ARKANSAS, USA — People in Arkansas are taking precautions to stay healthy and sanitize their homes as fears of a coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak spread.
All of this is leading to a shortage of household products that you may need.
The store manager of Allen's in Bella Vista told 5NEWS that toilet paper has started flying off the shelves.
"The item of the day today is paper products, mostly bathroom tissue," Allen's Manager Steve Morrow said. "People hear it's not out there, and they think, 'I better go get some in case something happens,' and I get that."
Shopper John Franklin is one of those people. He's been paying attention to the coronavirus outbreak and the Center for Disease Control's (CDC) warning of sanitizing and good hygiene.
"I think it's a little foolish in it. But you know, it seems you gotta protect yourself," Franklin said. "I got toilet paper because I hear it's in short supply, and it's not something I want to run out of."
You've probably already heard about hand sanitizer, a lot of stores are seeing it disappear. Allen's is having a hard time getting ahold of more to fill the shelves.
"We ordered 300 for last Monday. We got 24. We didn't even put them out. We just, people ask, we hand one to a customer and try to get them to as many people as we could," Morrow said.
Morrow mentioned a few other items you may soon see disappear from store shelves.
"We're also seeing 24 pack bottled water going off, rubbing alcohol seems like it's on the list now. Hand soaps are selling extremely well," He said.
On Wednesday (Mar.11) following the Governor's' announcement of the first case of coronavirus in Arkansas, the Attorney General sent out a warning to consumers to be aware of price gouging.
She also warned businesses that it is illegal, and it should be reported to the Attorney General's office immediately.
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