DESPITE the government saying there is no need to panic buy and Britain’s leading supermarkets pleading for customers to stop stockpiling, stores are still lacking staple items.
In a joint letter urging customers to shop responsibly and ensure supplies are shared fairly, supermarkets asked for the public’s “help”.
“We know that many of you are worried about the spread of coronavirus (Covid-19),” they say in the letter, which is signed by Tesco, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Lidl, Aldi and Asda.
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“We want to let you know that we are doing everything we can so that you and your families have the food and essentials you need.
“We are working closely with government and our suppliers to keep food moving quickly through the system and making more deliveries to our stores to ensure our shelves are stocked. Those of us with online delivery and click-and-collect services are running them at full capacity.
“But we need your help too. We would ask everyone to be considerate in the way they shop. We understand your concerns but buying more than is needed can sometimes mean that others will be left without. There is enough for everyone if we all work together.”
Moreover, Shopworkers' union Usdaw said members are facing serious concerns about the virus and its impact on their health and that of their families, yet they are still keeping stores open.
It said: "They are experiencing this worry at the same time as dealing with extremely high demand, coming into contact with hundreds of people every day, and working flat out so that customers can buy the things that they need.
"We understand that it can be frustrating when shops are very busy, or you can't get the items you want, but it is never acceptable to take this out on shopworkers or delivery drivers.
"It isn't their fault, and they are doing the very best they can. Please treat our members with the courtesy and respect that they deserve."
Many supermarkets are placing restrictions on the number of items shoppers can buy – but when we went out to look for ‘staple items’ at supermarkets in Newport, we still found bare shelves.
We visited Tesco (Cardiff Road), Sainsbury’s (Albany Street), Asda (Lower Dock Street), Morrisons (Orb Drive), Lidl (Docks Way) and Aldi (Shaftesbury Street).
This was what we found between 10am and midday.
Please note, the findings do not mean the supermarket is out of stock and they may have replenished the shelves since.
We would urge everyone to follow the advice of the government and supermarkets to shop responsibly.
Eggs
(There were no eggs on the shelves in Tesco.)
Tesco: None on the shelves.
Sainsbury’s: Only duck eggs on the shelves.
Asda: None on the shelves.
Morrisons: Normal amount on shelves.
Lidl: Low amount on shelves.
Aldi: None on the shelves.
Pasta
(Only Morrisons' own spinach penne was left.)
Tesco: Only a few packets left on the shelves.
Sainsbury’s: Only a few packets of spaghetti on the shelves.
Asda: None on the shelves.
Morrisons: Only Morrisons’ own spinach penne.
Lidl: None on the shelves.
Aldi: None on the shelves.
Rice
(There were very few packets of rice left in Tesco's.)
Tesco: Low amount on the shelves, mainly microwavable packets.
Sainsbury’s: Low amount on the shelves, mainly microwavable packets.
Asda: Low amount on the shelves, mainly microwavable packets.
Morrisons: Low amount on the shelves, mainly microwavable packets.
Lidl: Only microwavable packets on the shelves.
Aldi: Low amount on the shelves.
Chicken
Tesco: Only a few packets left on shelves.
Sainsbury’s: Only a few packets left on shelves.
Asda: Only a few packets left on shelves.
Morrisons: Only a few packets left on shelves.
Lidl: No packets on shelves.
Aldi: Low amount on the shelves.
Beans
Tesco: Low amount on shelves.
Sainsbury’s: Low amount on shelves.
Asda: Low amount on shelves.
Morrisons: Normal amount of beans on shelves.
Lidl: Low amount on shelves.
Aldi: Normal amount on shelves.
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Fresh milk
Tesco: Normal amount on shelves.
Sainsbury’s: Normal amount on shelves.
Asda: Normal amount on shelves.
Morrisons: Normal amount on shelves.
Lidl: Normal amount on shelves.
Aldi: Normal amount on shelves.
Bread
Tesco: Normal amount on shelves.
Sainsbury’s: Low amount on shelves.
Asda: Normal amount on shelves.
Morrisons: Normal amount on shelves.
Lidl: Normal amount on shelves.
Aldi: Normal amount on shelves.
Frozen chicken, chips and vegetables
(The frozen aisle in Sainsbury's)
Tesco: Low amount on shelves.
Sainsbury’s: Low amount on shelves.
Asda: Low amount on shelves.
Morrisons: Normal amount on shelves.
Lidl: Low amount on shelves.
Aldi: Normal amount on shelves.
Vegetables
Tesco: Normal amount on shelves.
Sainsbury’s: Normal amount on shelves.
Asda: Normal amount on shelves.
Morrisons: Normal amount on shelves.
Lidl: Normal amount on shelves.
Aldi: Normal amount on shelves.
Soups
(The amount of soup left in Asda)
Tesco: Normal amount on shelves.
Sainsbury’s: Normal amount on shelves.
Asda: Normal amount on shelves.
Morrisons: Normal amount on shelves.
Lidl: Normal amount on shelves.
Aldi: Normal amount on shelves.
Tea and coffee
Tesco: Normal amount on shelves.
Sainsbury’s: Normal amount on shelves.
Asda: Normal amount on shelves.
Morrisons: Normal amount on shelves.
Lidl: Normal amount on shelves.
Aldi: Normal amount on shelves.
Toilet roll
(No toilet roll on the shelves in Sainsbury's)
Tesco: Restocking as reporter left – around two shelves’ worth.
Sainsbury’s: None on shelves.
Asda: None on shelves.
Morrisons: None on shelves.
Lidl: Some Simply toilet tissues left.
Aldi: None on shelves.
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Breakfast cereal
Tesco: Normal amount on shelves.
Sainsbury’s: Normal amount on shelves.
Asda: Normal amount on shelves.
Morrisons: Normal amount on shelves.
Lidl: Normal amount on shelves.
Aldi: Normal amount on shelves.
Flour
(Not a lot of flour left in Asda)
Tesco: Low amount on shelves.
Sainsbury’s: Low amount on shelves.
Asda: Low amount on shelves.
Morrisons: Low amount on shelves.
Lidl: Couldn’t find.
Aldi: Couldn’t find.
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