'Don't panic buy': Supply chain issues trickle into Alberta after devastating floods in B.C.
Alberta businesses are feeling the pinch of supply chain issues following catastrophic flooding in British Columbia.
Monita Chapman, the owner of Simply Supper, said she’s been in the food industry for 15 years and the amount of items she can’t get her hands on right now is “overwhelming.”
“Every once in a while you get told, ‘Oh, we don’t have that but we’re going to have it Friday,’” she explained.
“Now we’re being told, ‘We don’t have this, we’re not going to have it until January,’ or, ‘We don’t have this we’re not going to have it until May.’”
As a business owner, she said the biggest challenge right now is setting prices and assessing inventory costs.
“Yesterday I spent eight hours hunting for 11 items I was shorted on, on an order. So that raises your costs as well,” she told CTV News Edmonton.
“It’s like you’re taking a double hit on cost increases because you’re not able to buy it in the quantities, or the packaging, or at the price point we’re usually able to buy it at.”
- Edmonton grocery stores limiting purchases due to BC flooding shipping problems
- Calgary businesses face supply delays due to devastation in B.C.
Chapman said she feels for the suppliers during this crunch as well since they’re not able to make sales or meet demand either.
“I work with about four or five different suppliers and that emoji where they go like this [arms up], that’s the emoji we see in our text chains all the time cause they’re like, ‘I don’t even know what to say to you Monita.’”
“It’s not even about them calling in a favour to somebody at this point, it’s just not there,” she added.
'BE PATIENT'
Stephen Bezan, the purchasing manager at Sherbrooke Liquor, echoed a similar sentiment.
He told CTV News specialty packaging had been ordered from B.C. for their advent calendars and they had to delay the release as the product hadn't arrived yet.
“We found out it’s on a truck right now. It got put on a truck yesterday and it’s working its way down the highway,” he explained.
“We have a backup plan just in case.”
On top of that, Bezan said there could also be some shortages of seasonal favourites that may not make it to Alberta shelves for Christmas.
“The emails are coming in now from the importers and breweries letting us know that there is going to be shortages on certain things.”
The biggest piece of advice Chapman has to offer to customers right now is “be patient” and have a plan.
“Don’t panic buy, don’t rush the stores, that’s hard on us as well,” she said.
“Just know that we will get you your product. But, If we call and say we can’t get it to you just understand that it’s out of our control at this point.”
CTV News reached out to Sobeys for comment on the food shortages in the province and received a statement.
“First and foremost, our thoughts are with all those affected by the evolving situation in BC. Our store and distribution centre teammates have been working around the clock to support our stores and we won’t let our foot off the gas,” the statement read.
The company noted it is working closely with supplier partners to increase supply and support “demand pressure” from the B.C. region.
“We do continue to encourage our customers to maintain regular shopping habits, as this will help with the continued availability of essential goods for everyone,” the email stated. “The biggest challenges right now is congestion on the major highways which have been reopened to transport goods.”
- Another 'atmospheric river' expected to hit B.C. as province deals with flooding from 1st
- 'Parade of storms' heading for B.C., including 2 more atmospheric rivers: Environment Canada
With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Carlyle Fiset
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Documents reveal Ottawa's efforts to get Loblaw, Walmart on board with grocery code
It was evident to the federal government as early as last fall that Loblaw and Walmart might be holdouts to the grocery code of conduct, jeopardizing the project's success.
opinion The special relationship between King Charles and the Princess of Wales
Royal commentator Afua Hagan writes that when King Charles recently admitted Catherine to the Order of the Companions of Honour, it not only made history, but it reinforced the strong bond between the King and his beloved daughter-in-law.
'I just want to be safe': Ukrainian man in Canada faces limbo amid consular freeze
A recent decision to restrict consular services for fighting-aged Ukrainian men has made a Ukrainian man in Canada feel less certain of his next steps — and worried he could be pulled back to the war.
Dozens of U.S. deaths reveal risks of injecting sedatives into people restrained by police
The practice of giving sedatives to people detained by police has spread quietly across the U.S. over the last 15 years, built on questionable science and backed by police-aligned experts, an investigation led by The Associated Press has found.
Improve balance and build core strength with this exercise
When it comes to cardiovascular fitness, you may tend to focus on activities that move you forward, such as walking, running and cycling.
Expert warns of food consumption habits amid rising prices
A new survey by Dalhousie University's Agri-Food Analytics Lab asked Canadians about their food consumption habits amid rising prices.
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
B.C. tenants evicted for landlord's use after refusing large rent increase to take over neighbouring suite
Ashley Dickey and her mother rented part of the same Coquitlam duplex in three different decades under three different landlords.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.