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?

I still have my Brexit cupboard

Yep so do I, we won't be eating exciting meals but we won't starve because we have lots of long life staples in that we can use to make basic but filling meals with.

I asked my old mum if she had much in. The answer was roughly "Well not particularly, but I've enough for 2 weeks if I couldn't get out. It would get to some odd combinations by week !". She has a normal / small fridge with a small freezer section on top and lives in a tiny flat. I don't know where she is storing it. She relies on picking up bits daily but always picked up 2 things on offer. She does the usual things noted by the brexit prepper threads on here. It was just normal life for her because she grew up in a different era.

@theseriousmoonlight get a sodastream! Unlimited fizzy water, and no plastic bottles to recycle!

To the preppers, how much stock of things do you have in? I always keep my cupboards and freezer well stocked, my mum always did so I think it’s just habit so just wondering how my normal stock levels compare. I did see some photos of preppers supplies last year, (for Brexit?) and I didn’t think many of the people had much stuff.

I think if the worst happens we will just live on freezer surprise because I don't know quite whats in our freezer, it's always full though.
I don't want to live on pasta and tinned tomatoes for 2 weeks which seems to be what is being panic bought.

We aren't preppers but I like to always have a decent supply of stuff in, so we have a decently-stocked freezer and plenty of non-perishable stuff. I was in the supermarket today and it was business as usual.

Agree that preppers are definitely not the ones panic-buying. That's the whole point of prepping!

Well, Waitrose was completely sold out of Kenya AA coffee beans today..... 😉 😀
(But i think i still have a spare pack in my Brexit stash).
Seriously I think it's a good idea to donate more to local food banks, if you can.
And Ocado has an option during the checkout process where you can specify an amount you want to donate, eg £5, they match it and the £10 is donated, via food banks, where they know what stuff is needed most.

Being prepared and those not able to afford to be prepared are two different situations.

Just because you are prepared does not mean you dont give a shit about others.

Being unable to carry a stock of food does not make those who do selfish.

Not sure why people are incapable of picking a part these two issues.

The selfish people are those who live in a bubble not understanding how reliant we as a society are on other people being able to provide for us, or on whole infrastructure being reliant on being secure to operate. It is these people who panic buy and take away resource from those who need it.

Panic buying is sad. People must be desperate.

Prepping isn’t sad or selfish. At all. Sensible, with no hint of desperation.

@Porcupineinwaiting Did you read the part where I said I had plenty of food in?
Not through 'prepping' but through doing my normal shop in Costco.
I won't be partaking in 'panic buying'

My post is re the attitude of preppers. All about being 'prepared' and whatever else.
It's very well and good preaching that, but the most vulnerable in our society cannot do it.
So what should happen to them, since they can't prepare? Where does that fit in to the prepping mantra?

Oh yes, I was also told that I thought the world revolved around me. No idea where that idea comes from- I suppose I would just die out so wouldn't affect the rest of the world!

I don't understand why people still confuse preppers as panic buyers? They're complete opposites.

@SkelingtonArgument

Corona virus is a virus, so anti-bacterial gel will do nothing to protect you or to prevent its spread.

My GP suggested me buying this and using regularly throughout the day as a safety measure.

Of course not guaranteed protection as nothing is, but a risk reducer.

Is that not correct?

Genuinely asking, as we've been told otherwise by medical professionals.

Lovely of you to call posters fucking mental snoop, not surprised if they got the hump with you.

I had a sanctimonious twat have a go at me for buying 6 pints of milk in Tesco today, and three loaves of bread.

Apparently "people like me" are causing problems for everyone else...

He (it's always men who feel entitled to challenge women) looked very sheepish when I told him I buy that every Sunday. A house of 10, including 4 teens who are seemingly never full and a toddler who drinks a lot of milk, goes through quite a bit of milk and bread in a week

My local supermarket had no hand sanitiser on the shelves but at the till every customer was being offered a travel size bottle for £1. So they were rationing that way. Nothing else seemed short except plain flour and that's probably the aftermath of pancake day.

If that’s the big Tesco in Hackney, it’s very very very usual for it to look like that. I lived nearby for years, and there was routinely “no
bread” “no pasta” “no chicken” “no apples” or whatever, at all.

Washing hands with soap and water is PREFERABLE to the hand gels. They are handy in situations where you don't have access to water.

Also @SkelingtonArgument the coronavirus can be killed using hand gel with over 60% alcohol. Its outer coating does break down.

@PickleMyPepper unless it's a full scale collapse of civilisation then I guess they're first in the queue when it comes to emergency relief. That's what typically happens. In which case the job of government /relief agencies will be made easier by the fact not everybody requires it.

I had a sanctimonious twat have a go at me for buying 6 pints of milk in Tesco today, and three loaves of bread.

I’d say that’s a very normal amount to buy so he was obviously looking for a row. There’s only 4 of us and I often buy 8 pints of milk and 2 loves of bread at a time. It soon goes like you say.

ShesCurly, the over 60 % alcohol gels are good against corona and flu viruses.

Thickandthin I called the panicking and the over-buying fucking mental, not the posters themselves. We're not facing the zombie apocalypse. Sheesht.

I did an online Ocado shop yesterday and nothing was showing as out of stock. Tesco express near me is fully stocked and the co-op.