HALIFAX (660 NEWS) – With COVID-19 cases on the rise and additional restrictions coming into place across the country, there’s some worry we could see a rush of panic buying like we saw in the early days of the pandemic.
Malls are very busy as the holiday shopping season begins and there’s an added frenzy as people try to get shopping done before any more local COVID-19 restrictions are tacked on.
The owner of Blush Lane, an Alberta grocery chain, said he’s not too worried about a lack of supply.
“We do daily planning and we’re always looking at what’s out of stock getting new stuff in and being agile,” said Rob Horricks.
He said they haven’t seen panic buying since the first lockdown in the spring and while he has noticed a slight increase, it’s been steady.
“The supply chain can handle normal demands,” said Horricks. “There shouldn’t be any problems unless people get a little scared and act irrational.”
Sylvain Charlebois at Dalhousie University thinks we won’t see many issues, however, the situation is different now than what we saw in the spring.
“[Panic buying] was really triggered by the unknown. We didn’t know much about the virus, we didn’t know how public health officials were going to react to the virus,” explained Charlebois.
“A lot of people showed up to the grocery store really without knowing when they’d be able to go back again.”
He adds there won’t be any issues with the supply chain either, but we will have to be wary of increasing costs, as grocery prices are up around four per cent this year.
In March and April many people emptied grocery store shelves without knowing when they could go back again.
Now, nine months into the pandemic, Charlebois said we have a better understanding that the food industry can and will continue to deliver.
He also said restaurants and stores have pivoted to selling goods online or offering curbside pickup, something that wasn’t there during the first lockdown.
“COVID has completely democratized the supply change, a lot of companies are selling food online. There are so many new players virtually which can supply and deliver food to you.”
Meanwhile, for those still heading to the grocery store, Horricks has one big recommendation.
“Buy early, don’t leave it to the last minute. But if people become irrational, irrational things happen.”
–With files from Jackie Perez, CityNews
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