PANIC BUYERS RAID STORES
People line up outside the Costco store in Boisbriand on Friday. Though there is no shortage in supply chains, shoppers have been hurriedly stocking up — a surge so strong that police had to be called to manage traffic at a store in Laval
It seemed like a good day to buy a case of Corona — beer, that is.
The Adonis supermarket on Peel St. in Griffintown was overrun Friday by people stocking up in case they find themselves in a two-week quarantine because of exposure to the new coronavirus. Steve, a downtown resident who didn’t want to give his full name, was among them.
However, he couldn’t resist making at least one not-so-essential purchase: a case of Corona Extra Beer.
“I usually buy it in the summer, but it was on sale, so I figured: why not?”
Steve, who said he has a compromised immune system, said his real reason to go grocery shopping Friday was to stock up with food and supplies so he can last at least a month at home, if necessary.
“I’m not trying to buy all the toilet paper in the shop, but I’m being responsible,” he said.
Shoppers at the Griffintown Adonis reported there was very little water left on the shelves and bread was running low.
Empty shelves appeared to be the norm at many grocery stores in the area Friday, as stores were gripping with crowds so big that police had to block access to a Costco store in Laval.
Laval police were called in after the parking lot filled up and traffic backed up onto Highway 15, a police spokeswoman told the Montreal Gazette.
Access to the Costco, near the service road off Highway 440, had to be blocked off, the spokeswoman said.
No fights were reported, though a “verbal altercation” did take place as the Costco’s doors were opening in the morning, the spokeswoman said.
At an IGA in Lachine midday, customers stood around waiting for shelves to be restocked. Butchers and other staff were accosted as soon as they emerged from behind swinging doors with new packages of meat and produce.
At the Côte-st-luc shopping centre, the parking lot was nearly full as customers queued at Jean Coutu and the IGA, where all shopping carts were taken Friday afternoon. Employees in the store were alerting shoppers as carts came free.
The store was sold out of pasta, diced tomatoes, ground beef, frozen vegetables and bananas.
Premier François Legault said it is not necessary for Quebecers to hoard food.
“We do not foresee any food shortages,” Legault said Friday, noting truck, airline and ship personnel are not subject to the rules calling for voluntary isolation. “It’s important that people not worry.”
A spokesperson for the Retail Council of Canada agreed, saying there is no need to worry about shortages of critical goods.
“Yes, it’s alarming to see empty shelves, but they are refilled at the end of the day or the next day,” said Jean-françois Belleau.
He said the supply chain for other goods, like rice, meat and fresh produce is also strong, and grocery stores won’t run out of products. Presse Canadienne contributed to this report.