For independent supermarkets in the hard-hit New York area — which are frequently smaller neighborhood stores with narrow aisles in close quarters — COVID-19 has created a number of challenges, including lack of employees and an uncertain supply of goods due to the pandemic. The daily restocking of shelves due to the unprecedented demand from customers, as well as the constant sanitizing of stores, has taken a toll on these supermarkets and their employees.

In our most recent SN Off the Shelf podcast, we spoke with executives from Associated Supermarket Group, the Port Washington, N.Y.-based marketing alliance that serves more than 220 independently owned, mostly urban supermarkets in the New York Tri-State area under banners including Associated, Compare, Met Foods, Met Fresh and Pioneer. Our conversation with CEO Joe Garcia and EVP & chief administrative officer Zulema Wiscovitch covered a range of topics, including the challenges of operating stores in the coronavirus epicenter of the U.S., how shoppers can help ease the strain, the explosion of online grocery and what the grocery industry might look like post-coronavirus.