LYNCHBURG, Va. – Super Bowl Sunday is about more than just football. For many of us, it’s a chance to indulge in the other great American pastime: snacking.
The rush is underway at grocery stores like F & L Market in Lynchburg, where people are stocking up for their Super Bowl menus.
“We had a customer order 45 steaks for a get-together this weekend,” said General Manager Todd Ramsey. “It’s already started. Today and this afternoon will be the busiest, and then tomorrow, of course.”
However, the supply chain and labor shortages threaten to leave football fans hungry or paying more for their game-day snack.
“Watch the Super Bowl, eat ribs, chicken wings, chips and stuff like that,” said Harold Lerner.
Lerner isn’t taking any chances. He drove all the way to F & L Market in the Hill City from Rustburg to avoid empty shelves and high prices.
“Even though I live 18 miles away, I still come here instead of going to Food Lion six miles away,” he added.
Still, making sure shoppers like Lerner have what they need for Super Bowl Sunday hasn’t been easy, especially when it comes to chicken.
“When COVID started two years ago, we started seeing the situation. Now, it’s really multiplying and gotten worse in the last six months,” Ramsey said. “We’re having to hustle a little more. We’re having to work a lot harder to find product. We’ve been very fortunate. If you looked around in our store, you would see we don’t have very many empty shelves here.”
They’re having to get creative to keep shelves stocked. While F & L has been able to do that, they, unfortunately, haven’t been able to avoid the rising prices shoppers are seeing nationwide.
“Everything’s up,” Ramsey added. “It’s across the board.”
Economists say the price of hosting a Super Bowl Party is up about 15% this year, that’s mainly thanks to higher meat and soft drink prices.
Luckily, not all Super Bowl snacks will cost big bucks. Hot dogs, chips and veggies are a little cheaper this year than last.