Market Basket Shoppers Find New Stores
BILLERICA (CBS) - This is not just about the Market Basket employees. Customers are also a big part of the boycott. That's about 2 million people -- and many of them are refusing to shop at Market Basket. But that's not as easy as it sounds.
Seven towns have more than one Market Basket -- making it the go-to grocery store. And as Chief Correspondent Joe Shortsleeve shows us -- customers now have go out of their way to get groceries.
Related: Shopping Comparison
Take a look at the Market Basket parking lot in Billerica and what you see it a lot of pavement. Now take a look at the parking lot at the Super Stop and Shop down the road and what you see is a lot of cars. Shoppers put it this way.
"It is mobbed," a shopper told WBZ-TV. "They are doing the best they can with a crowd they are not accustomed to handling."
"It's crazy, the lines are huge, everyone is scammering around," a woman said.
Take a look at another Market Basket in Billerica and the story is the same.
"It is very quiet, you can't find anything," a Market Basket shopper with an empty cart said.
Now try and find a parking spot at the Hannaford Supermarket just a short distance away in Chelmsford.
A shopper told us, "All the aisles are packed, long lines, but a lot of people are working there, so it went quickly."
"Oh there are very big crowds in there, I am used to breezing in and breezing out," a Hannaford shopper said.
Hannaford says they actually have had to hire more people and buy more product to handle the crowds at several of their stores on the North Shore and New Hampshire. Stop and Shop will only say they are seeing increased foot traffic.
But for many Billerica residents, who are now refusing to shop at the three Market Baskets in their town, it's a real pain.
"It is pretty inconvenient, I have gone from like five minutes to about 20 minutes to get to a supermarket," a woman said.
I took a walk through one of those Market Basket stores. Now Market Basket would not allow our cameras in, but I can tell you there is product on the shelves, but it is ghost town. There are virtually no customers.
Except this woman. "Well it's empty which is sad," she said.
Yes it is and shoppers are hoping for a resolution soon.
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