The Walmart Supercenter in H Street NW, one of the area’s more affordable grocery stores, has begun restocking its shelves after being almost bare of groceries for days.

On Monday, ‘out of order’ signs were posted on the store’s empty refrigerators and freezers. The deli was empty and closed. Produce shelves were also almost completely bare.

By Tuesday, the store still seemed short on food, but there were more groceries on the shelves. A Walmart spokesperson told DCist/WAMU that the store is “back up and running” again and that as of Tuesday, the store is restocking as more merchandise comes in.

Dr. Stacey Patton, an author and reporter, tweeted pictures of the store’s empty shelves on Jan. 6, saying that the freezers have been broken for weeks and that food shortages have been a “chronic” issue at the store since the summer.

Dear @Walmart this is a disgrace! Your H Street location in DC in the heart of a Black neighborhood with limited food options has freezers that have been broken for weeks!!! pic.twitter.com/wrDBmHNWgM

— Stacey Patton (@DrStaceyPatton) January 7, 2023

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https://twitter.com/barnardfox5dc/status/1612499241628274694

Walmart is one of the more affordable grocery options in the area. Other grocery stores in the H Street Corridor include a Giant about half a mile away, and a Whole Foods about 0.7 miles away. A Safeway is also around the corner on L St. NW. It’s one of three Walmart locations in the District — the others are on Georgia Ave. NW in Brightwood and on Riggs Rd. NE.

A spokesperson for the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning & Economic Development forwarded a statement to DCist/WAMU on Tuesday, saying “food access is a priority for the Bowser administration.”

“We take access to food seriously. We’ve reached out to Walmart to understand the issue,” the statement read. The spokesperson added that Walmart told the administration the issues have been resolved and that the store was operating normally as of Tuesday morning.