It's Time to issue ration books for food.

Talking to friends and family - and I am doing a lot of that at present, I think many of the shortages and totally empty shelves is very much an inner city problem. Talking to people in several areas of England and Glasgow, who live in the suburbs, and smaller towns, while all supermarkets have some shortages, mainly loo paper, in most of them most of the shelves have sufficient stock and are not running out. There is no lack of stock and in the next week or two people will run out of space or money and start living off their hump.

One factor that no one seems to have taken into account is the way shopping habits have changed in recent years. Once, most of us did weekly food shops, but in recent years people have moved more and more back to buying the food they want on a day to day basis and what has been happening, especially this weekend is that people have gone back to buying a weeks groceries so they have bought a week's supply of fruit and vegetables, because they will not be shopping again until next weekend.

Supermarkets will need to change their supply patterns so that they have much more in the shops Thurs - Sat, but less Mon- Wed.

We now have computers Dairy and smart phones. Every could be issued with a code which you scan in at the till. Very simple.

Those few who don’t have them can have a plastic card issued with their code to likewise scan in at the till.

Can anyone imagine the admin behind trying to get a ration system in place for 60 million people? It would take months, by which time shelves would be restocked.

Rufus, Woolworth's are charging $10AUD for a bloomin' lettuce and $9AUD for a cauloflower
Ellan Where are you then? I thought you were in Blighty; or are you quoting prices given to you from family here?
I doubt their accuracy and I certainly wouldn't pay those prices!

I have just had my Sainsbury's order delivered and it's not bad but no toilet rolls or moist wipes. No ordinary mozzarella only light (which will have to do). No bleach or wipes. Nipped to local corner shop this morning to get some milk and it was already almost gone at 9,.30. One good thing they are limiting the amount people can buy. If a small shop can do it why can't the supermarkets? They're making masses more money than normal so they should be hiring security.

One of my GS's who's on the board of directors at Lidl's in Bristol had to help out on the shop floor because of the crowds and scrums. He's 6' 6" but nearly trampled on. How disgusting is that in a civilised ( supposed ) society ?

Another GS who works for Morrisons is having to work flat out this weekend to prepare foodstuffs for delivery to their stores and also M&S's who Morrisons supply to as well, cooked meats etc.

Rufus, Woolworth's are charging $10AUD for a bloomin' lettuce and $9AUD for a cauliflower----I think I'll give them a miss .

The supermarket CEOs are meeting with the government/ civil servants

This morning Sainsburys were fairly well stocked with fresh vegetables and meat but no or little rice, pasta, loo rolls, and tissues.

Our local butcher also sells veg, sauces, milk, eggs, bread cheese etc so that is where I will be doing most of my shopping from now on. The only thing he didn't have this morning was a chicken which I wanted for tomorrow's dinner. It's not too bad locally at the moment but I am worried for the coming weeks and months. I am just buying the quantity of food I would normally buy each week and the panic buying is so depressing. I need to stop thinking about it.

The supermarkets are rationing what people are buying at one shop. They’re not keeping tabs on how often people go in, or to how many shops. Some will go every day and just keep buying. That’s the problem. So rationing would only allow you to shop say once a week, and you wouldn’t be able to go to other shops. Every time I’ve gone shopping, it’s been the wrong time, everything has gone, and I’ve staggered my times. We definitely need something in place. Being able to eat and keep healthy is paramount.

@gardeningpower
You don't think perhaps that the Prime Minister has quite enough to do at the moment?
It is well within the power of supermarkets to sort this out by limiting amounts of what people are buying. It will quickly settle down. As others have pointed out, there is NO shortage of food as there was in wartime. Just not enough to supply greed

Our corner shops haven’t been that good either, but it may be because we have a high student population.

It's not up to Boris it's up to us!! The great British public needs to get a grip.

I agree we should have some sort of rationing its no good the government saying there is plenty of food when you cant access it, I have no transport not supposed to go out and having trouble getting an online delivery, cant ask a neighbour to do a whole shop, but they are willing to pick up small amounts, come on Boris sort it out

Also big families out together. Mum Dad and unruly kids. Why doesn't Mum or Dad do the shopping and the other one stay home or garden with the the kids?

Just back from usual Saturday shopping at small local supermarket. All fine. Well stocked. A few unusually rude shoppers. Not regulars. However, across the car park Sainsbury was being cleared as though a plague of locusts had descended. I heard this from disgruntled shoppers returning to their cars.
What's wrong with people? Why flock to the big name supermarkets?

Would they still wear their uniforms and sunglasses Rufus that would be worth a visit!

We visited your Woolworths when we went to Perth, maybe if they had started selling more food in the U.K. they would have survived.

heavy category driving licences
Grandad Qantas is shedding many flights and staff; read that Woolies supermarkets may be taking on some of their redundant staff. Do you think a Jumbo pilot's licence qualifies? At least, delivery times would shorten!

It should be made clear that there is sufficient food for all in the system, but it is the supply chain especially between the Distribution centres and the supermarkets that has been unable to cope with demand.

The road transport industry is adapting to the situation as quickly as possible with such measures as heavy goods vehicle drivers being seconded from car transport to food distribution etc. However, with twenty five percent more demand on supermarkets coming from the closure of pubs and restaurants closing, the situation may not improve for quite a number of days perhaps longer.

It has to be remembered that drivers that deliver food to pubs and restaurants very often do not hold the category of driving licence necessary for the very heavy vehicles that deliver to supermarkets.

That stated the drivers that deliver the cask beer to pubs and clubs do hold very heavy category driving licences so they will now be available for supermarket delivery.

Well, I have two freezers, one for daily use and an extra one for freezing surplus garden produce. That was emptied and switched off six weeks ago - and is still empty and switched off.

Me too SirChenjin and if there is no doubt they'll be hoping to take their additional fridges and freezers with them to cool them down.

It's supposed to be rather warm there.

Don’t be too sure - apparently the sales of fridges and freezers have skyrocketed as people simply buy more storage for their stockpile.

I hope there’s a special place reserved for them in hell, I really do.

Panic buying will soon come to an end as people get their credit card bills and run out of space to store stuff.

A friend in central London tells me that her corner shop has plenty of everything and no queues.

Restaurants, pubs and cafes will not then be buying from wholesalers so there will be more being diverted to shops, hence the there will be 25%more stock for the stores to satisfy customers not eating out.