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It's easy to panic buy...........

(217 Posts)
kittylester Thu 05-Mar-20 13:14:56

when the supermarket shelves are almost empty!

I have bough extra tea as they were the last two packets, more loo rolls as there were no more on the shelf. Little stock of cat food available, etc

It's difficult to know whether the shelves were about to be refilled or not but they were definitely emptied than normal.

I'm sending dh to Aldi on a wine run later.

Anyone else felt the need to over buy?

Marmight Sun 08-Mar-20 16:52:45

Calendargirl. Not sure where your DD is but I was in Woolies today and there were palettes of loo rolls being brought in to the loo roll aisle. 4 packs per customer which is ridiculous. DD just took one. There was no rush on them. Perhaps the shoppers are finally realising there’s nothing to panic about! A local pharmacy was selling basic masks for $18 each (approx £9.20). Needless to say there was no rush on them either!

Callistemon Sat 07-Mar-20 22:43:08

I did not type that!
Autocorrect.
The message has not got through

Callistemon Sat 07-Mar-20 22:42:29

shock
Perhaps I should buy some brioche rolls before they disappear off the shelves!

I know that doctors do not approve of anti-inflammatories Fiachna, perhaps the message based for through.

Artdecogran Sat 07-Mar-20 20:28:34

Just spoke to supermarket delivery driver, his last delivery cost £600 !!!?

Esther1 Sat 07-Mar-20 20:20:21

There is a difference between panic buying and the herd instinct from just being practical by making sure there is enough food (and toilet paper) in the house in case of illness or having to self isolate during these times. It may not be possible to skip out to a shop and it’s better to not have to rely on anyone else bringing stuff in. I did buy a large pack of toilet paper today - just my normal regular sort of purchase, and found myself apologising to the cashier saying I wasn’t panic buying! Honestly!!

Fiachna50 Sat 07-Mar-20 20:17:04

Just on a wee note, why is it that Ibuprofen seens to be the painkiller left on the shelf? I do know asthmatics cannot use it. Is there another reason?

Mollygo Sat 07-Mar-20 20:01:02

Just come back from shopping- plenty of rice, pasta, toilet rolls, small amounts of paracetamol and ibuprofen all available, so I just bought some chicken, brioche rolls and a room fragrancer. I did walk out wondering if I should have bought some of the shortage items but . . .
Hope I don’t regret it later.

nonnasusie Sat 07-Mar-20 16:49:33

Why the panic buying of toilet roll? I didn't think diarrhea was one of the symptoms!!

Hetty58 Sat 07-Mar-20 16:31:19

I bet their profits are soaring, especially as the cheaper choices always sell out first!

Greta Sat 07-Mar-20 16:12:15

Just came back from Waitrose. Sold out toilet paper, sold out rice and pasta, sold out Paracetamol, sold out soap.

Sold out Common Sense!

Hetty58 Sat 07-Mar-20 15:38:26

The psychology of panic buying and stocking up is interesting. First, there's the threat of a pandemic, causing feelings of anxiety, next a need to do something to regain a feeling of security and control.

The response is emotional, rather than practical, so hoarding begins (but not the most needed items, like food). Seeing empty shelves makes us anxious too so we follow, sheep-like, in the footsteps of the first panic buyers - just in case they're right, or know something we don't!

Coolgran65 Sat 07-Mar-20 15:30:18

Ignore ..... fine

Coolgran65 Sat 07-Mar-20 15:29:48

I was in Boots collecting a prescription and mentioned hand sanitizer to the pharmacist. She said there will be a delivery on Monday but you'd need to be here at 9. The last delivery was gone by 9.30. fine

I will definitely not be in any queue at 9am on Monday.

narrowboatnan Sat 07-Mar-20 15:22:18

I have a friend who works in a local supermarket. She said that toilet roll stocks were low, but, surprisingly, no one seemed to be buying the moist toilet paper wipes. Surely they'd be a good alternative?

narrowboatnan Sat 07-Mar-20 15:17:06

I read an article that said that the shortage of paracetamol is caused by a shortage of Ibuprofen. I read that the ingredients for Ibuprofen are made in China then shipped to India but - and this started happening before we were told about Covid-19 - there was a shortage of these ingredients. This then led to people buying Paracetamol instead which, in turn, led to the scarcity of it.

SueDonim Sat 07-Mar-20 14:46:31

Put the plug in and use it as a mini-pond with fish and water lilies! smile

Toothbrush63 Sat 07-Mar-20 14:09:25

I just do my usual shopping as those who panic buy are not giving anyone else a chance to get some food or in my area case hand sanitizer

Callistemon Sat 07-Mar-20 14:03:15

Ours is still around somewhere (but not installed).
I thought of planting it up with spring flowers smile

SueDonim Sat 07-Mar-20 13:19:30

Callistemon, we got rid of our bidet when we had our bathroom redone. I’ve regretted it ever since. sad

Maremia Sat 07-Mar-20 12:54:26

I think it's fair enough to stock up on pet food. It won't go to waste. If we do have to self isolate, or worse still, treat ourselves at home, (what capacity are the UK hospitals at in normal times?), I am sure/hope home deliveries will be made to keep us going, but I don't think supplying pet food will be a priority.

SirChenjin Sat 07-Mar-20 10:23:13

My DC is in S1 of High School, so a perfect breeding ground for the rapid spread of viruses. I’ve had to send him in with anti bac gel because I’ve discovered there is rarely soap in the dispensers for one reason or another. I shall be having words with the school on Monday but if this is the case in other schools across the UK it’s perhaps no wonder that parents are panic buying the stuff.

BradfordLass73 Sat 07-Mar-20 10:22:57

Now that retailers have realised we're all gullible spendthrifts (as if Christmas wasn't proof enough) you can betcha life this sort of unnecesssary, media-driven panic will happen regularly.

And foodbanks are desperate to keep poor children nourished and the rich have (once again) cornered all the resources.

Panic buying is quite literally taking foods from vulnerable children. sad

Tooting29 Sat 07-Mar-20 10:01:38

If we follow the advice, soap and water is still the best approach. Perhaps the toilet rolls are to blow your nose if tissues run out

Oldwoman70 Sat 07-Mar-20 09:48:34

In the supermarket yesterday I saw a lady putting at least 10 packets of Pampers baby wipes in her trolley - her husband (I presume) asked why she was buying them. She replied as the shop didn't have any anti-bacterial wipes they could use the baby wipes! I couldn't help thinking a parent may come along later and be unable to buy any for her baby

Callistemon Sat 07-Mar-20 09:42:53

what does pasta achieve
I suppose if you have to go into isolation with small children, you can keep them occupied making pasta collages. You can achieve some amazing results smile

Perhaps we should re-install our bidet, SueDonim