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As we have seen numerous times already, this health crisis currently affecting the world has brought out the best, the worst, the humor, and the weird in people.
One of the issues that have brought out the worst in people is the hoarding of essential products that some people have been doing at the expense of everyone else. Items like toilet paper, hand sanitizer, bread, meat, and other foods have been flying off the shelves almost as fast as the stores can restock them.
Like I said, essential items.
Mountain Dew? Not essential.
But don’t go telling that to a couple who recently threw a fit in a Kroger when they told that they wouldn’t be allowed to purchase a whopping 552 cans of the Dew.
“What a liar!” the mohawk/mulleted man shouts at an employee in the video, then after loudly pleading his case, he tells the Kroger worker that she “is so rude.”
“I don’t understand how you have a job,” he adds before his wife throws a couple of – what are those, 36-packs? – on to the counter, kindly shaking up the cans inside for the next person who attempts to purchase them, before storming off in all their redneck glory.
It’s quite a scene, man.
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So… why or why do people behave like this, wanting to hoard everything they can lay their hands on, in a time of crisis? According to Bella DePaulo, PhD…
(1) It is self-perpetuating – you see other people doing it so you feel like you need to do it too, even if you aren’t sure why.
(2) Images posted online “show” just how scarce all these resources supposedly are, so you better stock up now!
(3) Perhaps most importantly, people who are stressed out by the current situation want to restore some sense of control in their lives and reduce any risks they may feel they’re facing such as, God forbid, running out of Mountain Dew.
“Grocery workers are on the frontlines, ensuring Americans have access to the food and products they need during this unprecedented pandemic,” said Rodney McMullen, Kroger’s chairman and CEO. “Our associates are working around the clock to keep our stores open for our customers. I am incredibly grateful for all they are doing. The true heroes in this story are our associates, and we want to provide them with additional resources and support to help them continue their remarkable effort.”
Something to keep in mind the next time who feel like pitching a fit over the grocery store being out of something really important, like Cheetos.