British supermarket Tesco claimed that it had nothing to do with supply chain issues.

Earlier this month, the British consumer goods publication The Grocer surveyed 1,000 people and asked if they were concerned that the country’s ongoing supply chain issues would affect their ability to stock up this year. More than half (56%) of the respondents said they were worried, slightly worried or very worried that they would not be able to find the food and drink they wanted in the supermarket during the holiday season. 

At the same time, it is reported that some supermarkets in England have empty produce areas and empty store shelves full of pictures of any items that should be placed in these places, while other supermarkets use empty freezers to display toys and games, etc. Non-food items. 

According to the “Guardian”, these out-of-stock goods are just a super notable manifestation of the consequences of shortages of truck drivers, fruit and vegetable pickers, and food processing plant workers. The country’s ports are also problematic, with handlers unable to unload and repackage goods that seem to arrive all at once-then Brexit and the ongoing pandemic have also brought ongoing complications. Pictures of inedible cardboard foods have also been widely shared on social media. "Tesco had fake asparagus this morning," wrote a widely shared tweet, accompanied by two photos of a produce box full of photos of fresh asparagus with rubber bands.

Other Twitter users also provided photos of cardboard cutouts placed on shelves in their own supermarkets. "Tesco Express in Cambridge," wrote a user named @GoatSarah, with a photo of cardboard dishwashing liquid. "Look carefully, the middle three rows are photos." 

 "Tasty cardboard carrots," another added. "Fakenham Tesco last week." (Yes, Fakenham is actually the name of the town of Norfolk.) A photo taken at Sainsbury's shows cardboard cutouts lined up on shelves decorated with shapes that may be on sale.

Some industry insiders believe that having photos of temporarily out-of-stock items is still a better choice than empty shelves in the entire store. Steve Dresser, director of Grocery Insight, told the Daily Telegraph: “No one wants empty shelves because it’s a negative perception of availability, which affects sales and makes customers think that the store’s The display is very poor." "It is advisable to block the shelves with cardboard'fillers' because it is a good halfway home, reflecting longer intervals, but not forcing the store itself to change the layout."

A representative of Tesco Supermarket told the Daily Mail that the supply problem was not the reason for the cardboard display. The spokesperson said: "For pictures containing fresh food, we provide these pictures to selected large stores for use when additional space is available." "These have been used for several months and have nothing to do with recent supply chain challenges. . The overall availability remains strong." 

A Sainsbury spokesperson said its suppliers are "working hard" to ensure that customers can find all the goods they enter the store to buy. They said: "The availability of certain product categories may vary, but there are alternatives to choose from, and stores continue to receive goods every day."