# Buy-out What people who really need to tell

# Purchasing What people who really need to say is 21:06 on August 11th

"I went to buy it immediately after seeing the interview
. " "I bought it. It's good if you think you're dancing and you're foolish." On the
internet, you can see tweets from people who bought mouthwash at a pharmacy. The product was sold out one after another. Due to the spread of the new coronavirus, toilet paper, masks, and gauze products that were often sold out since the beginning of this year. However, there are people who always need something that someone has bought up, and the manga that appeals to them to know the current situation is receiving a great deal of attention. (Aya Noda/Ken Memita/Hiromi Akimoto)

The reality of not reaching the people who really need it

The manga begins when Mr. KAKO (55), who lives in Hiroshima Prefecture, visited a drug store around March, when the outbreak of the new coronavirus continued to run out of stock.

On that day, I couldn't find the medical gauze that I would normally sell.

When I asked the store staff, they answered that the medical gauze had been purchased one after another as a substitute for masks that were sold out due to the influence of the new coronavirus, and they were out of stock.

KAKO was at a loss as there was no prospect of another stock.

Since 6 years ago, when cancer was found in 3 places including lung and esophagus 6 years ago, KAKO has been supplying nutrition with "bowel wax" that feeds nutrition directly to the intestine through a tube.

It is said that gauze is indispensable every day because it protects the abdominal skin where the tube is inserted with sterilized medical gauze, and then tapes it to prevent the tube from falling off.

This month, mouthwash has disappeared from the store.

It was said that a mouthwash for children saved us from the pain of stomatitis caused by side effects when she was being treated with anti-cancer drugs.

KAKO finally appealed:

Mr. KAKO
"Healthy people have symptoms of illness that they do not know, do not think, do not feel or think, and there are people who live for many years while needing products purchased by healthy people. I want you to know."

Please convey your thoughts

When this manga was posted on SNS with a message "Please tell me what you think" on 6th of this month, it spread one after another, was retweeted more than 60,000, and got 100,000 "likes" ..

When I contacted Mr. KAKO, who drew this manga, he lost his voice due to cancer surgery and asked for a direct message. KAKO, who lives with her husband and two children, shares his daily life and fighting illness online.

Ask about what happened this month to gargling purchases.

Mr. KAKO
"Is this a disappointment similar to giving up, such as "again"? Most consumers buy it with a sense of "at the same time..." However, if one person buys one extra item, how many will be consumed all over Japan, and I think the reason why the purchase continues is that "Imagination has declined." I want you to feel the existence of the sick person.''

For patients who can't get it at medical institutions...

“I was scared when I was told by a trader that there was no such thing. I never thought I would be in a situation like this.”

I couldn't get a mouthwash at a medical institution, and it was hard to reach patients who needed treatment. It is said by Riki Ozawa, a dentist who runs a dental clinic in Nishinari Ward, Osaka.

Dental clinics say that mouthwash is essential before and after tooth extraction to prevent bacteria from entering the wound and to keep the mouth clean.

In this clinic, not delivered even after mouthwash you ordered this month 4 days a week, it says that is difficult over to go mouthwashes to a patient in need in the treatment because it does not stand even the prospect to enter the future.

Riki Ozawa, Dentist
“I haven't had a lot of gargles in the past so I haven't stocked them much, and if I asked for them when they ran out, they would come the next day, so I don't think it would happen. I didn't see it.''

The Osaka Prefectural Dental Insurance Association, which is made up of about 4,200 dentists in Osaka Prefecture, said, "In a blink of an eye, "gargles" have disappeared from the market, and even the most used dental institutions are out of reach." I asked Osaka Prefecture to make a careful statement.

Osaka Prefecture said that "gargling does not prevent or prevent the virus spreading in the body by gargle, and it is not a therapeutic drug. It has not been found to prevent infection." , In addition to observing the doctor's instructions and precautions when using the product, I called for stop buying and resale.

Ozawa Dentist says:

Riki Ozawa, Dentist
"I'm confused by the situation that there is nothing that is indispensable for the treatment of patients. I would like to ask consumers to put a breath of one breath and be calm."

Why buyout continues? Anxiety spurs

I asked Professor Hiromi Ikeuchi of the Faculty of Sociology, Kansai University, who specializes in social psychology and is familiar with consumer psychology, as to why purchases continue to occur.

Professor Yumi Ikeuchi
"I'm aware that mouthwashes are out of stock one after another, even if I know that I don't need them now, but if I don't have them, I may not be able to get them when I really need them. I was worried about it, and I think that I was buying up.''

This is called "panic purchasing", and Professor Ikeuchi analyzes that "I often do not know what is correct information about the new type coronavirus, so it is easy to create synchronization behavior that everyone sees and buys" .. He also pointed out that the experience of having sold out various products such as masks and toilet paper has escalated this situation.

Hiromi Ikeuchi
“Everyone has experienced out-of-stock products due to “rumors” and “hoaxes,” so I think that there was an obsession that the products might run out.”

Professor Ikeuchi pointed out that as long as consumers continue to have anxiety, they may continue to buy up, and then "objective (self-monitoring)" of their actions is a way to prevent easy purchase. I will talk to you.

Prof. Hiromi Ikeuchi
“As long as consumers are anxious and want to prioritize their own profits, the purchase will continue to be repeated. One of the ways to prevent it is to buy up products by being confused by information. Imagine what other people would see when you saw yourself, and use your imagination that your products wouldn't reach the people who really needed them. It may be useful to pay attention to each other to encourage calmness and to advise that the out-of-stock is temporary.

I want to protect my loved ones

KAKO, who appealed to stop the easy purchase of manga, posted a new manga on the 10th of this month in response to the reaction on SNS. Among the responses, there were many comments of empathy and support, but it was said that there were also things that made me think.

“Can you say the same if you are healthy?” KAKO looks for the answer to this question.

"If the same thing happened to me 6 years ago, I was healthy? I wonder if I could draw a similar manga..."

The answer I got was something like this:

"My loved ones are not always healthy. So I don't want you to forget about the existence of sick people, people with disabilities and respect for the elderly. But it's not special. I want to live as humbly as possible. It's the same"

KAKO sent me this message at the end.

KAKO:
“At least I don't want any preferential treatment because I am sick. Everyone loves them the same, and everyone has the same desire to protect them. But if everyone is humble, they may be able to buy more. I don't know."