Kylie Wickham thought she had finished her shift when she left work on Sunday, but once she heard the news about Canberra's mask mandate she knew her night wasn't over.
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"I was going home and literally did a U-turn," the Florey Pharmacy co-manager said.
Florey Pharmacy was one of the few places open late on Sunday night, and faced the consequence of the increased demand.
"I keep a disaster shed with extra supplies, we had to send someone to get all the extra masks," pharmacy owner Tarsha Hutchinson said, adding that her team needed six additional staff just to keep up with the demand.
"My staff go beyond the call, they are phenomenal.
"We even had to ask a former employee to help out.
"One of our girls was supposed to finish her shift at 3[pm], she ended up staying until 9."
The additional attention on mask makers brought some criticism.
Florey Pharmacy, like Supabarn, was accused by some Reddit users of price gouging.
Ms Hutchinson said they were selling masks at a higher price on Sunday because it was in line with their initial purchase price, as they had been bought for a greater amount in April last year.
"Every time we buy something, the price has a margin that reflects the purchase price. I can't give them away at cost," she said.
"We had paid $65 for those boxes, not including freight."
She said prices of masks had gone down since then, as they had sold that original stock.
"People tend to get to focused on the price of things, you have to think in advance," she said.
"If masks are mandatory, the government should give a supply; like during the bushfires. People shouldn't have to pay for themselves."
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Demand a boon for local mask makers
"If I can just say two words: holy shit."
Fiona Lester and husband James of the Markets Wanniassa could think of no better way to describe the demand for masks.
Mask providers have been struggling to keep up as Canberrans continue to buy as many masks as they can.
"I've been running around everywhere," PurePod CEO Kelli Donovan said.
Kelli, who handmakes her masks, sold more than 50 from Monday to Tuesday, selling out of her entire stock, including last year's leftovers.
"We got completely wiped out," Ms Lester said, estimating her store had sold more than 600 masks since Sunday's announcement.
"I'm going home to do more and put the kids to work."
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