Panic buying

No signs of panic buying with the exception of antibacterial hand gel. We are unable to get it anywhere. Our local Boots has a sign up saying people will be limited to 2 bottles per person. However, I was told of one shop that a person bought multiple bottles of hand gel. In my opinion that is ridiculous and extremely selfish. However, I do blame the shops for allowing silly amounts of items to be sold. I do not know what shop it was. Certainly keep enough goods at home incase you have to be in isolation, as you may be unable to get out. That's sensible. Im fascinated as to where folk store all this. There homes must be huge.

I have stocked a certain amount in case I can't get out. Just a couple of boxes and prepared an online shopping list. I think that's sensible.
Superdrug a few days ago were sold out of hand gel. Someone bought 12 large containers of hand gel which was their total stock. All small bottles were sold out. Apparently employers in the area were stocking up.

Isn't that amazing? My supermarket, 13,000km from you, has just warned of the same thing - I smell a scam.

I suspect that the hand gel is on eBay for £10+ a bottle. I asked my daughter if she was stocking up and she said 'for what?' so no sign of panic buying there!

I suppose the next thing will be ‘private’ companies offering home testing kits at vast expense...... and people will fall for it . But better than clogging up A&E with the ‘worried well’ demanding to be tested. .

I think stockpiling is really selfish .

Why strip the shelves of everything just because you can afford to?

Many people can only afford to buy what they need, when they need it . Why deprive 10 or more families of something so you can have a cupboard full ?
I don’t get it .

I agree gilly. If Covid-19 really takes hold there's going to be an awful division between the haves and have nots.

I do not understand the mentality of many.

Gillybob, I agree. Incase of isolation and being unable to get out, Ive bought a few extra tins and a big bottle of diluting juice. I really don't understand the shops, there should be a limit on people buying crazy amounts. The priority for antibacterial cleaners should be the hospitals. In all honesty, with the exception of hand gel, I have seen no panic buying. Just people doing a normal end of month shop, perhaps a few extra tins but nothing drastic. Hopefully it will stay that way. I wonder what that man is going to do with 15 bottles of bleach? I honestly could not store that anywhere.

Totally agree Gillybob I went into a supermarket near me this morning shelves half empty where they are generally full. One of the young lads telling me it was because so many people had been stockpiling this weekend, I just don’t understand it

Who remembers the sugar shortage in the '70s. A woman phoned up the local radio station, after the shortages ceased, to ask how she could use her umpteen bags of sugar that had got damp and gone solid. For some strange reason she decided if there was a shortage she needed a cupboard full of sugar. She was given short shrift

Oh yes I remember that Dottynan ,if I remember correctly it was 2 bags per family in our local supermarket, I don’t know how they knew who belonged to who lol but I remember seeing people from same family splitting up and going to another checkout so they could get more,

I went to Aldi and Waitrose yesterday and could see no signs of panic buying. I could find everything I wanted and the queues were short.

Oh, the sugar shortage! We'd run out of sugar at home and there was none in the shops but we had a holiday booked in Belgium starting a couple of days later. While we were away, I went into the local branch of Delhaize and bought a couple of kilos.

The lady who owned our B&B saw them and asked why I was buying sugar so I explained about not being able to get it at home. She looked puzzled and said, "that's really strange. With us, it's salt. You can't get salt anywhere at the moment; I don't know what we'll do when the last little bit has gone." I told her I'd post her some after I got home.

Five days later, I was home and shopping in the local Fine Fare. Guess what? No salt! None in Sainsburys, Tesco or any of the little local shops either. I can't remember how long that lasted or if anyone ever knew the reason for it but, when I phoned our Belgian hostess to explain why I wouldn't be sending salt after all, she said not to worry, it's back in the Belgian shops now!
Duh?!

I work in a local well know supermarket.

Not seen any panic buying, yes some people do tend to stock up when bad weather has been forcast but just basics really. Soup etc. But thats natural at this time of year.

Locally we have a couple who are self isolating for 14 days, one of them has mild cold like symptoms, the other one is fine, the local community and businesses have taken it upon themselves to deliver enough food and takeaways to feed an army, even Costa coffee left out on their doorstep for them this Morning when my daughter walked by.

I thought the whole idea of self isolation was just that, so why oh why are people visiting this couple, delivering stuff without as much as a face mask.on, and risking spreading this virus further? Surely its better to leave it to the proffessionals to deal with? Im sure that they would not leave them without whatever supplies they needed without Joe Public steping in as well?

I quite like the idea of being self isolating for a fortnight.?
A bit like a holiday, munching, reading books watching tv, yakking on the phone etc with no pesky appointments to attend/ children to babysit or collect/feelings of being got at etc.
If neighbours delivered meals....so much the better.

I think it's ridiculous to buy lots of items. My freezer and cupboards are always well-stocked anyway

Well you ahve said it yourself

'' So now I’m going to hoard food, medicine, toilet rolls, pet food and so on, which will then cause more shortages so you will have to hoard too. The world has gone nuts! ?''

so why do you do it???

Dear Jura2 as I explained to bluebell it was tongue in cheek. Perhaps there was a hint in the silly long list of items to hoard. And the final sentence and silly face.

Ah, ok - got it ;)

Good luck with the community pulling together, Greeneyedgirl, people are generally just selfish.

Those who stocked up because of swine flu, bird flu and Brexit will be stocking up all over again - best ignore them.

Call me stupid but I don't believe people are generally selfish. OK one or two maybe but on the whole I trust that people do usually pull together in a crisis. Look at JuliaM's post. People are basically kind, and I do not agree with her sentiment to leave the "professionals" whoever they are, to deal with it. There can be no risk dropping food off for people. Well done I say!

I don't believe in greedily stockpiling lots of things but I think anyone living alone needs to have a reasonable supply of food in the freezer or tins of food. After all, you could be ill with anything at any time.

I haven't bought excessive amounts but I can understand why some people may want to buy just a few extra tins and, if they don't go crazily buying, they will not cause a shortage.

I always have done. Not for any dramatic reasons its just sensible to me to have a supply of bottled water and non perishables.

Every few months I get out the ones nearing best by dates and put them in the normal cupboard and replace the emergency cupboard stuff