As union members of the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) hit the picket lines to fight for fair wages and workplace practices, people in Hampton Roads are panic-buying.
"Get ready and be prepared for it. [Get] toiletries, groceries, and everything that your family needs," said one shopper.
Panic-buying is defined as suddenly purchasing too much food, fuel, or supplies because you are worried about something bad that may happen, which may mean that there is not enough food.
Shopper Elizabeth Erickson works for a fertility company. She said she has clients and friends who shared they are having a hard time finding baby formula.
"I've got co-workers who have 6-month-old babies; they need formula, and there's no formula on the shelves," said Erickson.
Erickson noticed a high volume of people at the store, which reminded her of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic shutdown.
"I hope that everyone can kind of come to an agreement, because people are being affected. I remember during the pandemic, the cost of everything, there's no paper products, and I'm just worried that it might happen again," said Erickson.
Across social media, people in Hampton Roads shared images of empty store shelves in various stores. However, Tidewater Community College Professor Emeritus of Business Administration Peter Shaw said there is no need to panic-buy.
"If you're going to stockpile, don't run out there like it's going to be a hurricane tomorrow morning and stockpile. I would only buy a marginal amount because I think it's going to be solved. The strike would be resolved quicker than we think," said Shaw.
Shaw said if a deal is not reached soon, then the price of groceries could rise.
"If we get this thing solved, say, within two weeks to no more than a month, very little impact to the consumer. We get past a month, and then it's new territory, and I think we could be facing price increases," said Shaw.