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Collected Item: “Empty shelves during the beginning of the pandemic”

Give your story or documents a proposed title

Empty shelves during the beginning of the pandemic

Tell us a story; share your experience. Or describe the item you are submitting. What does the object or story you've uploaded say about the pandemic, and/or why is it important to you?

I am sharing a video I took at the beginning of the quarantine period. People were panic buying food and other necessities while leaving empty shelves for others. I remember entering whole foods to pick up some bread, pasta, beans, and non-dairy milk because I can't have dairy. As soon as my cousin and I entered Whole Foods— the baked goods were fully stocked but the non-perishable foods were almost gone. I remember turning to my cousin in shock because the fresh fruits and vegetables in the lower level were fully stocked. I asked an employee where the bread and non-dairy milk was and they said, "I don't think we have any more bread. I stocked it a couple of hours ago and when I went back o check there were a few bags left". The employee guided us to the bread section and it was indeed empty. I thanked them and decided to look through the other aisles and the aisle that was the most apparent was the one I recorded. There were people with professional cameras taking pictures of this aisle and others (such as myself) with our phones recording. So many people were just as taken aback by the lack of food in many of these aisles. I already knew that this virus was serious but when I saw the number of people buying food and toilet paper and paper towels in bulk, I felt worried and nervous. I knew from the media that people were stocking up on non-perishable foods and that supermarket lines were really long. But seeing it first hand and seeing people coming to the aisle expecting to see a can of beans available or a bag of bread, only for it to be empty. This is a moment that I won't forget and the overwhelming feeling that this virus could affect anyone.

What sort of object is this: text story, photograph, screenshot, drawing, meme, etc.? And where did you find it?

a four second video

Are you the sole creator of these materials? Then select "I am sole creator." If no, please select "I have co-creators" and list the names of the content co-creators, their contact information, and the circumstances of how you came to have the materials. IMPORTANT: Each co-creator must fill out this form in order for the item to be accepted by the archives. However, only one co-creator is required to upload any document.)

I am sole creator

Name of the item creator, unless anonymous

Wendy Martinez

Use tags (separated by commas) to describe your story or documents. For example: Does it relate to a particular neighborhood? Does it relate to a particular aspect of the pandemic: school, work, family, hospital.

food scarcity, panic buying, Union Square, Manhattan, Whole Foods

Give a date associated with this story or documents.

2020-03-12

What is your affiliation, if any, with Brooklyn College? (e.g. Junior undergrad majoring in history; faculty in the English Dept; human resources staff member; alumni; community member; Brooklyn resident; etc.)

I am a junior undergrad at Brooklyn College majoring in Sociology.

If what you are submitting was created as part of a Brooklyn College class, please indicate the course code (i.e., ENG1010) semester, and professor:

HNSC 2100, Spring 2021, M. Horlyck-Romanovsky

Select this box to agree to the Creative Commons NC-ND license as described in the above Submission Agreement.

I agree to a CC-ND-NC Licence
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