Queues in Whangārei supermarket mean 25 minute wait - but no panic buying

Shopping time for Tame Brown, right, Maika Brown and Marlie Honey followed by Penny Honey. Photo / Michael Cunningham

A Whangārei mum doing the family's weekly shop reckoned the queues were "worse than Christmas" yesterday at one supermarket.

Penny Honey completed a normal shop at Pak'nSave and said she was not panicking due to the coronavirus.

The only thing extra she had in the trolley was two more trays of eggs because they were on sale.

"This is ridiculous ... we waited in line for about 25 minutes, that's worse than Christmas," Honey said.

Another shopper, Pauline Williams, said while waiting in the queue to pay the topic of conversation had been coronavirus and shoppers were trying to keep to the regulatory two metres apart.

She also said she was not stocking up but instead doing her normal shop. However, there seemed to more people shopping, even for a pensioner pay day.

"I'm not worried about it. I come from a certain generation that can learn to go without things," she said.

"I don't think people were panic buying and there was no one in there wearing a mask or gloves."

However, things could change if schoolchildren had to be kept home.

"That might mean having to get more food."

Whangārei Pak'nSave owner Todd Leathem said yesterday was busier than normal for a Tuesday and it seemed people were stocking up on staples like sugar and flour.

"They're telling me they are doing their normal shops but just grabbing a few things extra just in case."

And he said there were "pallets and pallets of toilet paper" so there was no need to panic buy as people had done in Australia.

Because the business bought in bulk there was plenty of product with no real need to panic buy, Leathem said.

On the Pak'nSave website said there were additional sanitising facilities for customers which included wipes for cleaning trolley handles and hand sanitiser dispensing units which would be placed strategically around stores.

"We remind customers to please shop as you normally would. Our online shopping services are under increasing demand and we are doing everything we can to meet your grocery needs.

"Whilst in store you may see some limits on lines of products – this is to ensure that there is enough for everyone."