Stop & Shop and Hannaford grocery customers in the Northeast who were hoping to stock up before Thanksgiving are finding empty shelves due to a “cybersecurity issue” affecting parent company Ahold Delhaize.
“Our teams are taking steps to assess and mitigate the issue. This includes taking some systems offline to help protect them,” the Netherlands-based company said in a statement. “We also notified law enforcement.”
Spokesperson Caroline Medeiros told NBC News that Stop & Shop stores and pharmacies are open, though they are out of many products and are working to restock shelves.
It’s just more bad news for the struggling supermarket chain, which announced this summer that it would close over 30 underperforming stores.
Which states are affected?
Stop & Shop currently has more than 300 grocery store locations in five states. Here’s a list of them and the number of locations in each:
- Connecticut (83)
- Massachusetts (117)
- New Jersey (47)
- New York (93)
- Rhode Island (25)
Customers and media outlets have reported that at least 27 Stop & Shop supermarkets in all five states have been affected, according to NBC News, although a Stop & Shop spokesperson could not confirm the number of the stores affected by the shortages.
Hannaford has 189 locations in Maine, New York, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Vermont. As reported by NBC News, Hannaford’s website was down over the weekend, but a spokesperson has said that the website is live again and the stores’ pickup and delivery options are available.
Fast Company has reached out to Ahold Delhaize USA for more details.
What items are out of stock at Stop & Shop stores?
Staples such as milk, chicken breasts, cottage cheese, and produce are reportedly out of stock in many stores, leaving many Stop & Shop customers empty-handed.
In Boston’s Brookline and Somerville areas, bagged salads, whole peppers, and avocados were in short supply, according to WBUR, as was meat and produce, Boston 25 News reported.
“I can’t buy carrots. I can’t buy lettuce. The vegetables are slim and the meat department is low,” shopper Jim Noto told Boston’s WBZ. “Very disappointing especially this time of the year. It’s just a shame because they’re losing a lot of customers.”
“While there may be some limited inventory for certain products, we are working to restock our shelves and anticipate item availability to continue to improve over the next few days,” spokesperson Caroline Medeiros wrote in a statement published by NBC News’s local Connecticut affiliate.
In addition to not being able to accept deliveries, due to the cybersecurity issues, some stores aren’t able to accept debit or gift card payments.