Shoppers at the Co-op in the past week probably noticed that it was lower on inventory than usual.

The store's general manager, Justin Nelson, can't say for sure how long things will stay that way.

"I wish I knew," he said, adding it will probably take another week or so until things get back to normal.

The emptier shelves come as a consequence of a cyber attack that happened in late June. On its Facebook page, the Co-op explained that it experienced a cybersecurity incident and had to shut down some systems in response.

That means Co-op's having trouble ordering and receiving products. As a work-around, Nelson said staff are getting some supplies from other food service distributors. The biggest item in demand for them right now is produce, he added. 

"It is affecting our business obviously," he said. "Certainly, if you don't have everything people want then people are going to shop elsewhere."

But members are still supporting the store during this challenging period.

"Our customer count is pretty good. One thing that we have is a very understanding, loyal membership," Nelson added.

He said he doesn't know all the specifics of the cyber attack. However, he did note that the Yellowknife Co-op is now able to sell gas again. Getting fuel at a Co-op involves using its cardlock network, which was impacted by the initial incident.

Co-op also has investigators looking into what's happened, but Nelson said he doesn't have any details on who that party is, nor what they've found so far.