Kroger does not expect to run short on any food because food companies are looking to profit off of the large crowds the eclipse will bring, thus providing as much food as possible to earn more money.
(Emma Atkinson, WFIU/WTIU News)
Local companies are not that concerned about potential food and fuel shortages on April 8, the day of the eclipse.
Eric Halvorson, manager of corporate affairs for Kroger Central Division, said Kroger is treating the eclipse and the influx of customers it will bring as if a winter storm or a holiday were coming up. There are also multiple levels of suppliers Kroger can fall back on in case certain products run short.
Eric Halvorson, manager of corporate affairs for Kroger Central Division, said extra food will be shipped in the week before the eclipse so trucks avoid getting stuck in traffic on eclipse day. (Zoom)
“Our traditional suppliers weren't able to keep up with the demand, so we went to the second tier: equally good product, same level quality, but a different provider,” Halvorson said of issues during the pandemic. “When we weren't getting what we needed in the first tier, we were able to get what we needed as quickly as we needed it, just from a different a different vendor.”
Halvorson does not fear there will be any significant shortages because companies are looking to profit off of the large crowds the eclipse will bring.
“A number of different companies are taking advantage of the concept as a promotional opportunity: Sun Chips, Eclipse gum, you might see some extra Corona beer on the shelves,” he said. “They don't want to leave anybody in the lurch and have somebody come in looking for something and suddenly it's not there just because we hadn't prepared or they hadn't prepared.”
Food companies are selling eclipse-themed items, and are hoping to make more money with the large number of people traveling. (Kroger)
People might buy eclipse glasses faster than Kroger can replenish them, resulting in a shortage, Halvorson said. Those living in motor homes might stock up on more milk and breakfast items.
“Maybe we see more activity in the deli, for example, people going in buying Kroger fried chicken,” he said. “Maybe people are treating it like a parking lot picnic.”
Halvorson said he is counting on the police’s traffic plans for fuel trucks to make their way through traffic in case Kroger gas stations run out of fuel. Fuel suppliers are no more than two hours away from any Kroger location in the region.
“We would have the product here when it's not going to conflict with regular shopping hours; it'll be here when traffic is not a problem,” he said. “Then our trucks and vendor trucks can be out of the way and safely parked or safely back home so they don't get stuck in the gridlock afterwards.”
According to AAA, auto fuel prices increase naturally with spring break travel, but are not anticipated to increase any more due to traffic on eclipse day. As of April 1, the average cost of fuel per gallon in Indiana is $3.41.
Rex Hinkle, president of Cook Aviation, said he is planning to order an extra 4,000 gallons of avgas for piston planes and 20,000 gallons of jet and turbine fuel. Avgas costs $6.70 per gallon; jet fuel costs $6.10 per gallon. He does not expect any shortages at the Monroe County Airport.
Rex Hinkle, president of Cook Aviation, said he is not worried about running low on fuel supplies at the Monroe County Airport. (Zoom)
“I think people need to make sure that they have fuel in their cars,” Hinkle said. “I think that is more of a concern than it is with aviation world … (but) we want to make sure we don't run out of fuel. If you run out of fuel, you're out of business.”
Hinkle orders avgas from Kentucky and Texas and jet fuel from Indianapolis. A full load of fuel is 8,000 gallons. The airport stores extra fuel underground in two 20,000-gallon jet tanks and one 12,000-gallon avgas tank.
Kroger is spending more money on extra security to monitor parking lots and traffic the day of the eclipse, as well as extra signs, Halvorson said. Overnight parking will not be permitted.
“We know some people will just want to come in and get groceries and go home,” he said. “It's probably going to be difficult to control knowing that there will be some people who want to come in several days in advance to get the best spot possible [to watch the eclipse].”
Mia Perry, store manager for the Starbucks on Indiana Avenue, said she expects at least an extra 1,500 people to come to Starbucks on campus on eclipse day. She has ordered extra cups, lids and food for eclipse day with the expectation that they will be serving over 150 percent more people than normal.
Supplies should arrive during the week so as to avoid traffic congestion the weekend before the eclipse. She hopes to not run short on any supplies.
“Even today, we’ve already run out of several items this morning,” she said. “It’s unpredictable day-to-day. I don’t expect to [run out of food] but it’s most likely going to happen at some point.”
The wait for an order may not be much longer than a normal day when there are multiple busy periods when students come after class, Perry said.
“It’s going to be more of a solid flow versus having that time where we can catch back up on things,” she said. “The plan is to do mobile orders during the day, but if we need to shut those off if it gets unmanageable, we can for 15 to 30 minutes, an hour, however long we need.”
Elizabeth Barnhart, outreach coordinator for Mother Hubbards Cupboard, said since the pantry only gets a specific amount of food each week from the Hoosier Hills Food Bank and a few farmers, it would not be possible to get more for the eclipse.
“In order to up our order, we would need more space, and we would need more volunteers and we would need more food from food bank,” she said. “It's not something that we can just do.”
Elizabeth Barnhart, outreach coordinator for Mother Hubbards Cupboard, said in order to have more food, the pantry would need to find more storage space, which is not readily available. (Zoom)
Since the pantry is not usually open on Mondays anyway, the day when the eclipse lands, Barnhart said she does not expect a shortage of food. Even if the pantry were open, she does not think they would have faced any problems anyway.
“I just think with the number of people who are traveling from different parts of the state or out of state, they don't know enough about community resources to even know to think that they could stop by the pantry,” she said.
Barnhart is unsure if more locals will be stocking up on supplies from the pantry the week before the eclipse. The pantry is open on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Unlike most pantries, Mother Hubbards Cupboard is a low barrier, client choice organization. That means that people can come in any time without an appointment and take as much food as they need without having to give a reason why.
Vicki Pierce, executive director of the Monroe County Community Kitchen, said she is not stocking up on food and supplies for the eclipse. They are planning to prepare the same amount of food as usual.
“We are operating normal hours at both of our regular locations for patrons who can walk or bike to us,” Pierce said. “We anticipate our regular patrons won’t all reach us and don’t expect a lot of out of towners to land in our facility.”
Pierce said she does not get food for the kitchen from grocery stores. People should make sure they have food at home because they might not be able to get to the store due to heavy traffic.
