Two major supermarkets have put caps on the amount of toilet paper Dubbo customers can buy, in an effort to prevent panic buying after parts of the state went into a snap COVID lockdown.
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Woolworths and Coles confirmed they have imposed two-pack limits per store on toilet paper across the state.
Coles also has a purchase cap of two on face masks, which have been mandatory in all non-residential indoor settings and some outdoor settings across NSW for the past week, and will be until at least July 9.
A customer at Dubbo known to the Daily Liberal said when she went shopping at Coles on Sunday morning there was no toilet paper on the shelves.
She said she went to Woolworths two days later and the essential item was in stock, and she also understood Coles now had the product again.
The first COVID-19 outbreak 15 months ago sparked panic buying that extended from metro to rural areas.
Coles reports the health and safety of customers and team members remains its top priority.
A spokesperson offered assurances there was "plenty of stock" in its supply chain, and asked that customers stayed calm, shopped normally and were respectful of hard-working team members.
"All Coles supermarkets, liquor and Coles Express sites will stay open during this time, and we have increased the frequency of cleaning in high touchpoint areas including self-checkout screens and keypads, in addition to our existing safety and hygiene measures in stores to help keep customers and team members safe," the spokesperson said.
"We will continue monitoring customer numbers and encourage them to use the sanitising stations at the entrance to our stores, which include hand sanitiser and disinfectant wipes for trolleys, before they enter.
"We also ask that customers check-in each time they visit our stores by scanning the QR Codes on display at the front of the store, above the sanitiser stations within the store, or at the checkouts.
"Where required by the government, we ask our customers ensure they are wearing a face mask before entering our stores, unless they have an exemption - and the same rules apply to our team."
Woolworths said in an email to customers on Monday its two-pack toilet paper limit was prompted by shopper behaviour.
"We have plenty of stock of most essential items, with more continuing to flow through from our distribution centres," Woolworths Group CEO Brad Banducci said in the email.
"Frustratingly, we currently have a two-pack per shop limit on toilet paper after we've seen surge buying leading to some shortages in store and online.
"It seems the almost primordial urge to pantry stock toilet paper is still symbolic of these times.
"We expect to be back in full stock in the next few days and as previously, we'd ask you to only buy what you need."
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I have been a journalist for more than a decade and in that time I have been keeping Daily Liberal readers up to date about issues affecting them and what's happening in their community. Throughout my career I have covered a range of rounds and most recently I have been focusing on the business round.
