SPOKANE, Wash. — A KREM 2 viewer sent in a picture of rolls of toilet paper being sold in the Café at Sacred Heart Medical Center amid the coronavirus outbreak.
The viewer said one roll was being sold for $2.50 and was outraged that the hospital would be selling it. They also called it ‘price gouging.’
Toilet paper has been a hot commodity since the coronavirus outbreak started in the U.S. Many stores around the area are out of stock. Some don’t know when they’ll get their next shipment.
KREM 2 reached out to Providence to verify the accuracy of the picture and it turns out it’s real.
Spokesperson Jennifer Semenza said they made the decision to sell toilet paper to help “relieve some of the stress our caregivers have experienced as day-to-day needs have been difficult to purchase at the store.”
As far as the allegations of price gouging, Semenza said they are selling the toilet paper at the same cost their food service team paid and none of the items have been marked up.
She said this is a temporary measure and once supplies run out, they will not continue selling toilet paper in the cafe.