Behavior

Coronavirus Hysteria: Stop Wasting Money on Products You Don’t Need

Every day the news hammers us with the latest on the Coronavirus. The financial markets are losing ground like no other time in history and people across the United States are shaken almost to the point of mass hysteria. Events are being canceled, businesses have halted travel, and there’s talk of athletic events being played in stadiums with no fans.

The CDC has stated a time may come where Americans are recommended to stay at home for 14 days. It also provided a list of products people may want to stock up should this scenario occur. Citizens have taken this recommendation seriously, putting a huge strain on retailers trying to keep some products on the shelf.

I observed the following walking through Walmart yesterday, wondering if people are wasting money buying a number of products they don’t really need:

Toilet Paper

The shelves were almost completely empty of all toilet paper. All that remained were empty display boxes and some scattered packages of off-brand products. I’ve never seen the toilet paper shelves this barren before. Do people really not have two weeks’ worth of toilet paper on hand under normal circumstances? How much are people buying?

Paper Towels

The paper towel aisle was not quite as empty as the toilet paper shelves, but it was definitely sparsely populated. I go through about a roll of paper towels a week, so a two week supply would be two rolls. I know people that don’t use paper towels at all. I’m not sure I understand how the Coronavirus correlates to massive paper towel sales.

Pain Relievers

I buy a bottle of ibuprofen about once every two months. When I rounded the corner to see what the pain reliever section looked like, it was probably 80 percent empty. I was amazed.

Bottled Water

Not a single package of bottled water could be found in my Walmart. Not one. I normally have a week’s worth on hand. I might be a little short should I be confined to my home for two weeks, but I’m glad I have limitless water from the tap.

Hand Sanitizer

Walmart, as well as Target (I checked), was completely out of hand sanitizer magic potion. Washing your hands with good old soap is also effective.

People are raiding retailers‘ shelves like the apocalypse is upon us. They’re wasting money to create massive stockpiles of products. The fact is you’re much more likely to catch the flu, which infects millions and kills thousands of people every single year. Yes, this is a new virus that we should be concerned about. But eventually, there will be a vaccine (and we should all get it), and we’ll be on to the next crisis the media wants us to flip out over. Until then, catch your cough and wash your hands to prevent the spread of ANY virus.

How about you, Clever Friends, have you stocked up on any of these essentials? Are you worried about the Coronavirus?

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Brock Kernin

Brock is a software engineer by day and personal finance blogger at night. He is a fitness junkie and enjoys grilling and smoking meat. Married with two children,  Brock strives to improve his skills as a husband and father, and is always on the lookout to stretch his family’s budget as far as he can.