Hoarding Headache in ‘The Time of Coronavirus'

Throughout history, when governments have intervened in the smooth operation of the free market based on supply and demand, the results have been disastrous, not the least of which is hoarding and the emergence of black markets. I am not talking about the psychological problem of hoarding personal items when people have a hard time getting rid of anything they own, even old and dirty scraps of paper. I am talking about fear-based hoarding, the result of fear of shortage or imminent societal collapse. Natural disasters such as announced hurricanes or tornadoes often compel people to buy excessive food, bottled water, gasoline, a generator, milk, but especially toilet paper. Civil unrest or fear of disease such as this corona pandemic can also force people to hoard food and other necessities, including toilet paper. In a category of its own are the preppers who are ready for any end of the world, political holocaust unrest scenario. They purchase food with the shelf life of 25 years or more and build shelters/bunkers underground, in caves, or decommissioned bunkers.