So where are the shops that are still well-stocked - and when is the best time to shop, after stores have restocked?
Seasoned shoppers say that even if your local store was bare today, it’s a good idea to head back tomorrow to check stock.
‘Most supermarkets - especially Aldi - get their new deliveries on Tuesday night, so Wednesday morning would be an ideal time to go shopping,’ said one committed shopper. ‘Coles and Woolworths also tend to restock during the night so first thing in the morning is the best time to check stock.’
As for whether your local store has stock, shoppers suggest checking Coles and Woolies’ websites for click and collect in your area. ‘It’s a good way to get your hands on items as they become available,’ said one customer.
Shoppers have also flooded social media with reports of how their local stores are coping with the influx of shoppers. Here’s a rundown of what they’re saying about your local store:
NSW
- According to seasoned shoppers, it seems Sydney is the hardest hit by supermarket stock wipe-outs, with many shoppers across the city’s centre, west, northern beaches, north-west, north shore and east affected.
- Shoppers in many of the suburbs in these areas say their local Woolworths, Coles and Aldi - including Quakers Hill, Clontarf, Forest Way, Chatswood, Lidcombe, Gordon and Bondi - have been wiped out of essential items such as toilet paper, pasta and tinned food.
- Newcastle has also been hit with many stores running low on stock.
- Lithgow and shoppers on the mid-north cost say they haven’t been hit too hard by the panic.
- Shoppers have been advised to check stock when stores first open, and to go to their smaller local stores if they’re really desperate. ‘Either that, or hop in the car and head to the fringes of Sydney - a lot of stores down South say they’ve still got stock,’ said one shopper.
QLD
- Many shoppers on the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and FNQ say that their stores haven’t been affected too badly by the shopping panic, with many saying that Aldi has the best range still available. ‘Everything’s normal on the GC,’ said one.
- Shoppers in central and Northern Brisbane report a lot of shortages, leading some determined shoppers to head to the Gold Coast to stock up.
Victoria
- Many rural Victorian towns have reported no change to stock levels despite the panic. Ballarat shoppers have reported seeing their local Aldi, Coles and Woolies stores run low, however.
- Supermarkets in the Melbourne CBD, north and east have been hit hardest with shortages - but it doesn’t appear to be as bad as in Sydney. ‘People have lost their marbles in Sydney,’ said one shopper.
WA
- Many rural WA shoppers have taken to social media to report that their supermarkets haven’t been affected by the shortages. ‘Business as usual in the West,’ said one.
- However in Perth, shoppers have been hit harder - with Coles stores in Claremont in particular reporting shortages.
SA
- Shoppers in South Australia don’t appear to be too alarmed by the panic, with many customers revealing that their stock levels ‘appeared normal.’ Said one: ‘I went to heaps of Aldi stores in Adelaide and everything was as it should be.’
Tasmania & ACT
- Not many shoppers from Tasmania or the ACT have taken to social media to report on empty shelves at their local stores. ‘No-one seems to be too alarmed in Tassie,’ said one. ‘My local Aldi looks normal.’
NT
- There appears to be little panic in the Northern Territory. ‘The South and the East of Australia are getting a taste of what we have to deal with in flood season or when there’s a cyclone,’ said one. Added another: ‘What’s everyone going on about? We live like this all the time with shortages.’
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