Stores are restocking, but why aren’t most talking? The coronavirus business climate

First, let’s start with the good news for those panicking over products disappearing from store shelves.

“We’re filling up about as fast as we’re emptying,” said Barb Hoffmann, who co-owns seven GreenAcres Markets in Kansas and Oklahoma.

Trader Joe’s “is probably at like an eight for stocking level,” said manager Chris Evans.

“We are receiving loads on a daily basis just as we did before.”

How busy and how stocked stores are seems to depend on the moment.

After days of being slammed with customers, Trader Joe’s was just about empty Monday morning.

After being out of toilet paper, GreenAcres had it back on its shelves Monday.

However, a lot of grocery stores and other businesses don’t seem willing to comment on how the rapidly changing coronavirus situation is affecting them and their customers.

Costco is still sending out business-as-normal e-mails — “Shop Trending Furniture Plus New Featured Electronics Deals!” — but the bulk-sales chain is refusing all media requests.

Its online media request form said: “The form ‘Media Inquiry Form’ is no longer accepting responses.” No one at the store locally is authorized to speak.

Media contacts at other businesses — Dillons, Towne East Square and Cargill — didn’t return calls for comment on Monday.

Spring break also happened to coincide with the first full day that droves of people worked from home.

An automatic e-mail reply from the media contact for Sprouts Farmers Market said she’s enjoying spring break and will respond to questions when she returns late this week — by which time the world could have changed several more times.

Kansas started Monday with a ban on gatherings of 250 or more people. That was slashed to 50 by noon and then a recommended 10 by President Trump’s afternoon news conference.

Following that, Regal Cinema — which purchased Wichita’s Warren Theatres in Wichita in 2017 — announced that it won’t show movies after Monday.

A number of businesses asked for questions in writing and would respond only via e-mail.

A spokeswoman from Aldi requested e-mailed questions but then never responded.

In a statement, a Genesis Health Clubs spokesman said its dozens of gyms across the Midwest remain open but that it will watch and follow guidelines from health officials.

Other businesses aren’t returning calls and seem to be letting their official statements to customers, either through websites or e-mails, stand.

King of Freight owner Mike Ricklefs wanted to learn more about what other businesses were doing Monday before making a decision about whether to send his 600 employees home.

He decided he’s instituting a work-from-home policy in waves over the next three days even though “we’re going to lose a lot of money sending them home.”

Ricklefs said his employees aren’t as motivated from home, but he said working remotely is a way to help them still get paid and also still help keep freight moving nationally — especially when stores need restocking.

“The country depends on freight brokering,” he said. “Everything is going to need to move in trucks.”

Ricklefs said he waited until after the president’s news conference to make a decision.

“I just kind of wanted to see what he was going to do,” Ricklefs said. “We weren’t ready for this. We’re kind of scrambling. We didn’t have a plan on a pandemic in place.”

To end on a positive note, there’s one young businesswoman who — despite a rough start for her business — is trying to help other business owners.

Kenzie Borland of the new Dead Center Vintage shop downtown has created an online resource for business owners and others who need help.

Her site, which she continues to add to, has a variety of features. That includes links to businesses and ways to support them online, updates on business hours that are changing and other information. She’s also trying to connect people with resources, such as helping people grocery shop or make bank deposits.

“This is . . . a way that you could find it all in one area,” Borland said.

She has the time because she and her business partners have decided to close their store for now. They’ll re-evaluate the decision each week.

“We’re only two months old, and we’re already having to shut down,” Borland said.

She said creating the site makes sense — for others and herself.

“I’m bored, and I have nothing better to do.”