US port strike triggered panic buying of food More items will go on sale across the country this week, according to social media trends.
Longshoremen who formed a union The International Longshoremen's Association went on strike They are fighting for higher wages after their contract with the U.S. Maritime Alliance expired Monday night.
The strike was called off after workers reached a tentative agreement for a 62% wage increase, but some containers of food and other goods were blocked from entering the country, leaving some Americans with a limited shopping experience. I started using TikTok to record things.
TikTok user @nicolewilliams559 said, “Panic buying has begun in Virginia amid port closures.” I took a photo of the long line At her local grocery store. “BJ's Wholesale is almost out of toilet paper and water as of 10 a.m.”
Baltimore restaurant owner says port strike is already impacting business: 'It really hurts'
Harold Daggett, president of the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) Center, speaks to picketers outside the APM Container Terminal at the Port of Newark on Tuesday, October 1, 2024 in Newark, New Jersey, USA. For the first time in nearly 50 years, strikes have been carried out at all major ports on the eastern and Gulf coasts of the United States, sending ripples across the world's largest economy and potentially causing political turmoil weeks before the presidential election. (Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“Please stop. Please stop,” said another. User, @victoria.ajl I wrote. “There's another 100 people in line for paper towels.”
TikTok user @txblondie2024 She took a video of a local store running out of toilet paper and paper towels.
“Don't panic just because the ports are closed,” she told her followers, “because imagine what people did here. They ran out of toilet paper and… We're out of paper towels. Do you know why? People are panicking. Guess what? ? Made in the USA, shipped within the US. ”
Kylie TikTok momtook to the stage to share her experience of visiting multiple stores to find the right formula for her baby.
“I didn’t think anything about the port strike,” she said. “I knew it would affect me, but not to this degree.”
Another mother on TikTok said similar parents are crying because they don't have enough formula for their children because of stockpiling.
“Moms, I know you're stressed out because of the lack of baby formula, but you also need to be considerate of others,” TikTok user @ said.dpags1234 I begged. “We, as mothers, should support other mothers. I see mothers buying over 20 cans of formula, even though shops have set limits on the purchase of formula. If you are buying more than 20 cans, there will be nothing left for us mothers.”
Other users recorded how they went to the grocery store to stock up, fearing potential food shortages.
Fox News Digital spoke with Ken Mahoney, president of Mahoney Asset Management, who explained the phenomenon of panic buying.
“It seems like there's almost a phenomenon in grocery stores where the shelves remain full, even if those things aren't being bought. So people don't panic and think there's something. Let's start. shortage,” he explained.
“In this case, the shelves may not actually be full due to shortages, so people may be thinking only of themselves and stocking up on large quantities of items (that they may not even need) just in case. “There is a gender,” he continued. “Once an idea pops into people's heads, there is or will be a shortage, and then irrational behavior, such as buying up bananas at the grocery store, may begin.”
While many are very worried, Oxygen Financial co-founder and CEO Ted Jenkin told Fox News Digital that Americans don't need to hit the panic button just yet. spoke.
“When it comes to everyday necessities, Americans don't have to hit the panic button from day one,” he explained, “but when a strike lasts a few weeks, or lasts 30 days, people are worried about the price of seafood, alcohol, bananas. prices could rise significantly, and cell phones, computers, and auto parts would also be at risk of supply.
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Top Shot – Longshoremen gather at the Bayport Container Terminal in Seabrook, Texas, October 1, 2024 (Photo: Mark Felix/AFP) (Photo: MARK FELIX/AFP via Getty Images) (Mark Felix/AFP via Getty Images)
Jenkin explained that most holiday items have already been shipped from overseas as some retailers “stocked up in anticipation of this potential strike.”
“Some companies have already moved container shipments to West Coast ports, and while there should be no negative impact on the supply chain for the holiday season, consumers may see slightly higher prices due to higher shipping costs,” he said. “There is,” he said.
