Looking at the 'stockpiling' threads..

[EinsteinaGogo]

Is there genuinely ANYONE who could afford to get a couple of weeks shopping into the house, who hasn't?

And if so, WHY?

I don’t have the space. We have a number of large supermarkets near us so I’m just hopeful that I’d be able to get to them and one of them would have stock!
I’m a bit worried if we as a family have to self isolate as we have no family near by - but we have lovely neighbours that I’m sure would help!

Lyra you are so right. I actually got irritated at the repeats of the tired nurse sobbing in the car when she couldn't get any fresh food, saying "Just stop it, all of you" when in reality the problem was about the supplies for the catering industry not being diverted quickly enough into the supermarkets for us. It's so easy to blame unknown members of the public for things when in reality it's more to do with lack of preparedness by large organisations and governments.

This meant knee-jerk reactions by stores, especially Tesco. We are a family of six and rationing things to twos and threes in shops meant we had to send multiple family search parties out to get enough stuff to feed us all in one go, quite apart from trying to get things for elderly neighbours who were shielding as well. Literally two hours a day were spend organising or foraging for supplies around the village, instead of being able to do an online order for the right amount of food six people needed. And I had lots of supplies at home, but for that many people you'd have to be pretty extreme on the prepping front to have enough in to last a month or two.

No the food shops have been open all along so why would I need to.

I could afford it, but it’s completely unnecessary and messes it up for everyone else. If we all buy as normal everything will be fine.

Buying for two weeks does not 'mess it up for everyone else', and it could be necessary. Not everyone can shop online (my parents for example), not everyone has someone who can shop for them. If they get contacted by track and trace, what are they supposed to do? Having 14 meals in the freezer/ingredients for 14 meals in their house + 14 cans of soup does not making anyone selfish, or ridiculous.

I had a massive stockpile at the start of the pandemic, as I have an allotment, and still had a heap of potatoes, some pumpkins, frozen food, apples etc. Therefore, when everyone was panic buying, I didn't desperately need to get anything except milk. Having a stockpile means that when food's in short supply, there's more to go round for those who can't afford or have no space to stockpile.

Food was in short supply because people who normally eat at work etc were stuck at home and getting all there meals there.

[quote GreenFingersWouldBeHandy]@EinsteinaGogo I:m not sure if you realise it, but you are coming across as really smug and self satisfied.

It's great that you have the finances and space to 'prepare' (or what other people would call stockpiling, even though you don't). But please appreciate that not everyone has either of those options.

Sometimes it's not about 'planning'. Sometimes it's about counting the pennies from one week to the next and actually having nowhere to stock extra food even if you can afford it.[/quote]
Of course they know how smug they sound. Is that not the point of the thread?

I'm not buying anything I wouldn't normally buy because this kind of thing is what started problems last time.
A small percentage of people buying a few extra items which lead to some shortages which lead to bare shelves which lead to more people buying extra which lead to panic buying.
I doubt threads like this help at all tbh.

I live rurally so always do a fortnights shop at a time.
I've had Covid but thankfully we didn't have to ask for help from anyone as we'd only got the shopping 2 days before when I became ill

TBH the only thing really difficult to get was toilet roll. Everything else was pretty much okay to get. The media just hype it up all the time. I’m sure this time they’ve just either staged fake supermarkets with empty shelves, or used pictures from last time. Good job there are just a few idiots who stock pile, as the sensible ones keep the issue from escalating and becoming a problem.

@EinsteinaGogo No need to shout but I did ask you first.

My street including myself just shopped for our elderly neighbours/those isolating.

I've always have been a prepper apparently, but why on earth wouldn't I?
Isn't that the whole point of freezers, and dry goods?

Sometimes you can't be arsed to go shopping, more often than not you haven't got the time - not all of us live near a 24h supermarket, and even so.. You get sick, deliveries (rarely) get cancelled. If you are busy at work, you can't leave early because you have an online delivery coming..., kids or yourself have friends staying over for diner.

I mean, I tend to have a weekly delivery, but unless I am moving in a new house ,I never have an empty fridge, freezer or cupboards. I buy what is missing, I don't do a shop to replenish the cupboards.

I haven't specifically bought extra this year but I have a large kitchen with lots of storage so always have enough that we could last 2 weeks without shopping. It might end up being slightly weird meals and a lack of fresh veg or fruit but I could make it work if needed. We always buy things like loo roll and washing powder in bulk as we get all that at Costco to save money.

Stockpiling is not necessarily selfish, in fact it can be the opposite. It’s such a shame that some people just don’t seem to be able to grasp the difference between prepping and panic buying.

So, one more try:

Group A:
People who routinely buy a few extra non perishable items each time and rotate these so they use up the oldest items first. Eventually, having done this over a very long period of time, they will have a few weeks buffer of non perishables. They keep this up, ensuring their buffer is maintained whilst never buying more than a small number of extra items at any one time

Group B:
People who may or may not keep anything extra in the house at any time but who, when suddenly faced with a period of uncertainty (eg, bad weather, Brexit delays, pandemics) rush out to the shops and buy several weeks worth or more of whatever they can get their hands on in one go.

Group C
People who cannot afford to buy anything extra in when they shop.

Group A are preppers. They have a stockpile. Stockpiling is not a bad thing if your stockpile has been built up gradually over a sustained period of time. These people are not part of the problem, in fact, their long term stockpiling is actually helpful to Group C people as Group A people are not in the shops trying to buy even a small amount when it’s in short supply. The fact that a group A person bought extra pasta or loo roll in October 2019 has absolutely no bearing on someone finding the pasta or loo roll aisle empty in March 2020.

Group B people are panic buyers. They are entirely different to preppers. Their stockpile is not even a stockpile as such. A stockpile is something that has built up over a period of time in anticipation of shortages. Panic buyers do not anticipate. Panic buyers wait until there are shortages or the event that threatens the supply chain (bad weather, Brexit, pandemic) has actually happened to buy their extras. They absolutely are the problem and massively disadvantage Group C people by stripping the shelves.

Then there are group D people. They don’t stockpile. They could afford to build up a bit of a buffer but they loftily declare there is no need. There never would be any need if only everyone just bought what they needed when they need it. They cannot differentiate between Preppers and Panic Buyers, despite constantly having it explained to them. They blame Group As for disadvantaging Group Cs even though they themselves are the ones competing for the same bag of pasta as Group C. Meanwhile the Group As are at home eating the pasta they bought six months ago.

I could afford to buy haven’t. I have a spare of the important stuff but then I always have that. I’m sure the world won’t completely run out of food and there’s always bottom of the freezer meals!

Well said monkeys

Aren't preppers people who prepare for certain events? Hence the name. Otherwise it's just... Common sense to have a bit of extra? So common sensers?

I could afford to but I can’t see a reason to?

@EinsteinaGogo

Erm... were you in a different realm

Why are you being so unpleasant?

I assume that different areas will have had different sorts of people due to different demographics. Do you think all areas are the same as yours?

I'm getting the idea: you think that your experience is universal.

It isn't. To spell it out, some areas had a plethora of elderly and vulnerable, others had a plethora of self isolaters who couldn't get deliveries, and others had many who were sheilding.

I just wondered which was the main issue in your area, if there was one.

I could afford it but haven't. I work in retail and know there's absolutely no need because the supply chains are not affected and if I needed to isolate for any reason then I have plenty of people who could drop things on my doorstep.

I normally like to be well stocked with provisions. It's a more efficient way for me in terms of time and money.
I did buy extra this weekend though. Last week at work I had to sit close to members of the public, all of whom were coughing. I live in a low Covid-19 area, but it's city and if I did contract the virus (or just symptoms of something else) and had to self-isolate or if I did get ill, I know I have enough to see me through.

@Yesthesearemymonkeys, spot on. I shall henceforth be known as a prepper

@ghostee

Do people really think that consistently having about 2 weeks food in over a 30 year period

Do some people realise some of us are in our 30s or younger so couldn't possibly have started preparing that long ago?

I was respoding to people suggesting my shopping habits were depriving the elderly of toilet paper. It wasnt a suggestion everyone has to shop like me. It just fastinates me that shopping the way i have always done is seen in anyway controversial and selfish. As i say, its been a revelation.

@Yesthesearemymonkeys

Stockpiling is not necessarily selfish, in fact it can be the opposite. It’s such a shame that some people just don’t seem to be able to grasp the difference between prepping and panic buying.

So, one more try:

Group A:
People who routinely buy a few extra non perishable items each time and rotate these so they use up the oldest items first. Eventually, having done this over a very long period of time, they will have a few weeks buffer of non perishables. They keep this up, ensuring their buffer is maintained whilst never buying more than a small number of extra items at any one time

Group B:
People who may or may not keep anything extra in the house at any time but who, when suddenly faced with a period of uncertainty (eg, bad weather, Brexit delays, pandemics) rush out to the shops and buy several weeks worth or more of whatever they can get their hands on in one go.

Group C
People who cannot afford to buy anything extra in when they shop.

Group A are preppers. They have a stockpile. Stockpiling is not a bad thing if your stockpile has been built up gradually over a sustained period of time. These people are not part of the problem, in fact, their long term stockpiling is actually helpful to Group C people as Group A people are not in the shops trying to buy even a small amount when it’s in short supply. The fact that a group A person bought extra pasta or loo roll in October 2019 has absolutely no bearing on someone finding the pasta or loo roll aisle empty in March 2020.

Group B people are panic buyers. They are entirely different to preppers. Their stockpile is not even a stockpile as such. A stockpile is something that has built up over a period of time in anticipation of shortages. Panic buyers do not anticipate. Panic buyers wait until there are shortages or the event that threatens the supply chain (bad weather, Brexit, pandemic) has actually happened to buy their extras. They absolutely are the problem and massively disadvantage Group C people by stripping the shelves.

Then there are group D people. They don’t stockpile. They could afford to build up a bit of a buffer but they loftily declare there is no need. There never would be any need if only everyone just bought what they needed when they need it. They cannot differentiate between Preppers and Panic Buyers, despite constantly having it explained to them. They blame Group As for disadvantaging Group Cs even though they themselves are the ones competing for the same bag of pasta as Group C. Meanwhile the Group As are at home eating the pasta they bought six months ago.

Hurrah! This 🙌👏🙌

@Whiskeylover45

Because our budget is for one huge shop every month for frozen and cupboard food, then a strict budget a week for fresh. March's panic buying really screwed things up there and I wouldn't want to do that to anyone else

Those of us who had already stockpiled had no need to be panic buying in March. I was able to entirely stop buying bog roll, pasta and tinned food at that time, having already got plenty in, and thus left my household's usual purchases of those things on the shelves. It isn't stockpilers who were panic buying.

@yesthesearemymonkeys

Well explained.