The Port Strike Does Not Mean You Need To Start Hoarding At Costco

Here we are on day three of the historic dockworker strike that has shut down ports all up and down the East Coast and through to Texas, and already the panic buying is starting to kick in. But instead of stocking up on the items most likely to be affected by the International Longshoremen's Association strike, including bananas and other perishables, people are flashing back to the dark days of Covid and hoarding toilet paper and paper towels at Costco, among other stores. But there is absolutely no reason to do this.

More than 90% of the United States' toilet paper supply is domestic, meaning it mostly gets shipped around over land by trains and trucks. What isn't domestic comes from Canada and Mexico — again, not by boat. In fact, the port strike could even see increased toilet paper supply because we can't export our extras. However, this doesn't mean it's a bad idea to stock up on some supplies in moderation.

Hoarding can hurt the people around you by artificially worsening available supplies, and it hurts yourself just as much because it forces you to overspend, plus it takes up space and, if you hoard perishables, you could watch your money rot before your eyes. Instead, focus only on the items you feel you truly can't live without, and only buy what you know you won't waste. 

If you're stocking up on perishables, for example, ask yourself how much of it you could eat every day before you never want to eat it again, and buy half that. Using bananas as an example, ask yourself if you could really eat a banana every single day for months. No? Then just buy 10 and stick them in the freezer.

For non-perishables, ask instead how quickly you'll really go through them. If one big bag of sugar, another potentially affected item, normally lasts you a year, why would you buy two? Or five? For another example, consider Costco's stock of whisky (imported booze will also be impacted by the strike). If it takes you about a month to go through one bottle, consider buying up to three instead of a case meant for stocking the most popular bar in town. So, once more for the people in the back: Do not panic buy. Do not hoard.