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It’s never a good sign when American shoppers start hoarding goods from Costco.
When the pandemic first hit the US last March, Costco stores were mobbed with panic shoppers bulking up on staples like toilet paper and water, leaving stores dry of necessities. As the highly contagious Delta variant surges across the US, Costco-goers have taken to Twitter to complain about shortages of toilet paper and water at the warehouse again, as well as restrictions on the number of products they can buy.
One customer tweeted: “Headed to Costco and I’m buying all the damn toilet paper,” while another in California said the shortages could be a “sign of the times to come.”
It indicates that shoppers may be back to stockpiling goods, reported Insider’s Mary Hanbury, but it’s not just Costco consumers. With hospitals in less-vaccinated regions becoming overcrowded and mask recommendations returning, the Delta variant is sparking fears of a repeat of 2020. These Costco anecdotes suggest Americans are responding just how they did a year ago – by preparing to stock up.
Nearly three-fourths of Americans (69%) said they would consider replenishing their stockpiles of groceries and essentials, according to a survey conducted by the analytics firm Inmar Intelligence that polled 1,000 people.
Stockpiling could exacerbate the supply crunch that has been plaguing the economy…
