Winter weather hit the Mid-South hard the past week. We have seen multiple days of snow-stunting travel and deliveries of everything from packages and mail to COVID vaccines.

And grocery store shelves are looking a bit bare.

“As with any grocery store, when there is snow or even a threat of snow, families race to the store to get bread, milk and eggs,” said Teresa Dickerson, the Delta Division corporate affairs spokesperson for Kroger.

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Those items are lacking at many stores in the area and it’s a typical response, Dickerson said.

A Daily Memphian staffer noted Thursday afternoon that the Kroger at Germantown Parkway and Trinity looked like it has not been able to restock this week. There was very little bread, probably 20 loaves total, and only a few containers of off-brand milk. 

There was no hamburger meat, maybe one package of chicken breasts left and most of the frozen pizzas were gone. A few cartons of eggs were available, but no cinnamon rolls.

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The familiar phrase, “A picture is worth a thousand words,” applies here.

“The weather has prevented many of our vendors from providing certain products for our stores. Products such as bread,” Dickerson said. 

Kroger is obviously not alone.

Other grocery chains could not be reached on Thursday, but Stepherson’s Superlo Foods, which operates nine stores in the Memphis metro area, posted this message on its website: “Due to disruptions in our supply chain, we cannot guarantee the availability of any of the items listed on our website. We apologize for the inconvenience.”

In some Southern states hit hard by storms, grocery chains like Walmart and Publix have been forced to close some stores either because of lack of power or lack of workers, The Associated Press reported. 

There is a Kroger Distribution Center in Memphis and it will help restock Mid-South stores as soon as possible, Dickerson said.

“The supply is plentiful, but getting the products to our stores over the icy roads has also been a challenge. Safety is our top priority for our associates, customers, drivers and vendors,” Dickerson said.

The work to supply essentials at Kroger, the largest grocery chain operating in Memphis, continues despite the weather.

“We have associates and store leaders doing all they can to provide a service to our customers. We have associates who truly live our purpose – To Feed the Human Spirit,” said Dickerson, citing a trademarked phrase that is part of Kroger’s mission. 

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And because of the weather, all stores in the Mid-South are closing at 6 p.m. at the present time.

“The snow has finally ceased and we are looking forward to getting back to normal operations,” she said.