A problem with a warehouse system upgrade left shelves bare at a handful of Woolworths grocery stores in Queensland, Australia.  

The Guardian reports that on May 13, some Woolworths locations had little to no stock of fresh items like bread, milk, fruit, and chicken. Woolworths chief commercial officer Paul Harker explained the situation during a parliament inquiry on grocery store prices, describing how an upgrade to their warehouse management systems had gone awry. That led to delays at multiple distribution centers in Brisbane, causing what Harker described as "carnage" as deliveries were stalled to stores across Southeast Queensland. 

Harker said that the company is "working very hard" to remedy the situation, apologizing to customers and vowing to donate unused stock left in warehouses to charities. A Woolworths spokesperson told the Guardian that they hope to start restoring supply levels at stores sometime "in the coming days."