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Amid widespread shortages of hand sanitizer and hand wipes in supermarkets and drug stores, people are turning to a makeshift substitute — Everclear, a brand of 120-proof grain alcohol that has been flying off the shelves of a BevMo in Culver City.

“Normally, we sell a few bottles of that stuff a week,” store manager Paul Pabich said. “But word is spreading fast that at 120 proof, or 60% alcohol, it can kill any germ there is out there. We had 24 bottles in stock on Monday, and they were all sold by Thursday.”

Nodding appreciatively to an empty shelf reserved for bottles of Everclear that sell for $19.99 each, he shrugged and added, “It’s the way of the world right now, and we’re making a little money from it.”

Business was booming at the Herbarium, a marijuana dispensary in the 900 block of North La Brea Avenue, Los Angeles. With every purchase, the store was offering free delivery and a stylish black face mask that says, “Corona Free Herbarium.”

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