MANILA — The Philippine Amalgamated Supermarkets Association (Pagasa) is proposing to limit the retail sale of personal hygiene products per customer, as panic buying is now observed amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) outbreak.
In its proposed protocol on supermarket and groceries operations dated March 11, the group eyes to “set a limit to the number of face masks, bottles of alcohol/hand sanitizers, packs of sanitary wipes or bars/bottles of hand/liquid soap” to avoid running out of stock of these products in stores.
“By limiting the sale of these items to our customers, we allow as many households to avail these products,” it said.
Pagasa is looking at selling only up to two bottles of alcohol per customer.
It also recommended to all its members to expand the brands of alcohol on their shelves.
“When our regular suppliers cannot deliver to us the purchase volumes, we are demanding from them, better to have any brand of rubbing alcohol or face masks or hand sanitizer than none at all to allay the fear of customers that stocks are running out,” it added.
The group likewise reminded its members to be wary of customers buying hygiene products in bulk to sell, to give away to charity, or to distribute to colleagues at work, as supplies in supermarkets are only good for individual end-users.
It advised bulk buyers to purchase these products from distributors or wholesalers who can sell these products in higher volume.
“Let us explain that the few who can afford to stock up on personal hygiene products will soon have to go out into the real world and face the majority who have not used (or can afford to use) these products, and these people they face may have contracted Covid-19 because they did not have access to products which help them from the virus,” Pagasa added.
Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez has advised consumers not to resort to panic buying as there are enough stocks of personal hygiene products in the local market.
“We advised consumers not to panic buy; so many stocks in the country. Many areas in China [are] getting back to normal, so less pressure on having supply chain disruptions,” Lopez said in a text message to reporters.
As soon as the Department of Health announced more confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the country early this week, it was reported that stocks of personal hygiene products ran out in supermarkets as customers bought these products in bulk. (PNA)
