RIVERSIDE, Mo. — Concerns about the coronavirus are driving shoppers to stores, where they're emptying shelves of hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes. But local pharmacy staff have a message for customers – be considerate.
"Everybody needs it," said Paiton White, a pharmacy technician, at Phillips Family Pharmacy, "and the more you buy, the less other people can have. So one is probably good."
Susan Wells, a shopper in Riverside, said she thinks people are “really panicking.”
The shortage, which can be seen at many pharmacies and grocery stores around the metro, is leading to price gouging online. The 41 Action News Investigators found a container of Lysol wipes on Walmart for $3.66, while Amazon had the same product listed for $39.
Some stores are fighting back against stockpiling.
A viewer submitted a picture from the Target store in Mission, where shoppers are being limited to six of the disinfecting items. Still, the photo showed many empty shelves.
"People that need it can't get it," Randall Caldwell, another shopper, said.
Even Ellie Thomas, a pharmacist at Phillips Family Pharmacy, can't keep the items in stock.
"We've had a lot of people come in asking to buy masks and hand sanitizer," Thomas said. "They've been back ordered for weeks."
And it's not just Purell products selling out.
"A lot of people are also making their own, and all of the ingredients to make that are also gone," White said.
Thomas said that the best way to prevent getting sick and to prevent spreading sickness is to wash one’s hands with soap and water.
“Can't really do any better than that,” Thomas said.
CROWDSOURCING: at what stores in the metro have you seen disinfectant wipes or hand sanitizer sold out? #COVID19 #coronavirus #kcmo #johnsoncounty pic.twitter.com/G5BTgPLNZ8
— Cat Reid (@catreidtv) March 9, 2020
