Selfish panic buying?

[CwtchesCuddles]

A friend in London has just been shopping and sent me this picture of bare shelves, people have been panic buying!
AIBU to think it's selfish? I can understand buying an extra few things as part of your normal shop but clearing the shelves? Is everyone just looking after number 1 these days? What is going to happen when all those with spare cash buy up all the supplies?

What if it’s not just 2/3 people “selfishly” clearing the shelves but 40 or so people buying one extra loaf for the freezer?

@Baaaahhhhh how ?

My local supermarkets have been like that on a Sunday afternoon for months. It's obviously not just one person buying it all - lots of people are buying a bit extra (quite sensibly) and the supply chain was already tight post-Brexit = bare shelves.

Zero pasta in Aldi this afternoon. I know they can be bad at stock levels but that was new
I was in Tenerife the day the news broke. People were buying trolleys full of water and trays of long life milk

I want some dust masks for decorating and they are all out of stock at the DIY stores in my area.

Supermarket shelves are often quite bare at 4pm on a Sunday, OP

I find it hilarious that someone has actually tried to blame preppers. The clue is in the name. 🤣

The only thing I bought extra of are paracetamol and bars of soap. Handgel is sold out, so were packets of tissues. As for the rest...full shelves.

We’ve bought extra this week but only because of the snow recently so have stocked up in case bad weather hits. Bought some cold/cough items but only because we had run low on stuff we’d usually keep in as hate going out to shops whilst ill.

I bought 24 cans of tinned tomatoes in Tesco today...but mainly because I use one or two several times a week, and they were marked down.

I'm so fed up with labelling people as selfish in this coronavirus thing:

• Stocking up on provisions - selfish
• Buying too much hand gel - selfish
• Flying somewhere that isn't banned and won't get any refund if you don't go - selfish
• Not self isolating after you've been away - even though guidelines say you don't need to unless showing symptoms- selfish.

People are reacting in a perfectly predictable way - all of us want to keep our families safe - in the absence of any advice or recommendations from the government, what exactly do you expect people to do ? At least getting in some long lasting food means they are getting prepared if there is a lockdown.

It's not just about weather in Sweden, its a civil preparedness plan.

I was in the only large supermarket for miles around this afternoon, and it looked like a standard hour-from-closing Sunday to me. I don't suppose that's any more typical of the country as a whole than OP's friend's experience. Locals here certainly aren't averse to clearing the shelves if there's a snowflake forecast, so it's not due to any innate provincial unselfishness. There was still plenty of fresh food and bread left, at any rate.

I thought there must have been panic buying at my local shop yesterday, but it turned out they were running down stock before closing for a major refurb.

I had an email from Ocado saying they were experiencing the highest level of orders as well as being out of stock on many items. People are ridiculous.

I run a healthcare company and staff work with vulnerable and immuno-suppressed people. We can't get face masks which we use if clients or staff have a cold and hand sanitizer stocks are very low.

Just wash your hands folks - you don't need to sanitize them ffs.

Yesterday I bought
2 x packs of paracetamol - I would have bought anyway as we are running low
2 x bottles of disinfectant
1 x pack of four bar soaps
1 x pack of Milton tablets - baby on the way

We are fingers crossed moving in the next few weeks. Atm moment I don’t have the money to fully stock the cupboard or the freezer. I didn’t see anyone panic buying but when there has been snow before I have seen people buying whole trolly loads of fresh milk and bread

TorysSuckRevokeArticle50 I would recommend that you buy more paracetamol and ibuprofen, because you really only have enough for one person and if you have family, that will only last you one day. Those tablets and hand gels are flying off the shelves here.

If you can get rubbing alcohol/surgical spirit and Aloe Vera, such as an after sun gel, you can make your own.

1 TBSP rubbing alcohol.
1/2 tsp vegetable glycerin (optional)
1/4 cup aloe vera gel.

Popped into Sainsbury’s today. There were gaps in the pharmacy shelves and antibacterial soap, things like that. I overheard another customer asking for hand sanitizer, that was sold out. I heard the same answer in Boots and a local store yesterday. Out of curiosity I looked on the Boots website and most hand sanitizer seems sold out. I don’t know if other shelves were cleared as I needed shampoo and fresh veg.

My local Lidl was very low on stock yesterday, couldn't get all my payday monthly shop. Aldi was very well stocked though, as was Tesco.

No sign of empty shelves at my local Tesco, own brand paracetamol was low, that's all. Even the photo you posted looks selective, what was on the shelf just to the left.

If people are going to stock up then now is a good time to do it, whilst everything is still working. And yes, preppers dont panic buy - that's kind of the point.

Just wash your hands folks - you don't need to sanitize them ffs

Actually it's sensible to have hand sanitizer and we've been actively encouraged to use it at work when we can't get to a sink easily.

Those of us with compromised immune systems are buying it because it might just benefit us. Stop saying ffs and sounding condescending when people are genuinely worried... ffs.

People are bloody selfish and stuff anyone else. DS works in supermarket.

It’s everyone for themselves, these aren’t preppers, they are selfish twats!!!

I'll worry when we run out of chocolate.

Full shelves here- OP are you trying to cause a panic?

This is why preppers are glad they prepped. No need to go out panic buying now.

Just been to work and the obvious items customers wanted weren't in stock and unlikely to be for a while. From comments and the look on faces, I think it's just dawning that people that they should have prepared (by this I mean building up a slow supply while there is still plenty of stock around to replenish) rather than be left panic buying or risk others panic buying and you can't get products for your normal shop.