Shoppers have formed long queues at the Costco warehouse in Trafford Park, Greater Manchester, with trolleys piled with toilet roll and crates of bottled water, following the Government's advice for households to stockpile essentials.
A video shared on TikTok on Monday (October 26) shows queues stretching through the checkout area. Text overlaid on the clip reads: "Costco Trafford centre Manchester 11.58am today since the government announced everyone to get essentials wtf." The post's caption states: "Absolute carnage, worse than London Euston station. Come here at your own risk."
Government 'be ready' campaign
The footage follows the launch of a Government "be ready" campaign urging households to prepare for temporary disruption to everyday services by keeping three days of key supplies. The advice includes having enough bottled water and non-perishable food for three days, as well as a battery-powered or wind-up FM radio to receive updates during outages.
Households are also advised to keep some cash in case electronic payments or cash machines are disrupted. The advice marks the first stage of a three-year Government initiative aimed at helping people prepare for disruptive events, including severe weather and power cuts.
Retailers report sales increases
Following the announcement, major UK retailers have reported a rise in sales of essential goods. BBC Newsnight reported that Iceland saw a 40 per cent increase in sales of tinned products over the weekend, while Robert Dyas recorded a 160 per cent increase in radio sales compared with the previous week.
Defence Secretary Wes Streeting told the BBC programme: "It's encouraging that people are taking practical steps to be ready. Having a few everyday essentials at home, from tinned food to torches, helps households prepare for disruption, whether that's flooding, power cuts or burst pipes. We can all play our part in making Britain more resilient."
Viewers react to Costco footage
The latest Costco footage has prompted a debate among viewers, with some expressing frustration at the apparent rush to buy essentials. One person commented: "People are so selfish I went to go to Costco to get one pack like I usually do just for drinking water and it's all gone." Another referenced the panic-buying seen in the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic, commenting: "Learned nothing from Covid."
Others questioned whether the queues were unusual, with one writing: "this is a normal saturday in costco", while another said: "Costco is like this everyday".
