Panic buying

[kevinlms]

15 hours ago, eastglosmog said:

In public loos, it is advisable always to check for presence of paper before committing yourself.................

I came across a PERFECT example of this today.

 

As can be seen, someone has wrecked the roll holder, but the cleaner has come along and provided the necessary equipment - congratulations.

[ColinK]

13 hours ago, ColinK said:

My work took me to Skipton today - another town where the shops have run out of liquid poly. I couldn’t find any PVA either.  Lots of modellers must be stocking up for several weeks at home.

Now sorted after a trip to small local hardware shops and Homebase.  I now have enough liquid poly, pva and tester pots of paint to make lots of progress on my rolling stock and G scale layout.

[spamcan61]

2 hours ago, Sidecar Racer said:

I went to the local Tesco at 9-30 , this is a day when the between 9-00 and 10-00 they are more senior

friendly to give us a chance , it was more rammed than a normal Saturday before the panic buying

started .     

Similar situation round my way when Sainsbury's went senior friendly yesterday morning ... sigh...

 

https://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/18317477.coronavirus-early-morning-rush-sainsburys-christchurch/

[polybear]

4 hours ago, Pete the Elaner said:

Somebody had 2 of the largest packs of toilet rolls I had ever seen in her trolley. There must have been 30 in the pack.

 

Manufacturers run near to their capacity because it is more economical, so they can't just increase production by 300%.

Once the panic buyers have stocked up, manufacturers should start to catch up. Give it about 3-4 weeks & any panic item should be normally available again.

 

About time they started splitting the packs and flogging them two at a time....

And in a few months factories will be suspending production due to no demand.

 

3 hours ago, RedgateModels said:

I succumbed ...

 

 

Nivea.  You've got hand sanitiser....

[RedgateModels]

12 minutes ago, polybear said:

Nivea.  You've got hand sanitiser....

 

Can't have my hands cracking with all this handwashing

[Gwiwer]

06.30 this morning.  Sainbury's at Clapham Junction had a good supply of fresh meat, milk and most everyday veggies but many dry goods were absent.  07.30 those items were gone.  But along the road at Aldi there was more to be had and with stock still there at 11.00.  

 

This is as much a supply-chain issue as a hoarding one.  There is plenty of supply by and large though it is being called on much faster than normal.  Easing of delivery-hour restrictions and driver's hours for the duration of the problem have helped.  Redeploying staff within stores has helped as shelves are re-stocked more quickly.  

 

But on the basis that if a supermarket shelf space holds - for example - 100 tins of beans and is normally refilled when 10-20 have been taken then it will take far longer to restock when all 100 suddenly vanish.  And it will take longer to recover to the full-shelf position as well.  

 

Mike's point about supermarkets restricting to "regulars only" might be fine in theory and workable in small locations but how does that work in a large suburban setting?  Would thousands of shoppers from a fairly wide catchment area many of whom will hold brand loyalty cards as evidence of being "regulars" all be asked to prove their addresses as well?  And what of cases where someone has shopped in a particular location for years, has the store loyalty card but is determined by whoever to not be using their local store and is turned away?  A well-intentioned recipe for more grief than it's worth in my opinion.  Far better to limit purchases to a small number per item; three seems to be working.  There is abuse and entire families are shopping individually and getting several times the individual limit by that means.  But I suspect they are the exception rather than the norm and I know of at least one case where they all came through the same register talking to each other and were intercepted there by store security ..... if you are going to be selfish and break the rules at least do it with a bit more thought!!!

 

Meanwhile the corner shops locally continue to keep us in basics to our satisfaction.  

[melmerby]

1 hour ago, The Stationmaster said:

I think we urgently need controls on who is allowed to shop where.  Our local Tesco branch is repeatedly being raided by people who not only don't know where various things are but even by those who don't know the route into the flippin' car park.  Net result although restocking appears to be a relatively normal levels for many things stuff is going out in greater quantities and at a faster rate than normal.  Although the organisation is excellent such as allowing in wrinklies ahead of the queue when there is a queue to get in and today having an express queue to the checkouts for over 70s and strict social distancing at the checkouts themselves the one thing they are not doing is limiting the customers to 'regulars only' - probably in a bid to avoid riots or physical violence to their staff.  

 

But it seems pretty clear to me that there won't be a return to 'normal' shopping unless some stricter controls are enforced nationally and people are only allowed to shop locally and sti ore loyalty cards are used to enforce that.  and of course people moving miles for shopping are also potentially spreading infection so it's a double whammy.  Is this the first time a double negative hasn't resulted in a positive?

Pretty difficult for us pair of plus 70s

We never go to the most local supermarket (not the brand we shop at) and we don't have any loyalty cards.

Basically we are stuffed.

SWMBO does not have great mobiity (we have a blue badge for her) but the shelves are empty when we get there and we need to keep browsing several different supermarkets & shops to try and find the basics when we should be out of the system altogether and self isolating.

 

[luckymucklebackit]

It's now officially a crisis, Morrisons in Troon has NO blended whiskey or canned beer!!!!

Obviously the advice not to go to the pub has had a knock on effect

Edited March 20, 2020 by luckymucklebackit

[Reorte]

2 hours ago, melmerby said:

Pretty difficult for us pair of plus 70s

We never go to the most local supermarket (not the brand we shop at) and we don't have any loyalty cards.

Basically we are stuffed.

 

I'm not in an at risk group so IMO I should be going to the supermarket rather than put stress on the delivery system for those that need it. And I don't have a loyalty card either. But the general concept is OK I think, just ask for some evidence of an address. But I really do wish people would behave a bit better in the first place and avoid giving support to the idea that such things are even needed, because I do find them very depressingly oppresive, even at that level.

[The Stationmaster]

1 hour ago, melmerby said:

Pretty difficult for us pair of plus 70s

We never go to the most local supermarket (not the brand we shop at) and we don't have any loyalty cards.

Basically we are stuffed.

SWMBO does not have great mobiity (we have a blue badge for her) but the shelves are empty when we get there and we need to keep browsing several different supermarkets & shops to try and find the basics when we should be out of the system altogether and self isolating.

 

Are there any supermarkets (e.g. Tesco if there's is a national policy?) who provide for us wrinkles in the same way as our Tesco ?  We normally divide our shopping between Tesco and Waitrose buying certain things from one and other stuff from the other, plus shopping at various times for meat in a butcher in a village about 8 miles away.   Thus we have loyalty cards for both Tesco and Waitrose but part of the problem g here seems to be that Waitrose isn't exercising any sort of control over quantities and taking products off people who have put too much in their trolley - Tesco here even police quantities at the self service tills.  Oh and they have several large lads on their staff ready to eject any shoppers who get uppity with the staff.

 

I also understand from an NHS employee (our daughter) that from Sunday Tesco will operate an 'open one hour earlier than normal' policy for NHS and emergency services personnel.  So provided the shelves are stocked by opening time - which seems to be the case here but is of course limited by what they have available to put on the shelves key personnel will have a chance to shop.  But if all the local NHS staff plus those who live here and work elsewhere just do a 'normal weekly shop' it is still going to take a lot because supplies simply can't keep pace.

 

I remain very puzzled too by why folk are buying certain things.  I've already mentioned vinegar, but why such a demand for kitchen roll - which is useless as toilet paper because it won't flush properly?  And why are people buying bread flour but not buying yeast - i noticed the other day when we bought bread flour it was going down stock wise but there was loads of yeast on the shelf, strange.  And why have potatoes virtually vanished, not exactly easy to stockpile and keep in good condition for a while and the same could be said about onions, another disappearance here when there are normally masses available.   A lot of the buying seems to be totally irrational when you consider that if you buy in quantity you still have to properly store the stuff.  But ready made pizzas are sitting on the shelves in stacks yet they will keep ok in a fridge for several days.

[57xx]

Sorry all, I caved in and indulged in a spot of panic buying...

 

 

Half a dozen eggs, 1 crusty bloomer and an extra pint. No need to traipse around for hours and fight everyone at the supermarket for stuff when your friendly milky has it in stock and delivers to your door.

 

[LNER4479]

For what it's worth (and appreciate that it might not be useful to everyone)...

 

Hacked off with the shelf stripping nonsense in her usual supermarket, Mrs4479 took herself off to the nearby market town and was welcomed with open arms by the market traders. She came back some lovely veg, delicious fruit and succulent meat cuts - and healthy change out of £20.

 

[57xx]

7 minutes ago, LNER4479 said:

For what it's worth (and appreciate that it might not be useful to everyone)...

 

Hacked off with the shelf stripping nonsense in her usual supermarket, Mrs4479 took herself off to the nearby market town and was welcomed with open arms by the market traders. She came back some lovely veg, delicious fruit and succulent meat cuts - and healthy change out of £20.

 

 

Hmmm, might pop into town tomorrow morning myself and check the market out. Good post!

[Jol Wilkinson]

Panic buying is just that, buying in a panic so all ideas of sensible purchasing goes out of the window.

 

Add to that the increasingly selfish Me, Me, Me attitude shown by many in our society today and you have a situation which needs rather more stringent management than the Government is currently providing. It is seemingly no good relying on appeals for sensible and considerate behaviour or for the retailers to control  how much people are buying. As Mike (The Stationmaster) says, many purchases seem irrational.Buying perishable goods (eggs, potatoes, vegs, etc.) in quantity seems beyond stupid, never mind dishwasher tablets, washing powder, etc. which were cleared out in Tesco when we shopped there on Tuesday.

 

As we are at war with this virus, I shall write to Boris, proposing a new medal for those fighting the battle in their own selfish way,  the Totally Inconsiderate, Terrifically Stupid medal or TITS for short.

[newbryford]

I wonder if the panic buying of other stuff noted above - such as vinegar and dishwasher tablets is by the same folk who have already stocked up on toilet rolls, hand sanitiser and pasta?

Just because they can?

 

 

Oh look, something getting low on stock on the shelf, therefore it must be "essential", thus creating a further panic buy for someone else.

 

At least some supermarkets are trying to minimise quantities now.

 

I wonder what the latin term for a panic buyer is?

 

I have a few, but unpublishable without falling foul of RMwebs naughty word filter........

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[57xx]

16 minutes ago, Jol Wilkinson said:

Panic buying is just that, buying in a panic so all ideas of sensible purchasing goes out of the window.

 

10 minutes ago, newbryford said:

Oh look, something getting low on stock on the shelf, therefore it must be "essential", thus creating a further panic buy for someone else

 

Summed up by the below?

Quote

The mood at Sainsbury's was fairly upbeat with visitors enjoying their early morning shop.

John Hanley, 78, said: "I know it's stupid really but it's making me a bit nervous when I see all the panic buying on the TV. I'm going to buy everything I can because we don't know how long it's going to go on for."

Mary Parker, 81, added: "I don't really know why I'm here to be honest - I am just joining in with everyone else I suppose. I'm going to buy some soup but I've already got some at home."

 

From here

[Mark Dickerson]

Stunning news: my local suburban-London Co-Op had the panic-buying cliches plus all the cooked meat except the Italian and Spanish stuff. People had even cleared *a couple of items from the Wholefood section*. Put the gaps together and it's what I'd expect to be served if I accidentally ended up in a 1970s sitcom, which would explain a number of things.

 

Plenty of booze; special on Corona Beer in one of the other shops. (About 7 regulars in the local Wetherspoon as I walked past, mostly sat together - and including the gentleman who was bragging/joking about not washing his hands a week or so back. Mr. Martin should perhaps reconsider.)

[JDW]

I do wonder whether most of those who have panic bought things like toilet roll even know why they were buying it? Surely the point was that we should use it to blow noses or sneeze into, then flush away, and yet I've so far seen (approximately) zero people using it for that purpose, so is anyone actually bothering?!

[Baby Deltic]

3 minutes ago, JDW said:

I do wonder whether most of those who have panic bought things like toilet roll even know why they were buying it? Surely the point was that we should use it to blow noses or sneeze into, then flush away, and yet I've so far seen (approximately) zero people using it for that purpose, so is anyone actually bothering?!

Kleenex with Balsam & Aloe Vera are better because they stop your nose getting sore.

[Matt C]

44 minutes ago, Jol Wilkinson said:

Buying perishable goods (eggs, potatoes, vegs, etc.) in quantity seems beyond stupid

 

 

Eggs can last up to three weeks after the best before date, Potatoes and Onions will last for months if stored properly. We used to often buy a 25kg sack of potatoes , of onions and a couple of trays of fresh eggs direct from the farm 

[spamcan61]

1 minute ago, Mattc6911 said:

 

 

Eggs can last up to three weeks after the best before date, 

Easy test for eggs: stick 'em in a jug / bowl of water, if they sink all is well, if they stand vertically in the water they're on the turn; if they float avoid.

[Steamport Southport]

11 minutes ago, JDW said:

I do wonder whether most of those who have panic bought things like toilet roll even know why they were buying it? Surely the point was that we should use it to blow noses or sneeze into, then flush away, and yet I've so far seen (approximately) zero people using it for that purpose, so is anyone actually bothering?!

 

However sneezing is not a symptom. From the NHS website.

 

The symptoms of coronavirus are:

 

a cough

a high temperature

shortness of breath

 

If you are sneezing or have runny nose then you have something else such as a cold. As I currently have.

 

Funnily enough loads of big boxes of mansize tissues in the local Home & Bargain, but no toilet roll.

 

 

 

Jason

[Mark Dickerson]

I assume one could be asymptomatic of Coronavirus and have a cold - so toilet rolls and tissues are "our" face masks. Maybe less other perhaps? I suppose I'd find it a little odd to wear one outside a cleaning/modelling context.

[Matt C]

19 minutes ago, spamcan61 said:

Easy test for eggs: stick 'em in a jug / bowl of water, if they sink all is well, if they stand vertically in the water they're on the turn; if they float avoid.

 

Used to be my job as a 14- 16 yo before school to collect the chicken, duck and goose eggs for the  veg van man on his small holding, test any doubtful ones in a bucket of blurry freezing cold water drawn out of the rainwater  barrels, he would let out and stake out the goats, well away from the growing veg and load his van with the days produce for his round. Pay was a pittance but we never went short of fresh produce which for a very large family was a godsend. Saturdays was a part time job in the butchers, again low pay but a big bag of 'goodies' the end of my half day . All us kids had various wee jobs to help the family survive and give us a bit of pocket money 

[Erichill16]

19 hours ago, ColinK said:

My work took me to Skipton today - another town where the shops have run out of liquid poly. I couldn’t find any PVA either.  Lots of modellers must be stocking up for several weeks at home.

I’m not sure all that modelling is going to get done. Not with the amount of Viagra going out of my pharmacy!