of coming into contact with the virus, supermarkets worldwide are\ninstituting special shopping hours for them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Whole Foods, Sainsbury\u2019s and Waitrose, to name a few, have designated the\nfirst hour after opening for elderly and vulnerable customers. Tesco stores are\nopen exclusively for between 9-10am on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Other stores encourage younger, healthy customers to continue to shop\nin-store as normal, or choose to collect online purchases in the store,\nallowing elderly, vulnerable and isolated populations access to grocery\ndelivery slots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 5. Supermarket employees are working very hard at personal risk \u2013 and\nalways appreciate a thank you.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n While you\u2019re hunkered down at home, supermarket employees continue to show\nup to work every day, putting themselves at risk as they come into contact with\nhundreds or thousands of people who may be asymptomatic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Many stores, including Tesco and Whole Foods, will close shop early to\nallow employees the chance to sanitize the store, replenish stock and, of\ncourse, rest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Others are building clear screens to shield checkout clerks and encouraging\ncustomers to pay by contactless credit card when possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What can you do? A simple \u201cthank you\u201d when you check out or notice an\nemployee restocking the pasta aisle can go a long way in this difficult time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Samantha Sault While many restaurants, shops and services are closing to slow the spread of COVID-19, supermarkets remain open. US and UK supermarkets assure customers there is plenty of supply and no need to…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":885,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[9],"tags":[215],"class_list":["post-884","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","tag-supermarkets"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/towncryyers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/5e3c6ecb0ce3d12b723c6857.jpg?fit=1024%2C681&ssl=1\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/towncryyers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/36_Massasoit1.jpg?resize=632%2C451&ssl=1\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/towncryyers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Ralphs-hiring-coronavirus-March-2020.jpg?fit=1024%2C576&ssl=1\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n