RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Shoppers wrapping up their Thanksgiving and Hanukkah shopping, or just getting started, might notice some changes at their local grocery store.
Publix, for example, has placed a cap of two items per customer on some of its products.
Director of Communications Maria Brous said that this is due to high holiday demand and supply problems.
“We do not have a specific timeframe for the limits at this time,” Publix Spokesperson Jared Glover told 8News.
Similarly, Kroger is limiting customers to the purchase of one sale-priced turkey, in order to help combat supply chain issues. A spokesperson for that grocery story chain told 8News that this is the only holiday-food-related cap, but it is intended to be temporary.
Meanwhile, Wegmans boasted its holiday favorites online.
“We have no plans to institute purchase limits in our stores at this time,” Wegmans Spokesperson Laura Camera said.
8News reached out to Food Lion, Walmart, Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s, as well, but did not immediately receive a response.
Chesterfield County resident Krystal Fischer said that purchase limits might be helpful, given the difficulty she has had in finding certain items on her grocery list over the course of the coronavirus pandemic.
“I feel like it’s gotten worse,” she said. “Probably, the last few months, it has really kicked in to make you realize that the stuff is not coming back.”
Fischer said that she had been searching for pre-seasoned canned spinach that is a favorite in her household since July. She told 8News that she was only recently able to find it at her local Food Lion last week.
“The shelves are emptier, and it’s getting harder to find specific things,” she said. “Stuff is more expensive.”
Walking through stores like Publix, most of the shelves are fully stocked. But with a closer look at holiday favorites, cans of pumpkin and cranberry sauce, as well as jars of gravy and some paper products have been cleared out.
“Like everybody wants to go buy everything as quick as they can,” Fischer said. “I got a few extra people coming [for Thanksgiving that] I didn’t know about. So [I] got to go back to the store and, hopefully, get everything we need.”