Coronavirus: Panic Buying Clears Shelves At Costco

Chris Menahan
InformationLiberation
Mar. 02, 2020

Videos went viral on social media over the weekend showing panic buying at Costco warehouses throughout the United States.

Stores were packed in California, Washington, Hawaii and Minnesota:

Even the Costco in Hawaii is bonkers! Employees just yelled out “OUT OF TOILET PAPER 🧻!” https://t.co/ZFD7s3ipg9 #Coronovirius #CoronaVirusUpdates pic.twitter.com/ISknP616LR
— Dion Lim (@DionLimTV) March 1, 2020

Minnesotans Depleted Costco, Target Supplies In Coronavirus Preparation https://t.co/I5rCeaOJkf pic.twitter.com/lelRJC3phI
— WCCO - CBS Minnesota (@WCCO) March 2, 2020

A viewer sent me this photo of the medicine shelves at Target in NE Mpls. pic.twitter.com/x3xr8ua4It
— Kate Raddatz (@KateRaddatz) March 2, 2020

I have never in my life seen Seattle Costco lines like this - 40 carts deep with over one-hour wait times. Plus, lots of Instacart orders for cases of water. #stateofemergency #costco #Covid19usa #panicbuying pic.twitter.com/XWXtmEQi7L
— Kristina Moy (@KristinaMMoy) February 29, 2020

This is 9:30 am in the morning! #Costco #panicintheair #coronawa pic.twitter.com/0LZBApEpff
— burnout (@burnoutsyndrm) February 29, 2020

Panic Clorox wipes buying at costco in San Francisco today. This pallet was 4 feet tall just two minutes ago b4 I got the video out. Cray cray #clorox #SanFrancisco #costco pic.twitter.com/maF2coYkco
— AHiTH filmfest 2020 (@AHITHFF) February 29, 2020

Costco panic price buying. This was a taller stack b4 I got the video out. #SanFrancisco #costco #rice #panicbuying pic.twitter.com/YqD1Oz80u4
— AHiTH filmfest 2020 (@AHITHFF) February 29, 2020

People are seriously freaking out about the Corona virus. I've never seen Costco so busy. Even on black Friday or Christmas season. They're out of Kirkland cases of waters, toilet paper, meat in general and other things.... pic.twitter.com/5gVJTJ7Jjj
— Jonathan 49er Faithful (@Jpuma55) February 29, 2020

Panic buying has gripped Santa Clara County in #California after a third case of #Covid19 was reported Friday. Filipino Lally De Jesus of San Jose, CA, shares these photos taken at a Costco Wholesale store near El Camino Hospital where the third patient is being treated. pic.twitter.com/TWg0MSBwSr
— Daily Tribune (@tribunephl) February 29, 2020

My advice not to panic went unheeded. I had planned a trip to #Costco this morning b/c going out of town next week and all of #PaloAlto was there. This was the line at to check out @KindrachukJason @angie_rasmussen @GeopoliticalJD @Crof @AneeshMehtaMD pic.twitter.com/GuZ0elyBwG
— Dr. Krutika Kuppalli (@KrutikaKuppalli) February 29, 2020

These ppl are NOT fucking around in #Costco here in Puyallup, Washington! This Coronavirus got ppl with Masks, gloves, & stocking up on everything In here! My husband is not messing around either! We in here buying up all kinds of stuff because of him. Smh #CostcoPanicBuying pic.twitter.com/qsrI4BXMLN
— Honey Redd (@HoneyRedd) March 1, 2020

Not just Sanitizer, you could not find Isopropyl....only thing left was a few bottles of hydrogen peroxide....yeah this was just a "normal saturday". This is Target, I will also be posting costco, fred meyer, bartells, and cvs. outside the city is still stocked I hear, but here.. pic.twitter.com/EKgyQDI8YS
— MARFOOGLE NEWS (OFFICIAL) (@Marfoogle) March 1, 2020

I was sent to a Costco to see if people are stocking up (even though health officials say it’s not necessary) in case COVID-19 gets more serious here. This guy came out of the store with 16 boxes of condoms and a big jar of coconut oil. We all have priorities. pic.twitter.com/C3edUsgZzH
— Jill Bennett (@jillreports) February 29, 2020

The Harvard Business Review is predicting that supply chain disruptions from China are likely to come into full force in mid-March.

"We predict that the peak of the impact of Covid-19 on global supply chains will occur in mid-March, forcing thousands of companies to throttle down or temporarily shut assembly and manufacturing plants in the U.S. and Europe," HBR reported. "The most vulnerable companies are those which rely heavily or solely on factories in China for parts and materials. The activity of Chinese manufacturing plants has fallen in the past month and is expected to remain depressed for months."

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