CONCORD, N.C. — If you’ve gone to get groceries, you’ve seen it for yourself: Shelves are bare and certain items are near-impossible to find right now, but state officials say it’s not because of a lack of supply.
In Concord, FOX 46 found wiped-out shelves and empty aisles. More and more products seem to be flying off the shelves. First, it was hand sanitizer and toilet paper. Now, it’s bread, milk, and meat.
”They had a few bags of drumettes here and Walmart was out of a few things,” said shopper Hassana Oglesby.
Oglesby is one of the lucky ones. She did her grocery shopping a few days ago and this seems to be a new thing as the coronavirus concerns hit a fever pitch, but state officials say this is the result of simple hoarding.
“Please resist the urge to buy in excess,” NC Emergency Manager Mike Sprayberry said.
Sprayberry says, simply, the empty shelves have nothing to do with the food supply, which he says is doing fine.
“Grocery stores will remain open and there’s not a food shortage,” he said.
The grocery stores themselves say they are working to keep the shelves stocked. Harris Teeter tells FOX 46 they’re working to meet the demand up to and including finding more suppliers and more frequent shipments.
Food Lion says they’ve been in constant contact with their suppliers, too. The demand during the coronavirus crisis may show how much people are concerned, but for others, it’s just been a headache.
“I think people are going overboard. I get people trying to stay safe. It’s going overboard, but I get it,” Oglesby said.
