Customer backlash to egg shortage puts Colorado grocery workers in dire straits

by Maya Greer

Since December, the skyrocketing price of eggs has become a source of confusion and frustration for Colorado consumers, due to both a devastating avian flu outbreak as well as spiraling feed costs caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. 

The aftershocks of shortage and scarcity price-hiking are often felt most intimately by grocery store workers, who manage and order staple stock in the place where the crisis is most visible. With twenty separate flu outbreaks ongoing in Colorado alone, the result is shocking–Empty shelves, two-carton limits and an ever-increasing price tag. 

Mackenzie Hass is the manager of the Dairy and Frozen department at the Natural Grocers at Mission Trace, and one of the many grocery workers who have been impacted by the shortage’s financial and emotional strain. In this interview, Hass details what hazards the shortage poses to her, her crew, and the company, and what she wishes everyone knew about the state of the egg-mergency. 

This interview has been lightly edited for clarity and length. 

How has the egg shortage impacted Natural Grocers specifically?

The biggest impact for Natural Grocers has to do with our reward program, Npower. With Npower, customers could get our eggs on extreme discount. Instead of paying upwards of $5.00 for a carton of free-range eggs, they could get up to four cartons for $1.99 each. Not having those certain eggs has made customers very upset–Some of them refuse to buy any of the $2.99 or $3.99 if they are the only ones in stock.

Also with the shortage, our egg prices have gone up and we no longer have $1.99 eggs. We only have $2.99 and up now, which is a problem because it could cause customers to be even more upset about the inconvenience and refuse to get them through us. It’s been really bad for our reputation.

In general, how have customers reacted to the shortage?

Some have been very understanding! Others have reacted very poorly, and no one really knows what’s going on. A lot of people just think that it is just a bunch of excuses.

There is a lot of harassment towards some of the crew because the eggs being delivered is such a hit-or-miss. We will tell them what our delivery days are, and that there are no guarantees on actually receiving any, but they will call or show up and be upset we don’t have them anyway. 

How have customers reacted to the increases in egg pricing?

A lot of customers do not understand why they went up. To be honest, we have been losing money on eggs for years. It was bound to happen. The other thing they don’t understand is that it was a company on a much higher level that made that decision, and not us at a store level. I don’t know if the original price will come back after the shortage. 

What has been the most difficult thing about enduring this shortage?

The most difficult thing would be the harassment from customers and the way we have been treated. On my end, since I order the eggs, I have gotten the short end of the stick and they blame me for not ordering them. Or they blame me thinking I have a bunch of eggs hidden in the back, for some reason. 

What do you wish customers knew about the egg situation?

That I know just about the same as them. I don’t know when I’ll get more. I don’t know when it will end. I don’t know what the direct cause is. I’m just as much in the dark as everyone else.

I try to be understanding about the fact that they don’t know what’s going on. I’m probably the best source for an answer since I work there, but it gets very overwhelming when every customer has the same questions about the egg situation.

What can customers do to help support grocery stores and other businesses impacted by the egg shortage? 

They can help by not overbuying eggs and not giving the staff a hard time about not having eggs. Every store is going through it right now. 

Having patience is key, and so is just giving grace to the workers who are doing what they can to bring them eggs. Just please be patient.