Empty shelves: In rush to disinfect, Fort Worth shoppers find some supplies elusive
On the black metal shelves at a Walmart just south of the Ryan Place neighborhood, boxes of soap bars were stocked deep Wednesday evening. A shopper could have all of the shampoo he wanted. But you were out of luck if it was hand sanitizer you sought.
At many stores in Fort Worth this week, the alcohol-based liquid and a collection of other cleaning products were elusive as coronavirus increased demand for them.
With their shopping carts at their side, West Fort Worth neighbors Cindy and Patty lingered outside a Target Thursday afternoon discussing the virus that has reshaped life across the world.
They had just been inside the Montgomery Plaza store off of 7th Street, where supplies like disinfectant wipes were prized merchandise.
Patty Sparks, in her 60s, said she was preparing like a resident of the Houston area might for a hurricane or an Eastcoaster girding for a blizzard. She was gathering items she would need if she had to stay home for a bit.
Sparks, who said that earlier she spent 45 minutes waiting to check out at Sams Club, was concerned she would not have everything she needed.
“I’m just being cautious,” she said.
Cindy, who declined to share her last name, thought the threat the virus presented was overblown in television and newspaper reporting that had fueled panic unnecessarily and was politically driven.
Coronavirus is not all that different from other illnesses, she said, and she would rather news media cover something else.
“It’s nonstop. There’s no escaping hearing about it,” she said.
On Wednesday, only a handful of disinfectant wipes remained on shelves at an Albertsons on Alton Road near Texas Christian University. At the Walmart on West Berry Street, not a single container of hand sanitizer was available.
Frequently touched surfaces should be disinfected daily, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendation. Tables, doorknobs, light switches, countertops, handles, desks, phones, keyboards, toilets, faucets and sinks should get this treatment.
Most common EPA-registered household disinfectants will work to disinfect, according to the CDC.
Jerry Murad Jr., 54, walked from a Target Wednesday with a container of bleach. He was running low at home.
He said he has enough hand sanitizer for now.
But down the road?
Murad had come to the store in search of rubbing alcohol, which he thought he could mix with water to make a sanitizer.
He found none. Maybe rubbing alcohol would arrive in a delivery later in the week, he was told by a store employee.
“To walk into a store and see empty shelves like that, it’s a little disconcerting,” Murad said.
“I’m going to run up to a drug store and see if they have it,” he said.
This story was originally published March 12, 2020 at 7:05 PM.
