Retailers are putting purchase limits on these items as coronavirus pandemic surges

Months after retailers implemented purchase limits on household items, some are reinstating them in an effort to prevent shortages caused by stockpiling.

Items such as toilet paper and some cleaning supplies became next to impossible to find at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic in March.

Cases are surging again — the U.S. added a record 195,000 cases on Friday, per data from Johns Hopkins University — and retailers are once again limiting purchases to prevent shortages on popular items.

While experts say they are seeing some shortages among unsurprising products — toilet paper, paper towels and disinfectant wipes — they say it’s likely due to stockpiling as opposed to issues with the supply chain, ABC News reported.

“(Shoppers) say that they won’t get caught without what they need again,” Chris Mentzer, the director of operations for Rastelli Market Fresh in New Jersey, told Today. “To compound the shortages, the customers that weren’t buying before are now buying extra, so the shortages are starting to impact stock levels.”

While Clorox has said it will likely still be working to meet demand for disinfectant wipes and other highly sought-after items well into the new year, retailers say they’re hoping to use purchase limits to stave off shortages on other items caused by stockpiling.

“What we are trying to do is to make sure that we don’t have hoarding,” Scott McClelland, president of H-E-B Food and Drug, told NBC News. “One of the things that we found in particular with the recent run on paper goods is that we want to be able to spread it as far as we can, amongst as many shoppers as possible.”

The Texas grocery chain has limited purchases on a handful of cleaning supplies, including disinfecting and antibacterial sprays (two per person) and wipes (four per person), as well as hydrogen peroxide, rubbing alcohol and gloves used for first aid and cleaning — all at two per person, the company said.

It’s also limiting purchases on food items such as brisket and frozen chitterlings to two per person.

Kroger, a grocery chain with stores in 35 states, has “proactively and temporarily set purchase limits to two per customer” for toilet paper, McClatchy News reported.

It’s also limiting purchases of paper towels, disinfecting wipes and soap to two per customer, according to the report.

Similarly, East Coast supermarket chain Tops Friendly Market is putting caps on household paper and cleaning goods as well as on trash bags, freezer bags, peanut butter, oatmeal and microwave popcorn, among others, the company said.

Wegmans — which has locations in seven states along the East Coast — is also capping purchases on paper and cleaning goods, extending its limits to napkins, facial tissues and disposable paper plates, the company said.

Midwest grocery chain Meijer — which has locations in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Illinois and Wisconsin — is capping the sale of some alcohol through the holidays, WEYI reported.

The purchase limit only applies to spirits — two per item — and beer and wine are excluded, according to the outlet.

While Walmart hasn’t reinstated in-store purchase limits, it has put quantity limits on some items when they’re purchased online, including eggs, water and milk, the company said.

The retailer said it’s seeing increased demand on other items, as well.

“We still see some stress in things like jelly, bacon and breakfast foods,” Walmart U.S. President and CEO John Furner said Tuesday in a quarterly earnings call, NBC News reported. “Where we have the most strain at the present time would be bath tissue and cleaning supplies.”

The holiday season is adding to product stress, and some retailers say they’re concerned about keeping spices and stuffing in stock.

“We’re nervous about spices and we’re nervous about stuffing,” McClelland told NBC. “So, I urge everyone that if you’re going to host a Thanksgiving feast, you might want to go to the store sooner rather than later.” He added that if you can’t get everything on your shopping list, “you can come back again next week because the supply chain will continue to bring products in.”

This story was originally published November 22, 2020 at 11:38 AM with the headline "Retailers are putting purchase limits on these items as coronavirus pandemic surges."