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.
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Or ready to make a pigeon into a meal, if things go sideways. ;-)
Load More Replies...He knows what I know: Toilet paper won't cure squat! Wait, wrong word...
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.
If you're alone at home, it's more cost-effective than gas heating.
My state has legal marijuana - I'm going to the dispensary tomorrow and see if they have any gummies left.
Load More Replies...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%).
But if the population ends up decimated isn’t this the opposite of...?
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.
Maybe they misunderstood it's the corn-a-virus and are saving others from potential threat.
did you know your body can’t digest corn so if you only eat corn your waste will only be corn so you will have an infinite amount of corn which will be good if corona becomes the apocalypse
I went to the mart on Monday and there was no chicken or hot dogs. Okay, that makes sense I guess... but no Heinz Ketchup? No english muffins? Is that some cure I don't know about? There was plenty of everything else, even paper goods...
Went to a Halloween party. Saw a person in a chocolate banana outfit. As they walked by there was a kernel of corn sticking out of his back. A Turd.
Well... I bought 10 chocolates today. I'm just afraid they won't get to see the eventual quarantine...
Umm...No chocolate pretzels to see here. No siree. *hides conspicuous bulges under shirt*
omg. if that was me it would be gone before the weekend scrunch scrunch on nom nom
I bought mine during the Brittany Spears meltdown panic of 2007. Been prepared ever since.
What sort of weird shop sells multi packs of bottled water, coffins, and kitchen sinks?!?!
no; the real question is why on earth does a supermarket sells coffins???
Costco sells them. However, usually you order them on-line and you pick them up at your local store. But - be prepared!
Load More Replies...Maybe over the top but "Lockdown" means no bins collected either.................. :/
garbage men as well as grocery store employees are considered "critical system relevant professions" and are exempt from lock downs (at least in my country)
Load More Replies...In my country (Austria) it wouldn´t be allowed to that many of an item (in general)
Individual stores are finally starting to place strict limits here in the US, but there’s no law against hoarding.
Load More Replies...Looks likes there's at least 128 rolls in that cart! That's over 4 months supply if you use a whole roll everyday.
Who needs that much toilet paper? Huge piece of s**t fuckwads like the people in the pictures, and their clones all over. That’s who.
I know here in Utah a bunch of people are trying to do that very same thing and trying to make money off of it. They're being reported and supposedly fined.
Load More Replies...Bruh, missed the perfect ending.... You mean you need some eggsplanations???
Store bought eggs have a limited self life. We all know what old eggs smell like!
Honestly, maybe he owns a breakfast shop, breakfast tacos anyone? I used to see stuff like this all the time when shopping at Costco before all this. Maybe he's still trying to make a living? To much common sense?
I'm fairly certain this would be for a large number of people. Eggs have an expiration date, maybe around a month or so. No way one or two people are eating those in time.
Free tips! if you rub eggs with oil, you prolong their shelf life a lot. Also, you can keep them under salt in a container (just make sure there's salt between them too, at least a cm), pickle them, freeze them (in a silicon muffin tin, then when frozen, plop out and put in a bag for space saving).
Load More Replies...For our [omnivore] 4-person family, I buy less than a 6pack a week normally. So we'd do about a month per box, here there seem to be 8layers of 7 boxes each = 56months = four-and-a-half years...
But the sodium in it will not quench your thirst—-in fact it’ll make you thirstier.
Load More Replies...He needs to meet up with the lady with the many fifths of Jack Daniels....
That's just my Mom with her usual Tuesday groceries. We eat a lot of cereal.
If I remember correctly, I froze milk once and when I defrosted it, it was incredibly watery. I can't be sure though, so it either didn't happen, or the experience was so traumatising I blocked it out.
Load More Replies...What about the lady behind her Waiting in line with at least 4 jars of Olay Regenerist? What’s her plan?
Even if there's no lockdown, you still don't have to buy toilet paper the next 12 months... It's an investment!
It's a s****y family that gets through that much in a year.
Load More Replies...Hindsight is 20/20. (Punny!) I don't think stores will allow this anymore.
Here in Australia, someone was refused a refund on about $10K TP and Hand Sanitizer. I think he may have finally regretted it.
I would note this is a British Costco. But we have idiots in the US (cough trump cough)
Right wing conspiracy sites and radio programs are warning people that prices on essentials will skyrocket, so people are going bonkers.
Other than buying a ton of toilet paper, what's wrong with buying rice?
I could see buying up toilet paper if the virus caused you to run to the bathroom, but it doesn't. That would be like saying it caused diarrhea & buying up all the cold medicine & nasal spray. Lol!!
The stores should have put limits on items very early on...and everyone in need would have supplies by now~
It's disinfecting, nourishing, relaxing and a hand-to-hand combat weapon all in one.
Just a thought....doesn't alcohol kill viruses? Maybe we should all follow this persons lead. LOL
Not in these concentrations. You need at least 60% alcohol to destroy corona virus and by that point sufficient amount of spirit would be far more dangerous than the virus.
Load More Replies...In South Africa we aren't allowed to buy any alcoholic beverages for more than 2 months now, people are running out and started fermenting some pineapple beer, two people died from their own brew already.... So this person had the right panic buy in mind....
No issue with that whatsoever. He has relatively healthy, non-perishable food. Easy to cook and will last awhile. Good for him.
I can see someone I know doing this. In fact, he does it about every 2 weeks, or when there is a sale on his favorite frozen dinner.
my boyfriend once bought a whole cart full of Fanta when we went to visit a friend in Holland. Its a ready cheaper there and it was on sale now. It was at least good for a year :-D
Lol. Did you hear these just got recalled? USDA said some of the packages had rocks inside.
No for my family of 4 that's about 6 meals with a little bit of leftovers for lunch next day. We cook about every other night or sometimes more so that would last us less than two weeks. I have two preteen boys. Let me tell you, they can eat.
Maybe 7 meals. I buy 5 pound roll things and one roll will be just over 2 meals. But we eat other meat, too.
Load More Replies...I was at Price Chopper and the meat dept looked like it was ransacked by bears.
When the tornadoes came through here in 2011 we didn't have electricity for a week. Corn dogs on the grill were a lifesaver.
Meat, vegetables, bread - everything is great on grill and could have saved you!
Load More Replies...I hope it was ok. We need an update.
Load More Replies...Being in these line-ups is more hazardous than running out of TP.
its a miracle someone doesnt just grab the whole handtruck and wheel it to the check out :-D
Is that toilet paper? Come on guys! Are you really going to need 700 rolls of toilet paper?
OMG! There's a plague spreading! Let's jam pack in the store, buy all the toliet paper we can eat and don't forget to bring the kids!
All I see are hordes of people within inches of each other during a quarantine, risking their wellbeing for toilet paper.
Wait if you think about it...baked potato + sour cream is good...so why not potato bread + cream cheese? Hmm maybe he's onto something
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.
group homes, schools, day cares and nursing homes by milk in big quantities
You've gotta have a pretty big freezer to be freezing gallons of milk. Plus, there wouldn't be any room left for all the frozen goods that they're probably hoarding. Here's hoping they're donating.
Load More Replies...But there's plenty of ice? Where'd you see panic ice buying in this picture?
Employees are surely scrambling to restock other items. I would not be bothered restocking this shelf either, it looks pretty good to me.
Load More Replies...Looks like there is a some available maybe it's just not a priority to stock it at the moment
No, their freezer is full of dozens of gallons of milk --- now they need to build a temporary freezer for their dozens of pounds of minced meat, pronto. Out of bags of ice.
Mine too. I was born and raised in Arizona (the desert). Everyone buys ice a couple bags at time.
Load More Replies...Because it will melt and become water? Kind of a stretch, since it’s not like manufacturers have closed their plants. There’s more water being bottled and toilet paper being made. What we’re experiencing is a logistics issue—-transporting the extra supplies to the stores. So people, there will be more delivered tomorrow or the next day. No need to panic-buy.
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?
My husband bought extra water today. I asked him if he hoarding, and he said no. The little old lady next door to us might not be able to get to—-or fight through—-the grocery store, so he bought enough to share,
Some people are stocking up and then staying indoors for a few weeks.
She's probably sharing most of them with neighbors or placing in a Little Free Pantry (or several!). It's nice to think that anyhow. Better to feel uplifted than vexed :)
anybody bother asking the lady how large her family is?
Load More Replies...I don't know about this ... one of my coworkers buys 3 - 4 cases for soup for her lunch and leave it in the kitchen. As of right now, there must be more than 52 in our office kitchen. So it looks like something who doesn't want to make several store trips would do.
Last week I was stocking the shelves with raman and as soon as I finished placing the last one, this lady with crazy huge false eyelashes walks by and sweeps it ALL into her cart
apparently us white folk are the only ones who enjoy mayo?
Load More Replies...Mayo is white, white people are white, if you can't see the obvious connection then don't worry cause neither can I.
Load More Replies...How come some black people throw about "wtf white people" but if we said the same thing it's wrong? Racism is racism, no matter what era we are in
It's not wrong. Why do you think it's wrong? For all you know it's tongue-in-cheek. And even if it wasn't, you gotta be a right softcock to be upset about it.
Load More Replies...I think the bottle is empty..I don't see a cap on it. Or am I blind.
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...In the Netherlands, stores where you can buy weed got told to close down last Sunday, after 6 pm. You wouldn't want to see the queues as a result of this announcement!
Profiteering during crisis is about the lowest of the low. I sincerely hope when the dust settles every DA and Prosecutor in America prosecutes every single one of them to the fullest extent of the law.
Yes, it's down there with illegally taking a Handicapped spot, or breaking into a house while everybody's at a funeral. Bottom feeders.
Load More Replies...I think people need to remember that while I’m sure some of these people are hoarders - or worse, resellers - many of these people are buying for family and friends that can’t leave their residences. I’m the case of milk especially, many of those gallons are being taken to daycares and other care facilities. As for people buying tons of frozen food and whatnot, they’re preparing to not leave their house for a month or more. For the most part, I don’t see the issue with these pictures.
Curious to me that the article is titled "Americans panic buying." When you look through the photos, there are several that clearly are not in the US. ("Tyre Centre" for example.) Certainly Americans are panic buying, and clearly it's going on elsewhere too. I just wonder why the title would specify that it's Americans.
Some people are just buying what they usually buy and it looks like something else to others suddenly being hyper-vigilant about what people are buying. I buy for seven people once every two weeks. Normally, my shopping looks like a lot. Now people assume I'm panic buying. Some people have small businesses to run and always buy a lot of certain things. That's literally what the warehouse stores were designed for. Be careful how you judge people. It may not be what you think.
I saw a lady in Aldi with about 40 heads of lettuce in her cart. WHAT??
It may have been the only place she could find lettuce for her restaurant for all you know. There is usually a logical explanation for these things.
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...In the Netherlands, stores where you can buy weed got told to close down last Sunday, after 6 pm. You wouldn't want to see the queues as a result of this announcement!
Profiteering during crisis is about the lowest of the low. I sincerely hope when the dust settles every DA and Prosecutor in America prosecutes every single one of them to the fullest extent of the law.
Yes, it's down there with illegally taking a Handicapped spot, or breaking into a house while everybody's at a funeral. Bottom feeders.
Load More Replies...I think people need to remember that while I’m sure some of these people are hoarders - or worse, resellers - many of these people are buying for family and friends that can’t leave their residences. I’m the case of milk especially, many of those gallons are being taken to daycares and other care facilities. As for people buying tons of frozen food and whatnot, they’re preparing to not leave their house for a month or more. For the most part, I don’t see the issue with these pictures.
Curious to me that the article is titled "Americans panic buying." When you look through the photos, there are several that clearly are not in the US. ("Tyre Centre" for example.) Certainly Americans are panic buying, and clearly it's going on elsewhere too. I just wonder why the title would specify that it's Americans.
Some people are just buying what they usually buy and it looks like something else to others suddenly being hyper-vigilant about what people are buying. I buy for seven people once every two weeks. Normally, my shopping looks like a lot. Now people assume I'm panic buying. Some people have small businesses to run and always buy a lot of certain things. That's literally what the warehouse stores were designed for. Be careful how you judge people. It may not be what you think.
I saw a lady in Aldi with about 40 heads of lettuce in her cart. WHAT??
It may have been the only place she could find lettuce for her restaurant for all you know. There is usually a logical explanation for these things.
Load More Replies...
