Supermarkets hit by increased demand — fuelling fears Covid second wave will spark panic buying
SUPERMARKETS have warned they’ve been hit by increased demand – fuelling fears a second wave of Covid will spark a second wave of unnecessary panic buying.
Sainbury’s and online retailer Ocado have both uploaded notices on their websites warning customers they may struggle to get a delivery slot.
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Ocado told shoppers “delivery slots are selling out faster than usual”.
Sainbury’s says vulnerable customers are being given priority because “slots are still in high demand”.
Stores will be hoping not to see a repeat of the panic buying across the nation in March that saw stocks of staples, like bread, and toilet paper run out as people selfishly bulk-bought essentials.
Supermarket chiefs were eventually forced to release a joint letter to customers explaining “there’s enough for everyone”, as long as people stick to their usual shops.
In March, Tesco created 20,000 temporary roles after the outbreak led to people panic-buying and stripping shelves empty.
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Its online orders boomed to nearly 1.5 million customers a week online, up from around 600,000 at the start of the outbreak.
Other supermarkets also began recruiting for staff at the beginning of the pandemic to help with a spike in demand.
Asda was looking for 5,000 new staff while Lidl advertised for 2,500 roles.
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