To say stop. Just stop!!

[PinkiOcelot]

My daughter has just popped to Tesco for a couple of bits and pieces. She’s just sent me a photo of the pasta aisle. The shelves are bare!!
Surely, we’re not having to go through that again. Not being being able to buy a packet of pasta or toilet roll because some people are filling their garages to the rafters with the stuff.
Seriously, there’s no need!!

There was loads of research done into this after March and we know know that it wasn’t caused by panic buyers, it was caused by millions of people all buying a little bit extra.

“I just popped out to pick up a few extra bits and bobs and the STUPID SELFISH panic buyers had cleared the shelves!” - no they hadn’t. It was people like you. The supply system can’t cope with millions of people suddenly changing their behaviour.

I do volunteer shopping for 2 elderly people in my village, plus take my mum shopping once a week. I have seen no empty shelves and no examples of panic buying in the 3 supermarkets I have been to this week.

It won’t be the people who normally bulk buy or the preppers causing the empty shelves as we would have bought our stuff long before now or already had it in from last year

@GoldenOmber

There was loads of research done into this after March and we know know that it wasn’t caused by panic buyers, it was caused by millions of people all buying a little bit extra.

“I just popped out to pick up a few extra bits and bobs and the STUPID SELFISH panic buyers had cleared the shelves!” - no they hadn’t. It was people like you. The supply system can’t cope with millions of people suddenly changing their behaviour.

This!

I have spares in the cupboards. So when I start a new bag of pasta I then buy a spare. That’s how I shop not just in covid times. I have lots of tinned goods and buy one or two a week to keep it topped up.

This is not panic buying or stockpiling it’s just shopping. My grandma and grandad on a pension always kept well stocked pantry 30 years ago. She was a budget queen and so careful.

Right now with covid and more brexit looking after Christmas it does make sense to have spare food in. I’m not clearing the shelves and storing in my garage. I’m shopping how I always do. If we have to isolate a well stocked kitchen will keep us going.

Why about the people bulk booking supermarket slots? ‘Just in case’ ......

I’ve been to two large shops in the last two days and there was absolutely no shortages whatsoever. Zone 2 South London.

This scaremongering needs to stop!

I order toilet rolls from Sainsbury’s every week and have just had the email saying none are being delivered. Bloody annoying. Hopefully they’ll limit it quickly this time and won’t Escalate

@WhentheDealGoesDown1

It won’t be the people who normally bulk buy or the preppers causing the empty shelves as we would have bought our stuff long before now or already had it in from last year

Yep, indeed.

This situation was entirely predictable.

Many of us prepared ourselves for Brexit. Twice.

Thus we were in a better position when Covid struck.

We have replenished our preparations ready for the entirely predicted 'second spike', and of course, the real elephant lumbering around the room, that being the No Deal Brexit.

Thus I won't be accused of 'panic buying'. Reserve that for reactive, not proactive people.

@GoldenOmber

There was loads of research done into this after March and we know know that it wasn’t caused by panic buyers, it was caused by millions of people all buying a little bit extra.

“I just popped out to pick up a few extra bits and bobs and the STUPID SELFISH panic buyers had cleared the shelves!” - no they hadn’t. It was people like you. The supply system can’t cope with millions of people suddenly changing their behaviour.

I work in a supermarket. Panic buying was a huge thing before Xmas due to the threat of Brexit. Then again in Feb and March due to covid. Trolleys laden with 10 pkts of this and 15 bags of that. That's not prepping. I had to tell someone they couldnt have all thier stuff as we were restricting purchases...they had 7 x 15 per box egg boxes in thier trolley!!!

Peppers buying an extra tin of beans or pasta a week as a normal shop 52 weeks a year and rotating thier store cupboards isn't causing shortages anywhere. It's no different to you buying 2 lots of bog off items very week. Peppers do not change thier behaviour its a way of life. They are prepared for emergencies. Panic buyers aren't and they do change thier shopping habits and take way more than they normally would causing shortages. I used to serve queues of people where £300 suddenly became the normal weekly shop! These were regular customers who doubled or tripled thier weekly shop!

Supermarkets do offers to encourage you to buy more thats the whole point! They only care about income. Right now guess what our 'big push in your face offer' just now is? Loo rolls! Yet we are restricting other stuff because our deliveries have been late this week.

Peppers buying an extra tin of beans or pasta a week as a normal shop 52 weeks a year and rotating thier store cupboards isn't causing shortages anywhere. It's no different to you buying 2 lots of bog off items very week.

Yes, that's fine, because that's their usual habits. Everyone in the country buying some extra tins of beans or tins of pasta is what the JIT supply chain can't cope with. It's not the same as things that have a BOGOF offer, because the supply is calculated there to match perceived demand for the duration of the offer.

Here, Kantar/Which research into March consumer behaviour: www.which.co.uk/news/2020/04/coronavirus-analysis-the-truth-behind-grocery-stockpiling/ Families with children spent an extra £88 more in March 2020 than in March 2019. That's not selfish shelf-stripping, that's a lot of people thinking "oh, the kids are at home so they're not getting school lunches, and I'm working from home so I can't get lunch at the work canteen, need to make up for that, and we usually eat out once a week but we won't be this time so maybe get an extra bag of pasta in... oh look there's hardly any toilet roll left, I don't want to be one of those awful panic buyers but if it's going to run out then best put an extra pack in the trolley..."

Of course there were a few people stockpiling but it was the wider change in consumer behaviour and the inability of JIT supply chains to rapidly respond on a national level that caused the problem.

Pondering the likelihood that a lot of posters on here are probably the type who are always banging on about civil liberties and how no-one is going to tell them to wear a mask, but think it’s perfectly fine to dictate to other people what to put in their trolleys.