As news of the coronavirus spread, many people responded by stocking up on items they might need should they be forced to stay home sick. But rather than preparing for a couple weeks indoors, many people across the country went into a buying frenzy, emptying shelves of a range of items, most notably toilet paper.

The Powell community was not immune to the phenomenon.

Kyle Foulger, manager of Blair’s, said certain segments of the store, including paper products, had shortages, but they were getting in “bits and pieces” at a time.

Interestingly, while hand sanitizer was running low, Blair’s had a good stock of handsoap last week.

While Foulger appreciated his customers’ business, he cautioned people against buying more than they reasonably need.

“No one benefits from panic,” he said.

Kami Scott, manager of Mr. D’s, implemented restrictions on how much toilet paper people can buy to one per customer. The store initially allowed two per customer, but supplies started to dwindle, as she heard Mr. D’s was one of the only stores in the Big Horn Basin with toilet paper.

Scott even had one person in Red Lodge, Montana, call to pay for a package over the phone and pick it up at the register.

“It’s crazy,” she said.

Vince Vanata of Cody said that during a March 10 trip to Billings, he killed some time at the Costco food court and watched customer after customer check out with two large containers of toilet paper in their carts. Vanata said he eventually picked up two things of toilet paper himself, but as he made his way toward the checkout, a man approached and asked if he would give up one of the packages for $10; Vanata, who ultimately said no, said he was taken aback by the request.

“It all goes through your mind, like, should I do this? Is it ethical? It is right? Is it wrong? Is it legal?” Vanata recalled, adding, “How can you sell something that you haven’t even paid for yet?”

He said a Costco staffer told him they’d gone through tens of thousands of rolls in a matter of hours.

Toilet paper remained a hot commodity at Downhome Discount on Saturday, where store managers had imposed a four-package per customer limit.

Mr. D’s ordered 18 cases of Clorox wipes, and there were two left Friday morning. They ordered 35 cases of toilet paper and only two were delivered from one warehouse. The other delivered 75 cases of the 90 that were ordered.

The store has previously offered home delivery to customers in need, and they’re now extending the service to the general public.

“We want to help our community,” Scott said. “We’re all in this together. It’s what we do.”

The Big Horn Co-op helped its customers out with a bit of a laugh over the situation. They began offering rolls of toilet paper and butt wipes with each purchase of cans of ammunition, at normal sale prices. Eventually, to sweeten the deal, the co-op threw in a pair of Wrangler jeans, too.

“If you’re out of TP, it’s good to have a spare pair of jeans,” explained manager Dana Richardson.

(Tribune Editor CJ Baker contributed reporting.)