To ask if you are one of those people who has bought far more food and supplies than they need

[Casino218]

Because you are killing the elderly and vulnerable. Stop it!

My friend out shopping for his elderly neighbour last night could not find the basics to buy him!

staringatonewall

I did acknowledge that in my post. I'm talking about people who are well off and were banging on about it being just the flu and are now filling their trolleys up at the last minute because they can or moaning that people are being selfish when they expect everyone else to bail them out. We are not well off by any stretch, but did prioritise this over everything else. I'm hoping there will be some initiative in place for those in need and people will be generous in those circumstances.

Please don't be so smug. I struggle with food shopping from week to week because I can't afford to do anything else.

We rely completely on benefits, skin of our teeth most months, and still managed to prep. Have been since brexit.

Aldi and lidl do the basics cheap, it's easy to bung a couple of extra bits in per shop for pennies.

We have a very healthy stash now and I am a bit smug too, just because I was called mad for even thinking of prepping! It is harder when poor yes but not completely impossible. We went without broadband for a few months after our contract ran out to use extra in the shops.

Anyone paying attention could see this incoming in January.

I had a no-deal Brexit stock that I built up over a few weeks so there was no emptying of shelves. I've just done a stocktake of it and it will feed us for about 5 weeks, without treats or snacks. So it's there to use if we can't get the fresh stuff we'd prefer.

We've got mainly tinned veg, pasta, tuna and bread mixes so it could get boring but at least we'll be fed.

No but starting to wish we did as I cant get anything no meat nothing. Guess it to the perfect time to be a vegan.

i've been rushed off my feet working in a school - just went to get lunch, normally eat onsite. My big supermarket is decimated, who's stockpiled all the fruit, washing powder?

But everyone on MN is a prepper not a panic buyer!

If you need meat, try a local butchers shop. I drive past one near my work and they had a sign up saying they had plenty of mince, sausages and bacon.

No and I’m starting to wish I had! 🤦‍♀️ We have been left a bit short now because we didn’t. Obviously I don’t really wish I had...I just wish no one else had either!

There is a huge difference between prepping and panic buying.

We did a big shop a while ago and still have quite a bit left over from that but we’re still doing our small shops as usual. We’ve still got plenty in our local shops despite panic buying lunatics.

The weird thing is that the buying patterns have changed. So it started with loo roll and cleaning supplies. Then it moved to pasta, rice, tinned veg. Now all the fresh food has gone. Eggs have completely disappeared locally, yes, they last for a couple of weeks, but to clear the shelves? Bizarre.

There is a huge difference between prepping and panic buying.

Yeah, no one ever admits to being the latter!

Just to answer your question, I have been buying the odd extra for a month or so, like one extra tin or packet of something a week. So not panic buying but slowly increasing. I am glad I did, as we now have two extra DD's in the house for the long term, so I will need double the normal shop. I can now just buy (hopefully) fresh from local sources.

I feel sorry for my NHS friends who have had zero time to prep

Hand sanitizer! Just use soap and water. It's more effective anyway!

I prepped for brexit. Have a child with asd and on benefits

I cant believe that after watching what is going on around the world that some people still don't have the basics .

I'm on jsa atm was meant to start my new job in 2 weeks but that has been put on hold due to the virus.
I have £20 a fortnight for food so my store cupboard has depleted over the last few months, I have to buy weekly as can't even afford to do an online shop any more.
Been out today and can't find even the basics ie bread, pasta, stuff that's cheap for me.
Oh and I'm a type 1 diabetic so bought sugar for the first time in years just in case my blood sugar falls through not being able to eat regular meals.
I wish people would just do their normal shop but I do understand why people are panic buying.

I think some of it will not be panic buying or even prepping but just people being at home more - ie, not buying lunch at work or having a school dinner, that might explain the fresh food being gone.

Its awful isn't it! We had to get up at 5:30 this morning just so we could atleast get some bits in for my niece as shes staying with us and has a special diet. We have plenty of food in as been buying a few extra bits every week just incase we go into lockdown but nothing like what i have seen people buy! I'm just glad iv always stocked up on toilet roll or we be having to jump in shower to clean ourselves now!

If you have a farm shop near by and it's accessible to you it might be worth trying. I've just called into one near here and got a huge sack of potatoes for £5- there were absolutely loads. Loads of fresh veg, pies, frozen fish and meat etc

Isn't it more a case of most people are, quite sensibly, getting in a bit more or replenishing a little earlier than usual which is obviously adding up to the shops running out much quicker? I do live quite rurally and don't go to big supermarkets often but I haven't noticed anyone in our local shops buying quantities of any note but the shelves are all still pretty empty.

People have been told not to leave the house if/when they develop symptoms and there are no delivery slots for supermarket deliveries.

For full disclosure: I generally have a reasonable stock of the kinds of things (loo roll, tins, flour, soap, rice, pasta) people are buying more of so haven't felt the need to buy extra of anything in particular other than flour because there's very little read around, I would normally wait until we've almost run out but we're down to half a bag and I would've bought another (one) bag had anywhere had some available.

*bread

Going into lockdown will actually help this by smoothing the demand once we’re in

Look at the countries in lockdown - there’s plenty of food in their supermarkets. The problem is people are anticipating lockdown, or not being allowed out for 2 weeks because there’s the virus in the house.

I was buying some extra in Feb when Mumsnet was full of frothing idiots complaining about wanting to be protected from being 'made' to feel anxious and how the flu killed many more than Coronavirus blah blah and all the boards were full of policing and squealing that CV should be on its own board as they didn't want to hear about it because it was all hysteria and blown out of proportion 'cos their equally moronic friends on Facebook said so.

My elderly relatives and friends are already well supported by me and have been for weeks now.

The panic buying RIGHT NOW is what is depriving the elderly. The panic buying RIGHT NOW is all the fucking frothing idiots finally waking up and - panicking. And even on this board some of them STILL haven't woken up.

Stop blaming others. If you are worried about the elderly take them some food. Stop posting here about how unfair it is.

Here in west london the shops.you.have to walk to (ethnic food shops, corner shops) are very well stocked, and prices often lower than tesco or sainsbury for bread veg fruit flour pasta rice. We shopped over last few weeks on foot to keep enough that we dont need to shop now. And I use milk and more and veg box, have done for years. When you go to aldi or morrisons the world seems to have gone mad, and next door a small.shop is selling a good selection and no panic there....and no queues. But people still join the aldi queue.????? But maybe that is just my high street