Retailers limit egg purchases to combat hoarding

Well, it seems that we learned nothing during the Covid-19 pandemic, as hoarding has again reared its ugly, selfish head. Trader Joe’s and Costco recently imposed limits on how many cartons of eggs that shoppers can buy at one time. This action came after viral videos showed people piling huge quantities of eggs into their carts. It wasn’t clear if the buyers wanted to resell them or if they were destined for restaurants or bakeries, but stores imposed limits to ensure that other customers were able to purchase some.

Eggs are in short supply in many areas of the US due to bird flu outbreaks that have caused the destruction of millions of affected birds. As a result, prices have increased dramatically, causing Waffle House to add a menu surcharge of 50 cents per egg. Competing restaurant chain Cracker Barrel threw shade at Waffle House by announcing they were not increasing their prices. “A surcharge on eggs? Well, there’s nothing hospitable about that,” a Cracker Barrel spokesperson told Today.com in an email.

To make matters worse, another strain of avian influenza has been identified in US flocks, causing concern about it possibly mixing with the existing strain and creating a new one that could possibly be more infectious in humans. In addition, US federal agencies are being instructed to remove some health and weather data, which could make it harder to learn about and respond to outbreaks. This uncertainty is prompting people to start backyard flocks. It’s not all doom and gloom, however, as it doesn’t take too long for a new crop of chicks to grow up and start laying, so shortages should be transitory. In the meantime, people should be reminded that hoarding eggs isn’t the same as hoarding toilet paper – although I suppose they will find that out sooner rather than later.