What is driving current shopping behavior?

As more businesses across the region close in response to the COVID-19 issue, area grocery stores remain open — essential businesses needed to supply the community.

However, the ability of shoppers to find the groceries they need has been a challenge, as increased demand has emptied shelves of items including — toilet paper, cleaning supplies, meat, pasta and bread — or at the very least leaving fewer options. Some are finding it necessary to shop at multiple stores to get what they need.

“I went to the Walmart in Pottstown and Boyertown and their shelves were empty,” Upper Pottsgrove resident Robin Burdge said as she came out of the North End Redner’s Tuesday afternoon.

In her bag, she had “ring baloney, and I want to put a roast in the oven, so luckily they had carrots and pearl onions.”

Demand on the food system has increased “more than 300 percent overnight,” according to a statement by Boyer’s Food Markets president Dean Walker, posted on the company’s Facebook page on March 16.

The ongoing issue has led grocers to change their hours, limit purchases of some items or change the way they do online ordering, curbside pickup or delivery.

“We need everyone to understand the complexity of this unprecedented situation,” Walker said in the statement. “All supermarket companies are under extreme pressure. We are all jointly working with suppliers to even and level the supply chain to keep product moving to all stores consistently.” Boyer’s Food Markets is a regional grocer with 18 stores in Pennsylvania, including one in Birdsboro, Berks County.

For Redner’s Markets, which has 44 warehouse markets and 20 quick shoppes in Pennsylvania, Maryland and Delaware, the supply wasn’t ready for the sudden increased demand, according to Eric White, director of marketing for the chain.

“All of our folks have been working as fast as we can to get product into the stores,” he said. “The challenge is, we can’t keep up with demand. Purchasing and shopping is logistically outpacing us being able to get it on a truck and to the stores.”

Fortunately, said Mark Yablonski, manager of the Redners in Lower Pottsgrove, “we haven’t once run out of toilet paper, water, bread or milk. So far, our vendors are keeping us supplied and I have a great team here.”

Additionally, as restaurants across the region close except for takeout and delivery, that leaves the grocery stores to play an even bigger role.

“Without restaurants, we as supermarkets will have to pick up and supply the food share that had been handled by restaurants. If the average person ate four to six of their 21 meals a week at a restaurant, those extra six meals will now be absorbed by supermarkets for the near future. That’s more demand on the stores. We can and will meet the demand if you let us,” Walker added in his statement.

People change their purchasing habits during times of uncertainty or emergencies, and that can lead to increased demand, according to Crystal Reeck, associate director, Center for Applied Research in Decision Making at Temple University’s Fox School of Business.

In an interview Monday afternoon, Reeck said during times like these, people experience negative emotions, anxiety and stress, and look for ways to confront the uncertainty.

“When trying to cope, they try to reduce the anxiety and exert some control. There is a lot that people can’t control but they say, ‘I can stock the pantry.’ It’s something tangible they feel they can do,” she said.

She added that related to the

EVAN BRANDT — MEDIANEWS GROUP The North End Redner’s is limiting the amount of bottled water customers can purchase in one visit.

EVAN BRANDT — MEDIANEWS GROUP Although not all brands are available, Mark Yablonski, manager of the North End Redner’s, said the store has not yet run out of toilet paper.