Online shopping orders surge
Online supermarket shopping in Nelson has boomed as people keep their distance during the coronavirus outbreak.
The service at Nelson’s FreshChoice supermarket, which includes a ‘‘click and collect’’ option as well as delivery, had a soft start around Christmas but had surged, owner Mark A’Court said.
‘‘It’s grown exponentially in the last few days. I think a lot of people are doing it to prepare.’’
If people were in isolation, their shopping could be left at their door and they would be notified by text message, he said.
The great toilet paper buy-up is also happening in Nelson – but the supply chain was intact and there was no shortage, A’Court said.
‘‘Toilet paper’s been an absolute phenomenon. Everyone’s buying it. I wouldn’t say they’re hoarding it, but everyone’s buying it, and maybe an extra one or two (packs).’’
The team at the central Nelson store had been taking delivery of ‘‘hundreds’’ of bales of loo rolls daily since the coronavirus pandemic was announced, he said, but there had been no friction in the aisles over toilet paper or any other products.
‘‘People are super chilled. They’re really understanding, which is awesome.
‘‘They are buying more, but they aren’t going crazy for it, and they’re not fighting over it and all that carry-on.’’
There was plenty of toilet paper on the store’s shelves on Wednesday, but there were empty spaces where hand sanitiser and disinfectant usually sat.
‘‘Most of all that is gone from the supply chain,’’ A’Court said. ‘‘We are working with some other companies now so we’ve got some new stuff coming in next week . . . from other suppliers.’’
Overall, the store was being supplied with 80 per cent of the grocery items it ordered, he said.
‘‘‘There’s heaps of meat, heaps of vegetables, heaps of fish, there’s heaps of fresh food.’
At the long-running Asian Food Store in Nelson’s Montgomery Square, rice, noodles, Chinese medications, cleaning alcohol and soy sauce were in high demand, said duty manager Aaron Cao. Some customers had been buying cough medicine to send to relatives in Australia.
Supply chains for popular products were affected by people buying large quantities elsewhere in New Zealand, Cao said.
‘‘There’s enough if people didn’t panic buy.’’