Ahead of the arrival of the storm, a shopper at the Woolworths in the Coast shopping centre in Whangaparāoa has taken a photo of empty water shelves. Photo / Supplied
Ahead of the arrival of the storm, a shopper at the Woolworths in the Coast shopping centre in Whangaparāoa has taken a photo of empty water shelves. Photo / Supplied
Worried shoppers have stripped the shelves of goods at some supermarkets, as Cyclone Vaianu closes in on the North Island.
Supermarket bosses have warned of early store closures and gaps on the shelves as the country prepares for the worst of the wild weather to arrive.
States of emergency arealready in place for Northland, Waikato including the Coromandel, Hawkes Bay, Tauranga, Western Bay of Plenty and Whakatāne, with the storm set to bear down on the upper part of the motu early tomorrow morning.
The “life threatening” weather event is expected to batter some regions with 140km/h winds and torrential rain, prompting a series of warnings from Civil Defence this week urging Kiwis to stock up on key products.
Staff were hard at work restocking water supplies at Pak n Save Mt Albert yesterday. Photo / Imogene Bedford
Shelves have already become increasingly sparse at many stores around the country as Kiwis have rushed to get ready for the first of the weather warnings to come in place this evening.
At Countdown Bethlehem this afternoon, stocks of bread and fruit have been replenished, while at Countdown Victoria St, only a few bottles of water remained.
Yesterday afternoon, the Herald observed several shoppers at Pak n Save Mt Albert with trolleys full of water and toilet paper as queues started to form.
Stocks of bread had run out this afternoon at Woolworths Bethlehem. Photo / NZ Herald
A Foodstuffs spokesperson told the Herald the past three days have been unusually busy as people stock up on basics like water, bread, milk, canned food and batteries.
“That can mean a few gaps on shelves at times, but our local teams are keeping stock moving. It’s what we normally see ahead of big weather events”, he said.
“For the last few days, we have been supporting our stores by getting extra stock to key regions.”
The spokesperson said some stores may change their opening hours depending on the conditions.
Queues are developing at Pak n Save Mt Albert ahead of tomorrow's first weather warnings. Photo / Imogene Bedford
“Because we’re a co-op, our local family owner-operators are best placed to make the call for their stores. Safety always comes first.
“For example, PAK’nSAVE Kaitaia is closing early at 8pm tonight so team members can get home safely.”
They said the best advice was to “head out only if it’s safe, and check your local store’s Facebook page for the latest info”.
A Woolworths spokesperson said, “We are closely monitoring the situation and will respond accordingly. As always, our top priority is the safety of our team and customers.
“We are confident our stores are adequately prepared for these moments and we encourage the public to follow the advice of their local authority.”
