Mr Singh says his employees at the Punjabi Bazar, an Indian grocery store in the south-eastern Melbourne suburb of Cranbourne have to stack items on the shelves every 15 minutes before they are sold out again.
He said stockpiling has emerged as common a ‘symptom’ of the coronavirus as a fever or dry cough.
“I don’t understand why people are bulk buying these products. We have enough stock lying in the godowns. I can understand that some small stores may be running out of some items, but then you can always go elsewhere.
"Even Sikh gurudwaras are stocked up with dairy products and essential items like rice, wheat and oil. So why to panic?” said Mr Singh who owns three stores in the city.
Highlights
- The spread of coronavirus has brought with it panic-buying of food and essential household items
- Some local storeowners limit purchases of certain essential food items
- Store owners warn people against panic buying
An employee stacking wheat bags at the Punjabi Bazar store in Melbourne. Source: Supplied
'No return or refund'
Mr Singh added that every time a customer picks up a wheat bag that weighs more than 5kgs, he warns them that he would “neither refund nor return goods that have once been sold.”
“People will go and store these products in their garages. They will rot there in humidity and heat and eventually get infested with pests and they will come running to us to return, complaining they were infested,” said Mr Singh.
A picture of a car boot laden with eatables and essential household items. Source: Supplied
"Hiding" toilet paper and "rationing" essential items
Kulwant Singh, who owns the independently run Foodworks in Raymond Terrace, a town north of Sydney in New South Wales has resorted to rationing important household items that are currently in high demand.
He said he has resorted to keeping the toilet paper rolls hidden in the back and has instructed his staffers to limit two packets per family and save it for “locals and regulars” who frequent the shop.
“We are following what every big supermarket is doing to ensure every customer has access to the products, particularly locals and elderly in Raymond Terrace who remain our top priority,” said Mr Singh.
He added that "we are capping certain items to ensure more people get access to essentials, particularly in towns away from the cities.
“Stay calm If you don’t get it in one shop, you will find it in another,” he added.
'Items like wheat, lentils and rice are vanishing'
Saurav another store owner from north Melbourne claimed he doesn’t even have time to breathe.
“People have been calling us non-stop. They have been queuing outside the shop since 7 am in the morning. Wheat, pulses, oil are flying off the shelves.
“We’re not even getting time to replace items on the shelves,” he added.
Saurav, however, cautioned that one must not act “selfishly” in the wake of the crisis.
Local store owners enforce limit on selected products to discourage panic buyers. Source: Supplied
“If you panic buy, others will also start doing the same and it would trigger a chain reaction. Stay put and follow health precautions. If you want to buy, stick to buying essentials in limited quantities to ensure more people have access to the products,” he said.
