To be surprised that some friends are buying extra food because of Brexit? part 2

[Satsumaeater]

Here is a new thread

Link to old one: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/3472089-To-be-surprised-that-some-friends-are-buying-extra-food-because-of-Brexit?pg=1

Mine is popping up though

I still don't understand the panic...

Please can someone give me a (brief) worst case scenario of leaving the EU with no deal?

The EU spend €billions on third world aid, I can't see them letting us starve because our politicians are a bunch of muppets.

I've bought extra cat litter and cat food for the feline, and lots of pasta, tinned tomatoes, anchovies and capers for the humans. We will be living off spaghetti puttanesca!

For the record, I voted remain, I love Europe and being part of it.

I just hope that after tonight the whole thing is called off and we can get back to worrying about when bin day is and who should be picking up dog poo...

Thanks for the advice about the water @bellinisurge
Fuck Shit Wank (DM) I absolutely don’t think brexit will cause water shortages either, just after a recent day without water from a burst pipe, I was looking longingly at the local stream when the water bottles went from the local shop. I have done some very basic low level prep, mainly a packed car in case of being stranded in snow/accident on the way to work. It just makes me feel safer and more prepared for what life will throw at us, either weather/financial etc. With a bigger house and storage I am going to be joining you on the prepper boards full time!

I've bought the last of my supplies this morning in preparation for potential panic buying in the next few weeks. I started months ago but dramatically added to it over the past two weeks. Apart from some tinned meat and powdered milk, it contains things we would normally eat. If everything is fine then we'll just use it up over the next few months.

@purplelass this is what I gleaned from the last thread...

The problem will be at the border trying to bring the food in so you don't starve.

• Almost everything you use is brought in daily by trucks. The supermarket checkout tracks when you buy toilet paper and adds extra toilet paper to the list of stuff ordered from the EU in tomorrow's shipment. (Massive oversimplification but you get the point).
• When the UK isn't in the EU any more, border controls kick in.
• Checking each truck (and the driver's paperwork) takes time
• If each truck is delayed by 70 seconds, the whole lot are delayed by a week. Your tomatoes rot in the lorry.
• If each truck is delayed by 80 seconds, the backlog never recovers.

There are a lot of other potential problems but the problem of groceries will be most immediate.

E.g. In the whole of the UK there is only enough toilet paper on the shelves to last the country one day. (Also from the last thread, I've not checked that claim myself)

Thanks Dutch1e that kind of makes sense, but if individuals are stockpiling tinned stuff, wouldn't the supermarkets be doing this too?

Brexit (if it happens) isn't going to come as a surprise to the supermarkets, I'm sure they've got contingencies in place, well at least I'd hope they have! If people really have been panic buying pasta (for example), then surely that will trigger them to get more in?

Where do you think the supermarkets are going to keep all the tins? Storage space for businesses is finite. It probably won't be enough if supply is seriously disrupted.

I've stockpiled food so far, then I'm planning to stockpile all the toiletries toilet roll etc.

I'm not a stockpile usually, but in this situation I don't think it can hurt. It's all stuff we eat usually anyway, so either we'll be glad to have it, or I'll have a few weeks off doing the weekly shop! Win all round.

Plus I have a child in KS1, if supplies are seriously disrupted chances are schools won't necessarily be able to provide lunches.

I did a shop for tinned stuff and long life stuff last night and that's me done. We have plenty food. I think we just need stuff to get us past the carnage of the few days Brexit comes into play.

And by the way, I think you'll be surprised at how unprepared everyone is for the possibility of a no deal. The NHS isn't, the supermarkets will be to a point, the workings of government aren't (I mean the civil servants actually doing the actual work) - you can't rely on someone else having done all the planning and prepping you can't be bothered to do. I assure you, they haven't.

Where do you think the supermarkets are going to keep all the tins?

Warehouses? They're not going to want to run out of food so will invest in extra storage rather than risk no customers surely?

I'm not belittling anyone who wants to stockpile (especially as it will take the strain off the supermarkets) but anything the public are doing, the shops will be doing on a bigger scale.

purplelass I think the problem with that is storage. For example, a popular brand of cereal like Weetabix. If a supermarket has 2 cases of 12 on the shelf, that's only 24 customers served.

If that one supermarket sells 3 times that in a day that's 72 boxes. To cope with a truck being one week late they would need to store 504 boxes of Weetabix.

If that one supermarket sells 20 brands of cereal that's potentially 10080 boxes of cereal.

Then chuck in 20 types of pasta, 10 types of rice, 5 types of pulses and lentils, couscous, tinned fruit, tinned veg, tinned meat, coffee, tea, sugar, flour, dried fruit, and so on and on and on.

There's only so much storage space. There will be contingencies but even the big 4 have their limits.

There's only so much storage space. There will be contingencies but even the big 4 have their limits.

Yeah, I get that, I just can't get my head into a place where I think I'll need to stockpile anything. They're not going to run out of ALL food - if I can't buy Weetabix I'll swap to cornflakes (stealing your example). There will always be something to eat, just maybe not your first choice of thing.

@purplelass the supermarkets are trying, yes. But as M&S says in this article "70% of our sales are fresh food that can't be stockpiled." So they have to choose between stockpiling tinned/dry products or making sure they keep making money now.

And yes, storage space is finite. Big warehouses haven't really been a thing in the 30 years since retailers switched to "just in time" ways of restocking their shelves.

www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/business/2019/jan/10/tesco-and-ms-stockpile-tinned-food-to-prepare-for-no-deal-brexit

But when we have reduced amounts of food coming in there will be a smaller choixe to choose from and demand for those increases. Its naive to think youll get the cornflakes instead.

And i dont fancy pasta for brekkie

Sure, there'll be something to eat... at least for a week or two. How long until it all runs out?

I guess it depends how much faith you have in the UK government to act quickly within those 2 weeks to ensure no long-term shortages. As the gov has had 2 years with no result I'd probably chuck an extra few bits in my trolley. Can't hurt.

I agree purplelass. My daughter will not eat cornflakes. It has to be Weetabix.

If the supermarkets don't have Weetabix (and alternative brands won't wash), she will not eat breakfast. If I already bought 3 boxes of Weetabix, then I have 3 months of breakfasts for her whatever happens next.

Weetabix is just an example of course, but you get the idea. My daughter has issues around food (possible SEN), so we do have products we will not manage without.

My son has skin reactions to many brands of nappies, wipes, creams and lotions as well.

Me and DH will be fine, but I want to make sure we have what the kids need.

I bikini remember reading that companies were filling up their warehouses over a month ago to prepare for a no deal. The issue is there aren't enough warehouses for this to be sustainable.

I went to poundland and Home Bargains today and they have all hands on decks filling the shelves fit to bursting! Suspect they are clearing stuff from warehouses to get more in before lorries are stuck. On then other end of the spectrum our local aAsda has run out if various pastas, skimmed uht milk, some Heinz tinned soups and tinned potatoes. Thought I'd mention Poundland and HB as ppl may not think to go there for tinned food.

@purplelass totally agree 👌

if I can't buy Weetabix I'll swap to cornflakes

Let them eat cake!

And also I don't see the harm in having some extra of what you already buy and like. It's bit going to be wasted. If there is not shortage or delays, great I'll be happy. But I don't see the harm in having some extra bit in. And also I can't be bothered dealing with people panicking nearer the time. I'll be at home while people fight over wheatbix and cornflakes.
When we had beast fro the east people were fighting in store! And one Lidl or also was ripped down with a forklift or something. People go crazy!

OK, if someone has SEN / medical issues that mean a certain food is a necessity then it makes absolute sense to stock up on it 'just in case'.

Me, as long as it's food I'll eat it - pasta for breakfast if necessary - it's all just fuel at the end of the day.