KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Grocery stores on both sides of the state line were flooded Friday with shoppers getting last-minute items before the holiday weekend.
"The customers are in a great mood, and the employees are in a great mood and it feels like Christmas," said Kim Svoboda, store director at the Price Chopper located at 151st Street in Overland Park.
One aisle there is emptying.
"You can’t get down the bake aisle," Svoboda said. "Everyone is baking, there’s some great recipes out there, everybody is baking, and the flour and sugar and all that, it’s amazing right now."
On the Missouri side of the border at Hy-Vee in Liberty, one operation, in particular, is humming.
"Holiday meals have been very popular, especially through Thanksgiving and Christmas, we are having some this weekend," said store manager Ina Cavin. "Very easy, everything is done for you. It’s just you heat and eat, it’s a great deal, very busy with those and they’re very popular."
While grocery stores have had their fair share of pandemic challenges, price increases haven’t kept shoppers away, and the shelves are full.
"We stocked up before Thanksgiving to try to stay in stock, we’ve done a great job, the vendors have been great, the warehouse has been great, we’re working really hard at it," Svoboda said.
For the holiday rush, staffing has held steady, too.
"I’m incredibly lucky," Cavin said. "All of my employees are getting to work and staying all day, and they’re just helping customers, they’re doing awesome."
