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BERWICK, N.S. —

A drive-through turkey sale was the cause of traffic pandemonium in Berwick.

On March 23 at approximately 10 a.m., Bargain Harley’s confirmed that they are having a drive-through turkey sale in the store parking lot at 182 Commercial Street, resulting in a back-up of cars.

The business announced on its Facebook page on March 21 that although it would be closed until further notice as of 5 p.m. on March 22, the truckload sale would begin at 9 a.m. on March 23. The Butterball turkeys are $15 each, four for $50, cash only.

“Drive up service, everyone stays in the car, pays by cash, they’re delivered to your trunk,” a representative of the store said when contacted by phone.

Kings RCMP spokesperson Const. Jeff Wilson said police responded to the scene after receiving calls from people concerned about the situation. Police worked with the store owner to make some changes to help with the flow of vehicles.

“They made some suggestions to make it a little easier to come and go,” Wilson said.

Several people reported via Facebook that cars were lined up all the way down Commercial Street, from Highway 1 to the store.

On March 22, the provincial government declared a province-wide state of emergency in Nova Scotia to help contain the spread of COVID-19.

The Premier’s Office stated that Nova Scotians should not leave the province and should only leave the home for essential items and services.

As of March 22, with the number of positive cases reaching 28, social gatherings of more than five people are prohibited.

Kirk.starratt@kingscountynews.ca

This story was amended March 27 to add the following statement from Butterball Canada:

“Here at Butterball Canada, we pride ourselves in having taken every measure to ensure the integrity of our product is maintained through these difficult times.

Yesterday, it was brought to our attention that product was mistakenly sold under the Butterball name from a liquidation center in Berwick Nova Scotia, Bargain Harley’s. This product did not meet Butterball Quality Standards and was not approved for sale under the Butterball Brand.

As soon as were made aware of this incident, we took immediate action to stop the sale of product at this event. Additionally, we have asked for any remaining advertisements to be removed from social media platforms to stop the flow of individuals to this location.

Although this product did not meet our quality standards, we would like to confirm the turkeys are wholesome and safe to consume. We sincerely apologize to those who may have received this product and have been falsely lead to believe it was made to our Butterball Standards.”

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