Emotions are running high as many people are having trouble finding supplies during the coronavirus outbreak.
And while toilet paper has been nearly impossible to locate due to hoarding, other goods like diapers can be especially frustrating for parents trying to take care of their babies’ basic necessities.
One mom voiced her devastation of not being able to locate any diapers while on a trip to Walmart and has since become a viral sensation.
Lauren Whitney, a mother of four from Utah, posted the emotional TikTok video which has since been shared over 5 million times.
"To all you crazy people buying out all the diapers, how am I supposed to," she said while becoming overcome with tears. "How am I supposed to diaper my child if I can't afford to buy 20 at a time like you can?"
After becoming a social media sensation, Whitney further explained what led her to breakdown inside the store.
"So basically I've just had like a really rough week," Whitney told "Today." "I was demoted at work for a really stupid reason, and it just kinda created stress. I went to a few other stores first. I ended up at Walmart and I was just looking for diapers...and there was just none in her size anywhere. And I think it was the straw that broke the camel's back for the week. And my emotions kind of bubbled up and I was like, 'Somebody needs to hear this.'"
Whitney acknowledged her situation isn’t unique and that’s why she thinks so many could relate with her reaction.
"There's so many people out there like myself that we, we don't get paid very much," she added. "So, you know, we're low income families and so it's hard for us to be able to just go out and buy a large amount of things at one time."
While people have been raiding shelves of necessary items like hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes that can actually keep you safe from the coronavirus, the phenomenon of stocking up on non-essential products like diapers has to do with a scarcity mentality.
Steven Taylor, a professor and clinical psychologist who wrote “The Psychology of Pandemics,” told CNN “when people are told something dangerous is coming, but all you need to do is wash your hands, the action doesn’t seem proportionate to the threat.”
Upon seeing people stocking up on things like toilet paper, a scarcity mentality kicks in for others, eventually snowballing into a real scarcity.
In buying more toilet paper (or diapers) than usual because of a perceived run on it, consumers have created an actual run on a product that, while necessary, is not directly related to the coronavirus and will not decrease their likelihood of getting sick.
LISTEN NOW on the RADIO.COM App
Follow RADIO.COM
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
