No Water or Rice... US Grocery Stores in Chaos Amid COVID Fear

Concerns Over COVID Spread Drive Consumers
Stockpiling Canned Goods, Dried Foods, Disinfectants
US Government Pushes to Secure Masks

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] As the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) has begun to land in earnest in the United States, consumers are rushing to large supermarkets, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on the 1st (local time). As fear of the coronavirus spreads, a panic buying wave has started in the U.S. focusing not only on masks but also on emergency food supplies and sanitizers.

On the 1st, the canned goods shelf at a Korean grocery store near New York was unusually empty.

According to WSJ, U.S. consumers began panic buying in earnest after the first COVID-19 death occurred in the country and President Donald Trump held an emergency press conference on the 29th of last month. Mainly dry foods such as pasta, canned goods, disinfectants, and sanitizers are disappearing from shelves. WSJ analyzed that as the U.S. government expressed concerns about the possibility of COVID-19 spreading domestically, anxious consumers have been stocking up on groceries and medicines.

In particular, after the press conference, additional confirmed cases suspected of local transmission were reported in Washington State, and in Rhode Island, a traveler returning from Europe was confirmed positive for the first time. This is the first confirmed case in the U.S. East Coast, where major cities are concentrated, following the Midwest. As confirmed cases emerged from the West to the Midwest and then to the East Coast, the sense of crisis felt by consumers has grown even stronger.

Retailers are responding by increasing orders for items such as hand sanitizers, pasta, and canned goods and discussing with manufacturers and logistics. However, sales are happening so quickly that it is difficult to keep shelves stocked.

The situation is similar at Korean markets near New York. On this day, a large Korean market in New Jersey was crowded with many consumers, including Korean residents and Chinese, who were seen purchasing food items in large quantities.

In particular, sales of California-grown rice, mainly consumed by Asian residents, have increased significantly, leading to bringing in inventory from other stores to sell. Not only the rice that was usually fully stocked on shelves but also ramen, instant foods, and Korean snack shelves were empty.

A Korean resident who was filling a cart with goods said, "Because the COVID-19 outbreak may spread, I need to buy a lot of supplies." A store clerk recommended purchasing Korean products, saying, "It seems difficult to get Korean products." Another clerk introduced, "Since 2-3 days ago, customers have been flocking and focusing on buying rice and ramen." This clerk also said that the situation at other nearby Korean markets is not much different.

At Costco, a large discount store, bottled water was sold out in many places, forcing many consumers to turn away. One Korean resident said, "I have lived in the U.S. for 20 years, but this is the first time I have seen the store so packed with customers."

Large franchise pharmacies such as Walgreens and CVS are also on high alert. Hand sanitizers and masks have long been sold out. As the shortage of N95 masks for medical personnel worsened and they were traded at prices far exceeding the normal retail price on online marketplaces, Amazon removed about one million items including masks and treatments from its sales listings, WSJ reported.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.