Panic buying:
Grocery store limits raised to halt panic buying.
In efforts to stem panic buying and hoarding, at least three of the five Bay Area counties mandating stayathome orders will increase the number of customers allowed inside grocery stores, matching the state’s latest update.
Alameda, Contra Costa and Marin counties will allow up to 35% capacity in grocery stores, up from the 20% initially announced last week. The change came after pushback from the California Grocers Association, which
Jennifer Yepez, behind plexiglass, assists customers at BiRite Market in San Francisco’s Mission District, which limits customer capacity to 20%.
said lower customer limits would likely cause long lines, frenzied buying and stockpiling.
“Twenty percent capacity ... I think that causes a rush to grocery stores,” said Ronald Fong, president and CEO of the California Grocers Association in Sacramento. “People panic, they overbuy and we see longer lines — and that’s just not safe to do during the pandemic.”
Fong said his team worked with the governor’s office over the weekend and settled on 35% — halfway between 20%
and 50%, which was the allowed limit for grocery stores prior to the stayathome orders. San Francisco currently limits grocery customers to 20%, and officials said it was considering adjusting grocery store capacity after the state’s update, though changes were not officially in place. Santa Clara has no plans yet to adjust its 25% cap, county officials confirmed Tuesday.
Grocery stores may choose to allow fewer customers inside. BiRite and Rainbow Grocery in San Francisco, for example, are keeping the number of customers inside at 20%, as they’ve done since April.
Fong said grocery stores need to be differentiated from other types of retail. They have been allowed to stay open throughout the pandemic, while nonessential retailers initially closed under March stayathome orders.
“Grocery stores provide a more critical function than, say, clothing stores,” Fong said. “It doesn’t make sense to have the same limits.”
Not everyone can afford grocery deliveries, and not all stores offer curbside pickup or have ecommerce capabilities. Many people shop for their groceries in person, so increasing the limits while enforcing social distancing and other safety protocols is key, experts say. People also need to be reminded that food supply in America remains robust, and that there are no actual shortages. Shortages occur when people hoard and if labor is impacted, they said.
“Supply chains have reorganized to account for new consumption patterns from more folks staying at home,” said Karan Girotra, a professor of operations and technology and an expert in supply chain management at Cornell Tech in New York City.
The number of customers may increase as more consumers shop at grocery stores for food in light of restaurants shutting down indoor and outdoor dining. Higher costumer capacity may help alleviate the long lines and empty shelves, though there can be exceptions during the holiday season when more customers are expected.
By some accounts, there was panic buying in the Bay Area over the weekend prior to the health orders going into effect, something Fong said was unnecessary.
“There’s plenty of food. There’s no need to rush, and we all need to do what we can to shop responsibly,” Fong said.