People form a long line to buy facial masks at a drugstore in Saitama’s Omiya Ward on March 6. (Naoko Kawamura)

Drugstore workers nationwide are living in fear, not from possible infection of the spreading novel coronavirus but from panic-buying customers who grow enraged when their desired products are sold out.

“I feel depressed as soon as I see a long line form in front of the store before opening,” said a woman in her 30s who has worked at a drugstore in Tochigi Prefecture for more than 15 years. "My stomach hurts.”

Shortages of face masks and sanitary products at retail outlets due to the COVID-19 outbreak have sent many customers over the edge, and they are taking their frustrations out on store clerks.

Staff members have increasingly become the targets of insults, harassment and veiled threats.

Some customers refuse to adhere to the purchase limits set by stores. Others have resorted to disguises to gain more than their fair share of masks and toilet paper.

The unruly behavior related to the coronavirus outbreak has even raised the eyebrows of experts in psychology.

‘GIVE ME A DISCOUNT’

Around the end of January, when COVID-19 cases in Japan began making headlines, sales of face masks immediately took off.

At first, the worker in Tochigi felt that her job was worthwhile when the stocked items flew off the shelves.

But the speed of the mask sales exceeded all expectations. And then came rumors that hand sanitizers and paper products, including toilet paper, would soon run out.

Her drugstore was forced to limit purchases to one package of masks per family and one package of toilet paper or tissue paper per person.

However, many customers refuse to obey the rules.

Some have bought the limited items, paid the cashier, loaded the products in their cars or bikes, and then immediately rejoined the line for additional purchases.

When the store manager emphasized the purchase limit, one customer fired back: “You won’t let me buy two? Then give me a discount tomorrow.”

On a different day, the worker found herself on the receiving end of a snide remark from a customer who was apparently unable to buy masks: “You employees here sure are lucky to be wearing masks, aren’t you?”

Even regular customers have started acting differently toward her.

An elderly woman, who used to be friendly and would engage in small chat at the store, refused to follow the store’s purchase limit on feminine hygiene products.

She demanded the employee ring up the products.

“The store manager told me it’s OK,” she claimed.

Such scenes have made the worker feel that “the shop I have watched over for years is crumbling down.”

The drugstore staff had to deal with an earlier shortage of masks after Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) hit Japan in 2015.

Back then, she served many customers who were looking for the scarce masks. Even if they left empty-handed, they told her, “Thank you,” she recalled.

But now, just the sight of a panic-buying crowd with bloodshot eyes makes her wince.

“More than anything, it pains me to see an item is out of stock so a customer who really needs it can’t get it,” she said.

She had just talked to a regular customer in her 60s who wanted to buy antiseptic cottons for her sick husband. The employee had to tell the woman that the cottons were already sold out.

‘INVISIBLE VIRUS DOESN’T SCARE ME’

The verbal abuse and rude behavior toward drugstore staff have become so intense and rampant that some workers are falling sick.

At a drugstore in Shiga Prefecture, a female employee in her 30s warned a woman to obey the store’s purchase limit on toilet paper.

The shopper got angry and sputtered: “You aren’t cut out for retail work.”

After being showered with harsh words and insults every day, the worker lost her appetite and became ill.

“I apologize dozens of times a day, and it makes me feel sick to my heart,” she said. “The novel coronavirus doesn’t care if you are a customer or an employee. We are worried in the same way that customers are.”

Some shoppers have disguised themselves by tying their hair up or wearing sunglasses to bypass a “one pack per person” limit on masks at a drugstore in Hyogo Prefecture.

A male employee reproached one such cheater, who snapped back, “I know you will gladly sell them to Chinese who brought in the coronavirus.”

Anecdotes, frustrations and complaints about crass customers have been shared on Twitter.

“A customer who used to be very kind now goes off on me,” one tweeter said.

“An invisible virus doesn’t scare me, but the customers I can see do,” another tweeted.

Some posts have been retweeted more than 300,000 times.

An official at the headquarters of a major drugstore chain said such chaos was “expected to some extent in the current situation.”

The company has received direct complaints from customers, most of them unhappy because the purchase limits seem to be different from store to store.

The official said the company ensures every store in the chain executes the same policy regarding sales of masks and other items.

As for dealing with ill-mannered customers, the stores are instructed to respond in a proper and polite manner.

But if the situation spirals out of control with acts of intimidation, the stores are told to immediately call the police.

“There is no need for staff to respond to unreasonable demands,” the official said. “The company will support the stores and workers at any cost.”

WAITING FOR MASKS FROM CHINA

Manufacturers of facial masks have ramped up production, but they have been unable to keep up with demand.

One company, Sendai-based Iris Ohyama Inc., makes masks at factories in China. The finished products are shipped to Japan and then delivered to retailers, such as drugstores, from distribution sites nationwide.

The company said the factories in China have remained open seven days a week to deal with the increasing demand for masks due to the COVID-19 spread.

Iris Ohyama’s current shipment volume has reached five times the normal amount, but it is still not enough to fill all the orders from retailers.

Other domestic manufacturers have worked around the clock to keep up with the demand, according to the health ministry and the economy ministry.

Many of them have production bases in China, and shipments of masks from the country have increased since mid-February.

The ministries expect more than 600 million masks will be made available in March.

ALL EYES ON MYSTERY BOXES

Despite the government’s expectations, long lines continue to form at drugstores.

But in one incident at a drugstore in Kobe on March 6, employees received compliments, cheers rang out, and a sense of solidarity on fighting the contagion was formed. At least for a short while.

More than 60 people were already in line at 9:20 a.m., 40 minutes before the store opened.

They stared longingly when a courier arrived and piled up cardboard boxes in front of the store. It was clear what was on their minds: “Any masks inside?”

A male employee told the people in line, “We won’t know if masks are inside until we open all of the boxes. Even if there are no masks, please don’t complain.”

Two women at the front of the line, who had arrived at the store at 9 a.m., decided to do a little detective work.

“I see one of the boxes has a brand name for masks written on the outside,” one of them said. “So, it’s possible. That’s all I know.”

Ten minutes before the store opened, a female employee shouted out, “We’ve got masks.”

But she continued: “Only one per person, please. We don’t know if we’ve got enough to go around for the people in the back of the line.”

Another staff member with a box-cutter opened a box and hit the face-mask jackpot.

Customers in line cheered: “You must be working hard. Please hang in there.”

The worker gave a shout-out to the customers, too, saying: “Hopefully things will go back to normal around next week. Let’s keep trying to overcome this together.”

When the clock struck 10 a.m., the female employee again addressed the line: “We’ll give them out by hand. They are all regular-priced. We aren’t selling them bundled with other items like some stores do.”

Passers-by who overheard the worker joined the line. Soon, there were so many people lined up that they were blocking the entrances to other stores.

A security guard walked over to the drugstore staff and gave them a warning. The employees replied in confusion, “What should we do now?”

Within 20 minutes of the store’s opening, all of the masks were gone.

But the line remained undissolved.

Store workers walked over to the obviously disappointed people and said, “We don’t know when they come in next time.”

ADVICE FROM BEHAVIOR EXPERTS

The actions of panicky customers have also raised concerns among experts on consumer psychology.

Satoru Enkawa, a former Osaka prefectural police officer, said consumers are frustrated about the situation itself, not the people working at drugstores.

“I don’t want the employees to take such complaints seriously and force themselves into a corner,” Enkawa said.

He said that the best way for staff to handle a panicky situation is to show understanding for the customers’ uneasy feelings and offer kind words.

“The employers in the meantime need to make an effort to prevent their employees from feeling isolated in such situations,” Enkawa said. “Staff have been under tremendous stress, dealing with a sudden flood of customers. Companies should make manuals and rules to protect their employees and send a message that they are fully supported.”

Hiromi Ikeuchi, a sociology professor at Kansai University who studies consumer sentiments and complaints, points out that many drugstore employees have experienced “customer harassment” over the recent shortage of masks.

“Customers (who complain and are abusive) are frustrated that they can’t get an item that they used to buy all the time, and they develop a sense of deprivation,” she said. “They also feel stuck with no way out as the (outbreak) continues with no end in sight.”

Ikeuchi said that when items become scarce, some customers unnecessarily convince themselves that these products are invaluable, so they go to enormous lengths to stockpile them.

“This leads to a situation in which only those who can afford to spend a long time waiting in line can buy up all the items, making them even harder for others to obtain,” Ikeuchi said. “They feed on each other in a vicious cycle, and customers jostle with each other over the items.”

The professor also said the government should take action to remedy the situation.

“It needs to take measures immediately to make sure that people who need a particular item can get the item equally,” she said.