Starting Jan. 16, much of the U.S.experienced an arctic blast with subzero windchills. Following the cold temperatures, much of the South experienced an ice storm. As a result, many people took note of panic-buying habits.
Many students were aware of the possibility of school closures in the lead-up to Jan. 16. During the seventh hour the day prior, an email was sent out announcing that school would be canceled due to cold weather. The following morning, wind chill temperatures reached minus 30, and low temperatures remained throughout the day and persisted through the weekend.
Parents are just as aware as students, probably even more so. Senior Maren Abernathy-Wee said, “Before the storm hit, my father took an unnecessary trip to the grocery store for things like toilet paper and milk.” She added, “It reminded me of a couple of years ago when the pandemic hit us, everybody was freaking out.”
Since COVID-19, there have been many examples of panic buying, some justified and others less so, making many wonder what spurred this phenomenon.
Senior Izzy Bailey said, “I think it is related to COVID-19. I think we’re at a time where tangible items hold lots of value.” She continued, “So when we lose the opportunity to go out and what we need, we then resort to panic buying.” This presents a logical argument for what causes panic buying. However, in manny instances, the effects of this thinking are apparent.
The weekend after the arctic blast, the central U.S. experienced a snow and ice storm. Fox Business reported on the situation and the effects that panic buying had on local grocery stores. A shopper in Washington, D.C. who was interviewed for the article reported, “This is my 6th store I’ve been to today. I started last night, but the shelves are all empty.” Panic buying is more than just purchasing food and supplies to get through a period of time; it is impulsive behavior that often reaches an extreme, without others in mind.
Before the arctic blast in the Quad Cities area, local grocery stores experienced panic buying. Senior Elizebeth Otts, a worker at Fareway, took note of this. “I’ve seen people be super panicked by storms that get way overhyped,” She added, “People come in acting like they haven’t lived in the Midwest for forever and buy all of our water and canned food.” Otts expressed frustration with this behavior, as the Quad Cities only experienced substantial cold weather for a weekend.
An article published in 2020 by the BBC addressed this phenomena shortly after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. An expert in the article framed the behavior as a grab for a sense of control over a given situation. During the COVID-19 pandemic, preventative measures like handwashing seemed too ordinary to protect oneself. However, buying large amounts of resources was something tangible that made a person feel they were protecting themselves
While 2020 presented a justifiable reason to panic buy, this behavior persists even through relatively minor weather events. It is a clear display of the often illogical thinking behind self-preservation.
