AIBU to ask family to bring their own food?

[borntobequiet]

I have family visiting for Easter. I know they have been "forward purchasing" in case of shortages caused by any no-deal Brexit, as have I. Would I be unreasonable to ask then to bring their own food to avoid depleting my store? The children will eat up all my pasta and pesto in next to no time. And I don't want to waste freezer space on fish fingers, which I never eat.

I don't understand?

Wouldn't you always buy more food for visitors? And if you don't, then wouldn't they usually have to bring their own?

Why would you use your stock pile of things which are not yet unavailable?

I'm lost..

I've had to go out and buy more dabbers. I go through one a week.

Just get 5 loaves and 2 fish and pray for a miracle.

To answer your question OP, if they were staying for a while I would go to the supermarket and ask them to come with me "to choose" and hopefully they'd bring a wallet. But if it's not about the money, as others have said, just go now and buy some more tins and dry goods. Doesn't have to mean loads of freezer space taken up. (Pilchards on cream crackers again? Delish!)

My SIL always tells us which meals she expects us to cater for; and gets away with it.

@pelirocco123 - Its not the lack of food production thats the problem , its over consumption and waste

That's great news then. On March 29th, the entire population will realise the error of their ways and will, overnight, reform their previously wasteful and over-consuming ways, resulting in the farmers producing more than enough to feed them.

My SIL always tells us which meals she expects us to cater for; and gets away with it.

Sorry, but you meant that you let her away with it, so why should she change.

@TheElementsSong
Very, very disappointed that 'Waitrose' isn't on your Brexit bingo list.

Thanks for your thoughts. To answer a few questions: number of visitors, two adults and three children. How long? Three nights (so two full and two half days). What do I normally do? I get in basics, bread, butter, milk, eggs, cheese, veg, salad and so on for breakfasts and one other light meal, lunch or supper, which I prepare. We go out for the main meal, either at lunchtime or early evening (visitors normally pay for this as they are much better off than me, sometimes we split the bill, or I leave the tip). If I run out of basics I do a supermarket shop to top up.
At present, if nothing is sorted out, we leave on March 29th with no deal, possibly precipitating the circumstances outlined in the Government’s impact report. Easter is three weeks later, by which time either everything will have calmed down (we hope) or the situation might have worsened, with severe shortages in shops. I wouldn’t want my visitors to go short, which is why I am thinking of asking them to bring some of their own food (I might have run out of some things by then anyway). My OP was on this question only, not whether it’s sensible to stockpile, obviously I think it is, as explained by others upthread - buying now won’t cause shortages as goods are simply reordered immediately.
And for those who call this scaremongering, I suggest you read this:
assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/781768/Implications_for_Business_and_Trade_of_a_No_Deal_Exit_on_29_March_2019.pdf
Anyway. I hope for some sort of a deal, even May’s, because it’s better than the chaos a no deal would cause.

Wow
Wish I had your problems
Never in a million years would I ask people to bring their own food to avoid depleting my credit supplies
Come on now !

Idonotcare I argue against it every time, but DH will buy the food anyway, doesn't want his parents to see a rift in the family. Biggest cause of arguments between me and DH.

I wouldn't dream of asking people to bring food, if you invited them you feed them - pasta is really cheap, just buy extra

Ps there won't be shortages, our shops want to sell us stuff (prices may rise though)

Oh - they always invite themselves - I encourage it, though!

Dear OP I read most of that report, and they think that the biggest effect on food shortages will be down to bell ends stockpiling.
"This would not lead to an overall shortage of food in the UK, and less than 1 in 10 food items would be directly affected by any delays across the Short Channel Crossings. There is a risk that consumer behaviour could exacerbate, or create, shortages in this scenario."
Consumer behaviour!

Relax everyone! anniehm says there won't be shortages so we'll be fiiiinnnee.

@Nickpan so the "bell ends" that didn't have the foresight to forward purchase and end up panic buying then? i.e. none of us that are prepping.

@Nickpan - I read most of that report, and they think that the biggest effect on food shortages will be down to bell ends stockpiling. "This would not lead to an overall shortage of food in the UK, and less than 1 in 10 food items would be directly affected by any delays across the Short Channel Crossings. There is a risk that consumer behaviour could exacerbate, or create, shortages in this scenario."

You obviously don't understand the difference between stockpiling and panic buying. If stockpiling, as people are currently doing, was likely to cause shortages, then there would be widespread shortages already. There aren't.

The consumer behaviour that exacerbates or creates shortages is the sort of panic buying that was evident during the beast from the east. Stockpiling in advance, if anything, mitigates shortages as those with stockpiles don't need to join in the retail scrums if certain items are in short supply.

Dear Nick , the impact assessment is describing panic buying after a no deal shortage situation, not “forward purchasing”, ie buying when stocks are plentiful (as in, now).
Indeed, Government itself is stockpiling items such as medicines and medical supplies. That’s another worry...

@anniehm - Ps there won't be shortages, our shops want to sell us stuff (prices may rise though)

Good to know. And you are basing that statement on what evidence or expertise?

Panic buying will surely be the perishable goods as there is no need to panic buy non perishables as any sensible person would have these in stock as a matter of course, whether it was Brexit or not as there could be other circumstances when you need stuff in.

Come on guys, it’s obvious that Nick is using the patriotic new Brexitannian definition of “stockpiling” - please refer to the dictionary!

Is this thread a joke?

Shops do want to sell stuff, true.

Next time you are in a large supermarket, have a look at how their range of frozen vegetables has increased. Because they can plan for supply of frozen veg when they are less certain about maintaining thier current "just in time" fresh veg supply chain.

OP, this week's turn of events make it extremely unlikley we will crash out no-deal at the end of March.

In this house a shortage of food would provide the prefect opportunity to lose some of the lard off our arses.