Why do people panic buy bread when it snows

When I was a 12/13 there was quite heavy snow which was unusual as I grew up on the South coast and snow was quite rare. My Mother made me walk the almost 2 miles to school in my Stepfathers oilskins, those bright yellow heavy waterproofs, he worked at sea and they were pretty vile. We got sent straight back home. It’s what the youngsters call a core memory.

I always have loads of food in, running out of milk would be the issue for us. I could drink black tea but DH though usually the most mild mannered chap would freak out if not available.

You clearly live somewhere where you can reach a main road safely. A lot of people can't do that. If you want to stride out in the ice, fair enough, but some are not able or willing to risk injury, especially in hilly or rural areas. I'm not knocking you for doing it or, knocking those who don't - as you appear to be doing. People must judge for themselves whether they can or can't manage to go far on the ice and snow.

Exactly this, I don't drive so need to walk. There's dangerous ice on all footpaths and roads untill untill you get off the estate. I would be a fool to even attempt it as a fall will lead to breaks and a possible hospital stay. So bulk buying before the snow is what I do

It's also all the knock on services. When my school (secondary) shuts for snow, it's rarely due to teaching staff as they can use cover services, instead it's often that school bus routes have closed or the catering/site team can't get into school. Schools also have bigger responsibilities now regarding health and safety- the days of "we all just wore our coats in class and turned our frost breath into a handy science experiment" have very much gone. If the health and safety office can't guarantee a safe site then the school can't open, otherwise any incident/accident would cause more chaos.

I managed to get on my main roads. What are we meant to do, keep ourselves locked in after a smittering of snow?

It's only fine if you can get to main roads....

I saw some Venezuelans queuing on the news and trolleys were full of toilet rolls!

Yanbu OP. Every autumn I buy a few cartons of UHT milk, and some extra tins. I don't need to worry about bread because I buy wholemeal flour by the sack, and enough dried yeast to last a few months so we always have bread (and it's less expensive).

We could last maybe three weeks on our stocks. If the tins aren't needed, we use them in the spring. It's simple and costs very little.

That said, I just looked it up and they changed it last year because not enough teachers lived near a school any more. It was a working system for 14 years though.

Am I right in thinking there are no academies in Scotland? That's the main reason why it wouldn't work in England.

There are places outside the SE though 😅

That said, I just looked it up and they changed it last year because not enough teachers lived near a school any more. It was a working system for 14 years though.

https://www.scotborders.gov.uk/winter-weather/schools-winter-advice/4

I know it comes with so many risks, so many difficulties. But I sometimes dream of a big freeze so that we can just stay at home and hibernate.

If I know it's going to snow I get extras in before it starts. This off course means bread and milk as well. I have a disability but carnt drive due to the disability and I'm not going to risk falling in the ice and snow, this could mean a break or massive brusing. If this upsets op then so be it

Yep we have never had a snow day yet had a few when I was a kid in the 90s

It was the best fun!!!!!

Where i live we have had quite a lot of snow and black ice and the council very kindly didnt do much gritting. A lot of major roads are closed as cars cannot get over the bridges. Slipping and sliding and couldnt get traction.

The road outside my DDs school has a bridge that is controlled by lights so that will be interesting tomorrow (they are off today due to being a planned inset day)i know that a lot of cars got stuck as they were at the top being stopped by the lights then couldnt get going again when the lights went green.

Personally i think they will close tomorrow as the roads are treacherous due to not being gritted.

Exactly. Drove past my local school and I'm rural. Full car park. Once you hit the main roads it's fine.

Except many of them can't make it into work. I used to work retail and my commute was 45 minutes over mountain roads - I never went in when it snowed.

It’s a light spatter not even an inch and the schools have closed. Hysteria

If you've got that option, I don't blame you one bit. Bit different to teaching though.

Well that's the 21st century for you.

Many teachers now live at a distance from their school and could not get in to work. The same for a lot of children who have to be ferried on school buses or by taxi. If the transport can't run, they can't get to school. Bread and milk are staples which people buy in case deliveries are held up. Haven't seen any panic buying.

Well they might not actually make it to work if the roads are unsafe, unless you expect them to walk to work.

As do hospital staff, Police officers, retail and hospitality workers etc etc If they can all make it into work why can't teachers ?

Bread can do breakfast, lunch or dinner, goes with everything, lasts a week, and can be eaten hot or cold. It's the obvious first choice.

I think it's probably bad timing with the snow this year for a lot of people. I'd normally have several loaves in the freezer over winter, but ran stocks down to fill the freezer with xmas food, and then the snow hit before I managed to refill.

Also, the schools aren't closed "at the first drop of snow". The areas with closed schools in NE Scotland have horrendous driving conditions, and the worst snow for years. It is a meter deep in places, and people are getting trapped in the snow and needing tractors to dig them out all over the place. Drifts have been re-blocking the roads five minutes after the ploughs pass. There is no way the teachers could make it through to my local school unless they lived within walking distance.