Geraldton supermarket chains say Easter impact will be minimal, despite experiencing shortages

The big supermarket chains say there should be minimal impact to shopping this long weekend, following heavy rain and flooding across the Nullarbor causing shortages on some products on shelves. Earlier this month, the Trans-Australian rail line was cut off due to the floods, preventing some supplies to be brought into the State. According to the Australian Rail Track Corporation, the affected rail corridor will reopen at 12pm on Sunday. Coles at Northgate Shopping Centre and Woolworths at Stirlings Central were both spotted with signs informing customers of items being unavailable or in low supply. Items in short supply at Woolworths included eggs, wraps, soft drink, shampoo and potato chips, while at Coles spreads, chips and canned vegetables were low in stock. A spokesperson from Coles said although there may be gaps, their policy to source local means fresh produce remains available. “We aim to source meat, produce and milk locally from Western Australia,” he said. “This means that our customers can be reassured that while we might have some minor shortages on some chilled, dairy and bakery lines over the coming days due to challenges in the supply chain due to the rail disruption, our team will continue to work hard to keep our stores stocked with the essentials they need.” Meanwhile, a Woolworths spokesperson said there should be minimal impact to Easter shopping. “Heading into the Easter long weekend, customers may find reduced stock levels on some long-life items, chilled goods and everyday needs like shampoo and body wash,” she said. “We’re working closely with our suppliers to move as much stock as possible into our stores and Easter products like chocolate eggs and bunnies have not been impacted by the delays. “Additional products are being sourced from other parts of the country and being road freighted to WA while the rail line remains closed.” Despite the rail issues, Rigters Supermarkets operations manager Stuart Bain said previous decisions meant they were in a better position than some of their competitors. “We’ve been through this stuff with COVID and some other rail washouts,” he said. “Our main warehouse has carried more stock on hand since then, we’ve increased stock holdings, and some of our suppliers have contingency plans in place. “We carry more stock than the competition, so we were always going to be in a better position.”