空荡荡的货架令人担忧，但它们不会永远持续下去
空荡荡的货架令人担忧，但它们不会永远持续下去
At a Safeway in Washington, D.C., this week, 19-year-old Tala Jordan was having trouble checking items off her shopping list.
本周，在华盛顿特区的西夫韦超市，19岁的塔拉·乔丹在核对购物清单时遇到了麻烦。
Fresh meat: Nope. Milk: Nope. Eggs?
鲜肉:没有。牛奶:没有。鸡蛋?
"I got liquid eggs instead," she said. "Had to compromise somehow."
“我用液体鸡蛋代替，”她说。“不得不做出妥协。”
Jordan was shopping for a family of four — her sister, mom and grandmother. And like families across America, they saw others making a rush to buy goods and figured they should stock up as well.
乔丹在为一家四口购物——她的姐姐、妈妈和祖母。就像美国各地的家庭一样，他们看到其他人都在争先恐后地购买商品，觉得也应该囤货。
Nielsen reported spikes in sales of medical supplies and nonperishable food earlier this month. And it predicted more pandemic-driven shopping as federal, state and local governments urge people to stay at home to avoid spreading the coronavirus.
尼尔森报告称，本月早些时候医疗用品和不易腐坏食品的销售出现激增。它还预测，随着联邦、州和地方政府敦促人们呆在家里以避免传播这种冠状病毒，将会有更多的受流行病驱动的购物。
Retailers assure shoppers they will stay open. Grocery stores provide a critical service to communities, and even in pandemic-struck Italy, where the entire country is under lockdown, grocery stores and pharmacies kept operating.
零售商向顾客保证他们将继续营业。杂货店为社区提供了至关重要的服务，即使是在遭受流行病袭击的意大利，整个国家都处于封锁状态，杂货店和药店仍在营业。
But shortages of some high-demand items may continue for a while.
但一些高需求商品的短缺可能会持续一段时间。
UNFI, one of the largest food distributors in the United States, says some warehouses are running at 200% to 500% their average capacity at this time of year. It's like the weekend before Thanksgiving — day after day after day.
UNF是美国最大的食品经销商之一，他说，一些仓库每年这个时候的平均产能是200%到500%。就像感恩节前的周末，日复一日。
Chris Testa, UNFI's president and chief marketing officer, says that in some cases, the suppliers just can't keep up. "There's only so many gallons of milk that can be produced, only so many eggs that can be produced," he says.
UNFI的总裁兼首席营销官克里斯•泰斯塔表示，在某些情况下，供应商根本跟不上。“只有这么多加仑的牛奶可以生产，只有这么多鸡蛋可以生产，”他说。
Even when supply exists, there can still be shortages.
即使有供应，仍然可能出现短缺。
Adnan Durrani has warehouses full of product. His company predicted this spike in demand.
阿德南·杜拉尼的仓库里堆满了产品。他的公司预测需求量会激增。
Still, it takes time for a distributor to pack a truck and send it to a store. "If they fill that store's backroom inventory, that may not be enough because that may sell out in one day or less," Durrani says. "And they're used to having inventories that last a week or two."
不过，分销商包装卡车并将其送到商店还是需要时间的。”杜拉尼说：“如果他们填满了那家商店的库存，那可能还不够，因为这可能在一天或更短的时间内就卖完了。”他们已经习惯了一到两周的库存。”
That can mean empty shelves, at least temporarily. But retailers and producers can meet this challenge, he says, because America has strong supply chains.
这可能意味着货架空空如也，至少暂时如此。但他说，零售商和生产商可以应对这一挑战，因为美国有强大的供应链。
And at least for now, American food producers are not experiencing production troubles. The barren shelves are simply a reflection of the unusual increase in demand.
至少现在，美国食品生产商还没有经历生产困难。这些空空的货架只是需求不寻常增长的反映。
Testa says his company is working to recruit out-of-work warehouse workers and truckers from industries hit hard by the coronavirus to help meet the urgent need at distribution centers.
泰斯塔说，他的公司正在努力从受冠状病毒严重打击的行业招募失业的仓库工人和卡车司机，以帮助满足配送中心的紧急需求。
While shortages persist, retail trade groups are urging people not to buy more items than they would use in a couple of weeks — to give others a chance to meet their basic needs.
尽管短缺依然存在，但零售贸易组织敦促人们不要购买超过两周使用量的商品，给其他人一个满足基本需求的机会。
In addition, grocery shopping can mean braving crowds, exactly what everyone is supposed to avoid in order to fight this pandemic. Experts recommend attempting to shop at less-popular times of day. Some grocery stores also highlight their delivery options, while noting those services are barraged by orders and may experience delays.
此外，去杂货店购物意味着要面对拥挤的人群，这正是每个人为了对抗这种流行病应该避免的。专家建议尝试在一天中不太受欢迎的时间购物。一些杂货店也强调他们的送货选择，同时指出这些服务受到订单的限制，可能会遇到延误。
Many stores are reducing their opening hours to allow more time to restock and clean, and a few have special hours when they're open just for seniors, who are particularly vulnerable to the coronavirus.
许多商店正在减少营业时间，以便有更多的时间来补充库存和打扫卫生，还有一些商店专门为老年人开放营业，因为老年人特别容易感染冠状病毒。
