Panic buying

[57xx]

Not long back from my weekly grocery shop. Last week I'd heard stories of panic buying, but not really noticed anything whilst wandering round the shops. This week, several isles were stripped bare - if you wanted dried pasta, bog roll or paracetamol/ibuprofen then you were out of luck! I saw one woman with her trolley piled high and at least 10 tubes of toothpaste in there. I didn't know Covid-19 gave you bad breath!

 

The Zombie Apocalypse is nigh, so best get out there and buy everything you can before everyone else gets. it. Every man/woman for themselves, show no mercy!

[Hal Nail]

There was a photo on the paper of someone with about 5 years of bog role preparing for the possible 2 week lock down.

[jonny777]

It is just selfishness. No other word for it.

 

What happens to old folk who live on their own and struggle to shuffle down to the shops only to find they can't buy toilet rolls because some greedy sod in a 4x4 MPV has piled 150 in the back? 

 

This happens as soon as a flake of snow is forecast in many areas, and so I suppose the 'me-first' set have had plenty of time to hone their strategies. A friend of mine who had been away for a few days just before the 'beast from the east' went to his local co-op to buy a loaf of bread only to be told that a person had bought 14 loaves earlier, and there was none left after that. 

 

I despair living in this country these days. There is no consideration for others more unfortunate. 

 

Sorry if I sound angry; but that is because I am. 

[Reorte]

Complete nonsense, especially the bog roll. I can understand stocking up if you live in a remote spot of Scotland (or even a few places in England) at this time of year in case it snows but there's a line between sensibly cautious and ridiculous panic, and many people seem to have crossed it.

 

[57xx]

23 minutes ago, jonny777 said:

What happens to old folk who live on their own and struggle to shuffle down to the shops only to find they can't buy toilet rolls because some greedy sod in a 4x4 MPV has piled 150 in the back? 

 

Saw them on the way home. Some big Merc pulled up at the side of the road, a woman jumped out of the passenger seat carrying the biggest bulk pack of bog roll I've ever seen. Proceeds to take it to a house, clearly not hers as the car was sat waiting there with the passenger door open. The amount she had in her arms would probably last me a year!

 

I'm despairing with you. The "me me me" generation seem to have taken over with no thought to anyone else.

[sandwich station]

24 minutes ago, jonny777 said:

It is just selfishness. No other word for it.

 

What happens to old folk who live on their own and struggle to shuffle down to the shops only to find they can't buy toilet rolls because some greedy sod in a 4x4 MPV has piled 150 in the back? 

 

This happens as soon as a flake of snow is forecast in many areas, and so I suppose the 'me-first' set have had plenty of time to hone their strategies. A friend of mine who had been away for a few days just before the 'beast from the east' went to his local co-op to buy a loaf of bread only to be told that a person had bought 14 loaves earlier, and there was none left after that. 

 

I despair living in this country these days. There is no consideration for others more unfortunate. 

 

Sorry if I sound angry; but that is because I am. 

 

It's no different in Australia, toilet rolls, hand wipes, sanitiser, kitchen towel, tissues, pasta, sugar and flour (maybe other products as well), all stripped from the shelves.

 

Factories have gone into 24hr production of toilet roll to try and keep up with demand. Supermarkets are also now rationing how much you can buy.

[Gwiwer]

1 minute ago, sandwich station said:

Supermarkets are also now rationing how much you can buy.

As they are in parts of the UK now.  

 

Mode = Crazy.  Selfish.  Profiteering.  

 

There is no need for this and no government has issued any sort of alert that might suggest we need to stockpile anything.  There are credible accounts of situational entrepreneurs trying to re-sell toilet rolls vie eBay at massively inflated prices which is, whilst probably not unlawful, at the very least a selfish and obnoxious attempt to make a quick buck.  

 

On the other hand full marks goes to the Australia car dealership advertising "Toilet Rolls now in stock : $15,000 each.  Free car with every purchase"  

[jonny777]

Yes, and it is the middle classes who seem to be the guilty party in this; probably because they have the money. 

 

They should hang their heads in shame. 

 

My daughter (who mainly shops in Aldi/Lidl because she tries to make ends meet) says there was no problem with toilet rolls in Aldi, but when she popped into Waitrose for some gluten free items (she is coeliac) the shelves there were empty. 

 

The cynic within me wonders why pasta is quite so popular with panic buyers. Is it simply because it keeps, but then so does rice; or could it partly be that people associate it with Italy and assume it must all come from there? 

Edited March 8, 2020 by jonny777

[Gwiwer]

2 minutes ago, jonny777 said:

why pasta is quite so popular with panic buyers. Is it simply because it keeps

 

Honey never spoils.  No-one has yet reported stockpiling of honey.  

[sandwich station]

2 minutes ago, jonny777 said:

Yes, and it is the middle classes who seem to be the guilty party in this; probably because they have the money. 

 

They should hang their heads in shame. 

 

My daughter (who mainly shops in Aldi/Lidl because she tries to make ends meet) says there was no problem with toilet rolls in Aldi, but when she popped into Waitrose for some gluten free items (she is coeliac) the shelves there were empty. 

 

The cynic within me wonders why pasta is quite so popular with panic buyers. Is it simply because it keeps, but then so does rice; or could it partly be that people associate it with Italy and assume it must all come from there? 

 

I forgot rice, that was stripped bare as well.

 

 

https://www.sbs.com.au/news/two-women-charged-after-woolworths-toilet-paper-fight

[spikey]

14 minutes ago, Gwiwer said:

 

Honey never spoils.

 

But, bizarrely, jars of it still have a BBE on them!

[Tim V]

I panic bought two broccolis yesterday ...

[Dagworth]

Thanks for the reminder, must pop to the shops and stock up in case I have to self isolate. A few sheets of plasticard and a couple of bottles of plastic weld should see me okay. 
 

Andi

[rab]

I was struggling to understand why a flu type virus was

causing panic buying of loo rolls, its not as if its norovirus.

Then I realised, in the good old days we used newspaper,

but a phone or tablet isn't much good for wiping your backside,

and a T.V. even less so 

[pH]

32 minutes ago, Gwiwer said:

 

Honey never spoils.  No-one has yet reported stockpiling of honey.  

 

And in breaking news ...

[Rivercider]

I suspect most of us have heard of the 'Just in time' supply chain. 

Each supermarket no longer holds large stocks in the warehouse.

I have seen a marked decline of of stock held in the store I have worked in  for the last 12 years. When I started the warehouse was generally almost full even after the morning shelf stacking routine. 

Not any more, basically what you see, is what we have on the shelves. There is very little held out back.

 

cheers

[57xx]

42 minutes ago, jonny777 said:

The cynic within me wonders why pasta is quite so popular with panic buyers. Is it simply because it keeps,

 

I think it just that, dried pasta keeps well. Can you imagine in 6 months time;

"Whats for dinner mum?"

"Pasta"

"Again?"

"yes, we still have 100kg to get through so shut up and eat up. Oh, and I've put some exlax in there too, Granny is coming to stay next week and we need to make space in the spare room. the toilet roll is still blocking her bed."

[Clive Mortimore]

I don't know why people are buying so much bog roll, it is tissues you need. Covid-19 give you a runny nose not a runny bum. 

Edited March 8, 2020 by Clive Mortimore

[Jinty3f]

As a long retired teacher, I well remember  how many children with a cold would come to school with a long ribbon of bog roll tucked in their sleeves  for wiping runny noses. Those who had none would  ask  to get some from the school toilets. The home logic, which I entirely understand was, why buy two types of tissue when one  would wipe both ends equally well. (On a par with Einstein who refused to buy shaving soap when ordinary hand soap would do the same job.)

 

But agree,  stockpiling like we are seeing is selfish and antisocial.

[Rivercider]

1 hour ago, Hal Nail said:

There was a photo on the paper of someone with about 5 years of bog role preparing for the possible 2 week lock down.

I suppose it all depends on circumstances.

The virus might only cause one person to undertake a two week self-isolation.

Imagine though they normally do a two-weekly shop, and also care for an elderly relative who cannot, or would not shop, for themselves in the circumstances, and one or the other of them might contract the virus. Then now they are looking at 2 + 2 + 2 weeks  worth of shopping.

 

cheers

Edited March 8, 2020 by Rivercider

[Gwiwer]

In other news ..... 

 

Toilet roll manufacturers go out of business in April when no-one is buying their product any more.  Directors cite stockpiling as the reason ..... 

[MarcD]

I'm hoping to encourage the panic buying of kits. These will be the easiest way of passing the two weeks of solitary confinement  that you will all be facing. Also buy now and you might avoid the shut down of the postal service. Buy now come on you know you want to!!!! You will need at least 10 wagons to last the two weeks.

 

Marc

[jjb1970]

1 hour ago, jonny777 said:

Yes, and it is the middle classes who seem to be the guilty party in this; probably because they have the money. 

 

They should hang their heads in shame. 

 

My daughter (who mainly shops in Aldi/Lidl because she tries to make ends meet) says there was no problem with toilet rolls in Aldi, but when she popped into Waitrose for some gluten free items (she is coeliac) the shelves there were empty. 

 

The cynic within me wonders why pasta is quite so popular with panic buyers. Is it simply because it keeps, but then so does rice; or could it partly be that people associate it with Italy and assume it must all come from there? 

 

Funnily enough in our circle of friends the opposite is true. We regularly shop at Lidl and Aldi and never go to Waitrose.  Without wanting to be vulgar I am not paid the minimum wage or short of a penny. Many of my colleagues are the same, we have no reason to feel any need to impress anyone (I will admit however I like certain luxuries from M&S). Looking at the car park of the Aldi and Lidl we visit I don't get the impression that they are shops for low income people. However we have friends who are pretty much minimum wage who like to shop at Waitrose. Why I have no idea and we all make our choices.  Similarly at my office there is a near perfect inverted relationship between those with designer fashion accessories and position/salary. Funny old world.

[Tony Davis]

This isn't a new thing, I remember the "shelves stripped bare of sugar", and "shelves stripped bare of bread" in the past.

 

The news broadcasters seem (to me) to be doing their best to whip up mass hysteria about this whole thing. I was glad to see some people agreeing with me on Newswatch yesterday.

[sandwich station]

1 minute ago, Tony Davis said:

This isn't a new thing, I remember the "shelves stripped bare of sugar", and "shelves stripped bare of bread" in the past.

 

The news broadcasters seem (to me) to be doing their best to whip up mass hysteria about this whole thing. I was glad to see some people agreeing with me on Newswatch yesterday.

 

Breads no good, doesn't last long enough.