Long Lines, High Demand For Items At Sam's Club, Costco

TINLEY PARK, IL — Membership retail stores that offer items in bulk were busy on Thursday as residents of the south suburbs and across the world are dealing with the outbreak of the new coronavirus COVID-19. Coronavirus In Illinois: What To Know

A shopper at the Costco on 159th Street in Orland Park said there were about 100 people waiting outside before it opened. When the doors were opened, the shopper said several of those waiting "immediately" ran to the back of the store for the toilet paper.

Others were upset because some shoppers entered the store from another side instead of waiting in the long line.

At the Sam's Club in Tinley Park around 4:30 p.m., a line formed at the entrance for sanitary wipes. Sam's did send an email earlier in the week stating they are now sanitizing every shopping cart between uses.

Checkout lines were longer than usual there as well, and the paper products aisle had been emptied by that time of day except for one batch of tissue boxes. One shopper there suggested a "bidding" take place on that final one in stock.

"We are seeing increasing numbers of shoppers in our clubs, and certain items like paper products and cleaning supplies are in high demand," Sam's wrote in the email. "Please know we are working to replenish these items as fast as humanly possible. We'll continue to work night and day to get these products to you."

A shopper at the Sam's over in Evergreen Park referred to the often busy membership store as a "madhouse" in the middle of the day Thursday. A photo shared on Facebook showed the lines at the Costco in Bridgeview were several aisles long during Thursday evening.

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