Shelves Clearing Out at Stores as COVID-19 Cases Continue to Rise

With growing case counts across the country, the Tri-State is seeing it's own resurgence of pandemic "panic shopping" from back in the spring.

Tonight on fox 44news at 9 -- the reality of a second surge -- hitting the stores.

As the virus spreads -- so does the panic -- to stock up.

Creating bare shelves -- in the stores across the tri-state.

Toilet paper supplies -- wiped out -- once again.

44news reporter valerie lyons joins us live in evansville tonight --- after speaking with a supply chain manager -- trying to keep up.

The man i spoke with works for schnuck's -- and he says -- after they started to notice a spike in the purchase of paper products -- they set out buying limits early -- to try and avoid another repeat from the spring -- "it's kind of like how it was in the beginning.

Pretty bad."

Store shelves -- running low -- with products like paper towels -- and toilet paper -- once again harder to find -- "walmart right now is pretty much bare, some walmarts are.

Schnucks here, just left here, they're getting pretty bare."

As cases rise across the us -- in what many leaders are calling a 2nd wave -- and mandates tighten - shoppers are flocking to the stores to stock up on supply.

"i think we're starting to get to that point where everybody is trying to get stocked up get ready before we get to that point where we're shutting down for good or for a long time."

But division manager for schnucks markets steven rennels says -- you don't have to worry about products running out -- "our teams have worked very hard to secure product and to be ready to be prepared and so we're not in fear of being out."

He says after monitoring buying trends during the pandemic -- stores are better prepared this time around -- for meeting demands.

"it may not be the brands you want, we'll still have toilet tissue.

It may not be the exact brand you want buy you will have stuff on the shelves."" but it's not just the paper products this time around -- it's food items too -- and with families having to downsize their holidays -- rennels says typical holiday shopping is looking a little different -- "not typical of year's past we're seeing smaller turnkeys and turkey breasts, we're starting to see a surge in sales in those where in the years past it was always the bigger turkeys so that's some of the items we're starting to see that are really kicking off in sales already."

Rennels says a great way to get everything you need and stay safe this year is to take advantage of online and curbside services.

In evansville - vl44news.