High demand for, not lack of, food equals empty shelves throughout the Dominican Republic

Arriving at the supermarket and finding the shelves almost empty is common in this time of social confinement caused by the threat of COVID-19. Supermarkets have had to develop accelerated logistics for replenishing merchandise in response to the voracity of the demand for necessities.

Buenos Aires de Herrera resident Francisca Ramírez, a young woman with two children, goes to the supermarket once a week and says that the last few times she has been unable to buy whole liquid milk that she used to buy. She says that this is because it always runs out in the afternoon. Many people have already gone before her.

“Look, the last time I went, the liquid milk section only contained the brands that sold the least, and of the most recognized brands, there was only skim or semi-skim, and you could see the emptiness. I also saw that in the oil aisle there are almost no offers, it is almost RD $ 200.00 ($3.70 USD) a half gallon. To buy bread, you had to stand in line, there were no sausage offers, and the cheese fridge had little,” says Francisca.

Gerinalda Liberato says that when visiting a supermarket, name omitted, she realized that it was missing groceries, fresh cheeses and that most of the products they had available were of their own brand.

The president of the National Organization of Commercial Companies, Mario Lama Hache, expressed his satisfaction that organized trade at ONEC has guaranteed the constant supply of these products.

“The pace of purchases by consumers sometimes accelerates, but that has not prevented us from continuing to provide our services and the products we market. This gives us peace of mind that we can continue to circumvent the current situation without any concerns regarding it refers to our area,” explained Lama Hache.

He took the opportunity to thank agricultural suppliers and industries for their constant effort to follow this continuous supply of products and to all the collaborators who are working day by day for the well-being of the entire population.

Rafael Reyes assures that he always finds what he is going to look for at the supermarket. However, Reyes indicates that there is a time when the shelves are empty due to the high demand, but then observes that they are replenishing it soon enough.