CHARLOTTE, N.C. — If you’re looking to get your hands on hand sanitizer or toilet paper, you’re likely to come up empty.

“Definitely a lot of missing items on the shelves,” said Justin Linville, a Wells Fargo employee working from home, outside Harris Teeter. “The smart things to get: rice, milk, eggs, really hard to find.”

FOX 46 found several supermarkets with rows of empty shelves. A sign outside of a South Charlotte Costco told customers they were out of hand sanitizer, bleach, almond milk, all chicken, rice and pasta, organic burgers, blueberries, onions, toilet paper, KS wipes, Clorox wipes and facial tissues. Inside, a sign reminded customers: “SOCIAL DISTANCING 6 FEET.”

“It’s very crowded inside,” said Samantha DeRosa outside of Publix in South End. “And the parking deck is very crowded.”

We are working to get results by getting answers for customers. On Tuesday, we reached out to more than a dozen area stores to ask:

When can consumers expect to see hard-to-find items back in stock?

How often do shipments come in?

How often should customers be checking back?

Not one store answered those questions or provided even a general timeframe for when hard-to-find supplies will be replenished.

Here is what we were told:

Harris Teeter:

“Our valued associates are working to ensure our in-store, ExpressLane Online Shopping and delivery (where available) services are operational and available to shoppers. Customers may experience longer lead times, delayed deliveries and limited inventory because of local conditions. We want to ensure all our shoppers have access to in-demand products. We are working closely with our suppliers to replenish our inventories. It’s important to shop responsibly and purchase only what you need, knowing that we will continue to refill our shelves.” –Danna Robinson, Communications Manager

Publix:

“Our stores continue to be extremely busy. Our warehousing and distribution centers are working around the clock to receive product from our suppliers and to ship product to our stores. Last week alone, we delivered almost 12,000 truckloads to our stores. Our teams are diligently working to get our shelves restocked and conduct preventive cleaning measures to provide a safe and clean working and shopping experience. We continue to make daily deliveries to our stores.

Customers continue to buy in increased demands, and we’re asking customer to shop as they normally would. To assist in this ask, stores may also impose limits on items that are in high-demand.

Also, we’re asking customers not to arrive early, waiting in line for stores to open. Since deliveries are made throughout the day, arriving first thing doesn’t guarantee product availability.

And lastly, we have modified our store operating hours to 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. daily.” –Maria Brous, Director of Communications, Publix

Food Lion:

“As we receive product daily, our associates are working as rapidly as possible to get it on trucks, get the trucks on the road and delivered to our stores. We will continue working with our large supply network in the most efficient way possible to get product to stores to help serve our neighbors who are counting on us during this unprecedented time of demand. If it’s helpful, I can share that bleach, hand sanitizer, household cleaning supplies and paper products are most limited right now. The availability of these items is impacted nationally. We are seeing a strain on some food supply like canned vegetables and canned fruit also. Here is a link to an email our president sent to all customer email addresses late last week: https://newsroom.foodlion.com/coronavirus-important-update-food-lion. She addresses restocking and steps were taking to create a safe environment for our associates, customers and communities.” –Matt Harakal, Communications Manager

Target:

“While we’re not providing interviews or store access at this time – I wanted to ensure you had a link to hub on our corporate site, which we’re continuously updating with the most current details.” –Shane Kitzman, Spokesperson

https://corporate.target.com/about/purpose-history/our-commitments/target-coronavirus-hub

Costco:

“As the global effect of coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to evolve, Costco is firmly committed to the health and safety of our members and employees, and serving our communities. We are closely monitoring the changing situation, and complying with public health guidance.

As many of you have noticed, we’ve experienced a surge of business during this time. As a result, we’ve taken steps to control the number of members in our warehouses and asked that members and employees practice social distancing. We’ve also reduced some services.

We’ve increased our protocols in sanitizing surfaces, including shopping cart handles, merchandise shelves, front-end belts and registers. Limits have been implemented on certain items to help ensure more members are able to access the merchandise they want and need. Our buyers and suppliers are working to ensure in-demand merchandise as well as everyday favorites are available in our warehouses.

As new information becomes available, management is keeping warehouse staff well informed so they can respond swiftly and appropriately. While the circumstances continue to change and we modify our operations as necessary, we thank you for your patience and cooperation. As new developments occur, be assured we are committed to taking care of our members and employees and to our mission of providing low prices, quality merchandise and exceptional service.

We extend our sincere thanks to Costco members and employees worldwide for their ongoing support and loyal dedication during this challenging time. Thank you.” –Craig Jelinek, President and CEO, Costco Wholesale

Walmart:

No response

Publix:

No response

Lowe’s:

No response

The lack of answers has left some customers with a bad taste.

“It’s pretty chaotic right now,” said Linville.

Gov. Cooper Responds

“Please know grocery stores will remain open,” Gov. Roy Cooper said at a news conference on the same day he ordered all restaurants and bars to close to dine-in customers. Take-out and delivery will still be allowed.

The governor addressed the shortages of canned food and cleaning items and urged people to limit what they buy when supplies become available.

“I know there’s a natural tendency to stockpile food in emergencies but I urge people not to go overboard,” the governor said. “Leave some for others. Especially those who can’t afford to buy a lot of food all at once.”