Where are the wipes?
Bare shelves
Barbara S. Miller/Observer-Reporter
Nary a wipe was in sight on these shelves at midday Thursday inside the Jefferson Court Plaza Shop ‘n Save, Washington.
Barbara Miller/Observer-Reporter
Where, oh where are the wipes? Once again, demand has outstripped the supply.
Barbara S. Miller/Observer-Reporter
Common items in the grocery cart or on the kitchen counter, disinfecting wipes can be hard to find.
Barbara S. Miller/Observer-Reporter
Shop ‘n Save doesn’t use the word “hoarding,” instead placing this cautionary message on empty shelves among bleach products about “stockpiling.”
First it was toilet paper. Then baking supplies, followed by canning supplies.
Also running short on supermarket shelves are disinfecting wipes, causing some who happen upon a restocking to snap them up, despite posted warnings on empty shelves not to hoard.
Here’s an example: One Westmoreland County resident regularly goes from store to store during morning shopping hours reserved for senior citizens and those at higher risk for complications if they contract the novel coronavirus.
His goal: to score antibacterial wipes and disinfectant spray. On a recent day, he lined up a veritable rainbow of brightly labeled tubs and lids in the hatch of his vehicle before whisking them indoors.
At this point, the man said, he has a supply of wipes and spray he hopes will carry him through January. He keeps shopping, though, not knowing how long the COVID-19 impact will continue and when disinfecting supplies will become more readily available.
Shortages occurring along the supply chain are a constant theme of the COVID-19 pandemic.
It was reported by many news organizations a few weeks ago that Clorox Co. executives said we’re likely to see shortages of their wipes until sometime in 2021.
David Kellis, director of global corporate communications for the Clorox Co., based in Oakland, Calif., responded via email to the Observer-Reporter’s phone inquiry about the availability of disinfecting wipes.
“We are producing and shipping more disinfecting wipes than we have before,” he wrote.
“Over the past six months, we’ve supplied 100 million more disinfecting products than we did in the same period last year, a 50% increase.
“We’re also shipping nearly one million packages of Clorox wipes to stores every day. As soon as they’re on shelf, people scoop them up. This is not surprising, given the continued worsening trends of COVID-19.
“In addition, there have been reports claiming Clorox wipes are made with polyester spunlace, which is used to make personal protective equipment. While many wipes in the industry may be made with this material, Clorox wipes are not.
“As a health and wellness company providing disinfecting products to support public health around the world, we take very seriously the role we play during this pandemic. That’s why we continue to push as hard as we can to expand production and expect continued improvement through summer of next year.
“We’re running our manufacturing facilities 24/7 and have added more than 10 new suppliers in the last few months to help maximize product output.”
In its list of frequently asked questions, the Lysol website lists, “Why can’t I find any Lysol products?” but doesn’t specifically address the dearth of disinfecting wipes.
Lysol’s answer is, “We are experiencing unprecedented and accelerated demand for our Lysol products, and this demand is clearly having an impact on store inventory levels.
“Our teams are actively working around the clock to increase production and delivery to our retailers, with the goal to maximize access to our products. As demand remains extraordinarily high, we recognize that it is difficult to locate products that you may be looking for,” and apologized to shoppers who find bare aisles.