How long will the supermarket madness go on?

[theneverendinglaundry]

This is my main worry. I can get my head around social distancing, the kids being off school, as long as we have a roof over our head and we can eat.

How much longer can people go on panic buying? Or will the government have to step in and give everyone rations?

Seriously even those with massive chest freezers must be full by now??!

1984isnow so trying to shoplift entire trolleys?? What is WRONG with people???! Shocking.

Yep, the shops is full so they're not as easy to spot.

Dp has managed to stop a few today, and one of them actually went back and paid for it. So it's not like people are doing it due necessity.

@1984isnow where about is this happening?

This is disgraceful. I’ve been over pleasant to shop staff. They are risking their health too and people are being abusive? Bastards.

@1984isnow 😱

I think part of the problem is the fact that people who would normally do online shopping can't. I usually use Sainsbury's online but there are no slots available and haven't been for ages.

That means I have to go out and do a shop instead fgs!

I would happily not go if I didn't have to!

In East Midlands laaf
A relative who works in Tesco says that the shelves are left bare daily and they are putting out extra delivery, but he works nights so he doesn't see how people are actually behaving towards staff and each other.

I have also just seen a story in the paper that baby formula is being sold on ebay for £50-£150, whilst shops are sold out

I keep trying to remember that the majority are probably still sane and kind, but it's really difficult to not feel sickened by this country at the minute.

Sorry, my point just was that the panic buying is still rife in supermarkets here but I'm not sure if people are behaving appallingly everywhere, or just my local Sains!

A friend's husband is a manager in a large supermarket , she has told us that she is absolutely petrified for his safety due to the physical intimidation and verbal abuse the staff are getting from the public. I can't see the panic buyers stopping any time soon.

People are trying to walk out with full
baskets and trolleys (full of alcohol,so essentials)without paying where my dp works The customers are abusing staff constantly, pushing each other out of the way. The store opened early today, and staff have had their hours changed at 2 days notice.

Sadly this doesn't surprise me and similar things are happening here. I read a post on FB saying that gangs were waiting in the queues that are meant for elderly people in the mornings. Pushing staff and elderly people over

These are criminal black market profiteers and thugs. The type of 'spivs' who operated in WW2 and have since been romanticised like the one in the TV series Dads Army. Who on reality were nasty pieces of work

Wait until the crack heads and drug dealers start realising what's about to happen

We need full lockdown now here. Or there might be serious disturbances

I was in tesco this morning, didn't seem that busy and was quite calm. The only thing they didn't have was toilet roll. The alcohol aisle looked like it was taking a hammering though.

People have gone absolutely mad this week. Selfish selfish people

Just been out and while most veg gone in general people were buying less, and there was new stuff eg they'd obviously just had a delivery of potatoes.

I think now the guidance is clearer etc everyone will get to grips with it and people will generally calm down a bit.

A friend's husband is a manager in a large supermarket , she has told us that she is absolutely petrified for his safety due to the physical intimidation and verbal abuse the staff are getting from the public. I can't see the panic buyers stopping any time soon.

This is why we need a clamp down, and again many of these 'public' are criminals hoping to profit by hoarding and then selling on. Especially with booze now as the pubs and clubs have shut. They don't fully understand that people will be able to still go shopping in a full lockdown. They dont care about that right right now. They just want 'an earner' in their minds

My mother told me my grandmother would keep the paper that fruit was wrapped in to wipe their bums.

The local shops here buy a lot of their stuff from Asda because it's cheaper than the wholesalers for a lot of things. So they'll be coming in, buying what they can, and then raking in the profit when people have to buy it from them, even if they don't mark it up by huge %s.

At least the limits will slow them down, but it was probably them that cleared the shelves in the first place.

@Naemates yes I think there’s been a lot of that around my way.

People are having to shop more. We are both at home so eating more indoors.

Also I understand that pre-corona the just in time system meant that a relatively small uplift in product purchase could cause a shortage.

Went to Lidl yesterday at about 9.30am and apart from the paper products and flour they had reasonable stock. Not much meat, but there was some if you were prepared to be flexible. Got mince and the mythical chicken.
Loads of fresh veg and adequate bread both pre packed and in store baked.
It was about as busy as a normal Saturday rather than a weekday, but all quite polite.

I think this weekend will still be mad as now the kids are off school more people are at home and will genuinely need to provide more meals.

I hope that by next weekend people have filled their cupboards and freezers and it calms down, but I agree that a lot of the food will be wasted. The nation cannot eat double it's normal food consumption indefinitely.

Saw online the other day a video of a guy getting really aggressive because Tesco(?) wouldn't allow him to fill his trolley with bottled water. Has he ever heard of a tap?

No chickens to be had round here so will have to rethink Sunday dinner unless some come in tomorrow.

Reporting back from Tesco in York: crazy. Qs all the way round the car park. Qs all the way round the shop. It's not even 11am yet and I'd say everything will be gone by now.

Husband says Sainsbury's was fine and well-stocked - they are limiting all items to three per person, which is good news. He got a chicken so that's dinner sorted for the next two days!

This is my local Tesco this morning (I did not take the photo). They opened for the first hour for nhs staff and vulnerable. This is what it resulted in!

I am a key worker too, I am struggling to get
Essentials to feed my family. I just can't believe what is happening!

I seem to live in an area where people aren't going mad, so am able to shop fairly normally. I saw that video of the nurse who couldn't get food after a 48 hour shift.

I'd like to help people like her. I think I could easily get a few extra bits when I go shopping (within the limits) for healthcare workers local to me but can't think how to let them know as I personally don't know any nurses or doctors.

Was thinking of contacting my local health centre and if there is someone local to me offering to try and do some shopping for them.

This is my local Tesco this morning (I did not take the photo). They opened for the first hour for nhs staff and vulnerable. This is what it resulted in!

Oh my God. So much for social distancing!

There’s an app called Nextdoor which has been good for my area.

Went Asda (East London) today after 12. Shelves were well stocked bar gaps. They had meat milk bread etc so it looks like the stocking is calming down.

very calm and reasonable in our local co-op (outskirts northern city)
it has a bakery so there was fresh bread, fresh milk, fish and meat
No tins apart from a lonely tin of Lobster Bisque, and some of the more random tuna lunch variations
the stuff I wanted is apparently not stuff anyone else does, though, red peppers, plums, tofu, cheese