This Monday, faced with the growing threat posed by the proximity of Hurricane Milton, residents of Mérida rushed to stores for panic buying.
The population flocked to supermarkets and even the cookie factory to stock up on various products they might need to stay safe during the cyclone alert period in the city.
In the stores, there was intense customer activity, with long lines of people stocking up on goods.
Outside the supermarkets, there were cars parked haphazardly, even in triple rows, or circling a branch in the García Ginerés neighborhood; some with shopping lists in hand.
Neighbors and customers mentioned that the supermarkets would close at 2 PM this Monday.
Shoppers left the cookie factory with up to three boxes and at least one can full of products, maintaining order and respecting their turns in line; trucks were also seen entering and leaving for cookie distribution.
According to the managers, the most requested products are globules and biscuits, Soles cookies, cinnamon cookies, and soda crackers.
Cookies are among the most consumed products by Yucatecans during the rainy season, and this time, due to the risk of power outages, residents of Mérida are also opting for cookies, as they can be stored without any problem.
Shopping in Francisco de Montejo
With the approach of Category 5 Hurricane Milton to the Yucatán Peninsula and the orange alert issued by Civil Protection, residents of the Yucatecan capital have crowded supermarkets for panic buying.
Due to the panic buying, there has been more activity than usual in the Francisco de Montejo neighborhood. Residents of the area went to the supermarket located at the main entrance, and from the parking lot, it is evident that it is overcrowded.
Sandwich bread, rolls, cookies, and beverages, as well as personal hygiene products, are the most in-demand items. The lines stretch throughout the store, and there are so many people that the lines even extend through the aisles.
“It’s already Category 5, we need to stay alert,” can be heard among customers chatting while waiting their turn to pay for their purchases. However, others, upon entering and seeing the long lines, prefer to leave and go to smaller grocery stores, which they believe have shorter lines.
Similarly, convenience stores are also starting to show some empty shelves, such as in the case of sandwich bread and flour tortillas.
On the other hand, gas stations in the neighborhood are starting to see lines of drivers filling up their car tanks. Although the lines are not very long at the moment, they are gradually getting longer as time goes by.
Chicken Eggs Sold Out in the South and East of the City
As soon as they learned that Governor Joaquín Díaz Mena decreed the suspension of non-essential activities today due to Hurricane Milton, families in the south and east of Mérida went to corner stores, butcher shops, poultry shops, and supermarkets to stock up on food.
But those who went out after 10 AM did not find the most useful, cheap, and easy-to-cook food: chicken eggs.
This precious food quickly disappeared from the shelves of Bachoco, Crío, and Maxi Carne sales points and from the Aurrerá in Plaza Kukulcán because it was the first thing people bought to face a possible food shortage in the coming days.
The manager of a Bachoco sales point in the Vicente Solís neighborhood reported that she sold 130 kilograms that the poultry company had supplied her with hours earlier.
The product was meant to last a week but sold out in a couple of hours at this sales point. However, it wasn’t the only place where eggs sold out quickly, as other poultry shops also exhausted their weekly stock.
Fortunately for buyers, the price of eggs has not increased: a carton is $85 pesos, bulk is $42 per kilo; a dozen is $34, and larger quantities are $850.
A lady who arrived at this sales point asked if there were any eggs. She was informed that they were sold out.
She asked if more stock would be available. The employee said they had already reported the depletion but could not confirm if another batch would be delivered.
“I went to Aurrerá in Kukulcán, and there were no eggs. An employee told me that people rushed to buy eggs. I went to another Bachoco, and they didn’t have any either. I went to Maxi Carne, and they had sold out their weekend stock and hadn’t restocked,” she told other customers. “There are no eggs; the shortage has started, and prices will surely go up.”
Long lines can already be seen at corner stores where people are buying cookies, eggs (if available), pasta, condiments, soft drinks, candles, and other useful items for enduring a temporary lockdown.
Shopping in the West of Mérida
Residents in the west of the city left their homes for last-minute shopping, reflected in the number of people in the supermarket aisles. Many are looking for vegetables and frozen meat, while others head to the non-perishable food aisles, such as canned goods.
Among the most popular products are instant soups and cookies, which are the most seen in the shopping carts of Mérida residents.
Due to the number of people in line at a Chedraui supermarket, more checkout counters were opened to speed up the payment process; employees mentioned that they were in a training session, which was suspended to expedite the shopping process.
Gas stations near Plaza Dorada and Las Américas already had long lines of vehicles waiting to fill up their tanks. Although the lines are not very long at the moment, they are gradually getting longer as time goes by.
Source: Por Esto
