Ritzville butts are covered

RITZVILLE – Harvest Foods received a shipment of products Friday morning, March 27, including toilet paper.

"We've sold lots of it this morning," checker Angel Slader saud. "Last Tuesday, we got a shipment in and it was gone by Wednesday. But it lasted longer than the previous week."

With the coronavirus pandemic, toilet paper has been a hot commodity statewide, with most stores still sporting empty shelves.

Local Harvest Foods owner Kim Cousins said Tuesday's shipment lasted until Wednesday afternoon, longer than she expected.

Purchasing toilet paper is limited to one package per shopper, Cousins said.

"We're ordering more, but the problem is our supply. They're having a hard time keeping up, and they're running 24/7 just to supply all their stores," Cousins said. "We order 10 cases of our favorite brand, and we get two, if we're lucky."

With no toilet paper on the shelves earlier this month, Harvest Foods ran a special on boxes of tissue for 88 cents.

"Anytime we get deals, we try to pass it down to our customers. The trouble is, we can't keep it on the shelves right now," Cousins said. "I got a whole pallet of our favorite brand of toilet paper last Tuesday plus several cases of other brands, and we sold out completely. It was shocking.

"People are scared. I don't know if they are worried they're going to get sick and be stuck at home, or if there are going to be more shut-downs. We plan to stay open as long as we can, even if it means decreasing our hours more."

For now, Harvest Foods is open daily 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

A seniors-only shopping hour runs from 9-10 a.m. each Saturday.

"Saturdays are the best day for that," Cousins said.