Some store shelves bare as shoppers stock up amid coronavirus worries

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- The phone has been ringing non-stop at this beloved pharmacy in the Roxborough section of Philadelphia.

There's also been a steady stream of non-regular customers lately.

"We had people coming from as far away as Jersey," pharmacist David Bradstock said.

All of them looking for what has lately been the hottest commodity in stores amid the coronavirus outbreak: hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes.

So, what I'm looking at here is this the last of it? That is it," he pointed out.

A CVS in Manayunk getting right to the point by posting a sign letting customers know they are out of hand sanitizer.

Some shoppers like business owner Jacqueline Konin are growing frustrated an increasing shortage of other household items like water and toilet paper.

"I don't get that," Konin said. "I'm used to seeing the shelves much more stocked," she added.

Another concern among shoppers is price gouging.

"I'm sure that's definitely happening," said shopper Andrew Hohorst.

Bradstock says he's seen it too.

"It's a disgrace," he said.

To combat it, Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro is putting merchants on notice that his office is on the lookout.

"You cannot use a public health emergency as a business opportunity," he said.

The AG's office told Action News they have so far received 36 reports of possible price gouging in the state.

The office has started pricegouging@attorneygeneral.gov as a resource to report cases.