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Original poster

Can't get food, almost in tears

259 replies

mabelbagel · 20/03/2020 06:12

There are two medium sized supermarkets in my town, and both are almost empty whenever I visit. No frozen stuff, no fresh, no eggs, no soya milk (I can't drink cows milk), no bread, no soup. The only thing widely available is snack /junk food and I can't live on that. I've checked the smaller shops in my town and they are also out of stuff. There are no online delivery slots either.

I am still going out to work, so all the people working at home are obviously getting there first. The shops my town are usually adequate but the next supermarket is about 15 miles away as we live in quite a rural area. I don't want to make the trip there if there's no food there either.

Just don't know what to do as it seems the panic buying won't end anytime soon and I'm fast running out of staple food

OP posts:

Genevieva · 20/03/2020 09:46

I have a deep loathing of supermarkets. I do use them, but where possible I have always avoided them. I drive past a bakery every day, so I get our bread there - fresh out of the over. Our local butcher is a lot more reasonable than most people imagine - not as cheap as Lidl, but no more expensive than Sainsbury's. Eggs are available outside a neighbour's house for £2 a box. The local shop has everything in smaller packs than you see in a large supermarket and, while it doesn't have the widest selection of veg, it always has bagged salad, onions and carrots and usually has cabbage, broccoli or cauliflower. None of these shops have had panic buyers or empty shelves and they do provide enough basics for you to get by. Please don't despair and try a local independent shop.

Portulaca · 20/03/2020 09:47

James Wong commented on Twitter this week that he noticed his local supermarket had empty shelves but the Asian supermarket across the street still had plenty of stock and he was urging people to look there as well as it would support local businesses.

alloutoffucks · 20/03/2020 09:48

@genvieva She has already said local shops are bare. Same where I live. Some places seem to be particularly bad for this.

alloutoffucks · 20/03/2020 09:50

And my Asian supermarket where I actually go fairly regularly has shelves stripped bare. When I went they had actually shut 3 hours early as they had so little.
Seeing all these comments I am beginning to think where I live is particularly bad,

Genevieva · 20/03/2020 09:50

@alloutoffucks what a pain! I am in a rural area, so probably not as bad. For milk, try Milk and More online delivery to your door. As well as milk they do a few other things like bread etc.

alloutoffucks · 20/03/2020 09:50

I am in a fairly large town as well, not somewhere rural.

fivesecondrule · 20/03/2020 09:52

www.findmeamilkman.net maybe your local milkman can help OP

alloutoffucks · 20/03/2020 09:52

Actually milk is one of the things that is easy to get. Presumably because you can't really stockpile more than a tiny amount of milk. And milkandmore are not taking any more customers.

daisypond · 20/03/2020 09:53

I don’t have any local independent shops near me, apart from one very expensive and top quality butcher. We are vegetarian.

Genevieva · 20/03/2020 09:53

I have no experience of it, but I think Amazon do non-fresh foods.

Wheret0n0w · 20/03/2020 09:54

Hello please check local Facebook and Nextdoor groups :

Hounslow www.facebook.com/groups/770869870407640/
islington www.facebook.com/groups/926599381108201/
Kensington - Whatsapp chat group chat.whatsapp.com/IlNils5Wgsm6N7YSrdsJnB

Lambeth
www.facebook.com/groups/214918153220011/

Langley
www.facebook.com/groups/511362889554540/
Lewisham www.facebook.com/groups/906156979855211/
Merton www.facebook.com/groups/563133244302570/
Newham www.facebook.com/groups/202303704194767/
New malden www.facebook.com/groups/956628044751854/
Northwood, NorthwoodHills, Pinner and Ruislip areas
www.facebook.com/CCHNorthwoodRuislipPinner/

The main group is on Nextdoor
nextdoor.co.uk/g/q31lifeii/

Norwood Junction www.facebook.com/groups/515221059407787/
Northolt www.facebook.com/groups/245432179832602/
Putney

www.facebook.com/groups/PutneyCoronavirus/

Combe Down Bath
www.facebook.com/groups/498730990749229/

Barnsley www.facebook.com/Barnsley-Covid-19-mutual-aid-network-108412714119729/
Basingstoke
www.facebook.com/groups/213567713092219/

Queercare provides assistance for immunocompromised, astmatic or otherwise at additional risk from COVID-19. You can also access useful resources and advice via their page. Queercare has volunteers nationally and is working on organising folk into more local groups and providing advice.A sign-up form is available here.
Queercare have also finalised and had approved by medical professionals an initial list of principles and assumptions and a set of guiding policies for doing support work in, and in response to, the COVID-19 link -
queercare.network/our-work/resources/covid-19/

Genevieva · 20/03/2020 09:56

I didn't now that. My parents have missed the boat then. I've been getting milk delivered for years. It is my indulgence. When I went back to work after my second maternity leave I kept running out and it took a lot of pressure off to know there would be a bottle outside in the morning three times a week. Some people get a cleaning lady or regular hair cuts. I get milk delivered to the door!

TwoKidsStillStanding · 20/03/2020 10:01

No milk near me today! Not in our Sainsbury’s order, nor the corner shop or two supermarkets we tried - not sure if supply or delivery issue.

ShellsAndSunrises · 20/03/2020 10:01

There’s no food near us. I’m part of our Covid-19 group, I went to five supermarkets yesterday looking for food for some of the elderly people who are struggling... it’s been ransacked. No fruit; no veg, no meat, no frozen stuff, no pizza. The shop staff maintain that stocks are normal in the morning but people are doing weekly shops every day, and they don’t have increased deliveries or the staff to keep putting things out every day. They’re supposed to have introduced a maximum of 3 per item for anyone but it doesn’t seem to be happening.

I’m not quite sure what the plan will be for people who don’t have the space to store masses of food, or don’t have a freezer. I want to say everyone stepping together to help them will me a they are fine, but when it comes to food; everyone seems to be stocking up for their own 12 weeks and screwing over anyone not capable of that. Today I’ll visit farm shops and further away stores in the hope of getting a few people a few meals, at least. I’m not confident.

alloutoffucks · 20/03/2020 10:05

@genevieva It might depend on demand in your local area.

katseyes7 · 20/03/2020 10:14

The main supermarkets are now restricting everything. Some are saying 3 per item, some 2. My cousin went to her local small Co-op yesterday (she lives in a rural community) and had a chicken and four bags of fresh veg in her basket.
When she got to the checkout, she was told she was only allowed 2 of the bags of veg, and chose what she took.
l appreciate it's difficult for those with families, but hopefully once the supply chain filters through it will mean that the shelves don't look like a swarm of locusts have been through them.
lt's going to be interesting when people are told they can't have 7 bottles of wine, though....

BadSpellaSpellaSpella · 20/03/2020 10:14

My dad went to sainsbury's during their vulnerable hour at 7am, shelfs were full and he said by 7.30am loads of items were gone so people coming in from 8am won't have alot of choice.

However my local iceland was fine apart from breaded fish (and this was about 4.30pm) and my local corner shop seems to be fine for everything. Home bargains also seems to be mostly ok. So different areas are better.

They need to bring in rationing, alot of ppl can't afford to stock pile even if they wanted to. Esp ppl with large families

LakieLady · 20/03/2020 10:15

SI, so haven't set foot in a shop for a week, but I hear from friends that M&S seem to be managing to maintain stocks.

M&S have food shops at petrol stations, motorway services and railway stations as well as at their stores. Someone I know has driven 7 miles to a rail station and managed to do a surprisingly comprehensive shop there, and the one at a petrol station near me carries a pretty good range.

Justaboy · 20/03/2020 10:18

Seen this?, its so bloody sad and wrong that its happening poor woman!

www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-51966337/coronavirus-nurse-s-despair-as-panic-buyers-clear-shelves

RedskyAtnight · 20/03/2020 10:36

Actually milk is one of the things that is easy to get.

Big local supermarket had no milk at all an hour after opening today.
Granted the next shop I tried had plenty.

I also thought milk would not be an issue as it's not really practical for stockpiling.

alloutoffucks · 20/03/2020 10:46

Wow sorry to hear milk is an issue elsewhere. It is the only thing I can be guaranteed to get with zero problems at all.

alloutoffucks · 20/03/2020 10:48

@BadSpellaSpellaSpella I am glad they brought in vulnerable hour. But at Iceland those who go are clearing shelves. I won't go during this time as it is packed out. I have went outside and decided it was just too crowded to be safe.

madcatladyforever · 20/03/2020 10:54

Quite honestly, I'm not going to supermarkets now. It's too risky and I'm NHS front like so I don't want to be in a scrum with other people.
I live in a very rural area, there are two local shops always stocked with food and loo rolls, eggs and milk.
There are lots of farms selling veg.
I can get all my produce locally and at the weekends I batch cook all the local produce and stick in in the freezer.
So far it's proved much cheaper than my local supermarket shop.
I make up milk powder in a blender or get milk from the farm.
All the local pubs and restaurants are doing home delivery if you feel like eating a Sunday roast or whatever.
It's really ok if you can find alternatives, you've got to think as if it's the war again, what can I grow, bake, invent.
It must be really tough in the cities where supermarkets are all you've got but even in the cities there are local shops and grocers, you've just got to change your habits.

LittleLittleLittle · 20/03/2020 10:55

@alloutoffucks vulnerable hour is useless in lots of areas.

Piggywaspushed · 20/03/2020 10:56

I live in a village. No eggs, no milk, no bread. The rural idyll hasn't made it my way.

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