TOILET roll and other essentials are NOT in short supply - but some supermarkets have been forced to ration essential items.

Shoppers have been buying more than they need as coronavirus cases grow, despite there being plenty to go round - so Tesco and Morrisons have put limits on how much you can purchase.

Supermarkets have urged customers not to panic buy and reassured shoppers there is plenty of stock, as well as enough delivery slots.

The limits ensure everyone can access the products they need, when they need them, including the vulnerable and elderly, and even shoppers have urged the supermarkets to put limits on products.

We explain here what each supermarket is doing.

Morrisons rules
On Thursday, Morrisons was the first supermarket to introduce rationing again.

What are the limits?

Three per person on a small number of key products, including toilet roll and disinfectant.

What does Morrisons say?

A Morrisons spokesperson said: "We are introducing a limit on a small number of key products, such as toilet roll and disinfectant.

"Our stock levels of these products are good but we want to ensure that they are available for everyone."  

What else is Morrisons doing?

Marshals are back on doors at the front of stores to make sure there are not too many people inside at once.

This is to help tackle the spread of the virus which is on the rise again.

Tesco rules
Tesco has now introduced some rationing rules too, with customers prevented from buying some items in bulk.

What are the limits?

There's a limit of three per person in store on five items:

• flour
• dried past
• toilet roll
• baby wipes
• anti-bacterial wipes

There will be further limits added to some items online, such as rice and canned veg.

There some existing online restrictions which have been in place for some time, including on:

• face coverings
• eggs
• flour
• anti-bacterial products

Tesco has had a limit of 95 items per online order in place since April.

What does Tesco say?

A Tesco spokesperson said: “We have good availability, with plenty of stock to go round, and we would encourage our customers to shop as normal.

"To ensure that everyone can keep buying what they need, we have introduced bulk-buy limits on a small number of products.

The boss of Tesco Dave Lewis also urged customers not to panic buy because it was unnecessary.

What else is Tesco doing?

There will be Tesco staff at the door reminding customers that they must wear a mask unless they are exempt, and they will be on sale at the door for those who have forgotten them.

A Tesco spokesperson said: “To help our customers shop safely, we will also have colleagues at the entrances of our larger stores to remind customers about the safety measures we have in place, including the legal requirement to wear a face covering.”

Aldi rules
There are no limits on how much you can buy at Aldi stores.

The boss of Aldi has urged shoppers not to panic buy and has asked its customers to shop considerately.

What does Aldi say?

Aldi chief executive Giles Hurley said in an email update to customers: "I would like to reassure you that our stores remain fully stocked and ask that you continue to shop considerately.

"There is no need to buy more than you usually would. We have remained open for our customers throughout the pandemic and will continue to have daily deliveries, often multiple times a day, across all of our products.

What else is Aldi doing?

Mr Hurley also reminded customers that the follwing safety measures remain in place:

• traffic light system for entry to limit the number of shoppers in store
• protective screens at checkouts
• priority access hours for NHS staff and the vulnerable
• staff and shoppers must wear face coverings unless exempt
• maintaining a safe distance from other customers and staff
• contactless payments under £45

Asda rules

Asda says it has good availability in stores and online, and it currently has no restrictions or item limits in place.

What else is Asda doing?

Marshals have returned to Asda's doors and they will remind people about having to wear a face mask unless there's an exemption.

For shoppers that don't have a mask, they'll be asked to buy a pack of disposable coverings.

But customers who are medically exempt, for example if they have a lung condition, will still be able to shop without one.

Anthony Hemmerdinger, chief operating officer at Asda, said: "Safety remains a key priority for our customers and we will continue to do all we can to keep them and our colleagues safe in store.

"These additional measures will make our stores an even safer place to shop and work during the coming months."

Lidl rules

Lidl has no store-wide restrictions in place, but managers are able to bring in limits to their specific shop if they spot customers panic buying.

The supermarket says it's not experiencing any shortages on products and has good availability.

What does Lidl say?

A Lidl spokesperson said: "We want to reassure our customers that we are not currently experiencing any product shortages and have good availability in our stores.

"Nonetheless, it is at our store managers discretion, should customers start to bulk-buy, to limit the purchasing of specific items at that store."

What else is Lidl doing?

The discounter has not announced any specific changes to safety measures but existing rules including social distancing measures like motoring how many people are in store with a traffic light system, protective screens and the wearing of facemasks.

Waitrose rules

There are no limits in store at Waitrose, but there are fresh restrictions online.

What are the limits?

Purchases will be limited to two per customer online and in shops for a small number of items, including toilet roll and hand sanitiser.

They are two on toilet roll, hand wash and sanitiser and 3 on certain other grocery items, including flour, pasta and household cleaning products.

What does Waitrose say?

A Waitrose spokesperson said: "We are holding good stock levels in all key product areas and we would like to reassure customers that there is no need to worry about buying more than they need.

"To ensure that customers can get what they need we've set a purchase limit of two packs on a small number of items including toilet rolls and hand sanitiser for online purchases.

What else is Waitrose doing?

The upmarket supermarket hasn't announced any specific new measures other than the online limits.

Safety measures such as social distancing, protective screens and marshals to mange queues continue in stores.

Sainsbury's rules

Sainsbury's has no limits in place on the number of items customers can buy.

What else is Sainsbury's doing?

The safety measures already in place at Sainsbury's continue and that includes wearing face coverings, priority access for the vulnerable and safety screens.

The supermarket also confirmed it plans to increase its capacity for weekly online orders to 700,000 by end of October.

Marks and Spencer rules

M&S confirmed to The Sun last week that they are not restricting products.

What else is Marks and Spencer doing?

The safety measures already in place at M&S continue and that includes wearing face coverings, social distancing and screens at tills

Article Source: https://www.thesun.co.uk/money/12765001/supermarket-rationing-morrisons-tesco-aldi-asda-lidl/