Costco and its kin are often wonderful places to save money on certain purchases if one doesn't mind dealing with the teeming crowds at some stores. But when those already crowded stores are overrun with a superabundance of panic-ridden people purchasing items driven by fears of contracting a global virus, one might conclude that being in such a mob of people would ironically and dramatically increase one's exposure to a communicable virus.
“Panic buying is a self-fulfilling prophecy," says Karan Girotra, professor of operations at Cornell University. "If everyone thinks things are going to run out, they go and buy out things and they do run out.”
FWIW, concerning the dearth of hand sanitizer--- Rubbing alcohol, which can be purchased for practically nothing, is apparently just as effective in protecting against germs as the more expensive hand sanitizers, though it is not as conveniently applied to hands, etc.
