Stores are rationing supplies to avoid more product shortage due to coronavirus
DORAL, FL – Stores are rationing supplies in an attempt to avoid more product shortage amid coronavirus fears that have been rising lately among people due to the increasing number of victims locally and internationally. According to recent statistics, 19 deaths have been reported in the U.S. alone until now.
This scenario has led many to overbuy products such as hand soaps and sanitizers, disinfectants, alcohol, toilet paper and other hygiene-related products motivated by concerns of a quarantine happening.
But although many are doing so with the intention of preparing for the worst, the increasing panic is causing product shortage in many stores in Miami, as well as overpricing as some sellers have taken advantage of the situation.
This has forced many stores to ration their supply in an attempt to balance the supply and demand of products.
Publix, for example, announced just recently it will only allow customers to buy two of the following items: hand soaps and sanitizers, rubbing alcohol, facial masks and gloves, disinfectant wipes and sprays, facial tissue, cups, plates and utensils, and bleach.
The supermarket chain joins other retailers that announced similar measures last week, such as Wegmans that only allows the purchase of three items (antiseptic gel, rubbing alcohol, alcohol and peroxide wipes) per customer, Home Depot that has limited the number of face masks allowed to buy online, and Navarro that only allows the purchase of two items per customer.
Product shortage in Doral
In Doral, some residents are starting to experience shortage amid coronavirus fears while buying in some of the most popular retailers.
In Walgreens, for example, a few customers couldn’t find alcohol or hand sanitizer last week, while in CVS of 74th Street there wasn’t any toilet paper available for purchase, only paper tissue.
Other retailers such as Walmart only had a few toilet paper rolls packets, as reported by some customers who bought in the store last week. Navarro, in the other hand, also had a few products last week such as alcohol and no hand sanitizer.
The most concerning part is that customers are going online to buy these products finding themselves with outrageous prices. A box of face masks can be bought for as much as 300 dollars, while a simple disinfectant is being sold at 50 dollars.
We want to remind our readers that face masks are only to be used by people already infected with COVID-19 as a way to avoid the virus from spreading.
Please be aware that you can report price gouging as this is an illegal practice. For more information, check the following source or call the Price Gouging Hotline: 1-866-966-7226.