Since the city of São Paulo began adopting restrictive measures to combat Epidemic of the new coronavirus, the markets have been facing an atypical movement, with a lack of basic products.
Customers looking for rice in the West Zone or wheat flour in Jardins were left without the product this Friday (20) night.
According to the association of supermarkets, the city does not face a supply crisis. Empty shelves are due to high movement and difficulty in replacing them, as in big holidays.
Gel alcohol is still in short supply
Basic products are missing At the Dia supermarket on Rua Teodoro Sampaio, in the Pinheiros neighborhood, west of São Paulo, there was a lack of basic products. Although I eat rice and almost all brands of sugar, and others that are a little less indispensable, like yogurt.
Out-of-stock items often vary from one day to the next. They can be just wheat derivatives (like breads) or animal protein. Last Wednesday (18), the unit's empty shelves were from the dairy and vegetable sections, both fully stocked this Friday.
A cashier employee explained to customers that part of the stock would be replenished later that night or on Saturday (21) in the morning.
At Pão de Açúcar on Rua Oscar Freire, in Jardins, the organization of the store did not leave empty shelves — but that does not mean that there is no shortage of products.
On Friday night, the unit suffered from a lack of food such as wheat flour and coconut water. Macaroni markets, some vegetables and different types of bread, such as bisnaguinha and wholemeal bread, were almost over.
Amidst the shelves, the notice that “to encourage conscious consumption”, the chain limited the sale of products, such as water, sugar and soy oil, per customer.
Thus being the report, the employee who rearranged the shelves said that new shipments arrive daily, in the morning. That is, but the demand has been so great that one or another product has run out while others were in stock, but had not yet been replaced.
The only product not found in any of the three markets visited was the disputed gel alcohol. The report witnessed consumers asking for the product and receiving a negative response on more than one occasion.
There is no shortage, says association
So the Apas (Paulista Association of Supermarkets) said that there is no shortage in the city. According to the group, there is such a high demand in the markets that there has been no time to replace the products on the shelves.
The association compares the current moment to days with very intense movement of consumers, such as Christmas and Easter, when part of the shelves are also empty, but it is not a case of shortages.
