Stores set limits as consumers scoop up toilet paper

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This article was published 14/03/2020 (1651 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

If you want to be a jerk and hoard all the toilet paper, you’re going to have to work a lot harder at it now.

Several stores around town are now implementing rules on paper products such as toilet paper, paper towels and facial tissues.

You’ll no longer have to win a battle royal to get your hands on some Royale — but you better get there early if you want some.

On Saturday, Costco on St. James Street didn’t even bother to stock the shelves with toilet paper. Customers lined up at the back of the building by the receiving doors and staff handed out one package per customer. By noon, they were sold out. An employee said customers were limited to two packages on Friday and it was all gone in 30 minutes.

Giant Tiger on Main Street learned the hard way Friday. An employee said three large skids were wiped out an hour after the store opened and people were fighting over the products in the aisles. When they get more stock on Tuesday, they will put a limit on how much people are allowed to buy.

“It was just ridiculous,” a Giant Tiger employee said.

As of Friday, Red River Co-op only allowed customers to buy a maximum of three paper products. An employee at the Vermillion Road location said that rule will remain in place until things begin to settle down. On Saturday afternoon they had very limited stock available.

Once the toilet paper craze in the morning died down, the stores were relatively quiet. A Costco employee said for a Saturday afternoon, the store was very quiet. At noon, there were lots of parking spots available and there were no lineups to get into the store, and the lines for the cash registers were all relatively short.

“I’m surprised it’s quiet in here. Normally at this time, I never want to come here because it’s forever busy,” said Kim Perry who was shopping with her husband Robert. “We needed some water and I thought we’d take a chance. If it was really busy, we’d drive right by. But today, it wasn’t so bad. We pulled in and got a parking spot right away. I’m shocked.”

While the couple isn’t running out of toilet paper at home, they were hoping they’d be able to toss a package into their shopping cart to go along with their two cases of water. They were, however, happy to hear stores are starting to make rules to prevent people from stockpiling.

“I think that’s responsible,” Robert said. “Never take more than what you need. Leave some for the next guy.”

Manitoba chief public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin agrees that you should leave some for the next person. In a news conference Saturday morning, Roussin said people shouldn’t feel they have to shop any differently.

“We advise against fear or panic buying. We are in this together and just keep up to date with our information, wash your hands, stay home when you’re sick and together we’re going to be able to limit the impact of this virus here,” said Roussin.

Apparently that advice didn’t get through to everyone as the skids of Kirkland water bottles were a popular meeting place at Costco. Seemingly every customer left the store with a 40-pack. JoJo Bernate loaded four cases into his cart. Despite their popularity, there were plenty of water bottles left for everybody.

“Whatever happens, just to be safe,” said Bernate when asked why he was buying so much water. “Just to have efficient water. You never know what happens with the tap water if it can become contaminated or what.”

As soon as you walk into Costco, you’d see two employees using disinfectant wipes on the shopping carts. Even though stores are taking extra precautions to keep everything clean, it’s hard to feel completely comfortable when shopping, even when it’s for the essentials such as water.

“Yeah we’re concerned, but you have to go out and do some shopping. You have to,” Kim Perry said. “You just got to be aware of your surroundings, basically. But you have to go out and get stuff.”

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @TaylorAllen31