Have you stockpiled?

[millerjane]

Sure there have been other posts pertaining to this but I'm starting to be tempted based on the unavvailable items on Sainsurys (online shopping).

No we haven't because I'm pretty sure that with the contents of our cupboards and freezer we'd be ok for a couple of weeks. We've also got a bread machine and we buy our potatoes by the sack anyway so that helps.

The only thing that I've bought without technically needing it at the moment is paracetamol - I bought 4 packs which I figured wasn't excessive but might be needed.

There is plenty of food in the shops
That's the problem though, there isn't plenty of everything - lots of people are saying that their local shops have sold out of beans, rice e, pasta etc.

If the first 100 customers buy an extra bag of pasta, there isnt any pasta for the next 100. One of those customers could be someone on a very low income who needs to be able to buy filling, low cost, shelf stable foods like pasta. Those first 100 customers are selfish in buying two bags of something that they don't need, leaving others without.

No because im not a selfish cun*.
I went to Tesco yesterday for my standard weekly shop, no pasta, no cheaper tins of beans, limited hand wash, no hand sanitizer and multiple other shelves cleared.
Its pure selfish what people are doing, and its the elderly and more vulnerable who will suffer most.

It's actually ridiculous how many people dont think they're contributing to the problem. "I only bought 4 packs of X, which isnt much". But you're not the only one doing it! Loads of people "only" buying 4 of something means the shelves clear really quickly. Everyone who buys extra of something they dont need, or wouldnt usually be buying, at a time of panic buying is contributing to the problem.

@Porcupineinwaiting there isn't plenty of everything though. Our local supermarket has been out of toilet paper, pasta, painkillers and other items for days. It affects people in poverty who can only afford those items when they get their weekly benefits or whatever, and now cannot buy those items because there are none left.

No I haven't. I do a fair bit of baking so I always have flour, yeast etc in. I have had to search high and low for paracetamol this week anything else I feel we can manage without. My youngest already suggested we could use our washable wipes if we run out of loo roll.

How many shops have run out of anything cheap and carby for more than a day? None round here. Not one.

Just because the media like to snap a few pics of temporarily empty shelves or idiots buying 400 toilet rolls doesn't mean that the poor are going hungry for any reason but the same old reason - because they've no money for food.

I generally have a months worth of food in all the time, so I havent needed to go out and panic buy.
Generally do this as were SE and always prepare for incase were stood down.

No. It’s unbelievably selfish to stockpile and it’s just fuelling the panic. I feel so sorry for people whose health has been compromised by selfish cunts buying up all the hand sanitiser etc.

Plenty of pasta, tins and loo roll here. I find it a lot sadder that a lot of people who can't afford it seem to not have any family that can either. I buy extras for my brother as he often doesnt have the money, not that I should have to but a 18p can of beans and some loo roll I am more than happy to; hopefully those who are struggling who have family who can help, do.

Yes. I started buying extra bits a while ago. We could now stay in for 2 weeks comfortably maybe 3 without having to go out to shop. Most of my friends and family think I have lost my marbles. I think I just want to be proactive in the face of something frightening. I have stopped the shopping now. I have 16 toilet rolls in my stash and 1 liquid soap so I don't think I am too evil a stock piler..

I've been reading the (excellent) prepping threads on here since it all kicked off in Wuhan, so I stocked up ages ago.

It was worth it last night, as my oldest son admitted he was scared since hearing about shortages of loo paper, etc. I showed him my prepper stash and he visibly relaxed.

You don't have to do it in one big expensive shop - just add a couple of extra tins, medicines, or bog rolls each time you shop. It adds up really quickly.

The prepper threads are regularly visited by people who drop in it to sneer or post derogatory remarks. But I've found the preppers are, by far, the sanest and calmest posters on MN.

You wouldn't know anything is going on in our local Aldi, fully stocked apart from anti bac gel.

I'm a low key prepper anyway so always have a lot in and always have a freezer full of meals.

I haven't stockpiled but I always have a well stocked cupboard with pasta, tins, pasta and curry sauces etc. I bought an extra block of cheese this week and my baking cupboard has plenty flour and yeast. I usually pick up an extra jar of pasta or curry sauce if it's on offer, or on a week when we're not planning to have those dinners because we live rurally, DH uses the only car for work and works an hour away, so it makes sense to do that.

We stockpiled for Brexit so we changed it from the Brexit stash to the Virus stash.

Guess we weren’t completely crazy stockpiling for Brexit.

So what about the elderly? Do you think they can go to multiple shops looking for toilet roll and pasta because of the pure selfishness?
So what if the shelves are empty only till the next day, that can still have an affect on the more vulnerable who cant get out very much

I grew up on a remote farm where we had enough for 2-3 months all the time.
I am still the same so, at the moment, we have enough dry and canned food for 3 months with not having to buy more.
I must stress, this is normal behaviour for me and not panic buying!

Dd asked this morning "do we have enough loo roll in case we have to self isolate ".
I said " look at the little cupboard under the stairs, been adding to it bit by bit and vet the past few months so don't need to panic buy".
Didn't tell her I've been called fucking mental on here.

Can I point out stockpiling and prepping is different to panic buying?

I have been buying extra since the Brexit vote in 2016 and I have enough food to last us a month in the house. It means that when I go to the shop now, I don’t need to take even one packet of pasta because I have enough for this situation.

Pre buying when there are offers and the shops can restock quickly is not selfish.

All the elderly I know have v well stocked cupboards. They remember WW2 and shortage. My mum might choose to pop to the shops for a few bits most days as it gets her out and about but she has tins in the cupboards and paracetamol in the cupboard as a matter of course.

I’ve always got a stash for a few weeks of literally everything. It took years to buildup but after being on my own with three children in extremely challenging circumstances for over ten years, we went without a great deal. I couldn’t guess the amount of times I didn’t eat for the kids to be able to do so. When things started to improve I started buying an extra tin here and there, tin of powdered milk etc. Now I just get my usual shop every week and rotate things. I didn’t mean to become a prepper, being left in the shit by a feckless man and losing my home, my job and raising 3 children by myself inevitably left its mark on me and I guess this is it. My husband has never really understood my need to do it but with a no deal brexit on the table in recent times and now this, he’s glad I do.

My nan also used to do it after living through the war. As a kid I made fun of her for it, I feel really guilty about that now that I understand her motivation for it :(

Not really stockpiled as in bought lots of the same thing, but I've filled my cupboard with tins and packets of different varieties. My freezer is usually full anyway so as it is i think we will be OK for a couple of weeks if needed.

Its maybe selfish to buy huge amounts- but I work in healthcare- I feel there is a risk I might have to self isolate. Four colleagues in our company (none in my region) have been ordered too. Therefore I have bought a double shop so we can comfortably quarantine ourselves with no food orders etc. Stuff this dried pulses and shit though. I've got lots of treats and enough wine to keep me gently mellow.

The virtuous ones who are not buying anything on principle- if you do have to self isolate remember you will be the ones taking valuable delivery slots

@BiddyPop oat milk is delicious! Ds is dairy intolerant so has that but its the only milk I drink now too.

I’ve had a fairly reasonable stash since mid last year due to Brexit fears etc. I’ve shopped as normal since then with the result that I do luckily have plenty of everything and should be okay for at least a few weeks.

I’m also planning to drop a few tins into our local food bank as they are struggling. I really feel sorry for people who don’t have the extra cash to just ‘buy a bit extra’.

We should all look out for one another and then there wouldn’t be any issues with shortages. Panic buying is deeply selfish.