#CostcoPanicBuying Takes Hold in Southern California, as Shoppers Talk of Coronavirus
Customers have been seen hauling away huge pallets of water bottles as others leave empty handed.
By Heather Navarro and Kim Tobin ••
NBC Universal, Inc.
Shoppers rush for water, soap and essential items as the coronavirus spreads across the United States. Hetty Chang reported on NBC4 News at 11 p.m. on Monday, March 2, 2020.
Costco stores around Southern California have been posting signs that they've run out of water, as staff members hand out wipes to sanitize shopping carts, and shoppers make a mad dash for Clorox wipes, all while murmurs of the spread of the coronavirus rumble through the crowds.
Some on social media have even been calling it #costcopanicbuying.
A Costco store in Norwalk put up a sign limiting water purchases. (Credit: Fabian Navarro)
The water still sold out at the Norwalk Costco. (Credit: Fabian Navarro)
Since December, the coronavirus has spread from mainland China to the United States.
By Monday, six people had died in the United States, all in Washington state.
Researchers in Washington said the COVID-19 virus had been spreading for weeks, unbeknownst to residents.
A Costco in La Habra ran out of water Sunday, while a San Gabriel store was out of toilet paper, as seen by Instagram posts.
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Costco staff at the store in Alhambra said they continue to restock, and are getting shipments every few hours or so.
And it's not just Southern California. Twitter users have been posting videos and photos of "panic buying" at Hawaii stores, New York stores, and Seattle Costco locations.
FILE – Tomoyuki Sugano of the Yomiuri Giants pitches in front of empty stands at Tokyo Dome in Tokyo during a preseason baseball game between the Yomiuri Giants and the Yakult Swallows on Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020. Japan’s professional baseball league said Thursday, Feb. 27, that it will play its 72 remaining preseason games in empty stadiums because of the threat of the spreading coronavirus. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, File)
FILE – The entrance to the Louvre Museum in Paris, France, is empty Sunday, March 1, 2020. The museum was shut down Sunday, with workers who guard its trove of artworks fearful of being contaminated by the museum’s flow of visitors from around the world. (AP Photo/Rafael Yaghobzadeh, File)
FILE – Sun beds lie empty at La Caleta beach near the H10 Costa Adeje Palace hotel in La Caleta, in the Canary island of Tenerife, Spain, on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020. Fears of the coronavirus have caused a drop in tourism and other commerce around the world. (AP Photo/Joan Mateu, File)
A passenger walks through the Tokyo train station Monday, March 2, 2020. As the number of infections of the COVID-19 disease caused by the new coronavirus spreads around the globe, many once-busy public spaces are empty. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
FILE – A horse race is held without spectators at Oi horse racecourse in Tokyo amid growing concern about the spread of a new coronavirus on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020. As the coronavirus spreads around the world, many events that normally would draw large numbers of people are being canceled or played without fans. (Yuta Omori/Kyodo News via AP, File)
A lift operator stands inside a dedicated lift for people suspected to be infected with the new coronavirus at the Government Gandhi Hospital in Hyderabad, India, Monday, March 2, 2020. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)
FILE – Murals adorn the walls of an empty subway station in Milan, Italy, Friday, Feb. 28, 2020. Due to the COVID-19 virus outbreak in northern Italy, the bustling metropolis of Milan has resembled more of a ghost town, as workers stayed home and tourism has dwindled there, and other parts of Italy. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno, File)
A pilgrim, who entered Saudi Arabia before the country halted travel to the holiest sites, takes a rest on a praying carpet at the roof of the Grand Mosque in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, on Monday, March 2, 2020. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
FILE – Empty gondolas are docked in Venice, Sunday, March 1, 2020. Italian tourism officials are worrying the new coronavirus could do more damage to their industry than the Sept. 11 terror attacks. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco, File)
FILE – Stadium seats are empty during the pro volleyball V-league game between the Wooricard Wibee and Hyundai Capital Services Skywalkers in Seoul, South Korea, on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020. The volleyball game was held without spectators to prevent the spread of the COVID-19. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man, File)
FILE – A couple shelter against the rain with an umbrella as they walk at St. Mark’s Square during a rainy day in Venice, Sunday, March 1, 2020. Italian tourism officials are worrying the new coronavirus could do more damage to their industry than the Sept. 11 terror attacks. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco, File)
While some are preparing, Melissa Gameros -- a mom of two young kids -- said she can only take the regular steps to keep them safe, and they have to be able to live their lives.
Shoppers at the Alhambra Costco are stocking up on items like water, toilet paper and paper towel amid coronavirus fears. Kim Tobin reports for NBC4 News at 4 p.m. on Monday, March 2, 2020. (Enrique Roman)
“You got to do your everyday thing. You can’t let it keep you from doing what you have to do,” she said.
