H1N1Y Viris

I'm lucky to be in an industry that has connections. Hand sanitizer was all the rage just a few months ago. Everyone's supplies were gone and shelves were empty. Wal-Mart and Target were hit hard after the first scare. Even the dollar stores fell victim to the empty shelf syndrome. The smart ones searched and found the anti-bacterial wipes in the baby section(felt sorry for the people that might actually need them). Our shelves too were empty, but the soap was plentiful. In this quick society it didn't surprise me that healthy hand washing was being replaced with today's quick fix of 99.9% active squirt.

After the first scare wave, the industry decided to apply typical business practices of supply and demand: not only did they increase the pricing but began rationing. It was as if there were some military expert in charge. It looked like hand sanitizer was going to become the next black market item. One of our wholesalers even sent out memos declaring that businesses would only be allotted a similar amount this season according to their purchases last year...which means that the bigger accounts would get first dibs.

This next wave has been different, which means the general populous as a whole has learned not to fear as much. The news is covering it the same, the pandemic is "here" and people are still standing in line to get the vaccine. The difference this time is that the sanitizer is still there on store shelves. Sam's still had a big ole pallet full of their brand. Target was low on their store brand but the others were still decently stocked. And if you have a baby, Wal-Mart has plenty of items for you. Maybe the people learned not to be scared, or maybe they already had plenty stocked up from the initial scare. But what is funny is that soap sales are down.