The ongoing port strike is causing people to begin panic buying toilet paper, and it is reminding us of 2020 all over again.
That’s not a coincidence, Neighborhood News Reporter Fernando Arevalo spoke with Erin Blaugrund, a College Professor of Marketing at New Mexico State University, who says panic buying has become part of consumer buying patterns post-pandemic. Many will bulk to ensure they have enough during times of perceived scarcity.
“People will engage in this kind of mixture of fear of control of what they want and what they need,” says Erin Blaugrund, who is also a Director of the Center for Business Ethics. “The other piece of it is that people have this anticipation that there could be a shortage. They feel they might not be able to find something like toilet paper because that is what they dealt with during the pandemic.”
N/aHuman beings require a sense of control during times of uncertainty, such as not knowing when the ongoing port strike will end. One sense of control is buying brands they feel attached to. During times of uncertainty, people may rush to get the brand they like, instead of something off-brand. Once an item like toilet paper, runs out, people will try to look for substitutes or the next best thing.