When will Dallas-Fort Worth grocery stores be restocked after the winter storm rush?
North Texans crowded stores before the winter storm to stock up on essentials, so you may have had some trouble finding products at your grocery store.
Shoppers will most likely see grocery store shelves replenished over the weekend, said Michael Esquivel, the chair of the Logistics and Supply Chain Management department at Tarrant County College. But if the ice doesn’t thaw, it could take longer.
What does that mean for shoppers?
“Shipments may have arrived from food suppliers and are ready to ship to stores, but the (shipping) yard is covered in ice,” he said, which would cause delays.
Esquivel encountered a similar situation in 2010 as distribution manager at Kraft Foods.
“The main issue was the sheet of ice that accumulated outside our shipping docks that prevented trucks from entering and leaving the yard,” he said. “We had product loaded in trailers but the tractors could not drive in to hook them up until the yard conditions improved – even though the local roads were better. This impacted our outside storage facility, as well.”
That storm shut down the Garland facility for over a week.
“Something similar could be happening at a grocery chain’s distribution center,” Esquivel said. Shipments that grocery stores expect to come in a certain day can take longer to arrive. That means that shelves will remain empty unless they’ve ordered ahead.
Labor shortages are also still affecting North Texas grocery stores, Esquivel said.
“From what I’ve read, the grocery chains are still struggling with labor due to the omicron variant, with call-ins at the warehouses and stores,” he said.
Because of the storm’s impact, grocery stores have shifted their operations. See how that will affect your grocery store.
H-E-B and Central Market
“We are taking precautions to protect and support our partners and our stores, which have additional stock to ensure product availability,” a press release said. “Any out-of-stocks are temporary. Our partners restock shelves with more product throughout the day.”
If you plan on taking a trip to H-E-B this weekend, keep in mind that stores across North Texas will operate different hours.
H-E-B in Hudson Oaks and Granbury will close at 6 p.m. on Friday and open at 9 a.m. on Saturday.
Stores in Waxahachie, Burleson, Cleburne, Copperas Cove, Harker Heights, Killeen, Mexia, Ennis, Corsicana, Stephenville, Belton, Temple, Waco, Gatesville and Marlin will close at 7 p.m. on Friday and will open at 9 a.m. on Saturday.
H-E-B partner store Central Market will close at 8 p.m. on Friday.
Tom Thumb and Albertsons
Tom Thumb and Albertsons stores plan to restock their shelves over the weekend.
“Our distribution center is operating today and staging product for deliveries. We have had a few direct-to-store deliveries today, but most are scheduled for tomorrow and for Sunday,” said spokesperson Christy Lara. “We have scheduled incremental deliveries, on top of regularly scheduled loads, to get re-stocked for our guests. Our in-store receiving departments, which don’t normally operate on Sundays, will be open this Sunday to accommodate additional deliveries. We expect to be back to pre-weather conditions in stores by the end of the weekend.”
All Tom Thumb and Albertsons area stores will close at 6 p.m. Friday and open 8 a.m. Saturday.
“Weather permitting, we expect to return to normal hours tomorrow evening and going forward,” Lara said.
On Saturday, stores will close at 11 p.m., the regularly scheduled closing time.
Walmart
“As severe winter weather impacts parts of southern, central and northern U.S., we understand our customers will rely on us for essential items to help manage the storm,” Walmart spokesperson Charles Crowson said. “We’ll continue monitoring forecasts and road conditions to serve our customers as best we can.”
Nine North Texas Walmart stores are currently closed due to the winter storm:
- Forney Supercenter (802 E. U.S. 80)
- Dallas Clark & Wheatland Supercenter (7075 W. Wheatland Road)
- Dallas Sam’s Club (2218 Greenville Ave.)
- Dallas (S) Supercenter (200 Short Blvd.)
- Kaufman Supercenter (300 Kings Fort Parkway)
- DeSoto Supercenter (951 W. Belt Line Road)
- Midlothian Supercenter (400 N. U.S. 67)
- Grand Prairie Pioneer Parkway Supercenter (2650 S. Highway 161)
- Lancaster Supercenter (150 N. Interstate 35 East)
Click here to view a map of store closures in your area.
Target
“Target stores are equipped to serve our guests in all weather conditions and we work quickly to make sure that high-demand products like bottled water, batteries and flashlights are available for guests whenever there’s a bad weather event,” a spokesperson said. “The safety of our team is our top priority, especially for those team members who work outdoors, and we proactively provide training to teams on working safely during these periods.”
This story was originally published February 4, 2022 at 4:43 PM.
