Supermarkets urge shoppers not to panic buy

Retailers on the Rock are echoing the Gibraltar Government’s plea and asking their customers not to ‘panic buy’ as shelves will be restocked as normal.

On Friday evening as news of Spain going into lockdown spread around the Rock, shoppers headed to the supermarkets to stock up and in some cases stockpile.

By Saturday morning the desire for goods had increased so much that Morrisons had queues for up to ten minutes to enter the shop and on average a 20 minute wait at the checkout.

The scenes at Eroski Centre where not much different with a string of cars queuing to enter the car park, mimicking scenes from the previous night.

Other smaller shops on the Rock such as Ramsons also experienced an increase in shoppers and sales.

Morrisons implemented restrictions on the number of cleaning products that could be purchased, including toilet paper.

One shopper who was buying for an elderly man with a chronic illness as well as her own family had to return items to the shelves.

The Chronicle is waiting on a statement from the supermarket’s UK press office on its plans regarding stock levels for the foreseeable future.

Eroski issued a statement to reassure it customers that it was doing everything it could to keep the shelves stocked.

“We are working closely with the Government and with our suppliers to achieve this and to do so in a safe manner, which is our priority,” the statement said.

“We have increased deliveries to our stores and we are working hard to keep our products moving quickly through the various supply chains and onto our shelves.”

The supermarket’s online delivery service is also running at full capacity.

It also stressed that “if we work as a team, there will be enough for everyone.”

“We therefore request that you please make your purchases in a considerate and responsible way to ensure that we are able to supply everyone, including those more vulnerable within society,” the statement added.