Security guards have been employed in New Zealand to monitor supermarket
fridges containing Lewis Road Creamery Fresh Chocolate Milk as customer
demand continues to froth over.
Since the chocolate milk went on sale three weeks ago, demand has been
so great that customers are queuing up for fresh deliveries, purchase
limits have been put in place at supermarkets, and security guards are being employed to watch over fridges containing the chocolate gold. Auckland's New World Victoria Park owner, Jason Witehira, said the chocolate milk stock had run out every day since it was launched. Hoardes of devotees queued down the supermarket aisle every day in hope of getting their hands on it, and the weekends were particularly busy, he said. The supermarket received nearly 500 bottles of chocolate milk each morning, which sold out within 90 minutes, Witehira said.
"The interest in it has surprised me immensely. We've had some pretty
good product launches in the past but this pretty much takes the cake."
The store had put a limit on the number of bottles to two per customer,
after one customer took nearly all the bottles on display, he said.
"That's his right to do that, but we have to be fair to everybody."
Lewis Road Creamery founder Peter Cullinane said he was also aware of
security guards monitoring fridges.
"It's not fabulous to have a situation where you have to have security
guards in place," he said. Lewis Road Creamery was producing 30,000 liters a week with partner Green Valley Dairies, he said. That could increase to about 50,000 liters per week, but to go beyond that would require either a second production facility or waiting until Green Valley Dairies had completed building its new production facility, about May next year. The company was not considering producing another milk flavor until it had its chocolate milk supply under control. A black market has also emerged, with numerous online auction sites selling two 75ml bottles of the chocolate milk from $30.
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