Panic buying or common sense stocking up?

I did a Tesco shop yesterday and there was no granulated sugar. All other types including caster sugar were in abundance! Very few eggs, not much fresh fruit but other than that, the usual stuff was available.

Like others I do the "one out/one in" thing, and can usually make sure that we could survive for a couple of weeks or so if necessary. It's just being sensible, isn't it?

Hatty How would you manage if, no matter what you wanted none of the delivery men delivered and you couldn't get tonthe corner shop?

This is the situation being discussed. If six feet of snow fell over night, how long could you manage with no additional food, just what you have in the house.

By the way there is no inherent virtue in not going to the supermarket. It all depends on whether you live anywhere near a supermarket, what you choose to eat and alternative sources and there is immense variation in the range of goods people buy from their supermarket and also in the range of alternative food sources available to them.

Witzend Baby milk is not a uniform product. Every company's s product will be different to anothers.

Aptimil is the Waitrose of baby milk. They market themselves as being deeper researched, friendlier more contented cows, etc etc. that mean that the baby formula they market has extras that a main market company looking for the volume market does not include, and that justifies the price difference.

Whether those claims are correct, I have no idea. I haven't bought a tin(?) of baby formula for 50 years.

M0nica

Hatty How would you manage if, no matter what you wanted none of the delivery men delivered and you couldn't get tonthe corner shop?

This is the situation being discussed. If six feet of snow fell over night, how long could you manage with no additional food, just what you have in the house.

By the way there is no inherent virtue in not going to the supermarket. It all depends on whether you live anywhere near a supermarket, what you choose to eat and alternative sources and there is immense variation in the range of goods people buy from their supermarket and also in the range of alternative food sources available to them.

When that did happen and our village was cut off all weekend (no corner shop) I was fine - only we'd run out of teabags! Felt like "let them eat cake" and Marie Antoinette to have to resort to the Earl Grey. One hardy neighbour trudged 3 miles through the snow bless him.
But nowadays I seem to have every herbal tea under the sun.
But I might buy a couple of cartons of long life milk.

Yes, we were cut off for 2 days once when we went over to France, we arrived with the snow and it snowed us in.

Fortunately I always keep a certain minimum of tinned and packet food there, so we were had enough food to see us through 2 days, and, at a pinch we could have eked our supplies out for a week, but that wasn't necessary.

I noticed recently that our larder is looking rather depleted of canned goods. DH would never have let that happen - he was on the ball when it came to “stock control”. Me? It never occurs to me to notice these days until it’s not there! I will have to up my game. But, like Maw, I have enough Pukka herbal teas of various flavours to withstand a siege! Having once told DD that I liked a particular one, she decided I should try all the others. Ditto Forest Feast salted dark chocolate almonds. I had to put the brakes on her with regard to both. Man cannot live by salted dark chocolate almonds alone! Oh, I don’t know though😏!

I watched country file and how farmers are struggling with energy prices now which will get worse next year. and impact on food prices.
I’m planning on filling my freezer with meat to last well into next year.

I keep a full cupboard always have done, I don’t consider my self a panic buyer at all, I just couldn’t get over when covid first started people buying 48 toilet rolls etc, weirdest sight ever, I bought my usual 12 pack, I always have a good stock of cleaning products, ( I love Cleaning) but I’m no Mrs Hinch 🤣🤣

Interesting thread.

We do without milk nicely as part time vegans. We've tins of coconut milk for curries and some puddings - no fresh milk needed.

I make bread, most days - flour is easy to store.

I don't like shopping, attempt to keep over stocked.

I heard on the radio yesterday that the egg shortage wasn’t fully caused by avian flue but because the supermarkets were refusing to pay farmers the cost price. To avoid paying the Uk famers the cost price they are importing from other countries cheaper eggs that have not being produced to the high normal standard.
The Guardain
BFREPA argues that egg shortages are also a result of retailers not paying a “sustainable price” to farmers, whose hen feed costs have shot up by at least 50% since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, while fuel bills have soared by 40%.

Riverwalk

Talking of cleaning materials - a few months back I put a moratorium on buying any more until the under the sink supplies had been used.

So many different fluids for bathroom, floors, glass, tiles, etc.

I'm working my way through them. - very satisfying!

Good idea and when they’re finished keep the bottles and get them refilled at a local zero plastics shop.

Eggs out of shells can be frozen...if you use a lot worth doing. I have never panic bought anything. I adapt depending what is available. Panic buying is what empties shelves in the supermarkets. I keep my little freezer stocked with homemade soups etc. There is always something there if eat.

My mother never got over rationing and in post war times of shortage she would stock up.

I am resisting over stocking the cupboards, but I am buying larger size bags of stuff like rice, pasta etc.

I invested in some really good storage containers from Morrisons and am cooking larger quantities of meals and sauces at one time and freezing them. I think lots of folk are doing that.

I am consciously buying a bit extra to donate too. Not a lot, just a few items each time. 40 years ago I was a lone parent on the breadline with two children under two and no family nearby. I dread to think how anyone in that position is managing these days.

Reminds me of a sugar shortage back in the 60s. My brother turned to my mother one day and said "No wonder there's a shortage everywhere. It's stockpiled in your cupboard". She had around 20 packets, most of which had hardened into rock by the time she got to using them !

Grantanow

One person's panic buying is another's prudent stocking. I keep a full cupboard. I gather Mormons keep a year's supply of food in the house against some sort of Armageddon.

And I learned during lockdowns that a lot of people's prudent stocking is what I would consider a stockpile!
But then we don't have much storage space! (I have a disabled adult DC with medical needs and his essential supplies - which we have to have delivered on the NHS schedules and bulk amounts - take up every available space).

Fae1

Reminds me of a sugar shortage back in the 60s. My brother turned to my mother one day and said "No wonder there's a shortage everywhere. It's stockpiled in your cupboard". She had around 20 packets, most of which had hardened into rock by the time she got to using them !

I remember saying the same to my mum!!

MawTheMerrier, to me it sounds like sensible forward planning to me - with a bit of initial panic thrown in, although it sounds like you soon recovered from that. But, IMHO, not panic buying.

Prior to 1st lockdown, like many others, I witnessed what I would describe as panic buying - people madly filling their trollies with as much of what they thought would run out. Some had up to 4 trollies full of (different) stuff - something I normally only see in the run up to Christmas.

I'm another one who keeps a well-stocked pantry of dried and tinned goods. I don't keep a lot - perhaps 4-5 tins of one thing at most - and not all bought at the same time.

I know a couple of people who use their spare room to keep 'extras' and one person who always makes sure he has enough food laid by to last a year...

A lot of my extras are 'ooh, it is on offer so I'll get a couple' or when it proves cheaper to buy in bulk. For instance, I get a pack of 36 loo rolls at a time (I would get more - and have a bigger saving - but my version of Dolores can't hold more!) Lasts me a long time and although more expensive at point of purchase works out cheaper per roll than the smaller packs.

My freezers are kept well stocked - well, they run better and are more energy efficient that way, aren't they . But again, they hold a few 'special offers' - even yellow sticker prices.

One time my supermarket meat reduced shelves were stocked to overflowing (no joke - a member of staff had forgotten the fridge 'out the back' so almost a large fridgeful was o.o.d. the next day!) Several of us got quite the haul that day. Some were just grabbing anything they could get their hands on but I did my 'will I use it? Do I have enough room in the freezers?' check before stocking up on some marvellous bargains - 500g minced beef for 20p anyone?

I noticed Waitrose weekly paper has recipes this week using cornflour.

I always buy storecupboard food that I use regularly when it's on offer so I don't see myself panic buying, except perhaps an extra bottle of rapeseed oil if I remember. That was the only thing that I really had problems buying in lockdown.
We get through 3 dozen eggs a week, breakfasts for ourselves and granddaughter but last time I was allowed to buy those extra large trays of mixed eggs so had plenty.

I've been 'stocking up' ever since covid. They will probably already be working out when to shut us down for Christmas, if not for covid they'll probably use climate change as an excuse. We'll be shut down while the govt, will be organizing all their Festive parties. Apart from that, the price rise on most foods and the fact that diesel will 'run out' and so no deliveries will get through. They're already doing this in the U.S. and, as you know, we usually following what they are doing.

The impact of Avian Flu was mitigated several months ago.
If you look carefully at detail on egg boxes, it may state free range birds have been brought indoors to minimise AF. Some boxes have this printed, others not. Eggs from my local butcher for several months have declared that FR hens indoors

Supermarkets paying farmers fair prices is a standing issue, & if retailers do not adjust payment to mitigate fuel & fertiliser price increases & supply shortages, farmers either cannot cover costs or pack up production.

Not surprised Sainsbo et al rely upon AF as cause of egg shortages.

I always have one of everything in my cupboard.

I really don’t have room for piles of groceries .
My fridge and freezer isn’t huge, so I can’t buy and freeze an awful lot.

I detest panic buying. What went in during covid was disgusting. Greed is horrible.

If you need stuff, you can usually buy it.

'Aldi' had plenty of Cornflour today, also granulated sugar.

Why would the government want to 'shut us down' over Christmas, effalump?

If people buy lots of an item that is scarce then it will, of course, reduce the numbers available to others, but those of us who routinely look to the future aren't doing that at all. It wasn't the 'hoarders' who bought all the loo rolls in lockdown - I had 40 in stock as usual, so bought none at all . Same with pasta. I even gave away a few packs of both to the food bank for those who couldn't get them because the 'buy as you use' shoppers were taking them off the shelves. Nevertheless, the nasty comments were always directed at those with full cupboards, even though we were just following the habits of a lifetime.

DianaLouise

I noticed Waitrose weekly paper has recipes this week using cornflour.

😁
I wonder if my Waitrose order, expected later today, will include the packet of cornflour I ordered.