Inverness stores urge shoppers Don't Panic!
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SUPERMARKET bosses are urging Inverness shoppers to keep calm and not panic buy, amid fears of a second Covid-19 lockdown.
They do not want a repeat of scenes witnessed in March, when shelves were stripped bare of goods such as loo roll, flour and sanitising wipes.
Some Asda shelves were this week being emptied of toilet paper, as this photo on the right from HGV driver Charles Grant (31) from Smithton Park shows.
He said: “I understand we don’t know what’s going to happen, but there really is no need to empty the shelves and panic buy at this stage.”
A Tesco spokeswoman said: “We have good availability, with plenty of stock to go round, and we would encourage our customers to shop as normal. To ensure that everyone can keep buying what they need, we have introduced bulk-buy limits on a small number of products.
“There will be a three-items per customer limit for flour, dried pasta, toilet roll, baby wipes and anti-bacterial wipes.”
Roy Haston, Scotmid regional manager, said: “As a convenience retailer based in the heart of the communities we serve, our role is to ensure that our customers can purchase the items they need.
“Throughout the pandemic, we worked hard to keep our shelves stocked and our doors open and did not introduce restrictions on how many of a certain product could be purchased but instead, asked our customers to be responsible and to continue to only purchase the products in the quantity they needed – and they did.
“With the recent return of some restrictions, our message remains the same and we have every confidence our customers will once again respond with the same selfless approach.”
Lidl reassured customers that they were not currently experiencing any product shortages and had good availability in their stores.
A spokeswoman added: “We hope all customers remain mindful of others when shopping with us to ensure everyone continues to have access to the products they need.
“Should customers start to bulk buy, it is at our store
managers’ discretion to limit the purchasing of specific items at that store.”
Inverness economist Tony Mackay said he was surprised that panic buying seemed to have restarted, particularly in Inverness.
He said: “There is little reason to expect severe new self-isolation measures in the Inverness area and the Highlands generally. Also, the supermarket chains have had plenty of time to ensure their supply chains for items such as toilet rolls and pasta are efficient.”
He added that total retail spending was close to what it was before the pandemic began.
Meanwhile, shopworkers’ union Usdaw said that Covid-related incidents were now the top flashpoints between customers and shopworkers, having taken over from shoplifting and age identification.
A survey by the retail trade union found that enforcing social distancing and the wearing of face coverings were now the biggest triggers for abuse of shopworkers.
