CORONAVIRUS
Shoppers Met With Long, Long Lines For Groceries
Mar 12, 2020, 7:18 PM | Updated: 10:30 pm
MURRAY, Utah — Water. Frozen foods. Nonperishable foods. Wipes. Sanitizer. Water. Paper towels. Toilet paper.
The spread of the novel coronavirus has led many people to stock up on supplies Thursday, prompting long lines at some locations, even though it seems many shoppers are more concerned about stores running out of supplies than COVID-19 itself.
Denni Page, of Murray, doesn’t usually shop for groceries on Thursdays, but decided to swing by Costco to pick up some frozen food to make sure her freezer was stocked.
“I wanted to make sure that, you know, I had the essentials, so if I ran out at home I wasn’t going to be in trouble. Starting tomorrow, the (Murray City) School District is closed until further notice, so now it’s like summer vacation that I wasn’t planning for,” she said.
Long lines at some grocery stores. Almost every shopper I spoke with said they’re not worried about the #coronavirus… as much as they are about supplies running out at grocery stores. I’m working on a story behind the psychology of this tonight for @KSL5TV at 5 and 6. #ksltv pic.twitter.com/A2ec6Ir9DK
— Alex Cabrero (@KSL_AlexCabrero) March 12, 2020
While some shoppers were buying supplies because their children would be home from school for the next few weeks, many seemed to be filling their carts because others were doing the same thing.
“It’s not that I’m so much worried about this. It’s just… I’m worried because everybody else is worried and stocking up on things,” said Jason Lynn, of Murray. “If I need something a week down the road, who knows what it’s going to be like?”
“I just actually needed some supplies and thought, ‘Well, you know, why not grab a little extra?’” said Murray resident Steve Donohue. “But people are really scared.”
“I’m worried about everything shutting down and not being able to purchase groceries,” said Murray resident Jan Cox.
The same goes for Joanette Stephenson, of Holladay.
“I created things in my mind that I needed that I may not need,” she said. “I guess it’s better to be safe than sorry.”
As of Thursday night, the Murray Costco still had food and water but was running low on wipes. It ran out of toilet paper earlier in the day.
The store gets regular shipments, and employees said they’re signing up for more shifts because they’re pretty sure more people will be stock up on supplies.
