Panic Buying Has Begun in Texarkana Grocery Stores

Are you suffering from PB? I'm not talking peanut butter, I'm talking, Panic Buying. It didn't take long but with the port shutdown strike in effect. Residents all across the United States including Texarkana have already hit the panic button.

What's the Big Fuss?

Essentials such as toilet paper, paper towels, and even bottled water have been flying off the shelves in fear that if the ports remain shut down for an extended time Americans will run out of these products. This happened during COVID, or when a bad storm is coming everybody flocks to the store and starts buying everything they need.  I get it, no one wants to be caught with their pants down literally but let me see if I can ease your burden just a little.

Let me first begin by saying, that I don't claim to know all the ins and outs about shipping but I do know that toilet paper and most paper products are made in the USA by companies like Georgia Pacific and Kimberly-Clarke and are shipped via trucks to the stores. If anything we should be more concerned over bananas, cherries, some liquors, and the Ozempic drugs that will be affected by the striking dock workers who are asking for a 77 percent pay raise and protection over automation.

There have already been reports that Sam's Club and Costco are running low or already out in some locations.

So, I decided to go out this afternoon to a couple of stores near the radio station Dollar General and Walmart to see what all the fuss was about and I found as of right now, Dollar General has plenty of paper products, according to store management, people are just now beginning to come in the store to buy TP and paper towels.

As for Walmart, some portions are beginning to thin out but they still have a pretty good selection and I'm sure there is more in the stock room. Officials did say they were running low on bottled water.

The Port of Little Rock, Arkansas is subject to risk as well, the longer the strike goes on, the prices will most likely go up, something we don't need right now, and the risk of shortages on some essentials.

Regardless of what is going on, I went ahead and bought some toilet paper because I ran out yesterday anyway.

So, everybody needs to take a chill pill, I believe everything will be okay.