Hoarders

Well said !

It’s made me realise how I have had in only what I need and don’t go mad with food shops. If I have ever had extras in I nibble on them especially biscuits or crackers, so I did get stocked up with extras of which I should have in anyway. I always buy multipack soaps as they’re cheaper so I have lots of this. I’ve been using my butcher and fruit shop but they did say they can’t keep up. Interestingly if you are desperate the petrol garage had bread and things so it’s not just supermarkets we can get these things from.

Artdecogran, I agree about the gf supplies. I am coeliac and very glad I stocked up with flour and pasta before panic buying began. I always keep my stocks up because of where we live.

The only problem now is getting hold of dried yeast!

I had my Tesco delivery this morning. No bread, cat food, lard or cake, and lots of items substituted. My granddaughter went all over this afternoon for bread, but none there, but my grandson thinks he`ll be able to get me some tomorrow. My youngest son is getting me bleach and washing up liquid tomorrow, and my cleaner nipped out and found some cat food, much to Mia`s relief! Next delivery date with Tesco is April 23rd, click and collect April 10th, but I`ve managed to book a slot with Morrisons for April 5th. Just hoping that someone will either take me shopping ordo some for me at the end of next week.

Our village has a facebook page full of helpers, but it really isn't fair that they should be asked. It will involve someone having to go in the shop.

I wonder if people who are self-isolating are able to get help from their local community? Every household in my small town is about to get a leaflet with an attached postcard that can be used to get help, plus a list of the very, very many local shops, cafes, restaurants and pubs that are willing to do home deliveries, either for free or a charge of £1.25 per delivery. Orders can be telephoned in and will be delivered either the same day or the next.

My mother lives in South Manchester and there too the local support group has been inundated with offers to help. Whilst there are some people hoarding and demonstrating an 'I'm all right Jack' attitude there are very many people who are managing their own crises and still generously helping out others.

How about face recognition technology at the supermarket, escorted off the premises when clocked.
Loyalty and debit cards can indicate what people are buying, when they reach the allowed number of items their card should be declined.
On a lighter note how about bringing back the village stocks so that we can pelt the rotters with all their fruit and veg when it starts to go off.

granniechrissie ? said that her words would be deleted -
so would mine.
Here's why - for some time now neither DH or I have not been well enough to do our own supermarket shop. This hasn't been a particular problem because we have regularly done an online shop at Tesco. I had a deliver yesterday so I am not desperate but I thought that I would book a slot now so that I could add to it.
Tesco has no slots for home delivery for the next three weeks. Morrisons and Sainsburys are the same. They have no click and collect slots either. There is a group on our local facebook page which says it could help, but they shouldn't have to. We have been told to self isolate but unless we ask for help we could starve. We were independent and the government has now forced us to become dependent.
Or are they hoping that we'll just die quietly of starvation ?
I believe that this is caused by the mindless and irresponsible people who have cleared the shelves and the supermarkets who should have stopped them.
Angry is not a strong enough word !

My 6 year old grandson has coeliac disease and has a very limited diet. It is essential that he has gluten free bread, pasta etc, but it’s all gone from the shelves. Black marketing was prosecuted in the war, perhaps we should do the same now. But of course, now we don’t have the manpower to contain it or prosecute. I wish I believed in karma.

I blame the supermarkets! When this whole thing started up they should have introduced a ban on people buying more than 2 items! They have rubbed their hands in glee as they watch the tills fill and the shelves empty. We have our normal shopping stuff on the shelves and I refuse to stock pile stuff that I might throw away in the future. Try using butchers and farm shops they have plenty of meat and eggs. Well ours did yesterday.

gilly, what a coincidence, I am reading it at the moment. It jumps off the page at me. Love it.

My son went to Lido this morning just to get a few essentials.
He arrived at 7.15 and was approximately 6th in a queue waiting for the store to open at 8. He called me at ten to 8 and the queue was out of the car park and along the main road, approximately 100 people long.
He has 3 children aged 5, 3 and 3 weeks and is an emergency worker so needs to shop regularly but he said it was an awful experience just trying to get fruit & veg, eggs, baby wipes etc.
I spoke to him not long ago and he was trying to park in Sainsbury's to get eggs as he couldn't even get down the aisle in Lidl.
Security should be letting a certain amount of people in and doing a one out, one in policy to stop this ridiculousness.

These people are rude, aggressive & selfish.

Luckily I have my loo rolls delivered from Who Gives A Crap, so we won't run out anytime soon!

I went to my local Waitrose this morning, as they are now prioritising over 70s between 8 and 9 am. I arrived at 8.30, and my heart sank to see a very long queue waiting outside. But they were all the under 70s! We oldies were in a much shorter queue, just a handful of us. They were restricting how many were entering to allow a bit more social distancing, and allowing a handful of us in as others came out.
The shelves were still pretty sparse (they will never get back to full shelves anytime soon, I'm sure), but I did manage to get some eggs from the few boxes left, and a few other items.
I was out in 17 minutes, and was slightly amused to see two coppers in the car park - obviously to avoid riots! (I gave them the thumbs-up as I left!)
I'm now pretty well stocked up, and hopefully, in time all this panic buying will die down (not holding my breath though!)

I don't think limits will work. People will just go every day. We need rationing although I haven't a clue how we would organise that quickly.

My neice works on till at A@@i, they have a 4 items per person rule. She says she has been threatened repeatedly while trying to enforce this. Told to just bl@@@y scan it, told `I know what time you finish work` etc. Management very supportive but why would anyone threaten a young woman over a pkts of rice or bottles of water.
Horrible people out there.

The tills could be set to stop anything over 2 items in the trolley, they can do it with Paracetomol, so that’s easy, it should also stop the staff from being blamed.
If the same credit card is used in one day I’m sure that can be set up on the till so that it too can be refused.
Problem is that some of the people who are buying extra could be buying for elderly relatives, my DD is buying fresh food on our behalf as we can’t get out at the moment.
Essential workers are also buying extra as most stores are closing at 10 and the shifts that they are on mean that they can’t shop.
And people who are due to be indoors for 12 weeks need food.
Mormons are encouraged to have 12 months supply of food.
I’m now using my winter supply of tinned food that I get each Autumn.

Who are these people whose spending habits far exceed anyone's here in the North West ?

If anyone has read Tara Westover’s biography “Educated” they will know about “preppers” . I can highly recommend the book by the way. She tells of growing up in a Mormon family where they are preparing for the end of the world .

Preppers are people who fear the zombie invasion/wrath of God or whatever and store large quantities of supplies at home. We're not talking a tin of beans or a packet of frozen veg stuck to the bottom of the chest freezer here.

Think gas lamps, wind up torches, dehydration kits, saurkraut and firearms. A sort of cross between Deliverance and Hyacinth Bucket on steroids.

24 items for today’s Sainsbury’s order are not available. I’m in my 70’s my husband in his 80’s and I also have moderately severe asthma.
Can’t get another delivery slot for next three weeks. Can’t get hold of Sainsbury’s to get onto the extra slots for high risk groups.
I am being forced out to the shops to buy food due to the selfish people out there.

Marks and Spencer’s are actively encouraging hoarding with their advertising entitled

“Can you freeze it”? Telling everyone to buy more and put it in the freezer.

I think Tesco are opening their stores for an hour for NHS staff only so they can buy what they need. I suppose this will only work if the shelves are stocked.

Preppers are preparing for the break down of civilisation.

We were in Aldi the other day. They have a rule ...no more than 4 of any item. A married couple had a trolley each and were pretending that they weren't together. What's annoying me most is that we eat a lot of pulses and fresh food which are usually plentiful but now have virtually disappeared. What's the point of over buying fruit and veg. It will go off before they can eat it all. And most will have no idea how to use pulses. I foresee a lot of pulses ending up in the bin or foodbanks in a few weeks.

My neighbour commented on my purchase of one pack of 9 toilet rolls; when I asked if she needed any she admitted that they were still using up their brexit supplies!
No wonder they have alarm systems and padlocks on every gate.

Preppers ?
Please explain Greymar.