Stores are preparing for a second wave of panic buying — and you should, too

Remember those long lines and bare shelves during the spring, when shoppers hoarded everything from toilet paper to canned soup?

They're back — thanks to an alarming increase in COVID-19 infections this fall.

Walmart finds itself fighting again to keep its aisles stocked, CEO Doug McMillon said on Monday during the online Yahoo Finance All Markets Summit.

"With the case counts coming back up there are some areas we see stock-up behavior again locally," McMillon said. "It will be choppy for months to come as we all deal with the volatility and as things change."

Here’s what stores including Walmart are doing to prepare for a second wave of panic buying — and what you should do, too.

Pay attention to changing habits

Even when people aren’t panicking and picking the shelves clean, the ways we eat and shop have changed significantly.

Adults and children are spending much more time at home, preparing their own meals. The average weekly grocery bill is now $190, up 17% from pre-pandemic levels, according to a September survey from LendingTree. That's why whenever you shop, make sure you're earning cash back for your purchases.

Grocery bills have jumped, even though shoppers are taking fewer trips. They’re simply stuffing their carts on the occasions when they do venture out.

If it's feeling like you can never find paper products, the data backs that up. Nearly half of survey respondents said they're buying more toilet paper and paper towels compared to last year.

Other big spending increases could provide clues to some of the shortages we can expect to see this winter. Following paper products, the LendingTree survey found that fresh produce, frozen food and canned goods saw the biggest jump in demand when the pandemic hit.

New items running low

Shoppers and retailers are reporting that certain items are already running low, including liquid hand soap, disinfecting wipes and canning jars (especially lids). Some products have been difficult to find ever since the first wave.

But a wintery second wave could trigger new shortages, as Americans spend even more time indoors. In a panel discussion with doctors from Harvard Medical School in September, White House adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci said Americans should prepare to “hunker down to get through this fall and winter.”