Report: Grocery stores stock up in case of a second COVID-19 wave

Report: Stores stocking up in case of another COVID-19 wave

Empty store shelves were a common sight in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic. Now stores are stocking up on some items in case there is another wave of COVID-19, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal.

LAKE MARY, Fla. - Grocery store chains are stocking up on supplies in case there is a second wave of coronavirus cases.

“Basically it’s a game of supply and demand,” UCF Associate Professor of Marketing Axel Stock said. “So, if we have a second wave, people will be buying more of these items.”

According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, grocery stores are stocking on cleaning supplies, like sanitizing wipes, and food just in case there is another wave of coronavirus cases toward the end of the year. The report said certain grocery stores have even started to build “pandemic pallets” to make sure that they are prepared.

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FOX 35 spoke with UCF Marketing Professor Axel Stock, who is an expert in supply chains, about this strategy.

“Consumers have been changing their habits,” Stock said. “So, they clean more now… Also, people are eating more at home than outside at restaurants. So, their overall demand is already high.”

This is not only good news for consumers but also grocery store chains that had to deal with bare shelves earlier this year.