Groceries

You Won't Believe Just How Long This Line Outside of Costco Is

Fear of the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a lot of Californians to make an excessive grocery haul.

By Cheyenne Buckingham March 17, 2020

a costco storefront on a cold bluebird winter day

Eat This, Not That! is constantly monitoring the latest food news as it relates to COVID-19 in order to keep you healthy, safe, and informed (and answer your most urgent questions). Here are the precautions you should be taking at the grocery store, the foods you should have on hand, the meal delivery services and restaurant chains offering takeout you need to know about, and ways you can help support those in need. We will continue to update these as new information develops. Click here for all of our COVID-19 coverage, and sign up for our newsletter to stay up-to-date.

As more and more people begin to understand the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic, they're hitting grocery stores and buying enough packaged foods (in bulk) to get themselves through a quarantine. A lot of these people are running specifically to Costco.

Just look at the line that formed outside of this particular Costco in Cypress, California.

We are so so fuckedpic.twitter.com/MagSsObcgl

— Sam Stein (@samstein) March 17, 2020

Here's what some others are saying about the insanely long line.

The Costco by me is limiting the amount of people they let into the store at one time.

— Lauren (@Laurenbh) March 17, 2020

Because… our supply chains are fine.

We're not in danger of running out of food nor other necessities. We just can't fill the shelves fast enough to handle the current surge in demand… but this surge isn't going to last forever… or even longer than a few days.

— Pé (@4everNeverTrump) March 17, 2020

The real issue at hand lies within the people who live in rural communities that don't have readily available access to groceries. Nonetheless, the nation is freaking out and everyone just needs to take a step back and relax.

On Monday, the CDC recommended that events with 50 or more people be cancelled for the next eight weeks. However, last night, President Trump announced that Americans should avoid any gatherings with 10 or more people.

In new White House guidance, President Trump recommends Americans avoid gatherings of 10+ people. pic.twitter.com/OwXhmgzDIq

— NBC News (@NBCNews) March 16, 2020

Right now it's critical that we stay calm and limit our time outdoors and practice social distancing. However, the objective of this quarantine is not to clean out grocery stores, which potentially robs others of resources. Instead of stockpiling food, try gathering two weeks' worth of groceries. For inspiration on what you could meal prep, Here's One Full Week of Easy Meals You Can Make at Home.

Cheyenne Buckingham

Cheyenne Buckingham is the news editor of Eat This, Not That!, specializing in food and drink coverage, and breaking down the science behind the latest health studies and information. Read more