Grocery stores cleaned out of most disinfecting, hand sanitizing products

Published 6:04 pm Thursday, March 12, 2020

If you’re looking for any hand sanitizer products, good luck. If you’re looking for disinfecting wipes, good luck.

In recent days, shoppers looking to stock up on those products — and others, especially toilet paper — have wiped out the shelves and inventory from local grocery stores.

“First it was the hand sanitizers, then the Clorox spray and then Lysol. Now it seems to be toilet paper and paper products in case they get quarantined,” Corner Market assistant manager Jerry Stuckey said.

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The reaction by customers is due to the increasing threat posed by the coronavirus that swept through China earlier this year and has seen cases within the United States climb above 1,300 as of Thursday afternoon. Wednesday, officials with the Mississippi State Department of Health announced the first reported case of the virus in Mississippi.

That case involved a man in the Hattiesburg area who had recently traveled to Florida.

Cynthia Morgan, owner of Morgan’s, said Thursday their store had also sold out of disinfecting products, such as Clorox Wipes, and hand sanitizer products.

She said someone associated with a local nursing home had come to the store earlier this week and purchased all the products the store had in stock. Those items, she said, are now on backorder.

Larry Ferguson, manager of Sullivan’s Grocery, said they too have seen a run on those products but still had some cleaners and had toilet paper in stock — which has for some reason become a commodity.

Walmart no longer had toilet paper available through its curbside pick up program Thursday.

“The number one thing that is going now is the toilet paper, Shareena Ellis with Kroger said.

She said the store was also out of any kind of sanitizing products.

About Terri Cowart Frazier

Terri Frazier was born in Cleveland. Shortly afterward, the family moved to Vicksburg. She is a part-time reporter at The Vicksburg Post and is the editor of the Vicksburg Living Magazine, which has been awarded First Place by the Mississippi Press Association. She has also been the recipient of a First Place award in the MPA’s Better Newspaper Contest’s editorial division for the “Best Feature Story.”

Terri graduated from Warren Central High School and Mississippi State University where she received a bachelor’s degree in communications with an emphasis in public relations.

Prior to coming to work at The Post a little more than 10 years ago, she did some freelancing at the Jackson Free Press. But for most of her life, she enjoyed being a full-time stay at home mom.

Terri is a member of the Crawford Street United Methodist Church. She is a lifetime member of the Vicksburg Junior Auxiliary and is a past member of the Sampler Antique Club and Town and Country Garden Club. She is married to Dr. Walter Frazier.

“From staying informed with local governmental issues to hearing the stories of its people, a hometown newspaper is vital to a community. I have felt privileged to be part of a dedicated team at The Post throughout my tenure and hope that with theirs and with local support, I will be able to continue to grow and hone in on my skills as I help share the stories in Vicksburg. When asked what I like most about my job, my answer is always ‘the people.’

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