GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Alan Hartline's family has been involved in the grocery business for decades.
"We've seen a tremendous amount of uptick in buying behaviors from panic buying, to stocking up and changes in the types of items that people are buying," says Hartline.
Some of those items are obvious like sanitizers and cleaning supplies but keeping fresh meat has also been a challenge at Kingma's on Plainfield.
"We're seeing customers that normally would come in and buy a couple pounds of ground beef maybe buy 10 pounds of ground beef; but they'll want it in two pound packages," says Hartline.
Social distancing has also presented another challenge.
"We've got tape lines that help the customer get guided through the 6 foot rule," says Hartline.
But a silver lining is starting to appear, Hartline says he's seen a noticeable difference recently.
"I think for the last week we've seen a little bit of traffic down finally. So, I think as people are staying in more," says Hartline.
That means some of the hard to find items are finally more available.
"We're seeing more normalized shopping. I know even bath tissue at certain stores is now available. We have it available today," says Hartline.
RELATED STORIES:
- House Democrats proposing a commission to study US pandemic response
- Rockford company's donation keeps virtual visits going for ICU patients
- Online video conferences are the target of 'Zoom-bombings' amid coronavirus crisis
- Coronavirus live updates, April 1: Michigan reports 1,719 new cases, 78 deaths
- 'Pandemic' scientist says his team has discovered potential cure for COVID-19
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.