Panic buying, stockpiling again
Within hours of Ohio’s Governor Mike DeWine’s address to the state, panic buying and stockpiling went into full force. On Wednesday, Governor DeWine basically put the state on a one week’s notice that big changes may be in store. The intention of the speech was to announce that the same Ohio Investigative Unit that monitors bars and restaurants would also now be monitoring retail locations.
This expansion of their duties was certainly headline-worthy on its face. However, the lead got buried with ramblings about schools, stores, and Thanksgiving dinner. In addition, the state of New York went forward with closing many businesses like bars and gyms. New York City has the public school system next on their list.
While Ohio Governor DeWine did indicate that these sectors are now under close review, the State remains open. DeWine did continue to beat the drum of mask-wearing and social distancing. The combination of the Ohio Speech and the New York headlines created a sense of panic buying and stockpiling for the second time.
Locally, we have been told of many occasions where shoppers seem to be buying in bulk. Walmart has seen it’s delivery program, which we are ranked number one in the state for, once again jammed to capacity with the 2-hour delivery option being omitted.
In this second wave of panic buying, it’s not just toilet paper. You must admit that was a weird one. In this wave, people are stockpiling everything. One SCDN member told us they saw a person with an entire cart full of frozen pizzas. Another reported that the birthday supplies were nearly gone.
The supply chain, truckers, has a newly-formed social media platform that is already garnered 67,000 members. They vow to stop driving between November 26th in November 29th to “Show America who runs the country”. The popularity and sharing of this group is yet another factor in the Panic buying and stockpiling we are seeing both locally and across the Nation.
Over the weekend, we will be providing you with a list of essential items that you can have on hand and will last for years. No need for panic buying or stockpiling toilet paper, birthday candles, and frozen pizzas. However, that does sound like a good time.