Coronavirus fears spark ‘panic buying’ at Houston-area retailers

The shelves of canned goods were picked over at a H-E-B in Cypress on Monday, March 2, 2020, as consumers rushed to buy household staples amid rising cases of the coronavirus. The shelves of canned goods were picked over at a H-E-B in Cypress on Monday, March 2, 2020, as consumers rushed to buy household staples amid rising cases of the coronavirus. Photo: Paul Takahashi Photo: Paul Takahashi Image 1 of / 9 Caption Close Coronavirus fears spark ‘panic buying’ at Houston-area retailers 1 / 9 Back to Gallery

Nonperishable food, water and other household staples are flying off store shelves as the rising number of coronavirus cases in the U.S. has sparked so-called “panic buying” across the Houston area.

Although there are no confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Houston, some local consumers are going on shopping sprees, stockpiling canned food, bottled water and toilet paper in anticipation of potential quarantines and supply chain disruptions caused by the novel coronavirus. Long lines and empty shelves were reported at supermarkets, wholesale and big-box stores across the region.

"We have seen an uptick in sales of sanitizing products and non-perishables as customers plan for any unexpected stay-at-home events," Lisa Helfman, H-E-B's public affairs director, said in an email. "Our customers are our top priority and we are here to assist shoppers prepare for any situation. As with any increase in demand for products, H-E-B adjusts its inventory to fulfill the need."

The run on some household products has forced some retailers to put caps on customer purchases. H-E-B and Kroger limited the sale of hand sanitizers and disinfectant wipes to four and five per customer, respectively. N95 face masks, in particular, have been in short supply for weeks, prompting Home Depot, the nation’s largest home improvement retailer, to curb purchases to 10 masks per customer.

RELATED: Houston-area retailers struggle to keep face masks in stock amid coronavirus 'pandemonium'

Demand for face masks, cleaning supplies and nonperishable food is expected to grow after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week urged Americans to start preparing for a possible major outbreak in the U.S. The novel coronavirus, which can cause a respiratory disease called COVID-19, has infected more than 92,100 people in at least 71 countries, including 104 people in the U.S. Eleven cases have been reported in Texas; none in Houston.

At a H-E-B store in Cypress Monday night, shelves usually full of instant ramen noodles, cleaning supplies and toilet paper were empty while aisles of cereal, canned goods and dry pasta were well picked over. Employees were working quickly to replenish stocks.

Elizabeth Phan and her 19-year-old son, Ryan, pushed two shopping carts full of 300 bottles of water, pasta and other household supplies. The Cypress residents said they weren’t really worried about the coronavirus, but said they ventured out along with many of their neighbors because they heard stores were running low on supplies.

“I think coronavirus is overrated,” Phan said. “More people die from the flu. But it’s better safe than sorry.”