Fool me once; shame on you. Fool me twice; shame on me.

That old adage seems to be rippling through Arizona consumers as they try to get ahead of the news that dock workers went on strike this week.

Echoing the trauma the world experienced throughout the COVID lockdown years, panic buying paper goods like toilet paper and other products has returned amid fears of shortages.

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Why Panic Buying has Returned to Arizona

This week, dockworkers in the Teamsters union announced they're walking off the job until their higher-wage demands are met. The folks who unload the goods shipped to some of our busiest ports are now on strike, leaving thousands of goods waiting on cargo ships.

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Fox 10 Phoenix is reporting that shelves in stores across the state are now being cleared out in a rush to stock up before the true deficits hit. The fear of shortages has returned in earnest this week, but experts are assuring consumers that all is well and there's no need to worry. 

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READ: Arizona is Bracing for Surging Prices and Drastic Shortages

It's not just toilet paper flying off the shelves this week.

Buyers in Arizona are now stocking up on paper towels, bottled water, and non-perishable food items like canned goods, rice, beans, and other shelf-stable items.

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The strike is disrupting supply chains and causing concerns. Electronics, seafood, and alcohol are also on the list of items people are panic-buying, figuring the possibility of shortages will also hit them.

Can you really blame us? The panic is rooted in our collective memory of the pandemic. And the fear of scarcity is again triggering a rush to stockpile essentials, even if the risk of running out is low.

READ: Can You Get Fired? What Arizona's "Right to Work" Law Means

Experts are trying to calm fears, saying it's highly unlikely that the strike will affect toilet paper and other paper products. It's hard to override those fears, though. The psychological impact of the pandemic is still living rent-free in our minds, so you can't really blame anyone who feels the urge to stock up right now.

According to CNN, this behavior underscores the lasting effects of the pandemic on consumer habits and the pervasive anxiety about supply chain disruptions.

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Experts are urging calm and begging consumers not to overbuy. Most of the products that are being targeted for panic-buying are actually manufactured domestically, so there's a low possibility of true shortages.

Sources: Fox10 Phoenix | AZ Central | USA Today

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