NPR.

It's a well-known fact that Americans love to shop.

We're just not always very good at it.

Panic buying is spreading across America.

Panic buying in full swing Thursday. Panic buying. Panic buying now.

Lots of panicking.

So, and that was caused by a dock worker strike last month that shut down ports

along the East Coast and South.

And some shoppers responded by raiding stores.

They were afraid that closed ports would mean a shortage of essentials,

including the king of essentials.

Look, we get it. Port strikes, pandemics, hurricanes, these are all scary things that can

lead to panic. And it can be hard to know what will and won't be on store shelves when they happen.

And that's why the indicator has your back.

This is The Indicator from Planet Money.

I'm Adrian Ma.

And I'm Stephen Besaha from the Gulf States Newsroom.

Today, we're going to talk to a supply chain superhero,

but how to shop no matter what's the latest crisis nodding up the supply chain. So keep calm and keep listening.

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