Is it actually selfish to stock pile?

[Orange89]

Now I haven’t gone crazy with the whole loo roll situation (I currently only have 2 rolls left) and have been doing my usual shops (average of 3 small shops a week) but it’s safe to say I’m focusing my food on long life semi-healthy foods I can store in the cupboard space we have. It’s a little more than usual but nothing crazy. All I’m hearing is stockpiling is a stupid move but surely and obviously more people are doing this than letting on as the shops are emptying. But surely this is purely practical move? I know this could face backlash from people saying some people can’t afford to stockpile (I can’t really either) but I’m talking high calorie, cheap alternatives instead of the fresh foods they’d normally buy. Or that demand can’t be met but I bet there’s another baked beans / rice / powdered custard etc to last a couple months... Just in case

@Marlox

Completely agree!

It is quite selfish but so is survival, generally, when it comes down to it

I haven't done any, I'll just knock off someone who did if it all goes mad max

The Sainsbury's delivery guy had a lady who took delivery of 240 rolls of toilet paper earlier this week. She deserves to be told she's a fucking twat.

I just thought, I wonder how big families (like the Radfords) are coping with this? I mean they need tons of stuff, they have such a big family. What are they doing, or the other big families?

I usually have a fair bit stuff in my cupboards, tins etc. My plan is not to stockpile but not to touch any of it, nor the stuff we have in the freezer. That’s become my emergency stuff.
I’m going to buy everything we need just now. Shops aren’t going to shut. I’m just slightly worried about the self isolation thing.

I would say stockpiling to this extent is selfish

@TrainspottingWelsh

That’s kind of you. I don’t have a lot but feel I’d like to give cheap, long life bits to a local food bank too. It’s nice if we can help others in a crisis.

@Ihatesundays

This is my plan too

I wasn’t able to get any formula for my baby today. We use Aptamil Lactose Free milk which is only stocked in limited places but usually there is good stock on the shelves in the small number of places we can buy it. However, today they were completely bare in Sainsburys, Morrisons and Boots (the only 3 places it’s sold). I drove round several branches of each shop with no luck. Amazon sells it but at double the high st price (which we simply can’t afford) and our chemist doesn’t, either.

We will manage until Tuesday but after that, I really don’t know what to do. Not sure whether the GP might be able to prescribe some to tide us over; if not, I will have to switch him back to regular formula but that will restart his chronic diarrhoea that the lactose free formula stopped. Luckily we use reusable nappies and wipes so at least we don’t have to worry about locating disposables.

I’m so angry. I saw people leave the supermarkets with their trollies piled high with loo roll, formula, nappies, wipes, bottles of water and other goods - more than they could ever need in the event of a lockdown - and I thought there was a product limit being imposed, but clearly not! The frozen aisles were bare, as were the dried goods, egg and bakery aisles. The attitude seems very much to be, “I’m alright, Jack”.

have to laugh!

If we stay at the same level of consumption I have 14 weeks of toilet roll in stock for us. But this isn't anything new, it's being prepared for any eventuality.

@easyandy101

• It is quite selfish but so is survival, generally, when it comes down to it

I haven't done any, I'll just knock off someone who did if it all goes mad max*

• had to laugh at this

@DonkeyKong2019 What brand of pasta do you need? Can keep an eye out. X

@lineandsinker

People depriving other babies by massively over stocking is extremely selfish.

I'm not a preper nor panic buyer. But I do always have stacks of essentials in. I have no idea why I have a fear of an empty cupboard or running out of an item. We always had rammed cupboards when we were young.

I won't say the quantity of each tin or pasta I keep in general but each time I use just one. I go the next day and replace.
. I also have lots of non essential foods like biscuits and crisps in case anyone fancies a particular one and I fear I haven't got it.

Yet all this talk of people buying extras almost makes me feel the need to but I don't or haven't.

But to add I've also signed up to a local fb page that has a list of things elderly and vulnerable may need and have said what i can donate

@DonkeyKong2019 Let me know what brand of pasta you're looking for. I'm out and about tomorrow and our local stocks are reasonably good and if I find some I'll post to you. My DS has SEN so I sympathise completely. Sending un-MN hugs to you.

I have a nearly three year old, so my formula days are over... but I reckon I'd have tried to buy as much as I could afford if this had happened when she needed it. It's dog eat dog when she shit goes down. I've stockpiled cat food because I know my cats are too thick to go out and catch mice. They're 17 and all brittle and divvy. I panicked for them to be honest. It's an awful mess we're all in... but everyone puts their own first.

This is what's selfish - bloody Kenny gloating about getting the last of the tissue boxes. Yeah, good for you, Kenny.

What pasta is it. If I have any I'd post happily

I’ve been shopping at about 120% for about two months now, since it started in China. I’ve steadily bought an extra bag of rice/pasta/potatoes/loo roll whatever each week. No big rush needed.
We’ve seen this coming for months now.

@FrenchtoEnglish

Appreciate the honesty - probably the way a lot of people are feeling or doing but not admitting it tbh. Do really worry about the mums who can’t get the stock they need though . I’m lucky my son is almost two so can give him long life milk if needed. I haven’t been able to get vitamin d drops for babies though which concerns me a bit as we live in a place with little natural light.

@Wilmalovescake

That was sensible. I’ve been worried about it since the China outbreak but only started adding a little long life additions to my shop passed two weeks. So now I actually feel I’m behind but I won’t panic buy just make sure I’ve got some rations in preparation (and maybe some chocolate incase I go mad). There are so many people I know who weren’t worried until today so I expect this is where the real panic buying may start.

@FrenchtoEnglish

Frenchtoenglish is right really. We are naturally going to protect ourselves and our own families before anyone else. It's a natural instinct. The craziness of all of this doesn't really help, how quickly it's spread, the fact other countries are going on lock down and yet ours is doing very little. Who knows which way is correct? Can only guess.

Yeah sensible thing to do would be to not panic. But people in general are sheep, and will do what they are told by the media. They are told to panic, so they panic.

But hey, as someone else said, the same sheep panic buying are the same idiots posting about it on fb and twitter. We now know who to rob, get the pitchforks.

I would imagine that most of the empty shelves are not from a few people going in and buying the lot but from many getting 1 extra in case.

What actually irks is the profiteering - those that bought it all to ebay it for a fortune.