What's the difference between "building up my supplies" and stockpiling?

[BuckingFrolics]

The number of people who happily say "I started building up my supplies last month, last week" and who then go on to berate "panic buyers" and "stockpilers" is irritating me.

So your "supplies" stashed away were driven by anxiety and self protection. How is that different from today's panic buyers? It's just you were ahead of the pack. That's the only difference.

The "I was sensible and saw this coming and did the right thing" would be utterly meaningless if everyone had done that.

I'm another prepper. Been stocking up since pre Brexit. This week, while the supermarkets went crazy, all I've bought is bread, milk and tin foil. So by buying when demand was normal I've reduced demand this week by not doing a large shop. I'm also not in there spreading/picking up germs.

Preppers repeatedly suggested that people buy a little bit extra each shop when demand was low. We were told we were bonkers.

Don't forget cost.
Some people do prep by adding an extra tin or two per week. This spreads the cost rather than pricier, larger shops.

Nothing. There is no difference.

and tin foil No comment

So I did a big shop maybe a month ago before there was any talk of stockpiling or loo roll shortages.
I usually go shopping once a week but this time I brought probably 3 times as much of my regular stuff as I usually do.
I think if I would have enough food in the house for 4 weeks though obviously have run out of some things.
I have only done my regular amount of shopping since and then only a few bits since the panic buying started.
I do feel I have contributed to the lack of stock in the shops though as I brought more than I usually do which I think a few people did, this then resulted in some shortages and then panic buying set in.
In saying that, I live in a small regional town and we have had no way near the shortages the city has had. On the plus side I will be keeping out of the supermarkets for a while.

Actually I find those responses really clarifying and helpful thank you.

I always have at least a weeks worth of food in stock. Generally two weeks.
This comes from years of being vegetarian and suddenly a product you buy going out of stock and there being nothing to replace it. Being vegetarian is much easier these days but the habit hasn’t left me.
For example I use Oatly milk (I’m trying to cut down on dairy). Twice since I started using Oatly there has been a shortage. So I always have two weeks worth of oat milk in stock.

At no point in the run up to this have I bought more than I normally would.
I’ve got my usual Ocado delivery coming tonight and the chances are I won’t need one next week so I can free that up for others.

I’m always well stocked. I’m not the one emptying the shelves.

This has shown that “just in time” supply chains aren’t resilient enough.

So I blame the supermarkets rather than scared people (profiteers I do blame).

I worked in a superstore decades ago when at school, a regional chain. Not only was there a warehouse attached to the store, there was another massive warehouse for stock on an adjacent bit of ground.

Got taken over by a national chain and a few years later that ground was sold off to be a retail park- Next, Argos etc.

“Lean” operations are fine for efficiency, but it’s not robust enough in a crisis. You need more reserves in stock. Same applies to staffing levels.

The declension is this

I am building up my supplies.

You are stockpiling.

She is panic buying.

I have a second fridge freezer. It, along with my pantry has been fully stocked since before Christmas. As a result I have not been to the shops for anything more than 2-3 meals worth of food in the last month (I also have a fresh fruit/veg delivery weekly).

I’m not smug but I am grateful.

My just in case stockpile has always been in my cellar or freezer, i live in a very rural location and have always had a few months of provisions in, i could make what i have stretch to 6 months if i really had too.
I feel for the elderly and disabled who will now go hungry because people are panic buying, if everyone calmed down the store would be fully stocked again by the end of the weekend.
Maybe this will teach people to plan a bit better and to always have a small stock of tinned/dried goods just in case. Hopefully it will shock people into stop wasting food.

Massive difference between selfish stockpiling in the current situation and having a store which was established and maintained over the past year. I still would like to buy bread and fresh bits if i can so that I can turn my tins into meals but don't need to grab loads of anything.

We're expecting our first baby so were gradually building supplies anyway as we had planned to just bunker down once little one arrives anyway for a couple of weeks. Then when we first heard about Coronavirus, we made sure to carry on. Just a few extra bits and pieces here and there with every shop. Never taking more than a few of anything at a time and never emptying a shelf leaving nothing for anyone else. I've been to the shops once a week, as always for the past few weeks and only bought the essentials; fresh milk and bread etc. I haven't been contributing to the panic buying because I haven't needed to.

There are multiple threads of people who have not been able to find or buy any food. That is a result purely of the people panic buying and stockpiling over the past few weeks, not at all because of those of us who gradually built up supplies. There's a massive difference.

We (me and husband ) have about 3 - 4 weeks worth of dry carbs e.g. pasta, noodles, rice, couscous etc. A supply of lentils and chickpeas etc. Some flour, coconut milk, tinned tomatoes as well as many tins of soup (my husband is obsessed with the heinz soup offers, personally I don't care for it). We have about 16 toilet rolls left over from costco shop last year.

This is normal for us as we often buy the 2 for one deals and we started keeping a bit in reserve ever since the threat of a no deal brexit loomed.

At the moment I am only really shopping for fresh things. Saw pasta in the co-op yesterday and was tempted as it was linguine, my favourite and I've none but I left it for someone else.

We donated some of our excess food to a local foodbank and are giving some to elderly family who don't have any.

I agree that not everyone can stock up as a matter of course it takes money, a car and storage. I don't believe I've been adding to the problem over the past few weeks because I haven't been buying much, if anything I've eased the pressure on supplies by living off my larder. I've only been going out for some fresh stuff.

I agree OP, no one thinks they're stockpiling.

There's another thread where a pregnant NHS worker is bemoaning the lack of supplies, but her DH saw some nappies so stocked up even though she's only 4 months....

@cohle your example is panic buying, buying a bit extra when the shops were full last month or even last year isn't whats causing the problem. Those of us who stock up as a matter of course are currently creating less demand by only buying a small amount of fresh stuff at the moment, which in my area is currently plentiful.

I'm not saying it was

I'm saying even those who are criticising panic buyers don't realise that their "picking up a couple of extra bits whilst we can" is panic buying.

@Cohle ah so you mean people buying extra now but just calling it something other than panic buying? Sorry, my bad. Please accept my apology.

We've always had a 'zombie cupboard' no idea why really. But there's always a stock of tins and cleaning products.

I regret not having hand sanitiser, but I did come across some in old bags etc.
We have a second freezer for dog food. When this started I started to become a bit twitchy so started bulk cooking so felt quite happy until a dd has decided she's coming home. Lovely to have her but she'll ruin it 😂

There is a lot of difference between the two and if everyone had prepped in advance, we would be in a much better situation now.
Consider the following two scenarios:

• everyone buys one or two extra cans/packets per week, over a long period of time. The supply chain copes because it is designed to cope with this. There are no shortages, because the entire country isn't targetting baby formula and pasta all at once. For those on a low budget, the cost is spread. When you have a decent stockpile built up, you use the things that might go out of date and keep replenishing under the same system, couple of items per week. Never mind an international pandemic, if you suddenly lose your job you'll be very glad of the cushion. If there is a pandemic, you can keep out of the supermarkets as much as possible and free up the pasta, nappies, loo roll etc for those who haven't prepared. This isn't selfish, this is socially responsible.
• alternatively, nobody does this. Everybody crowds into the supermarket when disaster strikes, whether that's a pandemic, a fuel strike, Brexit or something else. The supply chains cannot cope and there are many shop workers off sick in the pandemic scenario. Shortages and panic result very quickly.

Which of these two scenarios is to be preferred to the other? How can those who say 'there is no difference' view these as remotely comparable? To those saying prepping just isn't necessary - why wouldn't you want to keep out of the supermarkets as much as possible just now?

I'm on a low income. I keep well-stocked stores under the first system, to cushion me if necessary. This month finances have been tight and I wouldn't have been able to afford to build up a stock cupboard from scratch, even if supply weren't a problem. I want to keep out of supermarkets because I have long-term health problems. I would have been stressed and worried, particularly as prices of some things are going up. But as I'm prepared, I haven't needed to shop and am planning to replenish fresh fruit/veg next week and then keep out of the supermarkets as long as possible.

I'm helping society by not buying pasta, rice, tins, loo roll - I have plenty already and have done for a long time. I am helping and will help elderly family members. I'm helping keep the spread of the disease down by keeping out of supermarkets. I have an overstock of soap, not because I've been panic-buying it but because I manufacture the stuff, and I will see that this gets distributed locally as people in need require it, if things get that bad. This is socially responsible.

I watch the prepper threads but don't contribute. What I see frequently is certain posters piling in to tell the preppers they are mentally ill/hysterical, or similar. But now corona virus has arrived, I see a load of posters telling long-term, established preppers they are 'smug', 'selfish' and 'scum' - see the other threads on prepping and corona virus for this. Sometimes the 'mentally ill' slur still persists alongside the other insults. None of this is nice, in fact it's pretty unpleasant, and it's a misrepresentation of the mindset behind prepping and a misinterpretation of the beneficial effects it has at a time like this. I wish people would stop it.

I know ‘preppers’ who have been buying 6-12 tins / paracetamol / calpol / toilet rolldaily since Brexit was announced. They only stopped their daily hoarding when Covid-19 started and have more food than they can eat. So no I don’t think there is a difference between panic buyers and ‘preppers’ - they are all buying from a state of panic and accumulating surplus’ at home. If ‘preppers’ were better or more noble they would donate their extras to a food bank - but in reality that stuff is coming from people who are shopping right now.

I agree Grumpy. I simply don't believe that people who were panicked enough about Brexit/Coronavirus to be hoarding months ago have all suddenly become massively relaxed and stopped shopping now the crisis is actually here

@gumpy you just don't get it do you? Many of us are donating and helping others out at this time. In addition the way supply chains work i.e. just in time, long term preppers are not contributing in anyway to current shortages in fact just the opposite.

I have no general issue with people who have built up supplies slowly, because I know some people do that even when nothing is wrong.
But if you're a prepper, even one who did it super slowly and didn't cause panic buying by clearing the shelves- don't look down at others for not "preparing" for this.
I literally cannot afford to buy more than a weeks worth of shopping at a time.
Its great you're in a comfortable position but the fact that I cant prep doesn't mean I was swanning around in a state of ignorance.

So, yeah some preppers can be real smug, but that's not as bad as the panic buyers who are taking more than they need.
I got lucky with my online shop and got most of it. I have no idea what's going to happen next time.

I accept there is a degree of privilege in being able to have well stocked larder and not everyone can do it due to lack of money or space which is why those of us who do have enough should not be buying up these things now, which I'm not. We also need to help others out.

Failure to see the difference seems like willful obtuseness.