The images of empty shelves in some sections of supermarkets have caused concern in consumers fearful of the measures adopted to stop the coronavirus, although both distribution groups and experts assure that this does not imply that there is a shortage. .
The shortage would only occur in the event that stocks of some type of product ran out; Currently, what happens are punctual “stock” breaks, which are resolved when the staff can go to the store’s own warehouse -in the case of supermarkets, their size is usually reduced- or when a truck arrives with merchandise from their centers and logistics platforms.
In the stores, in fact, it can be seen that the replenishment service has already been reinforced, and sources from the logistics sector have confirmed that they have also begun to operate with more drivers and vehicles to do so on the routes and try to minimize the phenomenon.
Experts predict that the influx of customers will drop soon, since the consumer is making the typical “provisioning” purchase, with a lot of non-perishable food, so they do not need to refill the basket with this type of product for several weeks.
With an influx of customers much higher than usual, although it is registered at specific times and only in certain categories, with toilet paper, meat trays or eggs among the main protagonists.
The decision of the authorities to suspend the activity of schools and universities in Madrid and Álava led to a massive arrival of clients late on Monday afternoon, a wave that continued yesterday Tuesday although not uniformly, with different situations depending on the neighborhood and store.
Sources from the supermarket sector have pointed out that this Wednesday the pace of purchases has dropped slightly in Madrid after the “overflow” suffered yesterday, although in communities such as Galicia or the Balearic Islands an upturn is perceived.
They have also pointed out that part of this buying frenzy was carried out by families given the prospect of having to increase their consumption at home, after the closure of school canteens. “We are seeing that sometimes it takes a little longer than normal to replace the shelves due to demand, but it is controlled and it is resolved in a few hours,” they have defended.
UGT managers have detailed that, for the moment, supermarket chains have not opted to hire more people, but are making use of the current collective agreements to ask their employees for flexibility and deal with peak demand, in a similar to what happens at Christmas.
“Seeing empty shelves is very striking, but it is a consequence of a very large concentration of consumers that means that stores do not have time to replenish, but it is not a problem of shortages,” insists the specialist from the Nielsen consultancy Ignacio Biedma.
In statements to EFE, he highlighted that Spain has a particularly extensive and modern distribution network, with more than 23,000 points of sale and more than 13.7 million square meters of surface area.
The medium supermarket format
Biedma recalled that many stores have a small space to store, so they depend on receiving product from supply centers.
In addition, the medium-sized supermarket format -with a smaller store- is the one that has risen the most for years, also due to changes in consumer habits, who now go more times but fill smaller shopping baskets.
The Nielsen expert cited toilet paper as an example of a striking case, and highlighted that one of the reasons why it disappears from the shelves sooner is its larger size: “The store cannot have many rolls on the shelf because they take up much more than other categories, such as bottles of oil or drinks. And if 50 people come in and they all buy…”.
Facebook Comments
Disqus