Can't get food, almost in tears

[mabelbagel]

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

It’s bizarre that people can’t understand that other people can live in different places and have different experiences.

The shelves WERE all bare this week, including today.

Aldi stopped letting people in to both their stores near me by 9.30am this morning as they were stripped bare and overrun with people panic buying.

Sainsbury’s had nothing but condiments, tea & coffee, butter, hard spirits, laundry stuff.

Tesco was also like a wasteland.

I managed to get some veg from a Middle Eastern shop nearby, just took what I could (a few peppers, spinach, cucumber).

DH drove to a Lidl 45 mins away and got some chicken legs and milk.

It may not be desperate where you are, but it IS where I am. We are far from spoilt. I’d happily eat whatever we can make a meal out of and my main priority is feeding my children.

Yes it is desperate where I am. I have been to various supermarkets and the Asian supermarket. The Asian supermarket the guy was standing at the door and turning people away as they had only had stuff like spices. They were closing up 3 hours early.

Introducing rationing would be expensive to set up. So maybe not a good idea. But I am not sure what is best.
I suspect the government thinks it will calm down in a faew days. I hope they are right, but I am not so sure.

I have ordered from a local veg supplier. Not a fancy organic expensive one, just a fruit and veg market type thing that sell to trade and retail.
Very basic website but you can order on the phone. They also do eggs and fresh cut chips, so that's all the food groups right there!
I think there are similar businesses all over the country. The one I ordered from you just pay COD, so its really easy.

I just saw a Sainsbo's van go past which had on the side "pick up your click and collect from this van". Seems there is action underway to make sure all can get the food they need.

We have four supermarkets in my small town - the local Asda had very few tins, no bog roll at all and no cleaning products. Fruit and veg seemed well stocked. Meat from very local suppliers was in abundance, so I might have to cough up more for my shopping. I'm lucky; I've got a good job and so does DH. What I now can't do it donate anything to the food bank boxes in the supermarkets, as you can't put perishables in and there's no tins. The other supermarket is the same but the issue there is baking ingredients and pasta/rice. I've been utterly poor in the past and I know I'd have been struggling by now to eat properly. Stockpilers can't still be filling their bloody sheds and garages with that many fecking beans!! Selfish.

just saw a Sainsbo's van go past which had on the side "pick up your click and collect from this van".
Don’t they always say that? Not sure.

Agreed - you'd think at some point most people would stop? And actually use the stuff they have piled up?

I am starting to get stressed about this as well. Neither DH and I can drive (health) we normally go to local shops and get a weekly delivery. And tbh we have NEVER had a problem not driving getting food.

I have been to the local shops there’s nothing fresh - no meat /veg etc and they are not restocking at all. It’s just as empty the next day - it’s gradually emptying of all stuff. Dh is in a high risk group so I am really concerned about going on trains/ buses to shops etc but I’m going to have to soon and it’s going to be every couple of days because I can’t possibly carry enough to feed our family for more than a couple of days.

I have managed to get a delivery slot for 5th April I am dreading if they cancel it because they are out of stock or because we are not elderly.

I am trying to be upbeat for the kids but they are starting to notice that all their food the last few days had been canned or frozen and wondering what’s going on!

Not sure where you are, but I have used this on-line farm shop for many years. They are based in Hampshire you can check on website if they would deliver to your area. They are short of some stock but might have some bits you want. Some stuff is delivered frozen but it is despatched in Dry Nitrogen (which is gone by time it gets to you and is part of normal atmosphere) and insulating wool pads. www.farmerschoice.co.uk/

daisy chickpeas are one thing you can do, substituting for lentils, beans or whatever the stockpiles haven't taken. But Jack Monroe is a wealth of ideas.

DH was talking to a friend of ours earlier, who works in Lidls. She said it has been so quiet today. Her theory is that people around here have either reached storage capacity and have nowhere to sit down or sleep or they've run out of money, or maybe that they're now too afraid to go out.

She said it had been heaving up until yesterday closing time. Weird. And yes there was still food in the shelves but some stuff missing.

daisypond oh, maybe that's the case, I haven't really paid much attention to Sainsbury's vans until now!

Local pubs and restaurants are trying to get hold of things for people and a few have said that their suppliers are not having certain things in stock anymore. That can't be because of people panic buying surely?

Well where do you think the stuff people are panic buying is coming from? It's affecting the supply chain at more than one level. But food production is on the key worker list if you notice - food producers are still working. I don't see why there needs to be shortages if stuff is still being grown and manufactured, not enough people are sick at this point to stop those industries operating. i do wish we were more food sufficient as a nation. Australia and Canada don't have to worry. But I still think it's going to be ok.

That's not to minimize the problems of people who can't get food right now, who have my entire sympathy.

Any farm shops or markets near you? Where I live grocers and even the local pub have started up veg box deliveries. If you are on your local Facebook page they tend to advertise it there.

Today for the first time I have seen delivery slots for tomorrow (no other time) at several supermarkets online. I took one and there were still a few half an hour later. I dont know what they are doing, but maybe they are finally getting on top of it.

Your telling me every single shelf in the entire shop was totally empty? Every single item of food was gone?

... Or just the items you specifically wanted. 🙄

And I had to get the bus to some of these shops. 🤷🏼‍♀️ it's no hardship.

Your telling me every single shelf in the entire shop was totally empty? Every single item of food was gone?

Well, no, but it's very hard to make a meal out of ketchup, herbs and biscuits.

And I had to get the bus to some of these shops

You are aware that not everyone has access to public transport, yes? Where I am there is no bus service. The train service has been massively cut back too.

Honestly.

Your experience is not the same as everyone else's

When I went yesterday the only meat was bacon, and 1 steak. green beans and another type of veg was the only vegetables. Bananas and apples and some fish. So no I was not going to starve, but there was very little choice of fresh food. Plenty of frozen veg although again not what I wanted. Lots of cheaper types of frozen meals. Which makes me suspect it is the better off where I live doing this.

Our local supermarket was actually better stocked today than any other day this week - no fresh meat / eggs / loo rolls / soap but plenty of veg , cooked meats etc so I think at least here it’s calming a bit . Apparently they are getting eggs etc but they are going straight away despite limiting the amount people can have and the deliveries are a lot less than they usually have presumably because they are sharing it around the stores .

Basically I have to go now, see what there is to buy and decide what to cook for us from that. It is very different to deciding what you are making and going to buy it.

I don’t think there are stock issues, just selfish people. My DH literally queues to get into Aldi yesterday morning before work. He said there was at least 30 people queuing, if not more. Sounds very surreal. Anyway the store was well stocked when he entered but by the time he got to the end he could see some bare shelves already. They’re limiting people to 4 of one thing but that doesn’t stop people buying 30 tins of different things iykwim. People are also playing the system by going in with their partner and paying separately. Sad state of affairs.

which county are you in?

Check if catering suppliers near you have started selling to the public, they won't be getting orders from pubs and restaurants and they'll want to shift their stock.
Ok the tins will be catering size but if you share with friends and family and portion them out then it's fairly economical.

I've avoided the big supermarkets and managed to get food in random places, today our Poundshop had loads of tinned meat and fish, juice drinks, cereals, plenty of teabags and biscuits etc.

I'm in Australia. We are behind the UK as far as the CV spread goes, but our numbers are now rising. Already the shops are getting bare. Coles have hired 5000 new staff to deal with the increase in demand. We have dedicated shopping hours for vulnerable people, which is only helpful if there's things to buy! They have stopped all home delivering and pick up service unless you are vulnerable.
So I'm waiting to see if shelved do fill up again with measures in place. People keep saying 'there's plenty in Australia, we won't run out' - but if it's not there to buy it's not very helpful is it?! People went mad buying toilet paper. I can't get any anywhere. They have put limits on what you can buy but there's no restocking so it's not like I can get more than one even if I wanted to. Weirdly though we're not so low on fresh fruit and veg but the frozen stuff is gone and I keep thinking - people know how the frozen stuff starts off right?