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

Really scary thing is unless the Supermarkets manage to get on top the delivery chaos caused by 'panic stock up' deliveries, the rest of us are fucked. Genuinely fucked.

I've not been able to book a delivery from ANY of the supermarkets a fortnight ahead of pay day .....a click n collect slot at Waitrose 6th April was the soonest option except I don't drive and can't afford Waitrose CV or not ALL other supermarkets are booked up for deliveries until (and I presume beyond)10th April but that's as far ahead as the sites let you look.

So all of the regular users of deliveries are fucked, the elderly, single mums, the sick, the vulnerable are all ALREADY fucked for food. They will have to carry on scrambling the empty stores regularly where they WILL meet those with CV, the self isolated, and those recovering or suspected CV when those poor bastards realise they can't get a delivery either.

That will only be stopped by a lockdown.

The lack of comprehension on this thread is galling, Just Go To A Farm Shop if you can afford that, have one close by or drive, awesome. A lot of people depend on the supermarket for price and deliveries, a lot depend on local shops having food in, we all need food to avoid starvation.

That first wave of delivery bookings was made by healthy adults with a financial situation that allowed an immediate big shop online this tells us those deliveries are going to people who have their own fucking cars anyway but chose to sit indoors ordering online lest they have to deal with any 'panic buying' in store.

I'm fucking furious.

Couldn't agree more @lilmishap

It's all well and good being told to distance and isolate, but if you can't even get basic supplies then a lot of people are going to be left to starve

Not being extreme, it's what will happen if this selfishness continues. People will have garages bursting with food while others go hungry

Well said mishap

I agree that CV will spread this way.

People on my estate have volunteered to get stuff for me while in isolation, and then messaged me to say they can't. Shall I order them to drive to five farm shops??

It’s time to actively shame hoarders and stockpilers!

I don't know why I am bothering with you passive but the vulnerable (my DH) are STRONGLY ADVISED not to take public transport. They have also just cut many bus services in may areas. If I took a bus (can't because in SI) to a supermarket this could take me 1 1/2 hours now. To turn up to an empty supermarket.

Luckily, I have no appetite or I might start eating cat food. Except then the cats would starve as you can't get that either.

Have you done anything to help anyone in your community while swanning around at all these marvellously stocked shops?

ihatethat
Are you talking about preppers? They have chosen to build their own supplies. If anything, their forward planning is helping the situation, not creating it.

I think our shopping culture is just very British. Big shops (in both senses). Lots of middle class online shopping with prebooked slots from here to eternity.

This is not the way the French, Spaniards, Italians or New Yorkers shop.

Lot of communities have set up schemes to help neighbours, where I live people are being really kind and helping those who struggle to get their shopping, for whatever reason. Have you looked at what your local community might be doing? Many churches are offering help as well.

Although the fact we are bit too busy to go to shops every day is one reason we spread infection less in our UK culture I suppose. It does seem to be a very varying issue. I got everything yesterday I needed at Waitrose. Today my son could not get more than 3 tins of his beans (he's vegan) there but got some other stuff and went tonight with his friend to Tesco and got the mushrooms he could not get at Waitrose and some frozen vegan food - said it was very well stocked actually. he could not get cucumber at Waitrose this morning so I picked up 2 and spinach at the tesco express near the post office when I had to go there. I think the advantage in living in this [ I would not touch this with a barge poll - as some people say] bit of in parts very grotty outer London is we have a vast number of shops. He had trouble getting pepper and I noticed on my drive a very well stocked asian shop with veg piled high on tables in the street about 5 mins from the house so I think we should be okay but I wish people around the country were able to get most basic foods.

@Ragwort

In a lot of places there is no fucking way you would trust anyone 'neighbour' or not, enough to tell them that you're vulnerable and alone enough, that you need their help and then let them know when you get paid.

There have always been people 'taking advantage' of the housebound, frail, isolated for a place to stay, sex, money, food or just cause they enjoy it.
A lot of people cannot rely on the kindness of strangers, who do they turn to when the stranger robs, rapes and abuses them?

@Ragwort
I apologise for my comment, I didn't mean it to come across as arsy as it did.

I am not offended lilmishap, I do think it is very sad that so many people lead isolated lives and are now in a situation where they don’t know who to trust. I guess I am fortunate to live in a community where (mostly) there are a lot of people who are just genuinely kind and helpful. I have just been looking at our local FB page and there are so many offers of help and neighbourly initiatives but I appreciate that not everyone is so fortunate.

I'm not convinced there aren't supply issues either as it seems to be getting worse. I've not seen a single bottle of hand sanitiser since this whole thing started. I'd already stocked up freezer stuff from Iceland by deliveries about once a week starting about 2 months ago (I have a 23 mth old and I started realising I couldn't do a shop with her in the trolley). I can grab a few things quickly if she's in the buggy though. But now there are no delivery slots. I have a local Tesco express where I normally buy milk, 6-4 pints at a time which usually lasts a couple of days. I have got some uht though that little one will drink if nothing else. Today there was none and I noticed no fresh meat. I've got loads of tins and toiletries because I do that anyway but more lines of items seem to becoming scarce. I managed to get to aldis on the weekend and they were fairly well stocked (they even had their own oat milk which I don't mind). They were limiting items to 3 of each. Many are apparently doing that which is why I can't understand them being stripped bare so quickly? Unless they are not totally filling the shelves, so a few people do that and that's it. It's annoying because making people go out every day to multiple shops is going to spread the virus more.

There's a few polish mini markets near me, I might try them for fresh stuff. Although they looked pretty busy so maybe everyone is going there too. I really don't want to drag my dd round loads of shops. She gets bored at the best of times without the added risk of picking up the virus.

Online orders are being cancelled
Ours was today even if you get a slot there’s no guarantee it’ll arrive now
We have only ever done online orders in the last few years as dc have medical issues so it’s never been easy to do a food shop
We have never had issues till now

Hand sanitisers are being set aside for medical needs. I know because a friend works for a firm who delivers this along with other supplies. So it is being produced, just not available to the general public.

@Helpwithaversion can I ask whether you have online orders booked for more than once a week? Because I know supermarkets are cancelling orders they see as overstocking and offering those slots out.

Re hand sanitisers. I read that Brew Dog are making hand sanitiser but it's not for sale, being given directly to those who need it.

Slightly related, also read some F1 teams are manufacturing ventilators.

I can't understand why this is happening in the UK
There must be plenty of food still for everyone

I live in Germany and we're further along in this crisis,
been in lockdown all week with just pharmacies & grocery shops open

However, all these weeks, it's only loo paper that's rationed and sometimes pasta

Otherwise, food shelves are full as normal and there aren't any more people in the shops

• fewer in fact now after lockdown

@its430am woollies are getting delivery and I managed to get loo roll at 3.10 pm yesterday.
1 8 pack per customer.

@BigChocFrenzy It is happening because our Prime Minister announced without talking to the supermarkets that everyone should be prepared so they can self isolate for 2 weeks. Most people shop at least weekly. So most people bought a lot more. Then a few photos of empty shelves were shared on social media and the newspapers, and it went crazy. People panicked, because they are scared.

Whoever said buy tins does not shop where I live! There have been no tins or dried foods for a fortnight in any of the local shops. We have a local farm nursery shop but it’s very costly. I’ve set my son to planting veg! I’ve also noticed the most of the wild ducks have gone ( we live next to a body of water) My neighbour thought they had been taken for someone’s pot!

It's possible this is the worst period and things may calm down. We are in France and the days just before lockdown were the maddest. Went into lockdown on Tuesday at midday. Non essential shops/all restaurants closed last sat night. We shopped on Friday when everyone was still at work and school, before the lockdown announcement, and the supermarket was crazy, busier than Christmas! No proper panic buying though, just everyone had a good week's worth of mixed food in their trolley. DH went today and it was fine, only a few people queuing to get in, some things missing but we definitely won't starve. So hopefully things will get better for you. Good suggestions above all the same.

I’m so sorry. I went shopping last night and the supermarkets were empty. You could get crisps, chocolate and cake, but that was about it. It almost brought me to tears too.

I went today about 3pm and the store had restocked fruit and veg and there was plenty. They’d also restocked bread items. Still no meat or loo roll but I could live with that.

The shops are restocking daily. You have to try different times of the day to get what you need. If you can’t get there at the right times, ask someone to help you.

It’s such a horrible time xx