New wave of panic buying: Costco shoppers say some stores are out of toilet paper

Months after the latest wave of panic buying, Costo shoppers reported that some stores are out of basic needs like toilet paper and water.

According to Insider, dozens of Costco shoppers complained on Twitter about product shortages and restrictions on the number of products they can buy. Supermarkets imposed restrictions at the beginning of the pandemic to keep people from panicking and running out of stocks.

“No toilet paper at Costco. If you don’t have much left, you better stock up before we have another toilet paper frenzy,” one customer said.

Another customer said that these shortages could be a “sign of the times to come.”

With the spread of the Delta variant, there is some evidence that consumers are considering stocking up again as COVID-19 infections increase in the US. At the start of the pandemic in March 2020, stores and supermarkets across the country were crowded with citizens massively buying goods to stock up.

“Costco shelves yesterday…………….no toilet paper. No paper towels. Here we go.” a customer wrote on his Twitter.

In a survey cited by Supermarket News, of 1,000 U.S. adults surveyed, 69.4% said they’re considering replenishing a current stockpile of groceries and other essential products as transmission of the Delta variant increases. Forty-six percent have created a product stockpile in response to coronavirus, and 12% of those that haven’t done so said they will now stock up because of the Delta variant. Another 32.8% said they’re not sure if they will build up their supplies.

As a result of the struggle retailers are having with the supply chain and ongoing labor issues – problems that cause long delays and shortages, as well as rising prices – supermarket chains are also stocking goods to protect themselves from price increases and protecting margins, which can create an even bigger problem for consumer inventory.