It's also an interesting illustration of how fast lots of things can spread.  I recall early on, some expert or pundit gave out some advice that people prepare for the possibility of being quarantined for a couple of weeks, just like they should for any other emergency. Examples of some things to store included bottled water, paper towels, and toilet paper, among others. Apparently, this time, the idea caught on.
As for the mob mentality, I did a stupid thing today and ended up experiencing that first hand. I found myself near Costco after an appointment and had a list of a few things I needed, so I stopped by. I should have gotten a clue when there were no shopping carts out front at all, let alone anyone wiping them down...
It was a mob scene, with very long lines (all the way back to the produce section) of people waiting to check out. I was able to get everything I needed (except TP - but I have enough for another week or two ), but it was such a hassle, that I found myself thinking "I don't want to have to come back to this again any time soon", so I found myself picking up a couple of things that I normally would have waited a little while longer to buy. [My wait in line to check out was 19 minutes - and that was half what it was earlier.]
I saw lots of people doing what looked like stock piling. For example, I saw one guy load up with about 4 cases of canned green beans (I think). Yukkk! So it appears seeing the buying hysteria of others is nearly as contagious as the virus itself!
I was surprised, though, to seeing so many wearing masks, but clearly not at all worried about putting their hands on the cart and touching all kinds of other stuff. (Hopefully they'll be washing their hands/using sanitizer immediately after they're done shopping.)
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