Grocery stores fight to stay secure during pandemic

For a brief moment, the store is quiet and calm. Then, out of nowhere, ravenous customers storm in and begin fighting over basic necessities like toilet paper and food. These images of packed grocery stores, unbelievably long check-out lines, and empty shelves have graced television news reports and phone screens on social media ever since people began to pay attention to the breakout of COVID-19 in the United States. 

As the threat of the virus has become more and more apparent, leaders in both state and federal government have encouraged people to stay inside. On April 25, Governor Whitmer extended the executive order commanding all residents of Michigan to ‘stay at home’ until at least May 15, which was previously until April 13. 

Staying at home for months means that people will need to stock up and feed themselves for months. Because of this, many Americans are asking the obvious question: can our supply chains withstand the increased demand of a hunkered-down population?

An employee who works for the grocery chain Kroger who wishes to remain anonymous said that supply chains are secure.

“At Kroger, we are constantly working with suppliers to make sure that we have exactly the products we need months in advance,” the employee said.

Most experts agree. While the increase in demand might put strain on the supply of certain types of food, families will not have to worry about where they will find food and basic supplies any time soon. While some problems, such as high costs, overwhelmed stores and a shortage of truckers may appear in the coming months, the abundance of food produced in the United States is still enough to go around (NJ.com).

Many grocers and suppliers have even speculated that some of the supplies in highest demand (ie. hand sanitizer and toilet paper) may be appearing on store shelves in a greater abundance due to a shift in resources (PennLive Patriot-News).

While some may be alarmed by images of empty shelves, stores and suppliers are still working around the clock to make sure that everyone has food to eat, water to drink, and an abundance of necessary supplies. Thanks to the level of hard work suppliers are putting in, there is no chance of food shortage- as some may fear. People will still be fed, clothed, and have more than enough water to go around until this is all over.