NEW YORK (PIX11) – Since the start of the dockworkers’ strike on Tuesday, wholesale stores like BJ’s and Costco have seen a rush of customers.
Video from PIX11’s Dan Mannarino shows a long line of shoppers outside of a Costco in northern New Jersey on Thursday morning.
“We were really trying to get toilet paper, but there’s none,” one Costco member told PIX11 News. “As we were coming, people were leaving with seven or eight [toilet paper packages] in their carts. They said come back tomorrow.”
The stockpiling comes despite Gov. Kathy Hochul’s warning against doing so. On Monday, the governor assured that the state is working to ensure that critical goods like food and medical supplies will remain available.
“We don’t anticipate shortages of essential goods anytime soon so for example people do not need to rush out to the grocery stores and stockpile goods like they did during the pandemic,” Hochul said.
The Department of Homeland Security has also been coordinating with state agencies to prepare for any potential shortages and will mobilize state stockpiles if needed.
Dominique Jack is a digital content producer from Brooklyn with more than five years of experience covering news. She joined PIX11 in 2024. More of her work can be found here.
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