PHOENIX — Shelves in Valley grocery stores are starting to look like they did back in the spring.
Paper products like paper towels and toilet paper and some cleaning supplies are once again becoming hard to find.
“It was, in a way, expected,” HItendra Chaturvedi, a professor of supply chain management at ASU, said.
Arizonans started to buy up items at the end of October following a trend seen elsewhere in the country.
Chaturvedi said the three main reasons why are: COVID-19 cases going up, people stocking up for winter and the election.
The difference between now and the spring Chaturvedi said is that there is supply.
“The companies are better prepared, and they have more capability,” Chaturvedi said. “But we just have to be careful that we don’t hoard for the next six months.”
The recommendation is to buy for only a week or two, instead of for months at a time.
“You’re taking it away from the people that buy week to week,” Mark Miler, president of the Arizona Food Marketing Alliance said.
Miller said stores in the state will start to take action to keep products on the shelf.
“You’re going to start to see more limitations of one or two per purchase so we can make sure we have enough for all customers that come out,” Miller said.
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