NewsColony

Coronavirus: Are people panic buying? NewsColony Image caption Toilet paper seems to be top of the stockpilers’ shopping lists As coronavirus, and the fear of it, continues to spread, there are a growing number of reports of empty shop shelves as people rush to buy products such as hand soap, loo roll, pasta and rice. Some supermarkets have reported seeing spikes in demand, amid concerns there could be shortages. Chemists have even started rationing sales of hand sanitisers after stocks ran low . So how widespread is the trend, and are consumers right to be so concerned? How many people are panic buying? It is hard to say, but according to a survey from Retail Economics, as many as one in 10 UK consumers is stockpiling, based on a sample of 2,000 shoppers. Meanwhile, research by BBC Radio 4’s PM programme found that one in three people are concerned about having access to enough food if they have to self-isolate. Social media is full of reports of empty shop shelves and on ...