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AIBU?

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See all MNHQ comments on this thread

Original poster

is panic-buying selfish?

449 replies

cherryx30x · 05/03/2020 11:05

so I'm sure this is going to be a very mixed opinion but hard hat at the ready. I'm not talking adding a few extra tins of soup to your trolley.

but to take packs and packs of nappies. and all the vitamins. all the medication like paracetomal and calpol?

someone on my facebook was unable to get calpol for her toddler who is actually ill because people had bought the lot in a blind panic. like she said her kid now has to suffer with a temperature because people have bought it over a virus they may not even get and that may only cause them a cough on the mildest end.

I think its extremely over the top to be wiping out the alcohol gel sanitizers (again I know someone with a premature baby who always has them on hand as she has to be a lot more careful who has been unable to find any anywhere), nappies, baby wipes, medications and vitamins

sorry but to me this is just selfish and takes away from people who actually need them. educate yourself and follow basic hygiene- dont wipe out the stores of stuff you probably wont even need and take away from those who currently actually need them

  • [Please note, thread title edited by MNHQ - was originally 'Is prepping selfish?']
OP posts:
mindproject · 08/03/2020 14:50

It's not selfish to buy the things you will need in a pandemic. I bought mine 3 years ago so I'm not adding to the problem now. Lots of institutions and businesses have been 'forward purchasing' for a long time.

Rationing in shops is a complete waste of time because people are able to go to more than one shop. You can buy 1 lot of loo roll in each shop, but go to 10 shops. Most people are capable of working this out.

madeyemoodysmum · 08/03/2020 14:58

Yes

x2boys · 08/03/2020 15:42

@TabbyMumz you keep .repeating that you have,nt seeing shortages ,which is great for you,but your experience is not my experience,I was in my local Asda yesterday and there were loads of empty shelves ,so clearly there are shortages in different parts of the country .

ilovemyrednosedaymug · 08/03/2020 16:01

We live in a rural area so don't usually get too impacted by stuff like this, but this time the shelves are empty in the supermarkets due to people panic buying. I have just bought my usual online shop, I did buy extra toilet rolls purely because they were £2 off which is a big saving but I didn't buy extra of anything else.

I looked at hand sanitiser out of interest and it was all out of stock, along with anti-bac soap.

I do have cupboards full of food though, due to growing up on a farm and being snowed in for days on end, I developed my Mother's siege mentality and make sure that cupboards are always well stocked.

I was talking to my dentist and she buys literally day to day, so people like her are the ones who are most affected by panic buying because suddenly they can't buy the basics that they need.

I am glad that the supermarkets are now rationing items and think that they should have done it a lot earlier to stop people from panic buying and profiteering.

TabbyMumz · 08/03/2020 16:45

"@TabbyMumzyou keep .repeating that you have,nt seeing shortages ,which is great for you,but your experience is not my experience,I was in my local Asda yesterday and there were loads of empty shelves ,so clearly there are shortages in different parts of the country ."

@x2boys....I keep repeating it because it's true. Your experience is not my experience. The more people talk about panic buying, the more panic buying there will be. If everyone chills out about it, it will be back to normal.

sleepingpup · 08/03/2020 18:19

I would be interested to see which areas are affected but all the mass buying and which are not.

It's really pretty ordinary here. You can get everything here except hand sanitizer.

And I keep seeing the same pics of the same empty shelves flying round.

I bought extras this week. But I don't feel I panicked or cleared any shelves or bought anything that I won't eventually use.

we are a large family and I think having paracetamol is a basic so I bought that. I went to 2 shops as it's rationed but there was loads there.. Shelves of it. I don't feel like I was keeping it from someone who needed it.

NoMorePoliticsPlease · 08/03/2020 18:23

Yes it is. Also think about the emotion, you are not keeping stocked, you are feeling stressed and panicky you may not get something, says it all. Its also stupid. Rather amuzing that everyone was at it for Brexit and now its corona, Social media eh? How did we manage before the hysteria whipper arrived?

Willow2017 · 08/03/2020 21:39

You dont need anti bac stuff, it's a virus, not a bacteria.
Educate yourself before you spout nonsense!

Yes. It is. Ever heard of a bottle or even a big plastic camping water container, stick it in the boot of the car along with some soap. Much better than hand sanitizer.
Not much use for people who.cant access thier car every hour at work! And if you are out on a walk with nursery kids you dont use a car!
Hand sanitizer is just fine in these circumstances.

TabbyMumz · 09/03/2020 15:12

"You dont need anti bac stuff, it's a virus, not a bacteria.
Educate yourself before you spout nonsense!"
I think you need to educate yourself. Government advice is to was your hands....they havent said with anti bac stuff, they have said soap will do. It's a virus, not a bacteria.

sleepingpup · 09/03/2020 15:20

what's the "it's a virus not a bacteria got to do with it? "

sleepingpup · 09/03/2020 15:22

soap is best @TabbyMumz but anti bac also works in between.

sleepingpup · 09/03/2020 15:23

not anti bac, I meant to say hand sanitiser

mauvaisereputation · 09/03/2020 15:27

What is panic buying though? I doubt many people have gone out to buy 10 packs of Calpol (most places only let you buy one or two painkillers at a time). What’s happened is that lots and lots of people have decided to go out and buy one or two packs of Calpol, in case they end up being quarantined and/or in case there’s a shortage. That’s a perfectly sensible and unselfish decision, but it’s one that obviously leads to shops selling out.

TabbyMumz · 09/03/2020 15:35

"what's the "it's a virus not a bacteria got to do with it? "
Well, it's got a hell of a lot to do with it. A virus can just be washed off with soap. It doesnt need to be anti bac soap, it can be normal soap. If it was a bacteria, it would have to be anti bac soap. So whilst some people are panicking and buying anti bac soap, you can actually just buy normal soap, that will wash it off your hands fine. Anti bac gel is different, that is what people are using if they have no access to water, and cant wash it off.

sleepingpup · 09/03/2020 15:53

yep you're totally Correct @TabbyMumz

mauvaisereputation · 09/03/2020 15:56

No, I don’t think you need have anti-bacterial soap to combat bacteria. Normal soap still washes stuff (including bacteria) off (ie it physically removes dirt) it just doesn’t contain anything to kill any bacteria that might remain after washing.

Roussette · 09/03/2020 16:36

I posted this elsewhere regarding soap and water...

For the non Science people out there...Wonder why everyone is emphasizing hand washing? Sounds banal, but soap really IS an amazing weapon that we all have in our homes. This is because coronavirus is an "enveloped" virus, which means that it has an outer lipid membrane layer.
Basically, it's surrounded by a fat layer. Washing your hands with soap and water has the ability to "dissolve" this greasy fatty layer and kill the virus. I'm told singing "Happy Birthday" twice is approximately how long we should all be scrubbing our hands with soap.'

Halloweenbabyy · 09/03/2020 16:46

I am pregnant, I have to take x2 75mg of asprin daily. I can’t find it anywhere, it’s pure madness that people are bulk buying things they don’t need.

woodchuck99 · 09/03/2020 17:01

I am pregnant, I have to take x2 75mg of asprin daily. I can’t find it anywhere, it’s pure madness that people are bulk buying things they don’t need.

I don't think that is to do with panic buying. There have been shortages of medicines for a while now and as some are manufactured in China it could be even worse in the moment.

GinDaddy · 09/03/2020 17:04

@woodchuck99

It is to do with panic buying as well. Paracetamol, ibuprofen, you name it, people are stockpiling it. So even if there were fewer packets due to the China thing, it's not the main issue - the main one is people buying 10 packets in one go. I've seen it, I've seen idiots posting and bragging about it. It's happening.

sleepingpup · 09/03/2020 17:06

@GinDaddy

No more than 2 at a time allowed here. And lots of stock except the very cheapest brands.

GinDaddy · 09/03/2020 17:12

@sleepingpup

Glad to hear it - it's ludicrous that people were buying so many in the first place.

TabbyMumz · 09/03/2020 17:13

"Iam pregnant, I have to take x2 75mg of asprin daily. I can’t find it anywhere, it’s pure madness that people are bulk buying things they don’t need."

I do too. For that reason, I pick up a box when I see them...I've always got a good stick in. Usually pick them up in places like Home Bargain, Wilko's, supersave.

Cobwebsandbrooms · 09/03/2020 17:17

Agree with others that prepping (as in one or two extras of what you would normally buy) bought over a period of time to allow for replenishment and/or leaving plenty for other people to buy is fine.

Buying vast amounts of a particular product in one go is not fine/is selfish.

I saw a family who were obviously going through their "coronavirus" list. (Toilet paper, hand wash, soap, pasta, sacks of rice and UHT milk etc). All vast amounts of each. They were spouting nonsense about hand wash as well. Clearly ill-informed, judging by the conversation. I had the impression they would never (ever) eat the sacks of rice or drink the UHT milk (or use the hand wash probably even) but had heard that's what other people were buying, so the herd mentality had set in. It was almost like they were showing off their "clever" purchases as well to the passing public. They were on their special Coronavirus trip and were thoroughly enjoying having a reason to buy up stuff without using real logic or thought.

crustycrab · 09/03/2020 17:18

You've seen people buy 10 packets of paracetamol in one go gindaddy? Not in the UK, you're only allowed 2 paracetamol products at a time.

Panic buying is ridiculous. I always have a good stock in because I shop when things are on offer and I have lots of room to store things.

Do people usually live bog roll to bog roll Grin