Dutch consumers have been stocking up on groceries en masse since Thursday. Although experts argue that hoarding is not necessary, consumers are taking the safe route. The result: logistics have to scale up considerably to fill shelves on time.
"Really, the fear that shelves will remain empty for a long time is unfounded," general director Marc Jansen of the Central Bureau of Food (CBL) told the AD about the hoarding behaviour in supermarkets. "I thought the Dutch were quite level-headed, but I am now appealing to our common sense.
As consumers are stocking up en masse, supermarkets and logistics service providers have to pull out all the stops to get the shelves filled as quickly as possible. "It is like the Christmas period, but then you are better prepared and it is orderly. Now we don't know how long it will take."
Nedcargo, which supplies supermarkets, informs customers that waiting times may increase. Deploying extra staff is difficult because of the risk of contamination. 'We don't deploy unknown temporary workers because of possible contamination. It means we have to organise our own logistics even more efficiently and we ask supermarkets to place their orders in time so that the supply does not get stuck,'' said director Diederik Jan Antvelink. According to Antvelink, the problem is not in the stock, as there is plenty of it. "What matters now is getting it all to customers on time."
Image: peter jesche / Shutterstock.com
