MEDFORD, OREGON — Jackson County Auditor Eric Spivak has been connecting with local and national retailers to determine the state of the supply of food and other essentials in Jackson County.
He has been assured that both suppliers and stores are working hard to meet the rush demand as a result of the Novel Coronavirus.
Mr. Spivak emphasizes that it is critical that all people have access to the food and supplies they need, especially those most vulnerable to a COVID-19 infection. In an effort to help achieve this, some retailers have begun to limit the amount people can purchase.
“We are asking that everyone be patient and considerate to others and return to normal food and supply purchasing behavior as the supply chain and retailers are working hard during this critical time,” shared Spivak.
General Manager of Sherms Thunderbird Market Inc. Bob Ames shared a letter to customers that represent much of what was discovered in the process of collecting information:
Valued Customers,
Sherm’s Thunderbird Markets and Sherm’s Food 4 Less are committed to do all we can to provide the community with the Grocery Store needs during the challenging time in our lives. We have been amazed by what our great staff has done to have groceries available for our customers. Thank you to our staff for the huge efforts this past week. It is just amazing and you deserve the credit for where we are as a company.
Thank you to our customers for your continued support over the past 50 years. You are the best and we are very great-full. We want to assure our customers that the grocery industry is really stepping it up working overtime on efforts to supply the grocery stores. Sherm’s and the other grocers in Southern Oregon are doing everything possible to keep the supplies in our stores.
We do encourage customers to not panic. Over-buying is stressing the supply chain. We encourage customers to get back to normal shopping patterns. Several companies are putting the buyers on allocation until the shopping patterns calm to a manageable level. When the shopping patterns stabilize, the allocations will ease and it will help the supply chain fill back up. With the strain in supply we will still have groceries. It may mean trying out some new meals as the available products may have shifted.
We have confidence that the supply chain will continue getting groceries to us. The trucking industry, the produce suppliers, the meat suppliers and the bakeries are all adjusting production capabilities to package and produce high volumes of goods to refill the supply chain. There are going to be many challenges but I do not know of any country with the capabilities that we have with the American workforce. We are seeing tremendous effort by so many companies it really amazes us. Our staff is committed to keeping our shelves stocked.
Sincerely,
Bob Ames
General Manager
Sherm’s Thunderbird Market, Inc
For more information, please contact: Eric Spivak, Jackson County Auditor, at (541) 774-6021 or spivaker@jacksoncounty.org.
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