Jon Johnson File Photo/Gila Herald
By Jon Johnson
SAFFORD – Black Friday doesn’t have anything on a horde of shoppers fighting for toilet paper during the COVID-19 epidemic it seems.
Law enforcement from the Safford and Thatcher police departments and Graham County Sheriff’s Office all were dispatched to Walmart at 755 S. 20th Ave. on Tuesday evening to handle unruly customers fighting over toilet paper.
Customers had reportedly lined up since about 1 p.m. for a shipment to arrive. The shipment came in after 7 p.m. and Walmart called for law enforcement as people became disorderly.
Officers stood by and kept the peace as Walmart distributed its shipment of toilet paper by rationing one pack per customer.
After about an hour, the officers cleared the scene.
The rush on toilet paper has confused retailers and local officials as the COVID-19 virus is a respiratory illness and having an excess of toilet paper does not appear to be a rational purchase as interstate supply chains remain open. Conversely, sales of bidet attachments that utilize water to clean during bathroom visits have also skyrocketed, according to online sources.
