How to get what you need at the store during COVID-19 crisis
HOUSTON - People have been flocking to grocery stores to stock up on food and supplies. Many stores are running out of high-demand products and have begun limiting the quantities customers can buy.
We reached out to several local stores for information to help you find the items you need.
Some stores recommend customers shop early in the day, consider ordering online for pickup, and be open buying alternate brands if your usual brand isn't available.
We asked stores how often they're able to restock. Many say trucks arrive daily and they're working around the clock to keep supplies in stock. They suggest shoppers check back if a product is sold out.
Randalls Food Markets sent us a statement, reading, "We do have trucks going to stores daily and our distribution team is working to get product as quickly as possible to Houston area stores."
"As demand for cleaning products, medicine, pantry stock-up items and more remains high, we’re sending more products to our stores as quickly as possible," Target's CEO Brian Cornell wrote in a published letter.
"We are working to replenish those items quickly, including diverting products to areas of the country where they are needed most and routing deliveries directly to stores," Walmart wrote in a press release.
Many stores have instituted quantity limits per customer on certain items, including bottled water, sanitizer, disinfecting wipes, soap, rubbing alcohol, bleach, latex gloves, masks, and toilet paper.
You may be able to check whether a store has a particular item in stock by calling or checking its website. If you type an item into a site such as Target.com, for example, and click on "check stores," the site will state whether it is "in stock" at each local store.