Panic buying in South Africa: Our six ‘most stockpiled’ items in March

More than half of South African shoppers have been impacted by the knock-on effects of panic buying over the last month, with an estimated 21 million people unable to purchase essential items during the coronavirus pandemic. That’s according to a new report, which shows just how devastating the impact of stockpiling can be on others.

Panic-buying leaves the rest of us in the lurch

Shelves have been raided since the first COVID-19 case was confirmed in South Africa, almost four weeks ago. Stores like Makro and Checkers were badly affected by panic buying, with several supermarkets issuing warnings to their patrons about the selfish behaviour.

As Finder have highlighted, one person’s stockpiling is another person’s misery:

How many people were unable to buy certain items in March:

1. Hand sanitizer or soap: 37%
2. Toilet paper: 21%
3. Fresh food: 20%
4. Medicine: 19%
5. Bathroom toiletries: 18%
6. Dry food, such as tinned good or non-perishables: 18%

Who is most affected by stockpiling?

The data is based one survey of more than 1 500 people. But if we apply this metric to the general South African population, it’s estimated that tens of millions of us have had to go without items we’ve intended to buy during our grocery runs over the course of March. Women and youngsters are the worst affected, it seems:

• South Africans aged 18-24 had the toughest time finding essentials, as 62% of them were unable to purchase desired items.
• About 59% of women were unable to find the goods they wanted, but only 54% of men struggled.
• In the Finder survey, only the Philippines reported a worse rate (58%) than South Africa.

“Lack of hand sanitizer in SA concerning” – report

Global editor-in-chief at Finder, Angus Kidman, said “a staggering number of South Africans” have been unable to buy what they were looking for – including hygiene products that are vital for keeping coronavirus at bay. This is what happens when we start panic buying – it ultimately makes a bad situation worse:

“The overall number of those unable to buy essential items is incredibly high at 56%. This is on par with the data from the United States (56%), but much higher than other countries like Ireland (47%) and Hong Kong (43%). The only country in the study reporting more shortgages than South Africa is the Philippines (58%).”

“It’s concerning that so many South Africans are unable to buy hand sanitizer or soap given hand cleanliness is so important to fighting the spread of coronavirus.”

Angus Kidman