Coronavirus panic buying: Toilet paper, meat becoming hard to find at Bay Area stores

Monday, March 16, 2020

Coronavirus panic buying: Toilet paper, meat becoming hard to find at Bay Area stores

"No milk, no eggs, the shelves of yogurt and stuff like that empty," said one shopper who had to stop at several places to find what she needed.

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Bay Area grocery stores have closed for the night but hours ago they were the busiest spot in many cities.

Several Safeway stores that are listed as usually closing late or staying open 24 hours a day closed at 9 PM this evening.

Monday night we watched some shoppers who were wearing masks and gloves quickly get their food and leave.

Gail Chang says toilet paper is still hard to come by, "online it said they had toilet paper in stock and when I went in they were out of stock."

Many shoppers dealt with the same problems. Empty shelves, coolers, freezers, and crates at the Costco in Richmond and the Target in Emeryville.

Consuelo Gil says she's been to three stores, "no chicken at all they don't have eggs and no orange juice."

Gil is hoping for eggs and milk before the shelter in place order goes into effect. Her second stop was a bust, "then we went to Grocery Outlet no milk, no eggs, the shelves of yogurt and stuff like that empty."

One shopper showed us the gas mask that he believes will keep him healthy as he scours grocery store shelves looking for the essentials. Those with the California Grocers Association say their delivery trucks can't keep up with the high demand due to hoarding and overbuying.

Customers like Consuelo say she's tired but she needs certain items. "This is my last stop and if I can't find it, forget it we'll get it tomorrow."

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