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?

@Shopkinsdoll

I find your post very goady and very boastful. You know exactly what your trying to achieve with your post. Why rub people’s noses in it when a lot of people are living on a budget? Can’t afford to buy extras. Your trying to panic people. Just because you can afford to, it doesn't make it right to do it. I hope your left with a whole lot of rotten food. Your a disgrace

Completely and utterly the opposite, actually - but crack on with your assumptions,

Nope. What's the point of doing it...people on these threads that agree with it say its to "be prepared"...but prepared for what? The shops have never closed 🤷‍♀️
If I needed to isolate I would have my usual weeks shopping in and for the second week I could scrape us together enough cereal/tinned soup/beans/scrambled eggs/cheese toasties..it wouldn't be the most exciting week of food ever but we wouldn't starve!!

Why are you so shocked that other people think differently to you on this, @EinsteinaGogo? Do you know lots of people who starved when we were in lockdown?

For me, and many others, it seems, shopping involved queuing for a bit longer than before, and having to be a bit more flexible regarding what I ate. It was very far from the end of the world.

We’ve been shopping at Costco for over twenty years so have always bulked buy toiletries, long-life food (orange juice etc), household goods etc.

Umm, no. I could afford to wipe out my local Aldi (supermarket of choice) but for one it would be pointless and for two it would be cultish. Phone auto corrected that but you get my drift.

I think we learnt last time that there’s really no need to do this.

The shops won’t run out of food.

It wasn’t a handful of people clearing the shelves. It was thousands of people adding a couple of extra tins, one more pack of loo roll. It caused havoc.

What caused havoc were dickheads who probably still have that toilet rolls!
May your arses never be fully clean, you bastards.
(As you can see, I have issues😂 We run out when all this started and couldn't get tp... God bless butt shower)

@EinsteinaGogo

And yep, after everything calmed down the first time, I started buying a few extra bits here and there, well spread out. That way, when it started again, I didn't need to buy any staples like loo roll, pasta etc. Less demand = fewer gaps on the shelves = less impulsive/panic buying.

But as we've seen, you can explain all that till your voice gives out and still have people trumpeting "There's no need!"

I live quite a distance from any supermarket and even further (over an hour) from the Asian supermarket where we do most of our shopping. I have always bought rice by the 20kg sack and stocked up on other essentials. It has saved us lots of money over the years and means I have no excuse to buy a takeaway as I can always make something out of the cupboards. We didn't have to buy anything at the start of lockdown and were able to donate food to the local church.

The shops won’t run out of food.

The shops did run out of food?

I do have a full cupboard but it isn't because of covid or brexit. Two years ago we got snowed in, I'm my husband's carer and I walked to local supermarket on at least 3 occasions to try and get basics, bread and milk for example. I live on a big hill and it wasn't safe to drive. We ran out of bread quite quickly and milk followed we didn't starve but it wasn't great so last winter I stocked up so we could be comfortable for a fortnight and I've done the same this year. I am lucky now as I am getting a regular Sainsbury's delivery so it shouldn't be an issue but back in March when things were in short supply I was able to help my exDIL and my GC didn't go short. Once I'd stocked up last year I just bought normally every week and rotated things so sice last October I haven't bought any more than usual.

I tell a lie, I bought a big box of tea bags last week.

I had gradually built up a stockpile of non-perishables and kept the freezer fairly full in case of a no deal Brexit. Two autistic family members so having the right brands in does make a difference.

It was lovely knowing that we had plenty of loo roll, pasta, etc once the lockdown panic buying set in. It was also lovely to be able to help a few friends out with staples.

Gradually creating a stockpile doesn't deprive old ladies of their loo roll. Panic buying does that 🙄

I've kept the stockpile going at the same level since lockdown and will continue to do so. It isn't difficult, selfish or likely to mean that others can't get what they need if panic buying starts again.

It's a bit strange that so many posters are conflating stockpiling and panic buying. They really are very different.

I could afford to but haven't.

I live in a small house and the weather is going to be bad for the next few months. I need the space for my DC to run around and play and let off energy, so having thousands of tins piled in the corner of my living room isn't an option. We might buy some new dance DVDs though.

@JesusInTheCabbageVan not to the point you couldn’t eat.

It was annoying but I still don’t see the need to stock pile.

There are at least 2 weeks of shopping in my larder/fridge at any time. I am not panic buying and definitively would be offended at the thought of someone thinking I am stockpiling.

I just HATE going to the supermarket so I do just two shopping trips a month. I am also flexible enough motto die of starvation if they are no longer stocking a favourite product.

@JesusInTheCabbageVan

The shops did run out of food

No. Some shops ran out of some food. It's very different.

Not to, not motto.

I do prep but live semi rurally and don't drive so if the weather is horrible and I don't want to go out between shops I have stuff in. I also usually get a chest infection in October so I prefer to have a stocked store cupboard and freezer for the times I don't feel great.

Incredible lack of understanding of how modern supply chains work.

I always have a fairly well stocked pantry and batch cook now in the cooler months just by the nature of the type of meals we have (more stews, casseroles, chillis etc that you always get more than 2 portions from a recipe). No one in this house is a fussy eater or has specific dietary requirements, so I'm buying no more than usual and if the worst happens I think we could make it through a fortnight or so with the help of our milkman, dinners might be a bit random by the end but at least the freezer would finally get emptied. It would be fine.
However we are in a privileged position to not be budgeting to the penny each week only able to afford the exact amount that will be consumed. Those are the people who will be affected by your stockpiling because they won't have reserves to fall back on or extra cash to throw at the problem. It's incredibly selfish.

I have always bulk bought and batch cooked so I haven’t changed my behaviour.
I have plenty of food in the house and Freezer and could last for 14 days if we needed to (the meals may be random but we would be fine). I haven’t bought extra than I do normally as don’t think there is any need.

I didn't panic last time and I was still able to eat and wipe my hole. Not sure why it would be any different this time. Maybe you need to stockpile a few drinks and some bubble bath and learn to relax?

I can just about afford it but I live in a tiny house so nowhere to keep things

steppemum - but if you could live for a couple of weeks you do have a bit of food in store?
I do agree that lots of people radically changing their shopping habits at short notice will cause a huge problem.
But it was still a huge revelation to me that so many people shopped everyday even when they had space and money to shop less often.

If everyone stockpiles by just buying a little more than they need each time, supermarkets run out and vulnerable people are left with nothing.

That depends on when they buy it. Surely you can see that?