Empty store shelves hint of hoarding at some Las Vegas stores

Empty shelves that would normally hold paper products could be seen this week at Target stores in the Las Vegas Valley, while Albertsons and Kroger-owned Smith’s Food & Drug stores are limiting purchases of essential items such as toilet paper and hand sanitizer.

“As long as people buy only what they need, there is plenty of supply in the supply chain,” Rodney McMullen, Kroger’s CEO, told ABC’s “Good Morning America” on Thursday, cautioning against hoarding.

Supplies of toilet paper and paper towels varied quite a bit in valley stores. Those shelves at the Smith’s stores at 9851 W. Charleston Blvd. at Hualapai Way and 8050 W. Rainbow Blvd. at Windmill Lane were about half full, while shelves at Albertsons at 10250 W. Charleston Blvd. near Town Center Drive and 10140 W. Flamingo Blvd. at Hualapai Way were nearly empty.

Trader Joe’s at 2716 S. Green Valley Parkway in Henderson had a full stock of both toilet paper and paper towels, as did Whole Foods Market at 100 S. Green Valley Parkway in Henderson. At Cardenas at 4500 E. Tropicana Ave. and Vons at 1155 E. Twain Ave., supplies of both were plentiful. There were plenty of empty boxes by late Friday afternoon at the Walmart Supercenter at 540 Marks St. in Henderson, but because the store stocks so much of both items, there were still plenty of options.

Shannika More, leaving Vons on Friday afternoon, said she hadn’t had problems finding any items, including paper towels and toilet paper.

Despite the short supplies at some stores, customers weren’t visibly hoarding but seemed to be stocking up on vegetables, soups and the like in preparation for Thanksgiving.

A shortage of turkeys has been a consistent topic over the years. Since home gatherings are expected to be smaller because of the COVID-19 pandemic, some people report hearing of a shortage of smaller turkeys. But that didn’t seem to be the case in Southern Nevada supermarkets canvassed Thursday and Friday afternoons.

Smith’s at 9851 W. Charleston Blvd. had a huge pile of frozen turkeys, many of them in the 14- to 16-pound range. Smith’s at 8050 W. Rainbow Blvd. also had a good supply, ranging from 13 to 20 pounds, and frozen turkey breasts ranging from 7 to 9 pounds.

Albertsons at 10250 W. Charleston Blvd. had turkeys ranging from 14 to 20 pounds, and Albertsons at 10140 W. Flamingo Road had, in addition to turkeys ranging from 12 to 24 pounds, a large quantity of boneless turkey breast roasts, which, at 3 pounds, would be suitable for the smallest celebration. Trader Joe’s at 2716 N. Green Valley Parkway in Henderson had many frozen turkeys in a wide range of sizes, as did Vons on East Twain Avenue.

Some limits at Smith’s and Albertsons

Smith’s Food & Drug is limiting purchases of a few items.

“We are not seeing any shortages but we are being proactive with some paper goods and cleaning supplies,” said Aubriana Martindale, corporate affairs manager for Smith’s. “To ensure all customers have access to what they need, we’ve proactively and temporarily set purchase limits on certain products to two per customer, including bath tissue, paper towels, disinfecting wipes and hand soap. These purchase limits apply in-store as well as to e-commerce orders.”

Albertsons also is limiting purchases to two in the categories of bath tissue, paper towels, hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes. Company spokeswoman Nancy Keane said the limit applies to two of each item, not two in the entire group.

Learned from spring problems

Target said it has learned from the massive shortages in the spring, when the pandemic forced millions of Americans to stay at home.

“Our teams have quickly adjusted to changes in consumer demand, like the surge we saw this spring and the rapid shift to contactless shopping options we experienced throughout the summer and fall,” a Target spokesman told Yahoo News.

“We’ve taken measures such as coordinating stores, distribution centers and suppliers so that the things our guests need most — cleaning supplies, food, over-the-counter medicine and baby products — are fast-tracked through the supply chain and prioritized for re-stocking; sending more inventory to stores than ever before to ensure Target has the most in-demand items this holiday season; and placing limits on products like toilet paper, disinfectant wipes, flushable wipes, hand and face wipes, multi-purpose spray cleaner, gloves and more.”

At least one Target store is posting a daily list of items facing shortages or potential shortages at the store entrance.

Contact Marvin Clemons at mclemons@reviewjournal.com. Follow @Marv_in_Vegas on Twitter.