WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW)—Grocery stores are experiencing a last-minute rush Wednesday as people grab Thanksgiving goodies. That boost in customers is not just affecting stores in town.
Grocery stores in more rural areas are seeing similar influxes. Locally owned grocery stores are catering to customers wanting specialty items, and they’re seeing a lot more people come in this week.
“Once November hits, it started picking up for us,” said Pat Baalmann, owner of B’s Hometown Market in La Crosse. “We had a lot of people buying turkeys early.”
“Thanksgiving is the Super Bowl for grocery stores because we have a short amount of time together, and it’s involving food,” said Jenny Osner of Hired Man’s Grocery in Conway Springs.
Locally-owned grocers are reaping the rewards of larger numbers of shoppers.
“Probably anywhere between a third to half of more people are coming in than what normally do,” Osner said.
“We’re probably averaging 250 to 300 customers a day,” Baalmann said. “If you go back to last month its probably gonna be closer to the 220 to 215 range on average.”
Both grocers are constantly adapting for the holidays, adding more of the items people want each year. It’s a chance to see new faces and show them what they’re about.
“We just like to promote local I mean our slogan here is homegrown, we like to say we’re homegrown, we live and work here,” Osner said. “Any time we can purchase from local vendors, local growers those dollars go back into the community.”