The recent revised Southern California stay home order limits non-essential activities, but allows for essential activities such as grocery shopping. Coronado grocery stores are keeping up with demand by stocking up on what they now know are popular quarantine and pandemic items and in some instances, limiting purchases on select products.
Early in the coronavirus pandemic, Coronado grocery stores were part of the national trend of empty shelves and limited supplies. With the latest surge in COVID cases, Coronado residents may be wondering if they should expect product shortages and empty shelves. Fortunately, Coronado grocery stores including Boney’s, Vons, and Smart & Final, are well stocked and ready for customers.
Boney’s Bayside Market, located at 155 Orange Avenue, has a capacity close to 100 people but has imposed a maximum of 25 customers at one time to allow for social distancing. Deli customers are asked to wait outside the store while their orders are being prepared to allow for more in-store shoppers. According to Boney’s manager, Paul Salgado, the greatest impact on the store has been the change in the products they can sell. Compared to before the pandemic, around “10% of store products are not being manufactured due to the manufacturers not producing these items.” In addition, Boney’s has been able to manage increased demand on key products without limiting items purchased per customer. As an example, Boney’s has filled one corner of the store with flour to meet the increased demand for home baking.
Earlier in the pandemic, Boney’s had to limit the quantity of eggs purchased to one package per customer, but now they have restocked and are currently well supplied for customer needs.
Vons at 868 Orange Avenue has implemented a maximum occupancy of 120 customers. At-risk individuals and customers over 60 have specialized shopping hours every day from 6 to 7 am.
Due to continued high demand, Vons has implemented volume limits on the following items:
- Hand soap is limited to four units per transaction.
- Disinfecting & antibacterial sprays and wipes are limited to two units per transaction.
- Dish soap has a limit of two units per transaction.
- Rubbing alcohol and wipes are limited to four units per transaction.
- Hydrogen peroxide is limited to four units per transaction.
- Multivitamins are limited to four units per transaction.
These limits allow Vons to maintain a constant supply of all items with the exception of rubbing alcohol. Vons employee Ruben shared that “90% [rubbing] alcohol is flat out gone and not available to get.”
Vons has a large supply of paper towels and toilet paper and even stacks extra supplies above the normal shelves.
Smart & Final at 150 B Avenue opens at 6 am every day. Customers have access to sanitizers at the store entrance, and store employees sanitize equipment hourly. Early in the pandemic, Smart & Final had limited supplies of toilet paper but they are now well stocked with floor to ceiling packages and boxes of toilet paper. The store also has plenty of antibacterial wipes and sprays as well as dish soap.
Currently, Smart & Final has limits on the following products:
- Yeast has a limit of one package per household or business.
- Paper towels have a limit of one package per household or business.
- Hand sanitizer has a limit of one per household or business and was sold out on a recent visit.
Coronadans can meet all their grocery needs at local stores while wearing masks and observing distancing guidelines. As Vons posted, “Remember to stay two carts apart!”
