During the pandemic, Whatcom residents dramatically changed how they shop. Here’s how

It could also be a reporting issue, given all the changes that have happened at grocery stores, said Hart Hodges, co-director at the Center for Economic and Business Research at Western Washington University. He noted the switch by many customers to online grocery ordering and curbside pickup as well as the big sales increases reported by grocery companies during that period suggest it was a strong second quarter for local stores.