Stocking up?

I've been putting one or two extra bits in for a few weeks now but nothing excessive.

Although somehow I've ended up with 4 large jars of Colmans mustard in my store cupboard and no Mint Sauce :-) :-) And it's only me that eats it so I'm stocked up for a very long time :-)

What I bought when I've seen, since March, it is Gluten Free Flour.

Just one bag at a time. Now DD1 has 2 bags of GF SR and 4 bags of GF plain going into this lockdown. She only shops once a month and find it harder to get where she is. It's about a months supply for her as she bakes several times a week so I don't feel I've been selfish or that it's hoarding just being prepared.

I wish I'd bought biscuits but we stopped buying them, crisps and chocolate in the last lockdown as we were eating them too often .

I always have well stocked cupboards and freezer but I’m not going out buying up Mountains of stuff.

More by accident than design I now have enough Icelandic knitting wool to see me well into 2021 not counting the “stash” of assorted colours.

I’ve been avoiding town centres but had to go last Saturday for a pneumonia jab at Boots. So while there I did stock up on vitamins for the winter.

We recently bought a box of toilet rolls from a company called ‘Who Gives a Cr*p’. There are 48 rolls of bamboo toilet paper in the box. It’s currently in the boot of the car. The company donates 50% of its profits to building loos and installing piped water, in the developing world, so we thought we’d give them a try.

Otherwise we are continuing with our weekly on line shop as normal. No extra stockpiling.
On our last trip to the supermarket in February before we began shielding, I saw a woman with 48 tins of tomatoes and another with 36 tins of sardines.
My partner seemed to get slightly caught up in it all and bought 4 x six packs of yoghurts = 24 yoghurts. Then we realised we were being swept along and we didn’t stockpile anything. We managed fine.

I love the German word hamsterkauf (hamster shopping) for panic buying. Conjures up a perfect picture! Wonder how soon that will become another imported English word ?

I'm with Bustertank, I too stocked over the upcoming months for Brexit, then gradually added each week because it just seemed like the most sensible thing to do, we have just bought a tall freezer which is full although we too are hoping to move but cannot take the chance on not having enough food in store as we come into the vulnerable group and its safer to go to the freezer than go to Tesco's

Have to rely on Sainsburys online shopping permanently so usually have enough. Their delivery once a week will again be the ‘highlight’ of my Lockdown. A couple of minutes quick chat with the courier & thats it for another week. Back to Meows & grumpy tortoise hisses. Better than nothing i guess ?

Rabbitgran

I agree with those who have been stocked up for months, sensibly realising that we may be living in uncertain times. Those people who are intelligently aware of human history and that the privileged life that many of us have had in recent decades in the west is unprecedented. Those people who are not sticking their heads in the sand. What is selfish is not stocking up before an emergency if you have the means to do so. As other posters have commented, it is efficient and caring. And I don't like being preached at by lynch mob idiots.

I must be one of the lynch mob idiots then !

Some 'confuse' stock piling with panic buying. I presume then rabbitgan that you've not rushed out to the shops to buy more to stock up your stockpile.

My shopping will continue as it always has. No stockpiling. I remember how some suffered in the last lockdown with panic buying when they couldn't get essentials. Only difference being I did on-line shop due to self isolating. I only ran out of fresh items but then found a local store who brought them out to me that day (after a phone call).

I've also considered now, as last time, that the hoards of people in the supermarket is promoting the spread of the virus.

I regard it ethical wrong to stockpile. Consider those who cannot afford to stockpile. Hoarding makes it more difficult for those who are less privileged to get what they need when they do shop. How is this a caring attitude?

My head is way above the sand so I can see the suffering brought to others by panic buying.

What is selfish is not stocking up before an emergency if you have the means to do so. Sorry rabbitgran but lockdown restriction not an emergency. The supermarkets are staying open. They are still getting deliveries.

Just returned from my normal, usual weekly Sainsbury shop. I am perplexed at what I saw there. Would someone explain to me why the aisle with toilet rolls was nearly empty - last week it was as full as normal, and will almost definitely be so by next Monday.

Is it that someone panic buys - and other people are so silly and sheep like that they then have to follow suit -often without thought of whether or not they need those items and.or have space to stock it.

Surprisingly, the items that are more likely to be in short supply with Brexit, etc. fresh food, vegetables and fruit - those aisled were all absolutely normal, no panic buying, plenty of everything.

I always (except when I moved), keep a reasonably good supply of tins and dried foods. There is, of course, only me. I just do not understand it. Supermarkets will remain open throughout this new 'lockdown' period, and after what happened earlier this year are far more au fait with coping with distribution.

So, I will continue as I have done all year with going for my weekly shop on Monday mornings. Nothing kept under my bed, except clean linen and nightwear.

We stocked up over a period of time in 2019 due to concerns over Brexit. Our freezers and cupboards are fairly full and we have just bought normally to replace the things we use up since then. Our concern was largely for our 5 children and 8 grandchildren, and we wanted to have some stocks to share with them should goods become unavailable for a while due to the UK's lack of preparation re Brexit. At the very least, prices will rise dramatically and we want to ease things for them as far as we're able. I agree sudden panic buying over Covid probably left shelves bare and disproportionally impacted those who could least afford to shop around and pay higher prices for things. Oh - and I bought a wee stock of hair dye that has now run out so need to go and buy a couple more. I don't bother much with make-up, but really don't suit grey/white hair!

Rabbitgran

I agree with those who have been stocked up for months, sensibly realising that we may be living in uncertain times. Those people who are intelligently aware of human history and that the privileged life that many of us have had in recent decades in the west is unprecedented. Those people who are not sticking their heads in the sand. What is selfish is not stocking up before an emergency if you have the means to do so. As other posters have commented, it is efficient and caring. And I don't like being preached at by lynch mob idiots.

Totally agree, always carry xtra, habit of a lifetime. And been adding as 2nd wave was inevitable, 3rd wave after Xmas too.
Not selfish as was able to help out my son and family. We are in our 70's with multiple diseases, also son with medication that suppresses his immune system.

I don't stock up on anything. I didn't last time and I will not this time. As for stocking up for Brexit...throws arms in air for that one. I learnt to manage with what I could get. People really do need to learn how to adapt to changing circumstances If people don't they will end up being stressed and that will affect not only their health but also the lives of those they care about.

I'm another who's got a large wool stash, gathered over the years though, not ' panic bought'.I've got one ' extra ' of a number of cleaning items, but no more than that. Also have the usual tins in the cupboard. Like others, we'll make do with what we can get.

I have bought some extra diet drinks (they were on a special multi-buy offer) and some bags of frozen fruit just in case I can't get fresh which I have daily for breakfast. I already had an order booked for Thursday and I am quite happy to play things by ear. I doubt we'll starve. We might actually get to the bottom of the freezer which I haven't seen for years. Hope I don't get food poisoning in order to avoid Covid!

No plans to stock anything. Will wing it. However..... I am extremely grateful that cows limit their supply to daily. Less chance of that running out, I hope. Milk I would really miss big time. Oh, like everyone else, I'd survive but survival is just another trial. And who needs them?!

Seems like there is a difference between 'stocking up' and 'panic buying' is this just semantics ?

When the rumours started about the border to Germany being closed again, which has happened, we went shopping for cat food, coffee, olive oil, flour, sugar, aspirin and Ibuprofen, all of which are much cheaper in Germany than in Denmark.

They are all things we would have bought in the course of this month anyway, if we had been able to space out our shopping as usual, so it is not exactly hoarding.

I'm lucky in that I managed to set up a regular weekly priority delivery slot with Tesco which I have kept going since March. So no need to stockpile or panic buy. If they don't have what I want we go without. I also get lovely fresh milk (in glass bottles), eggs and granola from the milkman and the option of weekly fruit and veg deliveries from a company called Groobarb. Hope that doesn't sound smug!

I haven't been excessively buying but I have been and bought more than a couple of my favourites from a certain store as I will stop going out now for a while. Apart from that I do have a full freezer and my cupboards are well stocked and now my shopping will be on line with just a top up shop.

Are we expecting a nuclear Armageddon or something?

With regards to provisions, like several others have mentioned I do now order a new item on my weekly shop when the previous one has been used to maintain supply. We have also amassed a selection of tinned stuff “just in case”. Very much hoping that supermarkets will cap the number of V & A (in Naval parlance, valuable and attractive) items an individual can buy. Such as loo roll
Ever since the last lockdown I have been doing jigsaws. Have so enjoyed bidding for them on EBay it seems I now have too many to fit in the cupboard. (Not panic buying as such but more like over enthusiastic bidding!).

Doing our usual supermarket shop this morning we watched a couple ahead of us in the queue unload at least 9 large loaves. Of course, they may have been buying for neighbours.

My cupboards and freezer are usually well stocked so no need to get extra in. Plus I have a veg box delivery every fortnight so we are sorted. My only problem is that the dog has to have special food otherwise she gets very sick so will get extra ordered today. The cats can and will eat anything so no worries there.

Like Teetime we are desperately hoping that we can complete our house sale and move (to Scotland), so have already "run down" our usually well stocked fridge/Freezer.
This morning at Lidl, there were no "low GI rolls" which we love and look forward to eating. The stocks of toilet paper were already low, and there were none of the brand we normally buy (my hubby has skin cancer and can't use poorer quality ones, as these quickly make his skin sore). I am now going to have to look at other stores to ensure that we don't run out! Stocks of flour were also low, but I don't bake, so that's not an issue for me, personally. As we are both diabetic, I'm trying to give up bread, pasta and potatoes currently, but we do have some pasta in stock, as hubby loves it, so I guess we won't starve.