Departmental stores and malls saw a surge in footfalls on Thursday. Consumers went on a buying spree purchasing what all they could.
It turned out to be panic buying with rumours on social media that the government will announce a nationwide lockdown in view of the COVID-19 threat. Many parents also received Whatsapp messages and calls from their children studying or working abroad on the situation in the respective countries, where they are staying.
They told them how they had purchased provisions to meet their needs for the next few months in view of the impending crisis. Some advised their parents to stock essentials in view of the virus spreading its tentacles across the globe. A family living at a residential colony, beside Marripalem Highway Road, bought provisions to suffice their needs for the next six months.
A popular department store, opposite the Seethammadhara Rythu Bazaar, was teeming with buyers on Thursday evening. The consumers were seen buying rice bags, toothpastes and other essential commodities, obviously to meet their needs for a couple of months.
M.N. Rao, a resident of Seethammadhara, was seen asking whether the store would be open on Friday. When asked the reason for panic buying, he quipped back: “Have you not seen on TV that malls and cinema theatres would be closed”?
Rush peaks
The rush was seen at big department stores at Resavanipalem, Siripuram, Marripalem, Muralinagar and other areas.
“Normally, we see this kind of rush during natural calamities. During normal times, we see a rush of buyers during the first week of the month. We have been witnessing rush for the past three, four days but today (Thursday), panic buying has peaked,” says the proprietor of Kashyap G. Narasimha Raju.
“The stock available with us is sufficient to meet the needs of consumers for a week. We have already placed for a lorry load of groceries from Vijayawada. The suppliers say they have sufficient stock and there is no immediate cause for alarm,” he said.
