Is Panicking over Supplies?

[ragged]

I find it perhaps the most distasteful thing about British society.

In my home-country, during similar minor short-term crisis periods (like heavy snow, petrol blockades), it always felt (in the media) like people were working together to help each other out, but in Britain... it seems like the news is full of stories of panic buying, and how the panic buying (rather than the crisis itself) leads to threatened shortages in basic supplies. Is there a strange British media bias in how the story gets reported (emphasis on supplies running short), or are the British especially prone to panic-buying?

oops, sorry for typo in title, Scratch the "Is"

The British are prone to panic buying rather than planning ahead, then hanging on to what they have whilst smiling smugly at those that didn't get up in time.
You help out people you know, but many don't know their neighbours even if they've lived next door to each other for a decade.
That's also why we love feelgood stories about help and rescues and pulling together, because we like to delude ourselves that it's what everyone does.
But it isn't true of the majority.

On way home last night they said not to panic buy food as there were no delivery problems but that there were with diesel and unleaded and said that you should only put 30 litres instead of 60 in your car to give others the chance.

I thought that was likely to make people go out and buy petrol

I kind of agree. Things like the current weather problems are only going to disrupt supplies of MOST things for a relatively short time.
I dunno, maybe some people feel they cannot make do or go without for even a few days? (I appreciate a tiny minority of people will have things they really have to have,but it is a minority).
even so, the unnecessary stock-piling of various things when there are impending shortages is selfish.

well i'm stocking up.....wouldnt call it 'panic buying'.....makes sense no?

just buy a bit more than normal,just in case

what do you call 'panic buying'?? and anyway,this country is this country!! your country is yours......we all do things different,so what if its not whats done in your country!!

I agree - think people can be really selfish. My husband has walked the mile to the local shop every day for last 4 days and each time there has been no bread. A colleague at work admitted on Monday that she went and bought 5 loaves and put 4 in the freezer (just in case)!! People are selfish though and sadly a lot of the time, they can't see past themselves (angry)

I mean lol

I live in a town, to me a sensible precaution is to buy in a few days extra food. But filling my freezer with half a dozen loaves, buying gallons of milk and every vegetable known to mankind is excessive.
A rule of thumb is that if you are still eating your bought-in supplies a fortnight later, you panicked.
And you probably contributed significantly towards depriving others of bread and milk for a week.