is panic-buying selfish?

[cherryx30x]

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?']

Weird that loo roll is the thing people are stocking up on! We usually have loads in the house anyway as I buy 24 packs but loo roll is something which is really easy to find an alternative for (flannels, old towels, cut up old clothes, newspaper). Wouldn't it make more sense to stock up on stuff which isn't easily replaced, like washing powder and food?

Yes it is extremely selfish - all these people who are bulk buying anti bac gel - have they stopped to think what about the people like the elderly and infirm who are the ones most at risk, who possibly can’t access the shops every day, where are they supposed to buy anti bac for themselves? And the general public who can’t buy a bottle of anti bac as the stockpiling wankers have emptied the shelves - that could increase risks as people can’t buy it and ensure good hand hygiene.

The bulk buyers are ignorant selfish cunts.

Stock pilers aren’t just selfish, but pretty stupid. Do they seriously expect us all to be on lock down, confined to our homes for weeks on end? It’s just not gonna happen.

Well they’re not stupid they have painkillers , soap and Dettol, others don’t.

I don’t think people are stockpiling but just buying stuff in. Everybody is doing it at once so they’ve run out. Most weeks I don’t buy any of that stuff. Now we’re all doing it at the same time.

Just realised we have no Dettol or handsoap. All local supermarkets have none, not even bar soap.

@Livelovebehappy no, but the supply chain might struggle. A key ingredient of paracetamol just as one example is only made in china- it might not, but it probably will cause some supply issues. If shop workers, delivery drivers etc self isolate or if schools close and they can't work then there will probably be less on the shelves. If it's stuff you'll definitely use anyway then I don't see the harm personally, as long as a reasonable amount and not the ridiculous case loads some people have been buying.

I wasn't intending to panic buy but reading the multiple threads about no loo rolls, pasta etc makes me want to!

Panic buying is selfish Cos I got 1 fucking loo roll left and can I find any? No!
I’m bloody ill at the moment and just want some loo roll for Christ sake!!

According to Radio Four only 9% of people are buying more food in preparation for the pandemic.

China has minimised the initial breakout with draconian measures but they are now importing cases from Italy and waves of infection shall continue for months until sufficient people have been infected that there is herd immunity. The aim now is to slow spread to reduce the load on health services. Most of us will get it eventually and while many of us will have mild symptoms in this situation mild includes everyone that doesn't end up in hospital so you could feel pretty wiped out at home and still be a 'mild' case. About 20 % need hospital care and 3 % of reported cases die. There is under reporting of cases, there was a mathematician who models epidemics on the Today programme yesterday (about 7.15am if anyone is interested) and he said the number of deaths, the time it takes to show symptoms and the doubling rate suggests there are up to 100,000-200,000 cases in Italy at the moment but they only have 3000 confirmed cases.

I am both concerned about the people in my family who are at most risk and in awe of the science and maths that means we know it is coming. Humans are amazing.

I think buying to sell on via eBay etc is selfish.

Buying for your own use for peace of mind should something happen, not selfish at all.

@MegaClutterSlut that exactly what I meant by it has a knock on effect. panic breeds panic, I do totally get why you would then feel like that

I would like to thank the person who brought up that hoarding cash when many are homeless & reliant on foodbanks is not seen, erroneously, as selfish.
Puts it in perspective.

Yes I went to our local pharmacy today. It serves two villages. This poor old man easily 80s struggling to walk came in to buy one bottle of hand sanitizer. He was told they were all sold out but hopefully more coming tomorrow afternoon. The poor man looked heartbroken as he struggled to get there and will have to struggle back again for one bottle! I asked where he lived but it is the next village and I don't have a car and young DC otherwise I would have collected and delivered for him. He needs it more than all the young people panic buying.

Just back from my monthly big shop. I normally do this once a month then just do a small weekly shop in between. Since Brexit I've always made sure I have a good supply of everything and rotate everything when I get new stuff in.

The supermarket looked pretty well stocked apart from Loo Roll, Pasta, Rice and Hand Gel.

I don't view myself as a prepper I just think I'm well organised (annoying type A personality) . I've enough stuff in to feed dh and I for a month.

However if the shit does hit the fan the way some people anticipate ill have 6 of my lot and 5 of the in laws at the door wanting supplies 😂 so it'll do all 13 of us a week.

Nobody needs hand sanitiser. Soap and water is more effective.

Yes, panic buying is definitely selfish and will cause supply issues.

People clearing the shelves of a particular product are the extreme, but I also think that huge numbers of people innocently adding ‘a few extra’ items to their weekly shop are also likely to unwittingly cause huge supply issues. The supply chain is not in a position to cope with this extra demand on such a large scale. Things will run out and there will be some who have to go without while others sit on piles of unused food and loo roll. Completely selfish.

It’s not the virus we have to worry about it’s our fellow human beings...have you never seen the walking dead?!

People are selfish and you can panic buy but remember at the end of the day if society breaks down and riots and looting starts, someone bigger than you will come along and steal your stash and leave you with nothing!

I would like to add that I had a collection of 12 miniature hand sanitizers under the sink, I collect these at summer time for BBQs. I gave them to my nan to hand out to her friends at Church.

I think most people getting extra in are doing so in case of society being somewhere between unchanged and total societal breakdown.

A key ingredient of paracetamol just as one example is only made in china- it might not, but it probably will cause some supply issues.

China have already reduced exports of raw ingredients to India who make many of the drugs we take for granted and export them here. India have also reduced exports of drugs so there is a disruption of the supply chain already.

Weird that loo roll is the thing people are stocking up on! We usually have loads in the house anyway as I buy 24 packs but loo roll is something which is really easy to find an alternative for (flannels, old towels, cut up old clothes, newspaper). Wouldn't it make more sense to stock up on stuff which isn't easily replaced, like washing powder and food?
They arent mutually exclusive!

Nobody needs hand sanitiser. Soap and water is more effective.
Yes of course why didnt anyone think of that? We can all just lug a sink, water and soap around with us to keep beside us for when we are travelling and at work all day!

Most of the people who have a good stock are people who have bought a little at a time over an extended period. Panic buying = filling lots of trolleys of the same thing. I've not seen that. Just demand has gone up for individual items as people want non perishable foods that normally not many people would buy, so they have not been replenished as quickly as something we would buy day in day out, or people are buying paracetamol, nappies and calpol because there are no alternatives, so people want enough for a worse case scenario (we dont all have 100's to spend on reusable in one sitting). People will always put their families first. I also think it is selfish to do no preparing and expect other people to bail you out. There are two ends of the spectrum.

Panic buying is very selfish. People are panic buying formula which pushes the cost up and disposable nappies.

This is never a better time to get cloth nappies.

I'm glad I breastfeed for the reason about formula. didnt even think of that - must be of real concern to people who FF

See I think I'm going to have to go stock up on formula anyway because even if that makes me part of the problem, I can't travel far and can not afford to pay over the odds. I also have to part pay with vouchers. I usually have a couple of weeks in stock, but it's getting harder as I have had to use my stock pile on more than one occasion to avoid using food banks or borrowing more money off universal credit. I used to be a prepper and I still do my best, but I am feeling very anxious about the empty shelves as I can't afford to stock up as much as I'd like these days. With small items like tinned food I usually buy in advance just in case, but with more expensive items like formula it's not always possible. I haven't been panic buying things like medicines as I have had concerns about medicine shortages for a long term and always buy the things I need when on offer.