Grand Strand shoppers ‘panicking more than shopping’ amid port strike

SURFSIDE BEACH, S.C. (WBTW) — The ongoing port strike has some people on the Grand Strand thinking they need to stock up on paper products and other items.

A News13 reporter visited three grocery stores on the Grand Strand on Thursday. All three were quickly running out of toilet paper and paper towels after people have been trying to buy as much as possible to stock up.

“We have been monitoring and preparing for this situation and continue to be in close dialogue with our vendors and suppliers, including local suppliers, to ensure our stores are stocked and ready to serve our neighbors,” a Food Lion spokesperson told News13. “While it is too early to speculate on the long-term impact to our supply chain if the strike is prolonged, at this time, we expect minimal impact.”

Publix said their paper products are made in the U.S. and aren’t impacted by the port strike. They said in order to prevent shortages, customers should only buy what they need right now.

“Our manufacturing and distribution teams are working around the clock to make, load and deliver product to our stores,” a Publix spokesperson said. “Stores are receiving deliveries, but product availability may vary by store depending on a number of factors, including accessibility by our distribution network.”

Peter Pecora, a Surfside Beach resident and frequent Walmart shopper, couldn’t find what he was looking for Thursday.

“The good part is that a lot of people are buying the supplies to send to those who are more in need in North Carolina and Georgia,” Pecora said. “But the bad part is there’s also a lot of the panic shopping going on to the point when there’s only three packages of the last box of toilet paper, and they had tissues, paper towels going rapidly as well.”

A few Walmart employees also said customers were taking everything off the shelves on Wednesday, while some would stand and wait for them to be restocked. They said there’s no need for that because their stock is already in the U.S., and everything is still arriving on time.

“Supply is bad to begin with, but the supply chain is now being threatened,” Pecora said. “So people are just panicking, more than shopping.”

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Carly Knowlton is a multimedia journalist at News13. She graduated from Penn State University in May 2024 and joined the News13 team in July 2024. Carly is from Delaware County, Pennsylvania. Follow Carly on Facebook , Instagram , and read more of her work here .

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