It’s like the holiday rush, shoppers in a frenzy.
COVID-19 has created chaos all over the world, including a place you might not expect: grocery stores. Shoppers have been scrambling to buy whatever is left, but there isn’t much.
“I’m here ‘til like 10 and I don’t see it slowing down that much,” Meijer employee Dylan S. said.
But the hot commodity isn’t a run on turkeys, it’s toilet paper.
“Every store you go to, it seems like everyone’s bought toilet paper,” Jean Schlicklin said. “They’re trying to restock them, but they can’t get them restocked quick enough.”
Toilet paper isn’t the only thing people have stocked up on. By now, most stores have implemented policies for how many paper products and freezer items people can purchase.
Jodie Button and her niece went out because they hadn’t gone grocery shopping in a while due to Button recovering from an illness. They wanted to stock up since they were out of the essentials.
“I was concerned that people are going to buy everything and then I won’t even be able to get the necessary staples that we usually have,” Button said.
The toilet paper and Clorox wipes phenomenon has filled the network news and social media platforms among other stories about COVID-19, but Gayle Flores of Mason just wanted to do what’s right for her family.
“I have a four-year-old grandson that lives with me and he’s not in school yet luckily, but just kind of not wanting to have to go out too much so he will hopefully not be exposed to this,” Flores said.
The parking lot at the Okemos Meijer was packed, lines were long and shelves were empty. People are panicking, but Schlicklin said worrying isn’t going to help.
“I don’t know why people are going nuts stocking up on stuff, then when someone runs out of something, they can’t get ahold of it,” Schlicklin said.
The Center for Disease Control told people to stock up on medicine and non-perishable foods for up to two weeks. While some shelves remain empty, employees are doing their best to keep them stocked and sanitized.