Toilet paper is being picked off shelves faster than stores can order it.
Several Okanagan grocery stores have seen their shelves wiped bare of the paper product.
鈥淲ith the coronavirus, sales have increased and spiked for us,鈥� a 琉璃神社 Costco employee said.
The same goes for Vernon鈥檚 Buy-Low Foods, where 130 cases were brought in over the weekend and now, they are all gone.
鈥淚鈥檝e never seen toilet paper go like this,鈥� assistant manager Darrell Camalush said.
While Buy-Low managed to keep some of the product on shelves, that was not the case at Walmart, Real Canadian Superstore and Wholesale Club, which were completely sold out over the weekend March 7.
鈥淚 just want one bag,鈥� said Danni Van der Molen, a mother of four who went to several stores before finally finding some at Save-On-Foods.
Product has since been replenished, although it appears to be picked up as quickly as stores can bring it in.
Toilet paper isn鈥檛 the only thing being scooped up by the masses.
Rubbing alcohol, hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes are another priority purchase.
Camalush says his store can鈥檛 even get any rubbing alcohol in.
And despite ordering 20 different kinds of hand sanitizer, on March 7, the store only had eight bottles come in and within 15 minutes they were sold out.
鈥淭he only one we still have left is the local stuff, the Back to Earth,鈥� Camalush said.
He鈥檚 ordered more of each of the products, but isn鈥檛 sure if he will even get them as suppliers are feeling the demand.
The same goes for medical suppliers in Vernon, who are struggling to keep masks and sanitation products on the shelves amid growing coronavirus concerns.
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Meanwhile, Camalush always keeps a back-up stock of toilet paper, and like others, he is adjusting ordering to meet the demand, which one retail giant says is declining.
鈥淚t鈥檚 starting to taper off here,鈥� said the Costco employee, who wished not to be named.
The situation is much more intense in the Lower Mainland, where there are confirmed cases of COVID-19.
Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said Monday, March 9, the province鈥檚 first fatality was a patient of a North Vancouver care home and the number of confirmed cases in B.C. has risen to 32.
The situation has also prompted the cancellation of a North Okanagan school field trip to Italy and a global convention in Mexico, and delayed a number of other events.
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jennifer@vernonmorningstar.com
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