Shoppers finding spare or bare shelves at some Bethesda grocery stores (Photos)

Bethesda grocery shoppers are finding some departments with understocked or bare shelves as the new week begins. Produce, meat and bread are among the aisles most affected. These photos were taken at Harris Teeter in downtown Bethesda. 

Trader Joe's in downtown Bethesda and Giant at Georgetown Square were having similar issues yesterday, but they were not the only ones countywide. The general explanation at the stores is that trucks coming up 1-95 from Virginia and coming south from Pennsylvania did not arrive on schedule. However, the I-95 disaster was nearly a week ago, and I can find no highway closure reported in Pennsylvania over the last week.

There may be staffing and driver availability issues related to the omicron surge. It's a fact that home grocery delivery schedules have been impacted over the last 10 days, a totally separate issue from inventory. When a product is out of stock, the rest of your order is still delivered to your house. When deliveries are canceled or delivery times are not available, that is a lack-of-drivers issue.

Above all, don't panic yet. The stores are expecting the trucks to arrive soon, and there is still adequate merchandise available if you are flexible. As you can see here, if you need a loaf of bread, there's likely going to be some brand available. Harris Teeter still had plenty of duck and quail eggs on hand!