Spending at food and liquor shops, which includes supermarkets, jumped sharply yesterday, reaching a total of $111 million and rising 157% on the same Monday last year.
The figures were given by Paymark, who said this level of spending in one day has only been surpassed on Christmas Eve 2019 when the total for this merchant group was $117 million. Spending at pharmacies jumped 122% yesterday on the year before.
The splurge came on the same day Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern put the country on alert level 3 as a measure to reduce the spread of Covid-19.
After scientists confirmed community transmission of the disease was now happening in New Zealand, the Prime Minister immediately raised the national alert level to 3, rising to 4 by midnight tomorrow.
Supermarkets, meanwhile, continue to urge people to calm down and stop panic buying as shoppers swarm hit the aisles.
Kiri Hannifin from Woolworths and Countdown said its supermarkets nationwide are being hammered since the Government announced the lockdown.
"I am asking New Zealand to please not go to the supermarket," Hannifin said.
"We will be open right though this we will stand with New Zealand in the next month or so, we'll be open every single day to look after you.
"There is plenty of food in our country we are so blessed for how plentiful we are.
"Shop normally, do not stockpile or panic buy today because it will break our supply chain."
Hannafin said the run on the supermarkets would now cause unnecessary shortages tomorrow and in the coming days.
She asked people to be kind to supermarket staff, and that some of her team have been treated badly by shoppers.
Hannifin said the company will role out changes in the coming days that will prioritise online shopping for the elderly and vulnerable people.
She said the company was working with the government about what their opening hours would be.
A Foodstuffs spokesperson said New World, Pak'nSave, Four Square, Gilmour's and Trent's stores would be reducing their hours and extra staff protection measures would be in place.
They said people should use contactless payments like payWave, nominate a family member to shop and keep 1.5 metres apart inside stores.
"We have introduced contactless online shopping delivery for customers who are self-isolating, vulnerable or unwell," she said.
"We continue to ask customers not to stockpile; this is so everyone has a fair shot at buying their grocery essentials."
"Some customers might not have the resources to buy up or the ability to visit the store every day ... please buy what you need and be fair to others," she said.
Spending declines
Other Paymark figures showed spending at accommodation providers (-59%) and restaurants, cafes and bars (-44%) continues to decline. This has been the pattern for over one week now, albeit the pattern yesterday was more extreme.
For the week ending Sunday, total spending through Paymark was $1.3 billion, up a strong 7.5% in underlying terms on the same week in 2019.
Large percentage increases were recorded last week by Food and liquor shops (+51.8%) and Pharmacies (+81.0%).
Spending growth had already been strong in previous weeks for these two merchant groups but accelerated on Friday 13 March.
- additional reporting RNZ/ODT Online
