Coronavirus virus fears causing panic buying

[Dave1987]

Lady in Tesco this evening.

Trolley stacked full of 2 little bottles of spring water.

Can anybodygive me a rational reason (even medical related) for stockpiling *water*?

I have to admit I was waiting for a meme of “how do I stockpile electricity?”

 

[3rd rail land]

I have been avoiding stockpiling food. I was getting low on a few things so went to my nearest supermarket primarily for potatoes, vegetables and milk. Of these items I only managed to get the milk.

I will check out the other supermarkets in my area tomorrow. I had to change my dinner plans for tonight which was mildly irritating but not an issue.

Toilet paper and kitchen roll were all out of stock but my branch I visited was just a Sainsbury's local so not a huge amount stocked anyway.

If anything there were less people than usual but then again there were far more empty shelves than usual.

 

[bramling]

I have been avoiding stockpiling food. I was getting low on a few things so went to my nearest supermarket primarily for potatoes, vegetables and milk. Of these items I only managed to get the milk.

I will check out the other supermarkets in my area tomorrow. I had to change my dinner plans for tonight which was mildly irritating but not an issue.

Toilet paper and kitchen roll were all out of stock but my branch I visited was just a Sainsbury's local so not a huge amount stocked anyway.

If anything there were less people than usual but then again there were far more empty shelves than usual.

Latest thing is some of the supermarkets are saying they are going to close overnight to restock. I bet this is a relief for the staff, however it’s quite possible our TVs tomorrow will be filled with scenes like we see on Black Friday when the doors are opened!

 

[hexagon789]

Latest thing is some of the supermarkets are saying they are going to close overnight to restock. I bet this is a relief for the staff, however it’s quite possible our TVs tomorrow will be filled with scenes like we see on Black Friday when the doors are opened!

Tesco said they would close all 24/7 stores at 2200 tonight precisely to allow overnight re-stocking.

 

[bramling]

Tesco said they would close all 24/7 stores at 2200 tonight precisely to allow overnight re-stocking.

This could be counter-productive, as if people know the shelves are going to be re-stocked they will be queuing out of the doors. At least now demand seems to be reasonably spread through the day.

 

[Shaw S Hunter]

Tesco said they would close all 24/7 stores at 2200 tonight precisely to allow overnight re-stocking.

My local ASDA is closing midnight until 0600. I usually shop every 10-15 days and am now close to that upper "limit". I can manage another couple of days but then will have no choice but to join the scrum. I have shopped at various different hours over the years but 0600 will be a new experience!

 

[hexagon789]

This could be counter-productive, as if people know the shelves are going to be re-stocked they will be queuing out of the doors. At least now demand seems to be reasonably spread through the day.

I'm not sure that they've got much alternative. Either stay open regardless and try and cope or close for a bit and restock.

At least if they are closed while restocking they have a good chance to fully restock shelves as much a possible whereas of they are open staff have to deal with customers as well as opposed to being fully able to focus on restocking.

 

[bramling]

My local ASDA is closing midnight until 0600. I usually shop every 10-15 days and am now close to that upper "limit". I can manage another couple of days but then will have no choice but to join the scrum. I have shopped at various different hours over the years but 0600 will be a new experience!

I have to say my next shop is quite likely to involve some stocking up. This week being on RDs it’s been no problem spending the time going round multiple stores to get everything, but next week being at work 7 days in a row I simply won’t have the time or patience to do it. If this means stockpiling then I’m afraid so be it - if you can’t beat them join them, sadly.

 

[bramling]

I'm not sure that they've got much alternative. Either stay open regardless and try and cope or close for a bit and restock.

At least if they are closed while restocking they have a good chance to fully restock shelves as much a possible whereas of they are open staff have to deal with customers as well as opposed to being fully able to focus on restocking.

I’m not knocking it as it must have been a real challenge for the stores this week, however it’s still going to cause problems. Like other aspects of this issue we’re firmly into “least worst” territory.

 

[Darandio]

I have to say my next shop is quite likely to involve some stocking up. This week being on RDs it’s been no problem spending the time going round multiple stores to get everything, but next week being at work 7 days in a row I simply won’t have the time or patience to do it. If this means stockpiling then I’m afraid so be it - if you can’t beat them join them, sadly.

Don't forget to grab that slow cooker!

 

[Mojo]

You really should make your own chili. With a 1 kg box of red beans, a basket of onions, 2 kg of minced meat, 2 boxes of tinned tomatoes, (or ~1 kg of fresh ones), a bulb of garlic, red pepper, ~250 ml oil, fresh coriander and parsley - that’ll last for at least one week.

It will be much better than the tinned variety, and no restriction to two tins!

I must admit I’ve never heard of chilli in a tin, I didn’t know it even existed if it weren’t for this thread, I was only aware of making it yourself!

 

[hexagon789]

I’m not knocking it as it must have been a real challenge for the stores this week, however it’s still going to cause problems. Like other aspects of this issue we’re firmly into “least worst” territory.

I think there's no perfect solution unfortunately

 

[Bletchleyite]

I popped into a mini Sainsburys this evening. Other than pasta, tinned tomatoes, beans and bog roll (!), it was well-stocked and I got everything I needed (which wasn't any of the former).

Go to the small shops, the panic buyers are too thick to.

 

[DynamicSpirit]

Just back from my attempt at shopping. I was expecting there not to be much in the way of long life goods, but I wasn't expecting there to be a dearth of fresh meat. Tried both ALDI and ASDA and neither had any fresh chicken, only a handful of sausages and mince between them, a bit of gammon, and some expensive steaks. Manage to find a butternut squash to make curry out of instead, but even the vegetable aisles were looking sparser than usual. No eggs to be found either, and bread was all gone in ALDI.

I'm guessing the lack of bread and fresh meat is down to people with huge American-style freezers panic-stocking their freezers.

 

[OhNoAPacer]

At least in the UK the panic buying is for toilet paper in the US they have been panic buying guns!

 

[Bletchleyite]

At least in the UK the panic buying is for toilet paper in the US they have been panic buying guns!

Yeah, I guess you're not going to kill someone with a bog roll!

 

[OhNoAPacer]

I have a double length two ply and I ain't afraid to use it.

 

[bussnapperwm]

Yeah, I guess you're not going to kill someone with a bog roll!

Easy...

Suffocation (or death by Andrex Puppy)

 

[PG]

Was fine - bar no bog roll (what is this obsession - there will be "fire" sales downline !)

What makes you say that? It's not perishable but is bulky, is lack of storage space likely to cause a "fire" sale?

I have a double length two ply and I ain't afraid to use it.

of Wood or Bog roll

 

[Busaholic]

Just a little St Albans update - there will not be any more. Bank ,library visit and delighted to see about the same numbers enjoying one of our cosy , log fired pubs on the High Street.
So i nipped into the Tesco Metro (very near where the very first self served store was opened about 1960) , looking for a bag of self raising flour (one cannot live without home made Yorkshire pudding on a Sunday) - none -nor was there or a scrap of packaged bread (but it was 3.30pm) - fresh fruit and veg fine , most other things - including plenty of toilet paper , so with 4 adults at home I bought a 9 roll pack , plus a few other things. Sensible rationing again in hand.

Staff say the takings have already exceeded the normal Xmas level , and remaining very busy. Not chaotic , and apart from M+S , is really the only city centre general purpose food store , much used by the local OAP population.

Delighted to find a 4 bar pack of Wrights Carbolic soap - so scooped that for use (always buy it anyway as it reminds me of BR issued soap)

One gets the impression of needing to be akin to a citizen of the DDR ("the workers and peasants state") , where a spare bag was often carried in case one stumbled upon some goods rarely available in the State shop.

Why self-raising flour? Plain white flour, ideally sifted. I always use Jane Grigson's award-winning recipe from her 'English Food' book, the recipe appearing on many websites.

Re spare bag and the DDR: it was actually the USSR, 1974, and the GUM department store in either Moscow or Leningrad, can't remember which. We were desperate to spend the roubles we'd been forced to buy on entering the country, and would have bought virtually anything, but... Department store in name and size, but most floors were totally devoid of any stock of anything. Ladieswear consisted of thousands of salmon pink bras of the type that double as hammocks, seemingly all in size 48 double G. I eventually settled on a small woodworking set that looked as though it had been in stock since before the Revolution, and the wooden top to it had been gnawed by rats, too. Still, it was a salutary reminder of the fascinating but benighted country, and still resides in a store cupboard somewhere, totally unused of course!

 

[DelayRepay]

I think the overnight closures are not just about re-stocking... (1) there have been fights in some stores and aggressive customers, and maybe they think it's better for this not to happen at night when there are fewer staff around, (2) maybe the stores are starting to see staff absence, so want to concentrate available staff during the day time. I suspect we'll see further reductions in opening hours over the next few weeks.

I had an email from Sainsburys saying they are closing their cafes and fresh counters to free up staff.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Easy...

Suffocation

It's soft, strong and very very long but not strong enough to suffocate someone!

(or death by Andrex Puppy)

As vicious as Monty Python's rabbit!

 

[Dave1987]

There are reports of people flogging bog roll at high markups out of the back of vans and others trying to sell baby formula milk for £50 a tin, that’s a 500% markup. BoJo needs to pull his finger out and stop this right now. He seems utterly paralysed to make any bloody decisive decisions. Wonder if old Mrs May has rang him to say being PM isn’t as easy as he thought it would be. If this carries on Britain main problem is going to be saving it from itself. Covid-19 seems to be least of the problems at the moment. The shear incompetence of Government seems to be the main problem. They need to immediately put in place laws to stop the hoarding and profiteering otherwise people may well suffer from sheer lack of basic supplies that there are enough of it people did not hoard.

 

[Bletchleyite]

How are you going to stop hoarding? Send the Army round peoples' houses?

The supermarkets are already addressing panic buying by introducing rationing.

 

[underbank]

The supermarkets are already addressing panic buying by introducing rationing.

Yes, but far too late - they should have been rationing over 2 weeks ago.

 

[Dave1987]

How are you going to stop hoarding? Send the Army round peoples' houses?

The supermarkets are already addressing panic buying by introducing rationing.

Yes but nothing to stop people going into stores and buying their “ration” multiple times. This is absolutely insane. Ordinary staples which were in huge supply a few weeks ago are now rare. There are plenty of things the Government could do instead of asking people to think of others. It’s not working at the moment.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Yes, but far too late - they should have been rationing over 2 weeks ago.

They'll catch up, it takes a while for stock to filter through.

In the meantime my advice remains to walk to your local shop. Visiting a friend yesterday I went to a different one, and that too, like my two local ones, was well-stocked other than, er, bog roll, tinned tomatoes, pasta and beans, and you don't have to eat those things and can wipe your backside on the Sun!

 

[Bletchleyite]

Yes but nothing to stop people going into stores and buying their “ration” multiple times. This is absolutely insane. Ordinary staples which were in huge supply a few weeks ago are now rare. There are plenty of things the Government could do instead of asking people to think of others. It’s not working at the moment.

Give it chance for the stock to replenish through the system, it will do. In no country has lockdown caused food shortages.

You do not have to eat pasta, beans and tinned tomatoes. In every small local shop I've been in since this started, there's been loads of everything else. And you can cut up newspaper on the nail for a short time if you need to, if you've got none wander down the station in the evening and pick up a couple of unused Metros.

 

[trainophile]

Bravo @Dave1987, excellent posts. As for even jestingly suggesting using newspaper, if you (i.e. anyone) must then for goodness sake don't flush it, that's only going to cause blocked drains and clog up the sewage system.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Bravo @Dave1987, excellent posts. As for even jestingly suggesting using newspaper, if you (i.e. anyone) must then for goodness sake don't flush it, that's only going to cause blocked drains and clog up the sewage system.

Is it really? People actually did use newspaper for many years.