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Are you a panic buyer?

382 replies

Insideimsprinting · 14/03/2020 07:22

Just that really. I would Just like to know why. There are lots of threads about people finding it ridiculous and not being able to get their normal shop, we're being told there is no need so why have you done it? Can you explain your panic, fear? Especially since its not happening across the board with all food stuffs andjust certain items.
Why toilet roll and not washing up liquid, shower gel etc, why pasta but not pasta sauces c why beans but not tinned soup etc

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Winnipegdreamer · 14/03/2020 07:25

We aren’t panic buyers at all, but there’s an element now of not knowing if we’re going to be able to get a full shop... then wondering if we should pick up extra too in case we are isolated 🤷🏼‍♀️

Crunchymum · 14/03/2020 07:26

No, because I'm not a selfish cunt.

However of course my Sainsbury's order is missing lots of items and I cannot get them in store either.

Wasail · 14/03/2020 07:30

No, but I asked DS to pick up one bag of pasta on his way home and because the first shop he went to didn’t have any he came home with 5 bags from the next shop he tried Confused. So he is the panic buyer Grin.

IceColdCat · 14/03/2020 07:30

I wouldn't consider myself a panic buyer - I'd call it stockpiling.

For the last several weeks I've been adding a few extra items to the weekly shop and popping them in a cupboard in case of an emergency shortage situation.

I believe that if everyone had been doing it in this kind of measured way we wouldn't have the problem with empty shelves.

Insideimsprinting · 14/03/2020 07:31

I don't know about you but I really want a panic buyer just to explain the logic behind their panic, I really just do not get it.

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Ilovefoodnotgym · 14/03/2020 07:31

I don’t get it either. Disinfectant is what I bought in light of the virus, 1 bottle to last my family a couple of weeks when my current bottle runs out. I’ve paid double to get pasta from my local shop and I’m rationing plasters in my house because all of my local supermarkets have run out and I have a toddler with needs who falls A LOT. People have shown their stupid, selfish colours this week.

ACupOfTeaSolvesEverything · 14/03/2020 07:32

Panic buyer no. Stockpiler yes. My son is immune compromised and high risk. We have enough to last us a couple of weeks (including pasta sauce and soup. I’ve also batch cooked and frozen). My husband has underlying health conditions. It’s a very real possibility that if we get it either/both my son and husband will require hospital care. I’d like to delay that as much as possible to avoid the peak and increase their chances of being treated.
Honestly I don’t even think I’ve got enough. I think we need to hide for a couple of months but I can’t afford that much food, especially as I now have no income as my main clients are in Italy. It’s a shitshow and I’m terrified for good reason.

Insideimsprinting · 14/03/2020 07:33

Where are the panic buyers? they're out there but it's only the non panic buyers posting, I get all pp its the other side I want enlightening about really...

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silentpool · 14/03/2020 07:33

I'm not a panic buyer. I do however fear the madness of crowds. So when I saw the scenes in Hong Kong a month or so ago, I knew it would happen here. So I bought a month's worth of extra food and yes toilet paper. Sadly predictable that the panic has spread here but I feel pretty happy with my decision.

purplelila2 · 14/03/2020 07:34

I wasnt a panic buyer I also don't have the funds to do this but things we need in our day to day have all been out of stock .
I have been buying extra here and there because of this!

Insideimsprinting · 14/03/2020 07:35

Stockpiling is planned and thought out though, done over time. Your not daft for that, that can make sense.

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EdithWeston · 14/03/2020 07:41

I'm not a panic buyer, as I keep the cupboards pretty well stocked at all times (legacy of wartime parents, I think)

The realisation is that 'just in time' models - whether it's industrial, commercial or domestic, are very susceptible to shock. To minimise the consequences of that, you need to buy. Thus creating a mini shock. If people operated on the well-stocked cupboards at all times, then there would be no panic buying. And you can't expect people, once they realise the need to move away from just in time, to not do so.

All I bought was some UHT milk as my current ones have very short dates now, and loads of tonic water to go with the existing gin lake

MotherPupper · 14/03/2020 07:44

I've filled the freezer but certainly not panic buying! I'm just worried that the panic buyers will leave us with no food in a weeks time!

Thistles24 · 14/03/2020 07:46

I’m somewhere in between. We live in a rural area, and it’s not unknown to be pretty much cut off during the winter, with supplies unable to get to the shops. I always have a supply of food in- it might not be what we’d choose to eat if we had full choice, but would be nutritious to see us through for about a week.
From what we’re seeing, it’s affecting adults much more than children, so I’ve got a drawer in the freezer with chicken dippers, fish fingers, frozen sausages, pizza, and some tins of soup, beans etc so if DH and I are floored by it, any of the DC would be able to pop on a dinner for all of them.

AhoyMrBeaver · 14/03/2020 07:47

I'm the opposite, I'm a calculated planner. I can't stand feeling out of control, so do lots of things to avoid that.

Sexnotgender · 14/03/2020 07:48

Panic buyer no. Stockpiler yes. My son is immune compromised and high risk.

Ditto. My daughter has serious heart and lung conditions and has already been hospitalised more than 10 times for pneumonia in her life.
We’re doing everything we can to prevent her getting this. She’s on preventative antibiotics all the time and yes I have a stash of necessary items if we need to isolate as a family to protect her.

OldUnit · 14/03/2020 07:48

I've just come out of Morrisons, I'm sat in the car park. I'm here because I generally nip past en route into work (as I am today) and pick up a few weekend bits.

It's MANIC.

There'll be no loo roll within half an hour. There is no hand wash, cleaning products are dwindling, as is bread, tinnned products are really low and the foyer is piled high with smart price bulk tissues and bulk buy pet food. A definite strategy change. EVERYONE in there is talking about it.....and yet, there they all are at 07:30 on a Saturday.

It's very reminiscent of Christmas, just more sinister.

Frenchw1fe · 14/03/2020 07:50

Stockpiling is a form of panic buying because if everyone 'stock piles' the effect is the same, things run out more quickly.
I haven't bought anything extra and am relying on my local supermarket to have what I need.
I do worry slightly about toilet paper as we have a sceptic tank and are therefore restricted to 2 ply.

bumblingbovine49 · 14/03/2020 07:50

Op. No-one will.admit to being a panic buyer because it is a pejorative term. For instance I have masses of toilet paper at home.. This is because I have been buying a bit extra ( not just of toilet paper!) for the last two years and my stock of food and stuff at home is quite a lot. I haven't panic bought any food or toilet paper at all since January , if what you mean by panic buying is buying more than I would.in a normal.shop.

I did ' panic' buy some surgical masks and in the ebola out break in 2014 😊😊 when there were plenty around in Europe and a large bottle of hand gel in early January.before prices rose to go with the one I bought I in 2014 !!

I have in the recent ' rush' of buying bought some more basic cold remedies stuf. Mostly because my D'Hhad a bad cold last week . I did however buy more than I needed to get though a week of a cold.for one person. I bought enough for 5 days of treatment for 3 people . That ends up being quite a lot

I have also bought more bleach than I would normally use and some Milton tablets, which given my child is 15 years old is probably not something 1 would normally buy . In addition I bought some cleaning sprays ( 4 in total, 2 for the bathroom and 2 for downstairs) which have hydrogen peroxide in them ( shown in recent research to kill coronavirus as well as bleach and alcohol)

If you think all that is panic buying, I disagree and say it is being responsible so I am prepared . Then again I suppose I would say that wouldn't I?

OldUnit · 14/03/2020 07:50

People do behave like sheep though, one panics, they all panic.

Are you a panic buyer?
EnthusiasmIsDisturbed · 14/03/2020 07:52

I’m in the shops now queuing

Yes I am stocking up for ourselves and my mum who will be going out at little as possible

I shall be doing a load of extra hours This week (nhs working in mh) as when my ds off school I haven’t got anyone to look after him. I have until now been shopping at smaller shops but they were empty last night of everyday products

I’m hearing too much from people far more knowledgeable and have a far greater understanding of what is going on and I shall not want to be hanging around supermarkets if I don’t need to

ElephantLover · 14/03/2020 07:53

The reason is that when we go into lockdown we will need to stay home for weeks on end. There is no clarity on who will be well enough/allowed to go out? Will shops be open? Is it work the risk of getting covid due to shopping if you have not already got it?
Stockpiling is just to cover these eventualities.

Techway · 14/03/2020 07:53

Honestly I don’t even think I’ve got enough. I think we need to hide for a couple of months

Are you thinking that you won't leave the house, have food deliveries for 2 months?

champagneandfromage50 · 14/03/2020 07:54

I don't think anyone is going to admit they are a panic buyers, everyone will have an excuse for having excessive amounts of food, toilet paper etc

Msmcc1212 · 14/03/2020 07:54

I always bulk buy and keep a store of long life items so I only have to do one big shop every couple of months (hate shopping!) and then just pick up fresh items as and when needed. I did my big shop probably about two weeks before we usually would because we thought there might be a lockdown. I didn’t buy as much as I usually would but still had ‘panic buying’ comments from a couple of people i knew that I bumped into. Felt really shamed even though i had changed my behaviour to try not to be selfish. Blush