NORFOLK, Va. — As union members of the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) hit the picket lines to fight for fair wages and workplace practices, shutting down ports up and down the East coast, people in Hampton Roads are panic-buying.
Panic-buying is defined as suddenly purchasing too much food, fuel, or supplies because you are worried about something bad that may happen.
That's what shoppers told 13News Now they were seeing in local grocery stories on Tuesday — an influx of people shopping, and many waiting in long lines to purchase the goods they appeared to be stockpiling.
"Get ready and be prepared for it. [Get] toiletries, groceries, and everything that your family needs," one shopper told 13News Now.
Another shopper, Elizabeth Ericksonm works for a fertility company. She said she has clients and friends who shared they are having a hard time finding baby formula locally.
"I've got coworkers who have 6-month-old babies; they need formula, and there's no formula on the shelves," Erickson said.
Erickson said there was a ton of people at the Harris Teeter in Norfolk Tuesday night, which reminded her of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic shutdown and the supply chain issues then.
"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," she said.
On social media, people across Hampton Roads were sharing images of empty shelves in various stores.
However, Tidewater Community College Professor Emeritus of Business Administration Peter Shaw said there is no need to panic-buy, due to the port shutdowns.
"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 could be resolved quicker than we think," Shaw said.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has also said that in the short-term consumers in Hampton Roads and nationwide should not see any significant changes to food availability or prices. That is owing to the fact that many retailers stocked up on goods ahead of time, including groceries and holiday gift items.
However, 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," Shaw said.
If the strike lasts longer than a month, according to trade overview reports available on each East Coast port's website, some of the top imports that could be affected are pharmaceuticals, electronics, cars and auto parts, machinery parts, alcohol and groceries, such as seafood, cherries, cocoa, sugar, and bananas.
The ports affected by the strike handle 3.8 million metric tons of bananas each year, or 75% of the nation’s supply, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation.