Does this make me a panic buyer or just a sensible person doing what's necessary?

[GreatPotato]

I fed up of hearing that people who are concerned they won't have the fuel they need are "panic buyers" and somehow unreasonable.

I have enough fuel to last me the week. I have a long drive planned for the weekend. Usually I'd fill up on my way out on Saturday morning. In the current circumstances either that may not be possible or it will require queuing and possibly visiting a number of petrol stations.

So, I need to plan ahead and "panic" by trying to get some now.

If you are planning ahead and buying what you need, don't worry about people talking about panic buying - you know it doesn't apply to you.

Mid week is probably a better time to fill up, most people seem to have filled up at the weekend and will be filling up again next weekend so go today.

@Thelnebriati

If you are planning ahead and buying what you need, don't worry about people talking about panic buying - you know it doesn't apply to you.

I know, but does it apply to many people?

Undoubtedly people are buying fuel earlier than they usually would but most are only making sure they have what they need when they need it.

You can't control how other people talk. Its also safe to assume that people who try to whip up a sense of panic are bad faith actors, and we don't need to fall for it.

It’s a strange phase isn’t it? We are retired so no need to get petrol for work and are avoiding the mayhem and leaving what’s available to those for whom it is essential.. However we always fill up when we get to 1/4 full, so that’s now. It would prob look as if we were panic buying if we joined a queue today but it would be normal routine for us.

Phrase not phase

We managed to fill up one of our cars today. Must have hit it just right because the queue wasn't too bad. Both our cars were on the red, one flashing, and I've been fretting as I'm 37 weeks pregnant and the hospital is an hour's drive away. We've been holding off buying, but we do live out in the sticks and rely on our cars to get us to the shops/nursery/train station/hospital etc. The assumption that everyone buying fuel is "panic buying" is ridiculous.

DH and I have both sat on 1/4 tank since this all started, we're in London so can manage without the cars, although we do have a long trip planned on Saturday. We've been walking down to the garage closest to us each day to check the situation, and this morning, the queue was quite small. We both took our cars down there, sat in a queue for about 10 mins and filled up to a full tank, which is more than we'd usually get, but neither of us will need to buy petrol for 3-4 weeks now. There was no restriction on the maximum amount you could buy. This seems sensible to me. We definitely needed petrol and took the opportunity when we could do so without sitting in huge tailbacks. Things were quite civil, there were no fights/shouting/swearing, people were taking turns and generally understanding of each other.

Poor DH needs to buy a bit of petrol for the lawn mower, and he will need to put it in a container.

He's worried he'll end up being shamed on social media, so I'm going to write 'I need it for the lawn mower' in large letters on a piece of paper, and sellotape it to his bottom, so people see it when he bends over to fill the container.

That's a good idea, don't you think? It should mean he avoids being photographed and laughed at ...

@fluffedup

Poor DH needs to buy a bit of petrol for the lawn mower, and he will need to put it in a container.

He's worried he'll end up being shamed on social media, so I'm going to write 'I need it for the lawn mower' in large letters on a piece of paper, and sellotape it to his bottom, so people see it when he bends over to fill the container.

That's a good idea, don't you think? It should mean he avoids being photographed and laughed at ...

I totally get that worry. I saw a video of a woman filling up water bottles with petrol after she filled her car and she was slated for it. I thought it was ridiculous and selfish of her, but then my husband popped up and said maybe she was getting it for someone she knew that had no petrol left. Not sure I agree with that lol, but she was definitely being criticised on social media.

Tbh though, even with a sign saying the petrol is for the lawn mower, I think at a time like this people will be angry enough that they would get annoyed with him because mowing ones lawn is not as essential as potentially getting someone to work or pick up their children. I'd just say to still be prepared for backlash as people are genuinely acting a bit irrationally at the moment

I would say both, ideally everyone would buy it the morning the need it and there would be enough. It’s Wednesday everyone needs it today gets, Thursday drivers wondering if should get it in case, fridays going away or work drivers are filling up because weekend is busy and we have 3x many drivers filling up on a Wednesday the local petrol station runs out because x3 demand and only delivery once a week. That’s not to say it isn’t sensible to plan ahead but when everyone does it we can’t get out of the loop. But unless everyone agrees to buy it on the day some people will miss out and nobody wants it to be them!

Well I got some. All petrol stations here seem to be open today albeit with long queues, except for one that has switched to only opening 8pm-8am because of the chaos it was causing if open during the day!

I've filled up so shouldn't need to go back for 3-4 weeks. Again is that selfish or sensible?

The Tesco superstore I used had things so well organised it actually made me well up!

If you would usually fill the thank right up once it was at the level it was this morning, then you're just doing what you normally do. That's fine.

If you would usually only put in £10/15 or whatever, then you've bought extra because of panic. That's what is causing the problem. If people just bought what they usually buy, there would be no supply issue.

It's everyone buying more petrol than they normally would that's the problem. Like the woman upthreard who said she and her husband both went and filled ther cars up, when they wouldnt normally do that. They're the problem.

As much as the media whips people up to panic, I think it also whips people up to start moaning and judging everyone else as 'idiots' and panic buyers. I think the government likes this because it lets them off the hook for mismanagement of the whole debacle and it keeps people distracted. People love to get all righteous, point the finger and blame other people. It's always everyone else's fault. I heard someone call the whole queue of people queing at a petrol station 'idiots'. But everyone has to get fuel at some point, and if, because you are concerned, you filled up more than you normally do, I can't see how that's selfish, becauSe you probably won't need to visit the petrol station again for a while. My Dh's van was on empty the other night at the weekend. He needs his van for work in the week (he's a builder). So, he went out at 2am, drove around on empty, tried 3 different garages and when he eventually found one (no queues), yes, he did fill up his van . But wouldn't you? Is he a panic buyer? But now, he won't have to visit a garage for a while, rather than going every couple of days.
A friend of mine made a fb post telling people if they had panic bought 'any crap' to delete themselves now 😂. She couldn't get any eyebrow brush for love nor money and was putting it all down to 'panic buyers'. It was probably just a genuine shortage tbh.

I have to admit to doing that yesterday. I am driving to take ds to a university open day on Friday night. I woudn't bother normally but knowing I have that long journey I filled up yesterday.

Similarly dd is driving up from London for an orthodontist appointment. Because I knew she wasn't getting paid until the end of the week I lent her £40 so she could fill up rather than risking her trying to find petrol later in the week.

Unless you’re a professional gardener i do think filling up lawnmowers this week is a bit unnecessary, sorry!

@FluffMagnet hopefully kind sensible normal people would let you jump the q if you got out of your car and they saw your 37 week bump! Many years ago (39!) I had a minor car accident at 37 weeks pregnant and I could see the look of sheer panic on onlookers faces when I got out of the drivers seat!

One of the worst things to come out of covid etc is the people who have nothing better to do than moan about what other people are doing and buying etc.

@AlphaJura

But that's the whole problem!

Petrol stations know what they normally sell. They keep stock at the level they need to cover what they sell.

Let's do it as if we're writing for a child.

If a station usually sells £30 of petrol to 100 people every week, then that is what they will have delivered each week to their station. (Plus a little extra of course).
But then everyone acts like you, and the first 50 people to get to the station buy £60 of petrol. That's the entire weeks normal sales to half the people. The station doesnt have the stock for it.
Those people wont visit again for a couple weeks but 50 people have no fuel right now and the station cant book an early delivery so that's that.

Those 50 people start driving around and queueing at other stations, but everyone there has also bought more than normal so those stations have ran out before their delivery is due.

And on and on it goes.

So you've got people who "wont need to go to a station for a few weeks" and people with no fuel driving around and queueing trying to get some. When those people finally get to a pump, they buy twice as much too, because they're scared. Abs then the problem doubles.

The people who usually fill up all the way arent the problem because that's accounted for in the stock levels.

It's people like you saying that you filled up all the way, even though you normally wouldn't, but its fine as you wont need fuel for weeks. That doesn't matter. You've contributed to the panic, to the low stock levels. That means the panic will go on longer and longer.

We need to stop. Stop buying more than normal.

@TheWoleb

If you would usually fill the thank right up once it was at the level it was this morning, then you're just doing what you normally do. That's fine.

If you would usually only put in £10/15 or whatever, then you've bought extra because of panic. That's what is causing the problem. If people just bought what they usually buy, there would be no supply issue.

It's everyone buying more petrol than they normally would that's the problem. Like the woman upthreard who said she and her husband both went and filled ther cars up, when they wouldnt normally do that. They're the problem.

I would usually fill the tank, but I wouldn't usually have done it until the weekend.

It's people buying what they normally buy but earlier than usual that's causing the problem IMO. Which, actually, is what I think happened with toilet rolls too. Of course some people went (and are going) stupid, but if "everyone" decides to buy their usual 12 pack this week instead of next week....

Strictly speaking, OP, you’re part of the problem (though I would probably do exactly the same thing).

The trouble with the phrase ‘panic buyers’ is it conjures up people getting hysterical or being horribly selfish. In practice most people are doing things which are individually rational, but at scale mess up the whole system.

If everyone simply bought the amount of petrol they normally would, at the time they normally would, we wouldn’t have this problem. It’s the combined actions of loads of people filling the tank when they’d normally have gone half way, or topping up a few days early that is likely to account for the majority of the problem.

Nicely explained @TheWoleb

It’s even more clear with this than the whole pasta and toilet roll crisis at the start of the pandemic that this isn’t down to people hoarding vast amounts, it’s just lots of people buying a bit more. Because ultimately it’s quite hard to have more than a tank full of petrol.

@Comefromaway

I have to admit to doing that yesterday. I am driving to take ds to a university open day on Friday night. I woudn't bother normally but knowing I have that long journey I filled up yesterday.

Similarly dd is driving up from London for an orthodontist appointment. Because I knew she wasn't getting paid until the end of the week I lent her £40 so she could fill up rather than risking her trying to find petrol later in the week.

Given that universities are all in major towns with train lines, and London also has excellent train lines in all directions, these journeys don't need to be done in a car, surely?

I still think there should be enough to go round. Myself for instance, when all this started I was running out of fuel coming back from somewhere. I pulled in somewhere, avoided first garage I saw which had a queue and put £20 in, which is all I can usually afford. But I don't need my car for work or for the dc's school so it's not as essential for me. My dh did fill up his van because he nearly broke down looking for fuel and if he can't get to work in the week, he won't get paid. I know people like my step dad who probably aren't having a problem because he's the sort of person who always keeps his fuel topped up and never lets it get into the red.

@LastToBePicked

Nicely explained *@TheWoleb*

It’s even more clear with this than the whole pasta and toilet roll crisis at the start of the pandemic that this isn’t down to people hoarding vast amounts, it’s just lots of people buying a bit more. Because ultimately it’s quite hard to have more than a tank full of petrol.

Agree with this. It's the millions of "just in case" people who buy 1 or 2 extra that week who causes shortages.