Supermarket sign used during the COVID-19 pandemic

A4 page containing two Waitrose signs, both reading ‘Please help us… …help our customers’, from Waitrose & Partners, Finchley and of the type used in Waitrose shops during the first COVID-19 lockdown in 2020

"With high demand of thse products just now, could we ask you buy only what you need so we have enough for everyone."

At the beginning of the national lockdown, supplies of a range of products were limited. All supermarkets in the United Kingdom rely in a just-in-time model to stock their shelves. Every day deliveries are made depending on each store's individual needs. However with the impact of COVID-19, those that could afford to were buying more, sometimes stockpiling goods in case supplies ran short. The unexpected higher demand meant goods could not be transported quick enough or shelves stacked quick enough. Coupled with staff absences due to illness across the whole supply chain, stores took action on limiting purchases on essential items.