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

I can't belive that online you get restriction of 2 items but go in the shops and people are buying loads of same things.
The advise on tv today
Please dont buy too much items when in shops, think they should put restriction on items for everyone in shop and online not just advise people as they do not comply.
This way everyone may get a chance to purchase weekly staples.

It’s getting silly I actually think the government should step in and ration.

I knew about the panic buying of toilet roll, tinned food etc,and as a result I’ve been struggling to get any of these items as I go about with my day as normal, not panic buying, but when did whole roast chickens become a thing. I usually buy a whole chicken/half lamb or beef joint on a Saturday or Sunday morning to cook for dinner, for over 20 years this has never been a problem.

I Went shopping yesterday, all the meat/poultry except pork had gone, today I go at midday to look for a chicken or lamb, once again all shelves cleared and I tried Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Iceland and marks.. WTF!

My family roast dinner now consists of chicken wings had in the freezer Which I hope will defrost in time 😡 failing that burgers and chips and some homemade brownies for dessert..

All of the lockdowns in other countries have allowed supermarket shopping so stock piling is stupid and unecessary.
If you have to self isolate everyone has someone that could pick up groceries for them and 7 days is nothing. Most people are shop weekly anyway.

ClientQueen Branston pickle was recalled due to concerns over being contaminated with plastic
www.food.gov.uk/news-alerts/alert/fsa-prin-17-2020

@lineandsinker are you near Buckinghamshire? I’m a vegan who breastfeeds and could express some milk?! Not sure if that works but assume as I don’t consume lactose my milk would be okay. PM me if you get stuck please.

I went to my local Asda today to get cold meat and wraps, fruit etc for packed lunches for the week and it was bedlam again. I also wanted a bag of self raising flour to make fairy cakes (keeps ds amused for a while) but the woman in front of me cleared the shelf of it - she easily had 14 bags of flour and was still raking around the empty shelf for more, bloody batshit crazy and greedy.

@TheShepherdsCrown ohhhhh makes sense. They delivered me some independent artisan type stuff which looks delicious so I wasn't too mad

The empty shelves are not caused by CV. They’re caused by idiocy.

If everyone had just tried to act rationally, the shelves would most likely still be stocked, online orders would still be processed and delivered (instead of websites crashing).

Instead one lot of idiotic panic buyers has now encouraged others to panic and as usual, the most vulnerable will suffer.

If only we could limit idiocy by isolation and hand washing.

@umberellaonesie

Exactly!!! This is why I’m on this whole panic buying. Whilst the UK seem to be going against the grain on most things I can’t see the government saying supermarkets should shutdown too especially the ones with a pharmacy attached, and I can’t see the big chains taking that laying down either.

The country is behaving like something out of the walking dead.. now that I understand if there was panic buying

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 don't even have a big family, but I have baby twins who polish off 3.5 tins of formula per week between them - I imagine some people have assumed our weekly shop is stockpiling and judged us for it.

We haven't yet been stopped buying 4 tins at a time, but I am concerned that "per customer" limits coming in won't account for the fact that we need twice as much as the average family. I'm hoping that taking their birth certificates to the shop will be enough for them to make an exception.

@Gothamgirl1970

I do have 3 different pensions and I am considering cashing in the smallest one (at a 40% tax hit) which will leave me enough money to pay my mortgage if I must self isolate. Being sick AND losing my house/ being homeless is keeping me up almost all night worrying

Please don’t cash in your pension. Your mortgage company isn’t going to foreclose on you because you are a few months behind with your rent during a pandemic.

Not because they are kind and understanding , or because the government will stop them. They won’t do it because it doesnt Male financial sense. It will Cost them a lot of time and money which is pointless when you will just start paying again when the crisis is over.

If they do this to thousand of customers, all these properties will flood onto the Housing market, depress it even further and they will get less for your house when they sell it.

So don’t panic . Even if you have to be off work, you can ask for mortgage payments to be deferred. People who normally pay their mortgage are the kind of customers they want to keep.

Has anybody else found the supermarkets are empty but the local corner shops have plenty of everything?

I’m yet to come across a supermarket that has “restrictions” in place and they enforce it so I’m sure you are ok, But yes take the BC or better still the twins and I’m sure they will let you buy what you need

GameSetMatch and the local corner shops are going to need support! I'm going to take a trip to mine tomorrow to see if I can get some basics I need. Probably much easier Han going to supermarkets.

Of course it's selfish, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. I don't like to think of anyone going without but I'm certainly going to prioritize feeding my children over some random elderly people down the street. I'm getting sick and tired of the pious 'people are being so selfish - think of the elderly!' posts on social media.

We can't afford (and don't have the room) to stockpile per se but I would if I could. I've bought a couple of extra boxes of formula, a few more frozen things than usual and a few extra bags of pasta - that's our limit really. I would feel a whole lot better if I had a cupboard full of stuff.

Of course it's selfish, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. I don't like to think of anyone going without but I'm certainly going to prioritize feeding my children over some random elderly people down the street
I'll remember those words next time there's a thread about greedy landlords and tax avoiders. I'll try posting the same words and see what respond I'll get then!

The self-centredness of some people and how justify it is sickening.

Has anybody else found the supermarkets are empty but the local corner shops have plenty of everything?

Yes, that is the same here. More expensive but they have toilet rolls, pasta, tinned goods etc.

The self-centredness of some people and how justify it is sickening.

Yes, worrying about feeding my children during a pandemic is dreadfully self centred

We can't afford (and don't have the room) to stockpile per se but I would if I could. I've bought a couple of extra boxes of formula, a few more frozen things than usual and a few extra bags of pasta - that's our limit really. I would feel a whole lot better if I had a cupboard full of stuff.
This isn't panic buying or stockpiling. If everybody had just done this, there would be no problems.

I support a lot of clients that use food banks out of necessity and they are running very short of essentials as people have simply stopped giving to them so these people will go hungry while lots of people sit on large amounts of food that they will probably never need.

Allday - I’d noticed that the local Tesco food bank collection point (usually full to brimming) was empty....had hoped it was because staff were emptying it more regularly rather than people not donating 😟

Yes it's selfish. Buy what you need. Then everyone else can too.

selfish as fuck when I see 80 year old woman going round tesco unable to get the stuff she needs for her and her immune compromised husband because everyone else who dont actually need the extra and are doing it "just in case" when they're not even in a vulnerable group

sorry folks but dress it up how you want. if you are buying more than usual or more than you need you are leaving the vulnerable and the rest of society in a shit position.

not sensible - unnecessary. even the supermarkets are saying buy what you need and to stop stock piling.

mindless idiots. so so angry by the behaviour I saw in Tesco this morning.

a friends young child got injured as well because there was hardly any toilet paper left and her buggy got pushed out the way into someone elses trolley to get it.

funny isn't it that everyone is stock piling the same things. but you're not all mindless followers doing what everyone else is doing oh no. you definitely would of stock piled toilet roll before wouldnt you

fools

@cherrylovex3

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