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

Why are people stockpiling loo paper?

I recall 2009 flooding two weeks before we flooded. I went to the supermarket for a few things and noticed it very busy, I asked a lady what’s happening and she said everyone is panic buying so of course I panicked. I flooded so I had more pressing things than buying food to store in a kitchen going to be ripped out.

I did an online shop earlier at Asda and there were so many 'out of stock' things - I've never seen it like that. It's insane.

I think the newspapers are creating a lot of this especially the Mirror as usual it does it with the weather as well. This panic buying thing I think is well to me worse than the virus itself. Yesterday we had a walk for milk as normally we run out and just looked at the aisles. No soup, no soap, no pasta at Morrison’s no paracetamol either, everyone had loo roll so hubbie said let’s join em and we got a four pack. I have a cold and a headache I checked the cupboard but my paracetamol is out of date as I must of last bought it a couple of years ago.

Selfish people who overbuy cause panic and food shortages!
PLEASE DONT DO IT!!!

I am puzzled by the panic buying of toilet rolls.

The Coronavirus doesn’t cause diarrhoea.

I think it’s selfish to stock up.

My god it's such an over reaction by a small bunch, who are causing others to think, and do stupid too.

There is no need to go buying stupid amounts of anything.

I saw this with piggy flu, and all the other recent plagues!

I'm.part of the vulnerable group, twofold... Lung disorder, and older! lol oh and generally bad health, along with my fiancée still recovering from cancer treatment, and she has RA also.... She had it before the other.

We are buying the "essentials" as normal. We don't have a dry cold, and not do the vast majority of the idiots causing.oanic buys, and neither have they been in contact with anyone who may or may not be affected.

If.people did as they were told, this wouldnt spread, as they'd not leave their houses as advised. Of course like the ? flu, people think they might have it ... Nope it's winter, you have a normal.cold.

Just shop as normal, follow the proper advise out there from the proper bodies involved, and you'll be just fine.

Selfish to pile food etc! We need to think of others.

No over buying I've not got the room to store extra items or the extra food budget the supermarkets are loving it and probably have a stockpile for when the prices rise

Actually, everything in supermarketland is not normal right now. Whether it's a question of people being clairvoyant three weeks ago and over-buying, or of deliveries coming in slower because of the general impact on supplies, imports etc., the fact is that many things are in short supply, and as substitutes that were always left on the shelves are turned to instead the problem will continue. I went into Sainsbury's mid-week this week to avoid lots of shoppers, there were huge swathes of empty shelves - no pasta at all (was it coming from Italy and not allowed in?), hardly any tinned beans, hardly any toilet/kitchen rolls, tinned fish in short supply. Of course, there's been no hand sanitiser for over three weeks, nor antibacterial hand wipes. There was nobody filling shelves.
So let's be sensible, if we're faced with this situation now, when items do come onto the shelves what is the most natural thing to do? It's to protect yourself and your family and the idea that people will not overbuy seems a strange one to me. It's OK and very magnanimous to say you won't overbuy but when faced with the complete absence of some item, and then that comes back on the shelves, of course people will buy extra. It's human nature. Rationing was a good idea in the 40s and 50s - in an epidemic, I'm sure it will come back. Indeed, hand sanitiser is being rationed in those chemists where it has come back on the shelves - two per person. The Boots and Superdrug stores in London that have been without this for a few weeks are just getting it back in - 500 bottles gone in 8 minutes yesterday. I'm in London, so huge population.
As for supermarket home deliveries, these mask the situation in the actual supermarket when you are confronted with the vision of empty shelves.

Maybe now is the time to make permanent changes to benefit the environment - washable cloths and small towels instead of loo roll, pop them in the washing machine and reuse. Less yucky than cloth nappies and most of us coped fine with those!!

I’m not stockpiling anything. TBH I think it’s selfish. The more panic buying the less for everyone else, and probably be left in larders when all this is over.

Our Morrison’s and corner shop are fully stocked.

As for loo paper running out, you can wash your bottom, and dry with your
own towel just for that purpose ?, I don’t expect shops will run out anyway. I can’t think of any specific thing I couldn’t do with out.

Confess to having selfishly bought a few (two or three, NOT twenty two or three!) extra packets of rice, oats and dried beans a couple of years back in case we had food shortages after Brexit! Stuck them in an underused cupboard 'just in case'.

Discovered them yesterday. Now need to use them up soonest before their'best before' dates.

Shan't be doing that again.

But I will be sowing my vegetable seeds again as usual. And also pulling up my leeks today to make soup like merlotgran. I should have enough to be able to freeze and keep some of it for when the supermarket shelves are empty. Assuming we continue to be supplied with electricity, of course.

I have to agree with those who are saying it's selfish. Just been to M and S and it's quite busy on a Friday morning but not that busy.
I have also noticed lots of metros left in the stands at the station's which is unusual! But this scaremongering is causing people to panic, overreact and not pick them up.

I don’t think I’m panicking but I have been buying a few extra supplies of tinned and dry goods like rice and lentils. It’s not impossible that I'll be quarantined or unwell in the coming weeks, and I feel more comfortable knowing that I could survive for a while on what’s in my cupboards and that Matt Hancock won’t need to arrange deliveries!

Agreed Greyduster and the attitude seems to be that only the old and sick will die so that's all right then. That attitude might make younger folk complacent and think they will be okay.

Aldi this morning; only things missing were hand gel, which they were expecting further deliveries of, paracetamol, ditto, and flour was very low. No-one appeared to be loading trolleys up. Plenty of pasta, fresh meat, veg and fruit. Just watched a bloke on the BBC postulating some theory about how many of us are now going to die! His enthusiasm for his subject was depressing! Why are they allowed to fuel people’s anxiety like that?

I'm not panic buying but Tesco couldn't deliver large eggs or sparkling water today. I would have thought they could do basic staples .

The toilet paper crisis is bonkers! The supermarkets really should have limited the amount you can buy as soon as they saw people buying dozens of rolls. People need to get a grip and try to think how they would cope without essentials because there is always an alternative.

Absolutely not. People who are stocking up on everything are just selfish. Just learn to use less loo paper for a start.

Thanks, Lanclass. Our lovely GP who reached for his magic needles whenever I had a run in with sciatica has now retired and I can no longer get it on the NHS. I agree that acupuncture really works but hopefully this bout won't last much longer.

It's my own fault. Last Saturday I popped out to the veg garden to pull up a couple of leeks to make some soup. I didn't bother to put my jacket on, bent over and got a blast of Storm Jorge up my bottom! Twenty four hours later I was paying for it!

I won't make that mistake again. A whole week has been wasted.

I’ve been stoked up on all basics for 1 month for a week or so and I can’t understand why you would not.

If you are Ill you will have to get others to shop for you putting their health at risk.I think that’s irresponsible and selfish.

We may need to go and help friends and family at short notice so I’ve also got a full tank of fuel enough to take me to my relatives who are not nearby.

Sainsbury's yesterday, had to ask the assistant was there a reason why it was more crowded, she whispered “panic buying”. It was full of elderly, bottled water, loo rolls huge amounts. Our drinking water is fit to drink are they expecting to have the runs, that is not in the signs of flu. I feel revolted that us elderly are so anxiety and meanness driven or doom ladened, what is it.

Apparently, this irrational behaviour is driven by fear, a need for control and a sheep-like mentality - ('if others are bulk buying, maybe I should too'):

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-51731422

Sorry ,should have sent private message to Merlot gran.