Gulf Crisis Boosts Sales at Military Surplus Stores

The likelihood of hostilities in the Middle East is prompting brisk sales of gas masks, sleeping bags, desert camouflage clothing and canteens at military surplus stores in San Diego. The sales are split between military reservists who are heading overseas and civilians who fear an outbreak of terrorism in the U.S., store managers said Monday.

“Gas mask sales are ridiculous,” said Debbie Jordon, manager of GI Joe’s Army & Navy Surplus store in downtown San Diego. “On a normal week, I might sell about 10, but lately I’ve been selling from 30 to 50 a week. . . . They’re all basically to civilians, and they’re all obviously thinking about chemical warfare.”

To a lesser extent, civilians are buying water purification tablets and chemical-resistant clothing, said Joel Dreifuss, vice president of the Bargain Center in North Park. “You know how people are,” Dreifuss said. “They hear about the government warning people to leave (the Middle East), and they want to get prepared.”

Reservists want desert camouflage items, canteens and sleeping bags “because the government doesn’t have any more to issue,” Jordan said. When the reservists are issued pants and shirts, “it’s either in extra small or extra large,” Jordon said.

“It’s screwed up,” Jordan said. “Not only is (the Middle East build-up) breaking up families and homes, but (reservists) have to pay for this stuff. . . . (Sales) started real mellow about two months ago and the past couple of weeks we’ve seen a real big demand for surplus stuff.”

The sales are driven by the fact that reservists “don’t have all the equipment that they would if they were regular Army or Marine Corps,” Dreifuss said. “They want things like desert pants, hats, personal type things like long underwear . . . gloves, wool caps.”

Although the Defense Department evidently has adequate supplies of the more common jungle camouflage, “very few people in the country had desert in stock, it was only a West Coast item,” Dreifuss said. Reservists also want desert camouflage T-shirts, an item that is in short supply.

“We’ve seen an incredible demand from the reservists,” said Greg Wirkus, manager of Goodrich Surplus on India Street in San Diego. “They want gizmos and gadgets, wool caps, gloves, things that can’t be supplied at the front lines.”

Civilian sales of gas masks and other survival gear often rise during times of world crisis, the store managers said.

“One guy bought a whole bunch of gas masks (at $18.95 each) so he could get his family prepared,” Dreifuss said. “He was keeping four or five at home, in the car, in the other car and at work. “There’s all this talk about possible reprisals and what not.”