Necco Wafers are fast disappearing along with their sugary siblings as a candy maker’s demise has sparked a sweet panic among consumers scrambling to stock up on long-time treats, The Chicago Tribune reported.
Last month the 170-year-old New England Confectionery Co. announced it may be closing its Revere plant in Massachusetts, and since then there has been a surge in sales as consumers and sellers started hunting down and hoarding whatever Necco candy they can find, including Mary Janes, Clark Bars, Squirrel Nut Zippers, and Sweethearts, the heart-shaped Valentine’s Day candies.
Jon Prince, president of wholesaler CandyFavorites.com in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, said he has been fielding hundreds of calls from frantic buyers pleading to purchase his entire inventory of Necco Wafers.
“They’re shocked and scared,” he said, according to The Wall Street Journal, adding that customers were “not happy” about the pending confectionary shut down.
One Florida woman even went as far as to offer CandyStore.com, an online bulk store based in Los Angeles, her car in return for as many packages of Necco Wafers as possible.
“I offered to trade my 2003 Honda Accord for all of their stock,” she told The Boston Globe, but her offer was rejected.
“I knew it was kind of a silly thing to say, but I’m serious. I don’t have much right now, so I was like, ‘I’ve got this car, and I want all that candy, so maybe they would consider it.’”
On its company blog, CandyStore.com noted a 50 percent uptick in Necco sales over the past few weeks, with sales of Necco Wafers jumping up 63 percent.
“People are rushing to stockpile them like they’re the next cryptocurrency,” said CandyStore.com spokesperson Clair Robins, according to Fortune.
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