Think panic buyers/prepares are both smug and selfish

[Coffeeandgin24]

The scenes from supermarkets have been shocking, you even have people on Facebook and here showing off about how much food they have. What about people that can’t afford to or don’t have space.
What a horrible greedy society we live in.

The people buying up to sell on for a profit or the people buying more than they genuinely need, maybe. But people who are frightened and trying to plan for self isolation and to keep their families safe, no I don't think they are. If we had more of an idea about the governments plans maybe this wouldn't be happening. I think a lot of people are scared and this helps them feel in control. Lots of people prep like this all the time. I've been getting extra bits in when we can afford to since Brexit. I haven't raided shelves and I haven't bought to excess. But we're a low income family, I have been told I won't get paid if my work closes and my dps company are talking about redundancies. The temptation to stock up is huge.

I agree winniesanderson. And actually it only takes bunging an extra bag of rice or pasta in the trolley for it to sell out if everyone is doing the same. The people I know who have bulk bought the most are my elderly 80-something neighbours who basically don't want to have to go out for a few weeks. I think they're being quite sensible.

I think there’s a huge difference between buying way too much like 125 toilet rolls and 40 packs of pasta - and buying enough for your household to be ok for 2 weeks or so if you weren’t able to shop for a little while. It’s sensible for people who can do so to prepare and then avoid going to the shops again. I feel for those who can’t afford to do this but we are being told by shops that food will not run out anyway so it doesn’t really make a difference.

Panic buying and prepping are not the same thing. It’s an important distinction to make in your judgement.

Preppers are the ones who don’t need to empty the supermarkets this week so I’m not sure how they can be labelled selfish.

My prepping (ie buying a few extra of essential items each week over some months) for getting snowed/flooded in or a no-deal Brexit is paying off now. The present shortage of loo roll is in no way down to me. I may be smug, but I’m not selfish. I’m sensible.

I litrially can't be bothered to panic buy. I've got 2 little kids and another on the way - I'm not fight for pasta and quing for hours. If we get asked to go on lock down then I'll have to keep going out to buy stuff. I'm sure others will be in the same/simluar position.

So panic buying will mean many can't go on lock down and the virus will continue to be spread.

Everyone could have done a two week shop over the last week and coming week and we would have all been OK.

I've prepped, just bought extra this and that over last 3 weeks. Seeing people buying 6 bags of flour and stacks of loo roll? I mean, surely all the flour clogs you up so you can't even poo anyway?!

We can’t control other people’s behaviour but we can make sure that we as individuals don’t take depleted stock unless we really need it. Those who can afford it can put stuff in the food bank box every time they go to the supermarket.

That’s what I’m doing. I’m sure there are many others out there doing the same. Most people are good, but we often only hear about the extreme negative stories.

I think the Facebook messages from people boasting about their 'stash' prove nothing but how vacuous Facebook users can be

100% agree the preppers aren't the problem. I started building supplies such a long time ago. I haven't even been near the shops in the last weeks.

People are stupid to post this on Facebook. They will regret advertising their stash when the looting begins.

Preppers do not panic buy. They dont need to!
people who are unprepared for anything which might affect them panic buy.
How hard is this for some people to understand?

You dont need loads of money to be a prepper nor loads of space to keep a couple of weeks worth of staples as a buffer all the time. It happens over time not all at once.

Preppers are people who are '' prepared ''

They won't be emptying shelves because they always have base levels of stock they simply add too.

I've certainly been ahead of this because of some wonderful tips from various posters weeks ago. Since January I've been adding 2 extra pasta bags, 1 extra loo roll, little bits as and when I could afford.

As a result of buying small incremental amounts I was able to give the food bank 2 large bags of food yesterday.

From now on as and when I can I will donate a little more than usual to the food bank.

Panic buyers a re those for whatever reasons didn't quite understand what was going on and have no build up of stocks, and panic.

Can't say I neccsarily blame them either.
If anything I wish supermarkets could ration loo roll, and pasta etc.

The government should promote having 10 days worth of food anyway like Germany does.

If everyone pulls back a little from panic buying, stocks will replenish.

Preppers are NOT the problem here!

I built up a small stash in case of no-deal brexit, so in the last two weeks, I've bought:
NO loo roll
NO pasta
NO paracetamol
NO hand sanitiser
etc etc

I started prepping for Brexit back in the autumn. I tweaked it a little about 3 or 4 weeks ago as I watch the news.

I donated 4 bags of shopping to a local foodbank yesterday as I was already prepared. I have not set foot in a supermarket since xmas, I am not to blame for the current panic buying.

Of course preppers are not selfish. If some of us were not sensible and always ensure we have a stock of food, loo roll etc then the situation would be even worse.

For years I have always had full cupboards of tinned foods, flours, pasta, rice, lentils, chickpeas etc.

In the last 2 weeks I have been food shopping once and that was mainly to buy fresh fruit and veg.

I don't understand people who have 3 days food in the house and are now having to buy like crazy in case they have to self isolate or supermarkets are sold out of everything.

They are the ones causing the problems because they are having to try and buy so much.

It's not true that people can't afford to have a stock because if you buy 1 or 2 extra tins or items each time you shop you gradually get a stock. A tin of tomatoes is around 30p, a bag of pasta around 50p. Most people can afford that.

No one knows what could happen that means they are unable to get to a shop and if the reason is heavy snow or flooding then, obviously, they can't get home deliveries either.

The relentless, repetitive ignorance about the differences between panic buying and prepping is ridiculous.
Predictable though ‘I didn’t plan ahead, it’s everyone else’s fault’

one more time for the folks in the back.....

Preppers and panic buyers are not the same!

Preppers - prepared
Panic buyers - not prepared

I did. And before you shout at me there was a reason. I am wheat free , dairy free , I have ibs and a broken bladder that reacts to food by bleeding and water infection. The foods I can eat without making myself sick can be counted on ten fingers.

I went and bought myself at least three weeks worth of my food. If I can’t get hold it I don’t have the choice to get something else. The looks people gave me at the counter were awful.

Yes I have ten packets of wheat free rice crispies and ten bottles of rice milk. But. I needed them. And would have nothing left to eat if I ran out.

I have been buying small extra amounts since January. Bought two sack of rice back then, and have added tins of things, dry food, and basic toiletries bit by bit. There are still things we need, but we do have enough food for two or three weeks at least. We bought a small freezer a month ago, so have also started to cook and freeze extra when making meals.
Fresh veg and fruit is going to be the biggest problem not sure what we will do about that.

SirVix, you can blanch most veg and freeze it. I got a huge bag of leeks last month for 49p. All frozen now in portions.

There's preppers who have routinely kept a stash or stockpile over time. Contrary to their claims, it does require more space than normal (our average sized kitchen is full with kitchen items and food and there's no way we can fit months worth of food in), but a little extra over time means shops adjust their ordering according to what is bought.

There's panic buyers who are selfish and create an issue.

It's wrong to confuse the two.

We sit somewhere in the middle and usually have enough food and toiletries that we could last an extra week as long as we could top up milk/fresh fruit/veg/cheese.

Oh can I freeze leeks ? Never occurred to me, as we buy fresh vegetables several times a week from local market garden. So just a quick flash in boiling water first ? How long for, two minutes ?
Can I freeze carrots in the same way ? Cauliflower?
Fruit is an issue, but I have some frozen berries for smoothies. I think I will make some apple puree to freeze too, nice with yoghurt or muesli.
Every trip to the shops feels like trying to dodge a sniper...

I prepped. From late January to late February I slowly added extra bits to my weekly shop and built up a good supply of food/toilet roll/cleaning stuff.

My prepping did not impact anyone else because I did it slowly. I was taking tins off fully stocked shelves that were restocked without issues.

I don't consider my approach to be in any way selfish- I'm not the one rampaging supermarkets this weekend and fighting over the last bag of pasta. I have no need to go to a supermarket at all.

Having been mocked and scoffed at last month by the very people panic buying now I will concede that I am feeling a little smug though. Quite unapologetically smug too.