BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - Grocery stores across the commonwealth have been struggling to keep shelves stocked. Bread, bottled water and toilet paper have been just a few of the items that stores like Crossroads IGA have had trouble keeping stocked. Customers have been coming in nonstop since the end of last week, causing items to fly off the shelves, just a few hours after opening. 

Extra sanitary precautions have been made, with workers wiping surfaces consistently and gearing check-out clerks with hand sanitizer.  “We’re just trying as hard as we can to keep everything wiped down, everything clean, everything sanitized as much as we possibly can,” says Assistant Manager, Brittany McConnell. 

The store receives new shipments every morning with double shipments of bread and toilet paper. But the store has asked for all hands on deck, in order to keep things on track and organized. “Today is one of our biggest trucks we’ve had in awhile,  if ever since we’ve opened, we have people, some of the kids that work for us that usually work nights and weekends are out of school right now so they’ve been able to come in and help and help us catch up,” says McConnell. 

High school senior, Noah Thomas, would typically be in school or at baseball practice during the day. But with the announcement of school closures, he is able to pick up extra shifts. Thomas says working keeps his mind off of what the future may bring, with prom and graduation just around the corner. “We have a great group of people over here and I’m just glad they’re able to give me more hours and time off my mind,” says Thomas. 

The store is operating during its normal business hours, looking to provide a sense of normalcy to the Bowling Green community. “Just trying to stay as close to normal as possible and keep everybody working as hard as they can to try to keep our customers happy and have access to everything they need,” says McConnell. You can visit your local Crossroads IGA every day from 6 a.m. until 11 p.m.