Vinh City residents rush to buy goods due to false rumors

On the afternoon of August 19, stores and supermarkets saw a sudden increase in the number of customers ordering online. Photo: Thanh Phuc

On the afternoon of August 19, rumors appeared on some websites about the application of Directive 16+ in Vinh City from August 20, so people rushed to buy food and groceries. All online shopping sites, stores, and supermarkets were overloaded with orders. Therefore, many large delivery companies in Vinh City were overloaded with orders.

On the afternoon of August 19, rumors appeared on social media that Vinh City was applying Directive 16+, causing panic among residents and a rush to stockpile food. Screenshot: Thanh Phuc

Ms. Phan Thuan, owner of a Facebook account specializing in pork business, said that this afternoon (August 19),online orderoverloaded, double, even triple compared to previous days.

Ms. Thuan said: “Due to the overload of orders for goods, especially food and groceries, our store had to cancel hundreds of orders from customers because we could not call the shipper. We have to sympathize and apologize to customers.”

Shippers waiting to receive orders. Photo: Thanh Phuc

Cannot be placedshipperof professional companies, Ms. Thuan had to go to groups to order freelance shippers. Meanwhile, freelance shippers increased their prices due to the complicated nature of the epidemic. "Normally, each order in the inner city fluctuates from 10,000 - 15,000 - 20,000 VND (depending on the distance), but today I had to call freelance shippers, they increased the price by 10,000 VND/order but I had to accept it," Ms. Thuan added.

Running at full capacity, many shippers still cannot meet all customer demand. Photo: Thanh Phuc

Not only individuals but also many businesses, supermarkets, and retail food chains are in the same situation when they are overloaded with orders due to a lack of shippers. "Today, on the internet, there is information that Vinh City is applying Directive 16+ from 00:00 on August 20, so the number of customers ordering food online has increased dramatically. Major shipping companies in the city are also overloaded, causing the stores' orders to be congested, unable to deliver to customers on schedule, and have to delay until late at night," said Mr. Nguyen Quang Trung, owner of a food chain in Vinh.

Large shipping companies do not have enough manpower to meet the large number of orders, so nearly 400 freelance shippers in Vinh city have been running at full capacity but still cannot meet customer demand.

On the afternoon of August 19, the number of people shopping for essential goods at traditional markets and grocery stores was quite large. Photo: Thanh Phuc

Not only online food shopping sites but also many traditional markets are crowded with people buying food and foodstuffs to stock up. Mr. Nguyen Khac Thanh - Deputy Manager of Hung Dung Market said: "This afternoon, the number of people coming to the market to buy goods is quite large. We have to arrange people to guard the main entrances to prevent many people from entering to buy and sell at the same time". A similar situation also appeared at Quan Lau market. The authorities had to intervene and constantly remind sellers and buyers to keep a safe distance.

People jostle to buy goods at Vinh Railway Station market on the afternoon of August 19. Photo: Nguyen Phe

Vegetables, food, eggs... stalls at Kenh Bac market were crowded with people on the afternoon of August 19. Photo: Nguyen Phe

At some grocery stores, the number of customers has also increased compared to yesterday. Items such as instant noodles, vermicelli, pho... are very popular. Mr. Tran Tuan Anh, owner of a grocery store on Tue Tinh Street, said: "I don't know where people heard the news from, but around 3:00 p.m. this afternoon, a lot of people came to buy essential goods. We had to mobilize our family members to help in order to serve customers in time"./.