Store Shelves Remain Empty In Spots

Some Upper Cumberland grocery stores seem to have an advantage over national stores.

Livingston’s Jerry’s IGA manager Tony Bilbrey said there’s more ordering variety to replenish the shelves.

“Us being an independent grocery store, we’re not restricted to just one warehouse so we’ve been buying from second, third, and fourth suppliers that we have relationships with,” Bilbrey said. “We’ve been exercising those opportunities to buy elsewhere aggressively just to try to get the essential product in here that customers are needing right now,”

Jerry’s IGA has received half of what has been ordered from their main warehouse. Bilbrey said residents have been buying disinfectant wipes, dry beans, powdered milk, paper products, and other items. Bilbrey said some customers have began freezing their milk.

Cookeville’s Spring Street Market manager Eddie McDonald said they’ve also had difficulty ordering supplies due to mark outs.

“They’re allotting me so many cases but out of those cases, a lot of those things they’re out of,” McDonald said. “I’m not able to get in pinto beans and rice and toilet paper and even flowering meal is very limited to what I’m getting in. The reason is because there was some hoarding going on. It’s all we can do to keep up to keep the stuff in right now.”

Like Jerry’s IGA, Spring Street Market has used other warehouses to get groceries in faster like hamburger meat. McDonald said his store has been able to keep up with customer demands.

Both managers suggested only take what you need and do not hoard.