JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – Since the Coronavirus spread through Mississippi a lot of peoples initial reactions have been to stock up on food and hygiene products to limit going out in public. But many stores are reporting low inventory making basic grocery shopping more difficult.
For a Tuesday the Cash Saver grocery store off Raymond Rd. was flooded all day and many days before. The staff is scrambling to keep up. Now warehouses are running low on what they can ship.
As dozens of filled carts leave Sash Saver, shelves and entire aisles sit more than half empty due to store suppliers facing a shortage.
“The warehouse, of course, they’re being overloaded and everything,” General manager Jery Hayman explained to us. “So they’re reaching out to stores and telling us you’ve got this many casings ordered because everybody ordered what they wanted they wouldn’t have enough trucks to get it out there.”
In one aisle a woman managed to get the last pack of paper towels leaving the shelves empty. And the meat department even in full force was almost completely out of chicken and pork.
“This isn’t even enough you know I’m just trying to get out and find something,” shopper Diana Eddings said. “Because every store I’ve been to is empty. I have no meats at home. I have no beverages.”
“Everything that comes in they’re cutting and people are buying as fast as they can cut it,” Hayman said. “They’re not able to get ahead right now.”
Many customers now find themselves facing a new challenge finding enough food to keep their families fed while also preventing the spread of the Coronavirus.
“People don’t have food and people got to take off work and their kids are out of school and kids got to eat,” shopper Sedrick McGlothen worried. “It’s going to make it hard for everybody, I have kids to I have to feed.”
“I cannot find anything, so it’s my everyday shopping and I still can’t find what I need,” Leora Everett of Jackson told us. “My grandbabies like today they’re coming over and we still can’t find basic stuff.”
Management emphasized over stocking only for yourself won’t help your whole community.
“Everybody has been scared to death making them think they’re going to be quarantined or locked in their house and can’t get out several weeks or months,” Hayman cautioned. “Basically as the president told them to stop stockpiling and everybody can have what they need to take care of their families.”
One customer we spoke to was wearing a shirt reading “it’s called thinking, we should try it sometime.” Elaborating the message he told us be smart too soon and think ahead before you do something, but not dumb too late. Referring to those who buy up too much supplies others in the community may desperately need.
