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UPDATED MONDAY 3/16/2020
If you have been to the grocery store the past few days, you have seen the shelf-clearing frenzy in Kroger, Meijer, Walmart, and even Target.
Ruth Adam couldn't believe what she was seeing inside the Anderson Township Kroger. "The cashier said it's worse than a snowstorm," she said.
Long checkout lines, and shelves cleared not just of sanitizer, Lysol and Clorox wipes, but of everyday basics as well.
Bread and milk selling fast
"It's just bizarre," she said. "I was in there, and there is no milk, the bread is running out, no toilet paper, just crazy."
The milk cooler had just organic milk left. Even the Triscuit crackers were sold out, which raises the question of why anyone would need months worth of Triscuits.
Jim Koenhner, loading up his car, says comfort food was selling fast. "Larosa's sauce was really tough to come by, and Skyline chili, and Spam," he said.
We found the same situation in the Mason Walmart, where toilet paper was almost gone, and at the Cherry Grove Target, where Brian Woffert said paper towels were flying off the shelves.
"The toilet paper is all gone, too," he said.
Kroger has issued a statement saying "our supply chain teams are working to insure that food, medicine, and cleaning supplies are reaching our stores as quickly as possible, and are available through our pickup and delivery services."
Over the weekend, it reduced store hours from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. " to give our teams time to restock shelves for opening.
Walmart says it is also changing delivery schedules to help stores restock as fast as possible, and is now sending trucks directly to stores, bypassing its warehouses.
USA Today says "panic breeds panic," and says stores will be able to restock once shoppers stop hoarding.
So the best advice?
Wait a few days for the panic to subside, and things to calm down, and for stores to restock.
And visit smaller local stores, from dollar stores to hardware stores, which may still have supplies.
Jim Koenhner wishes people would just slow down.
"People were running on toilet paper, which is ridiculous, because it's not like they are going to stop making toilet paper."
So let's all take a deep breath, and realize you don't need a year's worth of toilet paper or a month's work of milk, which will spoil before you can even use it.
As always, don't waste your money.
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