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?

If a prepper has done it right, they won't need to go to the shops at all if things kick off again with covid/no deal Brexit.

What do you expect to kick off?

Because I’m not a selfish idiot

For years I've always had a good stock of long life/household stuff at home, for example, I always have six tins of tomatoes, when I use one I buy another to replace it. I always have a spare pack of loo rolls, when I open it I buy another, same with washing powder, washing up liquid, pasta, flour, rice is cheaper to buy in big bags (that last me nearly a year).
So yes, I have a stock pile, but I haven't been panic buying/stockpiling and causing empty shelves, just shopping as normal. It means I have enough food and supplies to get me through a two week isolation or if the supermarkets get crazy again I can just not shop for a week or two and let others buy what they need.
To me, that just seems sensible, not selfish.

I guess you may be part of the problem, if you COULD afford to buy in a little extra over time, but are too lazy / disorganised to do so.

So it's bad to not stockpile if you can?

not for me, but for a friend who has a tight budget. Tinned veg as last time no frozen sweetcorn etc. Brexit will affect fresh veg

I could afford it, but haven’t the room to store it. 3 drawer freezer, 2 cupboards that can fit canned goods. I also don’t feel the need - we have no need to prepare for the apocalypse. At worst, we would have to have a few meals of beans on toast or tin soup.

@cologne4711

Most people on this thread don't understand the difference between stockpiling and panic buying it seems.

Buying a few things as you go along does not mess it up for anyone else, because the shops just order more.

Almost invariably the way on these threads.

I don't think it was people buying a couple of weeks worth of shopping that caused the issues back in March, it was people stockpiling a years worth of bog roll and other groceries that they where never likely to get through in this lifetime.
Having a couple of weeks worth of food in case you need to self isolate seems very sensible under the circumstances.

I did exactly that for about six months leading up to the first potential no deal Brexit.

That meant I didn't need to go shopping for the first six weeks of lockdown, other than to a local farm shop for fresh fruit and veg.

It was bliss and I genuinely hadn't contributed to anyone being left short when the panic buying started.

I would t call myself a preppier because I thought they were the weirdos in America with the guns and the water purification systems?

I think people's definition is key here. My personal view is

• preppers - buy extras on small quantities, over a long period of time to ensure a good overall supply
• stockpilers - buy large quantities of things they already have to make sure they don't run out
• panic buyers - they strip the shelves of anything and everything as they are caught up in the fear of supplies running out.

The whole issue is the stockpilers see the preppers and feel they need to follow suit and then the panic buyers get scared they'll be left with nothing so they buy everything. Its a catch22.

I didn't think I was a prepper.
We are semi-rural and I clearly remember when I had swine flu as a single parent, when my then 7 year old was able to keep us going for a few days on batch cooked box meals from the freezer when I couldn't even get off the sofa let alone get to a shop. I've always batch cooked and for variety there are usually enough boxes for us all ( now 4) for a week, plus enough other stuff to make meals for another week. We do a weekly shop but generally let big things run down before replacing.
Then during the lockdown I was shopping for an elderly couple who literally bought exactly what they planned on eating each week. During the 3 week period when the shops were bare they were furious with me that I couldn't get them the things they always ate. One day late with the shopping and they would be hungry. Ridiculous and, frankly, foolish, while they have a freezer full of fruit from their garden but no bread or milk.
Having a couple of weeks food in at a time doesn't make you a stockpiler: it's just sensible.

@Eckhart

I co-ran a temporary emergency supply service during the last lockdown... there were many local people who would have struggled without it because they could not get out to buy their necessities

Why couldn't they?

Erm... were you in a different realm?

Because they were shielding / elderly / unable to go to a supermarket because they had children who could not be left.... the myriad of reasons that every area had.

Because it would lead to unnecessarily empty shelves, meaning those that can't are stuffed. And I'm not that selfish

I have just started rebuilding my No Deal Brexit stockpile. And yes, it is a tin here and a packet there while supply chains are fully functional, so no-one will go without because of me.

Pardon me for not trusting this government to manage things after December 31st

@Poppinjay

I did exactly that for about six months leading up to the first potential no deal Brexit.

That meant I didn't need to go shopping for the first six weeks of lockdown, other than to a local farm shop for fresh fruit and veg.

It was bliss and I genuinely hadn't contributed to anyone being left short when the panic buying started.

I would t call myself a preppier because I thought they were the weirdos in America with the guns and the water purification systems?

Agree... an I'm sadly lacking a water purification system!

You sound insufferably smug op.im not sure what the purpose of your post is? Jsut to tell people they're wrong?

People have different circumstances to you. Why couldn't the people who used the service you provided access essentials? My friends and family plus my street have been looking out for each other and can/would help if needed.

I fully appreciate some people don't have support networks. But many people do. I'd hazzard a guess that those who have less support or are single parents or live more rurally will put a buffer in place. But many of us don't really need to as we have support.

I'm also not sure how much people keep in the house but we have loads of pulses, rice etc. So although my diet would be dull if I couldn't leave the house or get any food in for a fortnight we certainly wouldn't starve!

redastherose

I'm probably the exception as I shop routinely once a month at a large cash n carry for all my non perishable stuff but have been doing that for about 3 years now simply because I hate shopping so it makes sense to me to get all the stuff I can out of the way and just get the perishable stuff each week. I can only do this because I set up shelving in my garage to house it all.

I do exactly the same, except that I store it all in my cellar. I mostly buy just dairy, veg, fruit and bakery goods every week which doesn't amount to much, even for a family of 5.

Everybody should make sure they have some way of getting through 2 weeks isolation, whether that's by stocking up at a sensible pace or by making contingency plans (e.g. guaranteed deliveries, people who can shop for you). If you're relying on other people then make sure they won't be your contacts if you test positive. Make sure you won't be theirs.

Fresh veg ideas:

White and red cabbage and celery keep very well and are good raw or cooked.

A whole lettuce keeps much longer than a bag o'salad.

It's worth learning how to sprout seeds and grow 'microgreens'.

I always have at least 2 weeks worth of food in the house. I didn't stockpile in one go and use up supplies but always like to have extra in just in case.

I have a little bit in reserve, if we're locked down or I have to shield again then I'd rather have a couple of weeks in advance. I'm disabled and live alone, and I rely on my mum for help. She works for the NHS and is supporting about 650 families either with pregnant mums or babies/toddlers/preschoolers, so I'd rather ask for as little help as possible because her workload is insane and the people she is supporting need her.

I bought after the lockdown when supply was fine, before there were any signs of another lockdown. I won't be shopping any extra when people are panic buying, that's irresponsible, but I have a bit of extra rice and some tinned tomatoes and some herbs and such, I don't think it's going to cause any difficulty for anyone else.

@ghostee

I guess you may be part of the problem, if you COULD afford to buy in a little extra over time, but are too lazy / disorganised to do so.

So it's bad to not stockpile if you can?

???

We've got a couple of weeks worth of basics in, and have had since last year when there was threat of a no deal Brexit, we stock rotate to make sure it doesn't go out of date. We've dipped into it sometimes during the shortages earlier in the year and replaced things when we could. We were grateful for it although we would have managed without it if we'd had to. I think going into winter and the threat of no deal and covid double whammy, it's a sensible plan to have something put aside. I don't think panic buying is a good idea though, so if anyone is planning to do this, just do it gradually a bit extra each week.

@CrunchyNutNC

I think it reflects how 'spoilt' we have become in this country in recent decades, many people can't comprehend shortages, or a change in circumstances that makes near-daily shopping difficult.

As the full impact of our departure from the EU kicks in after Christmas it'll be a miracle if there aren't delays in the supply chain. So many either don't believe it, or imagine that they'll be the only one experiencing difficulties and friends/family can bail them out.

Or that their local takeaways and/or supermarket delivery services somehow stand aloof from the supply chain.

Really, the sight of people who don't understand the difference between stockpiling and panic buying deluding themselves that they hold the moral high ground because they refuse to take any responsibility is always a mind-boggling look.

@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.

Maybe I've watched to many apocalyptic films but if we got to the stage that the shops had run out of food for days, no restaurants, deliveries etc are people really going to be browsing their tinned goods thinking how well prepared they are or are they going to be guarding it with their life?

I'm very good with a rifle & a bow & arrow so I think I'll be ok! 😂😂