IBERIA PARISH — Cold weather slowed more than just morning routines this week, delaying grocery deliveries and leaving some store shelves temporarily bare across parts of Acadiana.
At Lydia Food Store, managers said delivery trucks arrived hours later than normal, pushing back restocking schedules and forcing employees to adjust as customers searched for ingredients for cold-weather meals.
“We’re kind of delayed right now with our truck,” said Vita Migues, a manager at Lydia Food Store. “Normally they’re here about 7:30, so we’re about a couple hours late and a little bare on the shelves.”
The delays were most noticeable in the produce section, where customers were looking for staples commonly used in gumbos and chili. Manager Amber Ardeneaux said the late deliveries made it difficult to keep up with demand.
“In produce, things like cabbage, lettuce, green onions — the stuff people want to go home and cook with this weather — that’s kind of hurting us right now,” Ardeneaux said. “But we do have frozen things, so thank God for that.”
Migues said the delivery issues set the store back by about four hours, with full shelves not expected until late afternoon. Despite the inconvenience, many customers said they understood the situation was out of the store’s control.
“There’s nothing we can do to make anything come in faster,” customer Patricia Gathe said. “Sometimes things just get delayed.”
Even with patient customers, employees said the disruptions have been frustrating.
“They expect a certain kind of customer service that we normally give to them,” Migues said. “Right now we can’t, so that hurts.”
