Report: Sick Employees, Truckers to Blame for Empty Shelves in Grocery Stores 

Although President Joe Biden’s policies on ending the coronavirus pandemic and fixing supply chain problems are failing, the media are blaming American workers for empty shelves in grocery stores.

“Empty shelves have returned at supermarkets as grocery employees call out sick and truckloads of food arrive late,” CNBC said in a report that said nothing about Biden’s policies or Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg’s responsibilities.

Buttigieg held a press conference on Tuesday claiming he and others in Biden’s regime saved Christmas by making sure presents were under the tree.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg speaks during the daily briefing at the White House in Washington, on Nov. 8, 2021. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Albertsons grocery chain said in its earnings report call with reporters that its stock price fell and blamed it on “supply chain challenges and inflated costs,” CNBC reported.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg (L) and President Joe Biden. (AFP/SAUL LOEB)

Grocery store workers are struggling to help customers, CNBC said:

Grocery store workers are feeling the effects of omicron, too. Samantha Webster helps replenish coolers with butter, gallons of milk and more as dairy manager of a Safeway store in the San Francisco Bay Area. Safeway is owned by Albertsons.

“The shelves are becoming more and more bare,” Webster said. “One person can’t keep an entire department going.”

According to the report:

The new coronavirus variant is exacerbating worker shortages across industries, from restaurants and retailers to airlines. Company leaders are being forced to make tough decisions, such as slashing service hours, canceling flights and closing stores. That has started to show up in the sales numbers, too. Lululemon is among the retailers that have warned that fourth-quarter earnings and revenue would be on the low end of estimates as it feels the effects of having reduced hours and limited staff.

For grocers, though, the challenge may be felt more because it is low-margin business where companies often have less room to raise employee wages, pay for overtime or pass on higher costs to customers. Some shoppers have less money to spend, too. The child tax credit, which gave families monthly payments, ended in December.

Albertsons officials said costs have gone up across the board, including the price for ingredients, packaging, transportation, and labor.

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