26 Photos Of Americans Panic Buying Things That Got Others Confused About What They Were Thinking
People are emptying shelves as fears grow over the spread of coronavirus. However, many buy more than they need, leaving others without everyday essentials.
And while retailers are asking the public to support each other and make sure everyone can get access to the products they need, their pleas remain largely unheard. Over the past few weeks, sales of rice in America have increased more than 50 percent, canned meat is up more than 40 percent, while sales of beans, pasta, peanut butter, and bottled water have also risen substantially.
So while some are stockpiling on gallons and gallons of milk, hundreds of condoms, entire carts of toilet paper, and pretty much everything else you can imagine, those who are too late to get these goods are taking photos of the panic buyers and uploading the images on the Internet, questioning whether they're really making the best shopping decisions.
This post may include affiliate links.
Personal finance expert John Herington said that the coronavirus outbreak is going to be especially hard for people who may lose their income during it. "I would highly recommend the people whose incomes are affected to really cut down on their spending and sacrifice a lot during this time," Herington told Bored Panda. The tricky part is that we can't be sure when things will go back to normal. "They really need to take a hard look at their budget, cut down on unnecessary spending, pick up side hustles, or sell stuff they don’t need to keep themselves afloat. It's a big mistake someone starts spending money they don’t have on things they don’t need."
According to a recent survey, the coronavirus has already significantly or somewhat impacted the purchase decisions of about fifty-four percent of millennials. For comparison, the same applies to 33% of baby boomers, 42% of Gen X, and 49% of Gen Z.
The same study also showed some differences between how men and women are responding to the crisis. For example, even though more women (71 percent) than men (60 percent) reported being “worried about the coronavirus,” nearly half of the men surveyed (47 percent) said it has impacted their purchase decisions, versus 41 percent of women. Furthermore, 38 percent of men agreed that it had also impacted where and how they shop compared to 33 percent of women.
When asked about what products the respondents were purchasing more, a higher number of men reported buying more grocery products (22%), personal care items (14%), health and household products (13%) and beauty products (7%) compared to women, who are buying more in smaller numbers: grocery products (17%), personal care items and household products (13%), health (11%), and beauty products (6%).
However, guns and ammunition soar amid coronavirus panic buying, too. There have been reports of long lines and 'massive rush' at gun stores all across America. On the west coast, people were queueing up to stock up on deadly materials. For example, at the Martin B Retting gun shop in Culver City, California, the queues throughout the weekend were so long, they stretched around the block.
Larry Hyatt owns one of the largest gun shops in the country, Hyatt Guns in Charlotte, North Carolina. He said that the scenes of mass buying at his store were virtually unprecedented. “This is only the second time in my 61 years of business that we’ve seen anything like this,” he told The Guardian, clarifying that the first occasion was the aftermath of the mass shooting at Sandy Hook elementary school in 2012.
So there you have it, folks. We're safe. The Americans will shoot the coronavirus dead.
I bought mine during the Brittany Spears meltdown panic of 2007. Been prepared ever since.
Maybe over the top but "Lockdown" means no bins collected either.................. :/
In my country (Austria) it wouldn´t be allowed to that many of an item (in general)
Even if there's no lockdown, you still don't have to buy toilet paper the next 12 months... It's an investment!
Other than buying a ton of toilet paper, what's wrong with buying rice?
When the tornadoes came through here in 2011 we didn't have electricity for a week. Corn dogs on the grill were a lifesaver.
Never know. Maybe they are going to give one to each of their neighbors. My mom was at work the other day and called me to come get money from her to buy toilet paper for her house my house and my daughter's house. I had 3 12 packs but it was for 3 houses, 8 people.
But there's plenty of ice? Where'd you see panic ice buying in this picture?
Day 3 of the Pandemic: I've drank 70 gallons of water and there's still no end in sight. Is it safe to pee now?
All the stores in my area are out of water, but no one has touched water filters. We grabbed a filter for the faucet and one for the fridge like a pitcher, and grabbed a pack of 3 refill filters. People are acting like the water is going to suddenly become poisoned through all this. Maybe it will, who knows lol also...no toilet paper anywhere!!! BUT the shelves still have bidets you can attach to your toilet ;)
(like 30-40 bucks for that bidet...same price you are spending buying 5 huge packs of toilet paper)
Load More Replies...I am extremely frustrated about all this. All I've been wanting the past 2 weeks are what I need - I'm running out of trash bags, and I would like to get what i need to cook this week ... sometime in this life time. Damn horder pigs take everything so no one else can get what they need. All they said was "buy for 2 weeks, maybe 3" ... not YEARS!
I work at a water plant. We're not closing down. None of them are. So why buy bottled water? Idiots
Water is the very last thing on my mind. If need be fill bathtub and every empty container and use what's in the hot water tank cooled down. Lots of ways to get water. Not to mention where I live creeks and lakes are clean enough to drink.
Load More Replies...All the stores in my area are out of water, but no one has touched water filters. We grabbed a filter for the faucet and one for the fridge like a pitcher, and grabbed a pack of 3 refill filters. People are acting like the water is going to suddenly become poisoned through all this. Maybe it will, who knows lol also...no toilet paper anywhere!!! BUT the shelves still have bidets you can attach to your toilet ;)
(like 30-40 bucks for that bidet...same price you are spending buying 5 huge packs of toilet paper)
Load More Replies...I am extremely frustrated about all this. All I've been wanting the past 2 weeks are what I need - I'm running out of trash bags, and I would like to get what i need to cook this week ... sometime in this life time. Damn horder pigs take everything so no one else can get what they need. All they said was "buy for 2 weeks, maybe 3" ... not YEARS!
I work at a water plant. We're not closing down. None of them are. So why buy bottled water? Idiots
Water is the very last thing on my mind. If need be fill bathtub and every empty container and use what's in the hot water tank cooled down. Lots of ways to get water. Not to mention where I live creeks and lakes are clean enough to drink.
Load More Replies...