ROANOKE TIMES  
                      Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times

DATE: Saturday, February 3, 1996             TAG: 9602030017
SECTION: CURRENT                  PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY  
MEMO: ***CORRECTION***
      Published correction ran on February 7, 1996.
         Bob Baker is the manager of Kroger in Blasksburg. A story in 
      Saturday's New River Current about how supermarkets were faring in the 
      snow listed the wrong grocery store.

NO GROCERY SHORTAGES IN VALLEY; PLENTY OF BEER, TOO - FOR NOW

Grocery stores in the New River Valley learned from last month's near-blizzard: A random sampling of stores reveals stocked shelves and regular deliveries. But the folks stocking the shelves still are exhausted:

"I've had enough," said Elliston Food Mart worker Alice Jewell. "Once every 50 years would be plenty for me." She said the bread man, the milkman and all the other delivery people made it to the store Friday, and the store always orders extra eggs and other essentials for times like this.

"We had a little advance warning this time," said a relieved Jerry Roach, manager at Wade's in Pearisburg, where no problems were reported.

Bob Baker, manager of the Blacksburg Food Lion, said the snow forecast brought swarms of people in Friday to stock up. Roanoke delivery trucks made it up Christiansburg Mountain Friday, he said, and they have plenty of everything - including beer. Beer, often purchased in large quantities by college students who live in Foxridge and other Hethwood-area apartment complexes, was being sold in significantly higher amounts on Friday, Baker said.

The 7-Eleven store in Radford, just across Tyler Avenue from the university, had to restock Friday as well. "I don't think we had one carton [of milk] in the store," said manager Laurel Annis. "Most of our business are from students who don't want to try to drive" to a grocery store.

Late bread shipments caused a slight panic for Frank Bibb, manager at the Wade's Supermarket in Dublin; his bread is shipped from Tennessee and North Carolina. But Friday his store was well-stocked.

Cathy Sank at the Riner Food Center said they ran to Pulaski for four cases of eggs Friday after people cleared the shelves Thursday. "Last time, nobody believed it was going to happen. Now, everyone thinks 'Oh, Lord, I'd better believe it this time.'"

LENGTH: Medium:   51 lines
ILLUSTRATION: GRAPHIC:  color.