Supermarket surge continues

Supermarkets are continuing to experience a customer buying surge of Christmas shopping proportions.

Shelves at Coles and Woolworths are being depleted and refilled as shoppers stock up fearful that the coronavirus pandemic will somehow create shortages of the basic necessities of life.

Supermarkets and government agencies have reassured people that the food will not run out.

However, there is an insatiable demand for particular lines, notably toilet paper, of course, followed by disinfectant wipes and gels, paper towels and soap.

There have been ugly scenes in some stores as shoppers jostle and scramble for products.

Recently, supermarkets have responded with special dedicated shopping hours for the elderly, infirm or disabled, opening at 7am for limited shopping.

Shoppers have taken advantage of the service in Narrabri and many have applauded the opportunity.

A friendly spirit prevailed as early morning shoppers gathered to wait for the doors to Woolworths Narrabri supermarket to open on Wednesday morning.

Manager Lloyd Muino and an associate greeted customers with a friendly welcome as they entered.

There was certainly no pushing, panic or rude behaviour.

There was some eye rolling, however.

“Why are we doing this?” one shopper asked.

“I always come early to shop anyway and this is my normal shopping list,” he said surveying his purchases of basic items. Not a toilet roll in the trolley.

However, a wall of toilet paper packs was waiting just inside the doors, and shoppers were directed there.

Supermarkets are busily restocking their shelves in anticipation of further heavy buying.

“Hopefully we may have seen the end of the buying frenzy witnessed in some city supermarkets,” one customer told The Courier.

Meanwhile, there was no sign locally of ‘supermarket tourists’ as reported in some centres.

Supermarket tourists from cities evidently take buses to country towns to buy up at local supermarkets, according to some reports.