Beijing residents shop at a Carrefour store in the Chaoyang district on Monday, amid concerns that the retail chain giant had reportedly restricted purchases with its supermarket cards in multiple cities in China recently. Photo: Zhang Ruixue/Caixin

A shopper checks out products on the shelves at a Carrefour store Monday. Once China’s largest foreign retail chain, Carrefour has closed 84 stores over the last three years and withdrawn from some big cities, including Hangzhou, Chengdu and Jinan. Photo: Zhang Ruixue/Caixin

Empty shelves at a Carrefour store on Monday in Beijing. The French retailer sold an 80% controlling interest in its China unit to Chinese electronics appliance retailer Suning.com in 2019 after struggling for years with sinking sales and increased competition. Photo: Zhang Ruixue/Caixin

Shelves and refrigerators are empty or sparely stocked at the store Monday. Carrefour denied bankruptcy rumors on Jan. 9, according to the Paper media outlet. Photo: Zhang Ruixue/Caixin

Decorations for the Lunar New Year season are hung on a row of empty refrigerators. The festive period is typically a peak sales season, but the shelves in the store remain largely empty. Photo: Zhang Ruixue/Caixin

A resident pushes a shopping cart past a nearly empty refrigerator. Photo: Zhang Ruixue/Caixin

The shelves with red labels in the store are often empty, while the shelves with blue labels are stocked up. Photo: Zhang Ruixue/Caixin

Shoppers queue to checkout items on Monday. Some customers are eager to clear the balance of their shopping cards as there are concerns that Carrefour could go under. Photo: Zhang Ruixue/Caixin

Cashiers check if the goods purchased can be paid by the supermarket cards. Photo: Zhang Ruixue/Caixin