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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?

Callistemon Fri 06-Mar-20 18:20:54

Some toilet paper is imported from China to Australia but most of it is manufactured in Australia.
It was just a panic-causing rumour!

If you notice, many of our toiletries are manufactured in China too
Do not panic! Apparently we wash our hair far too often, according to a hairdresser I know.

Daisymae Fri 06-Mar-20 18:13:15

Following on from my earlier post, listening to the news on R4 tonight, the supermarkets have said that no one from the government has been in touch with about increase delivery, despite what Matt Hancock said last night. They dont have the capacity to suddenly be able to supply people who are self-isolating, all they could do is get Christmas levels of home delivery. Seriously you couldn't make it up. The government thinks that by saying something it makes it true.

Lilyflower Fri 06-Mar-20 17:56:45

There are no shortages in my local supermarkets except for Paracetamol in Tesco’s and hand gel.

My daughter dictated that I should stock up on tins of baked beans for the apocalypse so I bought a couple. I had to laugh. She never eats humble food ever and when I offer her beans on toast instead of avocado on sour dough with siracha I want to see her face!

grannysyb Fri 06-Mar-20 17:50:49

Just been to Waitrose, no dried milk which we use in our bread making, the assistant said that people had been buying large amounts of it, wierd! Lots of loo rolls though!

pollyperkins Fri 06-Mar-20 17:39:36

I’ve just read that someone has been stealing antibacterial hand gel from Northampton general Hospital. From patient’s bedsides and the large bottles as you enter wards , apparently. How low can some people stoop?

clareken Fri 06-Mar-20 17:09:30

Diagnosed virus figures have gone from 51 on Monday to 163 today. I am not going to overbuy, but I will make sure we have what we normally keep in stock.

Milly Fri 06-Mar-20 17:07:40

Not panic buy but buy extra in case I have to self isolate. I don't want to be hungry as well as lonely !!!

Missiseff Fri 06-Mar-20 17:03:13

Good grief.

Jeannie59 Fri 06-Mar-20 16:58:54

My daughter lives in Australia
And she was saying it is because they rely on their toilet rolls being imported from China and as nothing is coming out of China
That is why they are buying up all the toilet rolls

GrannySomerset Fri 06-Mar-20 16:51:14

Just done a supermarket run and the loo rolls we prefer were only available as a pack of 24. As there are only two of us (though three loos) we should be able to keep the neighbourhood going for a while. Excess buying forced on us!

CBBL Fri 06-Mar-20 16:50:29

No panic buying here - but I have seen shelves in my usual supermarket empty of liquid soap and hand sanitizer.
With only two people in our household, our usual amount of toilet rolls will last us a month, and I can't imagine that we will use up four bars of soap either!
We live in a rural area with no shops - the supermarket is four miles away, but we shop each week. I keep a (small) extra freezer in the garage, which usually has a few rolls of bread, and a sweet pastry type pudding, in case of unexpected visitors. We keep tinned food in stock anyway, just so that we could eat that if I don't want to cook a "meat & veg" type meal.

allule Fri 06-Mar-20 16:50:02

I went to do an Ocado order this morning and found the next available slot was Tuesday! I don't know if more people are ordering, or if they are holding back stocks.

I also heard on the news that people were buying tins and toilet rolls. "As though there were no tomorrow" , which didn't seem quite right.....

My fear is that people will start stockpiling gin to use as hand sanitizer smile

Marydoll Fri 06-Mar-20 16:42:28

I have to top up my pain relief patches with paracetamol, but there was none to be had this morning in Morrisons.
I have noticed for a while, that it has been difficult to get anyway. Our Lidl had been sold out, the last few times I was there.
I don't ask for it on prescription, as it costs the NHS a fortune to prescribe and I feel guilty about how much I personally cost already in medication. However, I may have to request it.
As I'm no longer able to drink alcohol, there is a stash of wine in our garage. I may be able to barter it for toilet rolls, if necessary. wink

Hattiehelga Fri 06-Mar-20 16:39:30

No shortage at Aldi today apart from hand gel. To lighten the mood - quite a lot of years ago there was a loo roll shortage in the Midlands - can't recall why - and a bread shortage in Cheshire. We went on our usual day visit to my cousin from Brum to Poynton with a quantity of bread for her in return for several loo rolls. Her husband said he would think of us when he had a sandwich and I said how much nicer that would be than our thoughts when using their contribution!!

georgia101 Fri 06-Mar-20 16:34:08

The lady at the check out told me that people are buying loads more than usual. Bulk buying pasta, rice and tins, and even buying flour to make their own bread if necessary. Ridiculous! I did a normal shop but did buy an extra packet of pasta as our son has allergies and almost lives on this.

LullyDully Fri 06-Mar-20 16:31:00

It reminds me of Jamaica during the IMF problems in 1978/9. I had queue for cheese which came in a tin , it was a strange orange colour and tasted odd. However I was very pregnant so glad of the calcium. The empty shelves were filled with tins of Milo ( a type of cocoa. ) .They knew the meaning of shortages!!!

(No shortages of wonderful fresh fruit of course.)

Neilspurgeon0 Fri 06-Mar-20 16:21:46

Could not believe today, Asda completely cleared of all dried pasta. Went to Aldi and found some

Saggi Fri 06-Mar-20 16:09:01

I would never ‘stock up’ , just because I am lucky enough to afford to do it. What about people who live week to week , and haven’t got spare cash to over buy. Have we not learnt any humility ....surely if it comes to it, rationing of essentials ( as in the war) is the right way to go.... not richer people sweeping all before them, and bugger the rest! As for overbuying on the premise that we may have to self-isolate..... rubbish. All of us , on here, are obviously computer literate...set up a Tesco...Sainsbury’s .... or whatever your supermarket preference is .... account and shop til you drop on-line. That overbuying bird don’t fly!!

Helen369 Fri 06-Mar-20 16:02:35

I’ve just come back from my local Waitrose and there isn’t a toilet roll, packet of pain killers, or wipes on the sleeves there. I didn’t check out the non perishable food items..... it’s crazy.

Susieq62 Fri 06-Mar-20 16:01:05

Only went to Morrisons for a few items and it was manic. Cars all over the place, check out queues very long. Very little soap, no hand wash, few loo rolls! Crazy behaviour so I stocked up on wine!!
People need to be sensible and think of those who cannot carry much. We are behaving like idiots!!

Bijou Fri 06-Mar-20 15:45:12

I just cannot understand how stupid and selfish people can be. There are sixty million people in the U.K. and the proportion of cases and death is extremely low. Those people who are stockpiling are very selfish. There are millions in this world so much worse off.
Many years ago there was a shortage of
paper and some wit said “use both sides”!
What is wrong with washing your rear end.
I lived through the war so know what shortages were like.
we made do and survived. If we weren’t bombed !

annep1 Fri 06-Mar-20 15:43:29

There seem to be 2 threads on panic buying at the minute.
I just got a small Sainsbury delivery. The driver said he has 16 crates for one customer. Another customer, a doctor interestingly (not sure he should have told me but no name) bought 30 packets of weetabix. I am now a bit worried about shops running out of stuff.

Daisymae Fri 06-Mar-20 15:42:37

I think that the buying is because people are becoming aware of the implications of a prolonged epidemic. 20 percent of the workforce off sick could result in staff shortages so problems with deliveries and the supply chain. Plus people will not wish to mix with others as numbers multiply. Interesting, despite all the reassurance yesterday it seems that the government are talking to suppliers/supermarkets this afternoon. Looking like they may not have put a lot of thought into this aspect of the current situation.

Cabbie21 Fri 06-Mar-20 15:41:00

This is ridiculous.
This morning my husband needed to go to Boots and there was a young woman trying to buy TEN bottles of hand sanitiser. They wouldn’t let her, so she made a huge fuss and started to cry!
We always have a reasonable amount of stuff in the house, tins of salmon, rice , etc, and have not bought anything extra to what we normally buy.

Lancslass1 Fri 06-Mar-20 15:32:42

My son went to Waitrose.
There were no Paracetamol tablets left but had there been the price had been put up to 70p per packet.
Disgraceful.