Panic buyers!!!

[Heartburn888]

In the wake of the corona virus in sure we’ve all seen the clips on social media of crowds of people going in and buying all the loo roll.

I get that some people are scared and would like to self isolate and be prepared for this which is fair enough.

I’m not so scared of the virus but I’m scared of not been able to buy baby milk for my son as it’s all been bought. I can understand that some of the panic buyers are buying because the shelves are clearing in record time!

I’m no longer breast feeding so that’s not an option, I just hope that people will see sense soon and stop being so god damn selfish.

I'm intending to stock up on essentials planning for the possibility of being stuck indoors for a fortnight.

I have had zero money and I currently have 20p in my bank but the point is I cant afford to buy expensive brand pasta etc so i made sure I had enough cheap stuff. Such as 19p hand gel in aldi etc

Yes corner shops seem to be stocked as normal.

Worth pointing out that the flipside to some people being unable to prep due to poverty is that disadvantage is exactly the reason why others feel they've no choice but to do it. There are posters on here who took to purchasing an extra tin a week over long periods simply because they were reliant on the shit UC system, or because their health is so poor they knew they'd be stuck in the house due to it at some point.

I live abroad so stock up when in the U.K. Last summer when buying toothpaste that was on offer I was told at the till I could only buy a certain number (think it was 12). I can’t remember if it was related to them being on offer or not and there were no signs up but their rule apparently. So basically there are some rules in place normally but obviously the quantity is too high to be of any use in the current situation.

The reason l’m good at planning ahead is precisely because I’ve had a fiver a week to live in in the past, so no wiggle room for unexpected events, no extra cash available. So I keep my stores topped up for the hard times.

This is exactly why we had rationing.

Don't they teach history at school anymore?

It’s also why we had a black market, hoarding and cheating the system throughout the war years and beyond.

Whilst I have sympathy for those that can't afford to stock up, If you're not in the too poor to buy extras category it's rather foolish to sit back and relax saying I'm not going to bulk buy it's only the flu. That is a choice after all.

My dh was in this category and whilst I tried to limit what I bought to a reasonable amount for our household, when I saw all the san pro items had run out I went back the next day and grabbed extra loo rolls ordered san pro and detol wipes etc just before they completely ran out of stock last weekend. They're still out of stock of all these items.
Had I have followed my dh lead and ignored what was happening I would now probably have a dried up old towel in my pants and be waddling to the school run. No thank you!!
It's unfortunate what's happening but I won't blame individuals who are really concerned. I don't think the press has reported appropriately what the truth is with all of this and I don't normally say this.
On a happier note I know our local food bank is really trying to stock up in preparation for anyone stuck in a crisis right now too so I hope this brings comfort to anyone stuck and well worth contacting a local one if you are worried.

And the food bank donation bin in my local tesco this morning had a pack of toilet roll and lots of pasta in it!

I am concerned if this continues.

We're in a bad spot financially and we cannot afford to stock up. I understand the instinct to panic but I wish people would spare a thought for those of us who are already struggling.

All I can do right now is try and make our food go as far as possible.

Hopefully people are continuing/starting to donate to food banks. I certainly think it's an obligation for those who can afford it.

It's ridiculous. The panic buyers are turning us all into panic buyers! You don't want to be stuck with empty cupboards when others have 19 packets of pasta and several gallons of tinned tomatoes so you end up chucking an extra couple of packets / tins in the basket, thus adding to the overall problem. I don't need toilet roll at the moment, but might in a few weeks so should I buy it now, in case there's none then?

DISCLAIMER: This is all hypothetical, as I'm away from home at the moment anyway.

Been to do my weekly shop! No toilet rolls, no handwash, hardly and tins, rice or pasta. Tried two supermarkets. Its like Christmas, massive queues and hardly any parking. People aren't just buying one or two extras, the shops are packed with people that are never usually there, I always do my food shop between 8-9 and the shops are empty but today they were full. One supermarket worker said they are having 2 deliveries of toilet rolls a day and they are going straight away. I love how people are worried about catching this virus yet they are all packing into a supermarket creating a breeding ground of germs. 🤔

Theys between 8-9am not pm

There are no anti-bacterial cleaners available online in my area (Tesco, ASDA, Amazon etc) and by the time people get to the shops for me in the evening all stock is gone. If you’re going to hoard then please hoard responsibly (never thought I’d say a phrase like that😂). If you go into a supermarket and there are only 10 packs of toilet roll, 3 bottles of anti bac and 6 tubs of baby milk... please don’t buy them all and actually have a thought for other people! Hardcore prepping on this scale is only necessary if you know shops are going to close or if the shipments stopping. I’ve never known anything like it in my 30 years on this earth!

Panic buying is not prepping. It's panic buying. Preppers got what they needed months ago. We aren't the people hoovering up bog roll.

I have no money left in the bank, dont get money in till next Friday. Got some food in the house but we normally do a big shop cause we have low budget. Just hope people have all panicked buyed the last week or so and things will be back to normal when I get paid next Friday. Known my luck shops will be shut and we are all in lock down then

I really hope all supermarkets start putting a limit on absolutely everything. If you want more than the limit then go to another supermarket and leave the rest for other people in that area. So selfish that I can’t even anti-bac areas in my home like door handles, light switches etc when we have small children, I’m pg and high risk already and OH works in a lot of other people’s homes as a contractor in a large radius.

@earsup good for you. One tank doesn't even last us a week

3 exclamation marks, arent you an excitable little nugget.

I really doubt most people are hoarding baby milk, loo roll seems more the thing. I expect those who need baby milk have maybe got an extra tin in just in case they get ill. I'm surprised you didnt see fit to do likewise honestly. Or are you immune?

@polkadotdenim go to your local pharmacy and buy surgical spirit. That can be used if you want to wipe down switches and door handles.

@polkadotdenim I just went to Tesco and they have put a five item limit on pesto, pasta, hand wash and some other stuff but I've forgotten now. There were like three bottles of cared left

Oh yes long life milk was another

Co-op have actually stopped selling hand sanitiser.

But I do like the blame game the panic buyers play “well, it’s your fault if you didn’t prepare,” no. Actually it’s *your fault if there are no items left in the shops. Stop putting the blame for your selfishness on to others who don’t have the same choices you do.