Elmhurst Supermarkets: Are They Slammed?

ELMHURST, IL — Few people were walking out of Elmhurst grocery stores with toilet paper early Monday afternoon. That's because there was none to be had — one of the unexpected effects of the coronavirus scare.

Early Monday afternoon, Elmhurst Patch toured four local grocery stores — Mariano's, Jewel, Whole Foods and Walmart (just across the road from Elmhurst). All were bustling with shoppers, far more than most weekdays, when most people are at work.

At all four stores, many shelves were empty. But toilet paper was ground zero. At all the stores, toilet paper had been cleared out, and that's been the case across the country — for whatever reason. Next to barren shelves at Jewel, a sign was posted limiting each customer to one toilet paper package.

Much of the stores' meat sections were largely decimated. But chicken was particularly hard hit. Most of the stores were largely out of bread and milk — two staples in any kitchen.

Produce seemed to be holding up at three of the stores. Whole Foods — where veggies and fruit are quite popular — proved to be the exception. For instance, the store was completely out of organic red potatoes.

And for those seeking spirits, the liquor department seems mostly immune to panic shopping. Give it time, some say.

At Mariano's, an employee said the store typically had three registers open during an early weekday afternoon. About 10 were open Monday. "It's ridiculous," she said.

Over at Whole Foods, an employee was washing handles to the freezers, in an apparent effort to ward off the virus. The store seemed a bit calmer than the others. A worker said it was only a "little busier" than usual. Late last week, he said, the store saw more than twice the average traffic.

At Monday's City Council meeting, Mayor Steve Morley said he had gone by local grocery stores.

"With the exception of a few items that I do not consider critical, I don't see a shortage," Morley said. "I see hundreds of tons of food for sale."