CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — As Corpus Christi residents prepare for potential inclement weather, local stores remain well-stocked as of this publication.
KRIS6 News visited three major retailers in the city to check inventory levels of commonly purchased items in preparation.
At Sam's Club, Walmart on Saratoga, and H-E-B on Saratoga, shelves were well-stocked with water bottles and toilet paper as of midday Thursday, though shoppers were noticeably filling their carts with these essentials at Sam's Club.
The phenomenon driving this behavior is called panic buying, according to Dr. Michelle Hollenbaugh, a counseling professor at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.
"Panic buying is when people buy out of anxiety. So they're experiencing anxiety, they're feeling panic and then they go purchase things," Dr. Hollenbaugh said.
The psychology behind panic buying stems from factors like the desire for control and herd mentality, Dr. Hollenbaugh explained.
"One of it is control right? We can't control the weather but we can control our pantry, so that's one thing people want to control. The other thing is herd mentality. People see other people doing it. Everyone is doing it so I should be doing it too," she said.
Research published by the National Institute of Health indicates that COVID-19 and social media amplified panic buying behaviors. Dr. Hollenbaugh agreed with these findings.
"It amplified panic-buying to a different level. It was because of so many issues in the supply chain. People went so long without being able to find the things that they wanted," she said.
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