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Supermarkets limit some item purchases again

Charlie Riedel / AP

With rising COVID-19 infection rates locally and around the country, supermarket chains are keeping a close eye on supplies of certain products. There may not be the same level of shelf-clearing that we saw back in March and April, when the pandemic was starting to ramp up, but supermarkets like Wegmans and Tops are once again limiting purchases of certain items.

Both of the companies have been limiting purchases of disinfectant wipes and certain types of peanut butter. Wegmans says other items that have purchase limits include the usual items like toilet paper and paper towels, and just recently they added napkins and facial tissues.

A Wegmans spokesperson says the company’s merchandising team has spent the last several months sourcing additional suppliers, bringing in new brands and working with Wegmans Brand suppliers to build up their holiday and winter reserves.

And with a lot of families planning for a smaller gathering at Thanksgiving due to COVID-19, WalMart notes that they have increased their assortment of smaller turkeys and items like boneless turkey breasts for households that are looking at a shorter guest list this year. 

Wegmans Director of Public Relations Deana Percassi said that Wegmans has “maintained purchase limits on products in key categories where supply continues to be a concern and will expand the use to purchase limits to additional items, if and when necessary.”

At Wegmans, current products with purchase limits include:

Paper towels

Facial tissues

Napkins

Household cleaners (includes bathroom cleaners, all-purpose cleaners, toilet bowl cleaners and window/glass cleaners)

Disinfecting wipes

Wegmans peanut butter

All disinfectant sprays

Kitchen trash bags

Freezer bags

Food storage bags

Disposable paper plates

Bath tissue

Items containing Famotidine

At Tops, a note on the company’s website says items where purchases are limited include:

Baby Wipes

Disinfectant Sprays

Disinfectant Wipes

Oatmeal

Pain Remedies

Peanut Butter

Rubbing Alcohol

Sugar

Randy Gorbman is WXXI's Director of News and Public Affairs. Randy manages the day-to-day operations of WXXI News on radio, television, and online.
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