SLO County shoppers out in force ahead of stay-at-home orders
Local shoppers were out in force around the county on Thursday morning, preparing for what could be weeks-long isolation.
In a drastic move to curb the rise of local coronavirus cases, San Luis Obispo County officials — in partnership with representatives of all seven cities — issued an emergency declaration ordering residents to stay in their homes and limit all unnecessary travel.
The order, which will have immense impacts on San Luis Obispo County, was set to go into effect at 5 p.m. Thursday.
At Costco in San Luis Obispo, people began lining up to buy supplies at 6:15 a.m. Thursday, according to Costco employee John Stewart.
The store, known for its low prices on bulk products, didn’t start letting people in until 9:45 a.m.
By mid-morning, the line to get in was already wrapping from the front of the store to the back, and had hooked along the back wall, before beginning to double back along the existing line.
People from across San Luis Obispo County, as well as other California cities such as Gilroy and Hanford, all waited in line to purchase carts laden with bulk supplies.
Ophelia and Hector Wilson of Atascadero said they had been in the line outside of the store for about a half hour around 10:20 a.m.
They chose to come down to San Luis Obispo on Thursday, rather than going to a grocery store in Atascadero, because of the bulk options at Costco.
“They’ve got bulk items here that I like to buy,” Ophelia said, noting that they needed to pick up eggs as well as baby items for her grandchildren.
At the entrance to Costco, Stewart was in charge of letting small groups of people as others left the store — 20 out, 20 in.
He also had the unenviable task of directing people to the back of the line. Its location shocked some hopeful shoppers who wanted into the store.
Mallory Hampton of Arroyo Grande was waiting in line soon after 10 a.m. She said though the virus epidemic hasn’t impacted her social life as much as it has impacted her shopping.
“My parents are here visiting from Hawaii, so obviously I do have two more mouths to feed,” she said. “That’s why we’re at Costco again. (Coronavirus) changes a lot of things for them. They can’t fly, they can’t do a lot of things right now.”
Kendra Hoffman of Atascadero waited in line for more than an hour Thursday morning to get into the store — but she wasn’t too concerned.
“It’s to be expected, ’cause last week was pure chaos,” she said. “It was insane. We had to turn around and leave.”
The long lines at places like Costco will likely continue even in spite of the shelter at home order, since grocery stores and supermarkets are among the few businesses deemed “essential” during the order.
The county has asked all essential businesses to stay open throughout the order.
But there’s positive news for some shoppers anxious about waiting in long lines.
On Friday, Costco is expected to launch its first seniors-only shopping hour starting at 8 a.m. Other shoppers will be allowed in starting at 9 a.m.
This story was originally published March 19, 2020 at 2:15 PM.
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