The Government's Plan Nacional (anticrisis) includes many measures that can get lost amongst the more general ones, such as, a limitation on panic buying.

The modification of Ley 7/1996 that covers retail businesses gives supermarkets and shops the capacity to limit, in exceptional circumstances, the number of items of the same product that each shopper can buy.

In this fashion, the Central Government is attempting to limit panic buying, which has nothing to do with authentic shortages but rather the mere fear of one.

Everybody remembers the lunatic, panic buying of toilet rolls at the beginning of the lockdown.

The change to the said law is a new section, Nº3 that affects Nº2. The preceding section states that supermarkets and shops cannot limit how much a customer can buy; cannot raise prices or eliminate discounts, if the quantity purchased exceeds a determined amount. Section Nº3 permits the previous section to be temporarily suspended if “extraordinary circumstances exist or force majure justifies it.”

Consumer association, FACUA-Consumidores en Acción had previously denounced DIA, Mercadona, MAS, El Jamón and Hiperdino for limiting the sale of sunflower oil. When it comes to fining supermarkets for doing this, if “extraordinary circumstance” do not exist, it rests with a regional authority; i.e., the Junta de Andalucía.

Some consumer assocations consider that the ammended law creates even more paranoia, and gives supermarkets an opportunity to speculate with prices for prime-necessity products. Some supermarkets have been known to withdraw certain products from the shelves in order to simply put them back at a higher price, which is an abuse.

(News: Spain)