Those that have panick bought.

[Wonderfullifewelive]

Not judging you, maybe if I had the money I would of also done so.
Can I ask for your reasons why and did you think to yourselves about people that wasn't in a position to buy any more than what they normally would on a weekly basis but now can't even buy basics. As this goes on would you share what you have stockpiled with those that have are running out of the basics as they are simply not able to buy them. Last week I had to put myself at risk by going to the supermarket 4 times instead of just the once just to get the most basic of items

We bought a few weeks before the panic buying started - we’d heard from friends in China and Italy and were very concerned.

We were definitely conscious it’s a luxury to be able to stock up, and to have the space to store it.

And yes we are absolutely sharing when people need it. We’ve already dropped off packages to 3 families of keyworkers and 1 local lady who’s high risk. One of the nice things about prepping is that we can feel confident that we have enough for our own kids so can help others out.

I think I did it?

Last Friday (so one week before schools closed) I went to Costco and bought the things I'd normally buy. I knew I was going to be pulling my kids out of school early so would need more food than usual (I pay for their school lunches x 3).

Then over the course of that week I bought porridge sachets from Amazon. 3 x 50 boxes which would last us a month (I normally buy these monthly from the supermarket, it's all our family eats for breakfast). Some other large multipacks of stuff, cup noodles, crisps etc.

I also bought large sized tubs of soup portions from a catering website (200 portions). The last weekly Sainsbos shop before (so two weeks ago) didn't send my tomato soup and it's one of the only things one of my DC will eat. In fact they didn't send a lot of my shopping, and that's when I clicked and went to Costco that Friday night (which was pretty empty). A few days later was when the mental queues started.

So yep, I panic bought.

Do I regret it or feel guilty? Not really.

I have 3 toilet rolls in the cupboard.

I'm a single mum and since one of my children is high risk I am practically under lockdown. If I need anything I will have to leave my kids alone in the house, which I'm willing to do but I don't want to (they're all under 10).

You can flame me / judge me and I don't really care 🤷🏻‍♀️ anyone would do the same if it was their child's life at risk. Clearly, lots of people have done it.

And looking back now, with no deliveries available and shops empty, I'm genuinely glad I had the foresight to do it. I already had a "Brexit cupboard" filled with pasta and sauce and tins of fruit etc (stockpiled over a long time).

I did before the crazy times but have 4 children and a baby.we diddnt go crazy tho loads left as nothing had started then.
We still have to brave the shops every week like everyone else.
We also have to go to a few shops to get what we need so my DH doing it alone.
We filled our freezer & cupboads & got meat
Stocked the most on
Nappies
Wipes
Handwash
Toilet roll
Baby wash
Rice and pasta
Tuna

I stocked up in early January when it kicked off in China. I have donated a fair amount of my stock to a local food bank now.

Vlambam
Not judging I promise.
It's unpredictable times.

I would of of done it I think if I'd of had the funds, I just don't.

When I went shopping the only things left were the large stuff

24 rolls of loo paper
9KG packs of pasta
Big bags of sugar
Large packs of meat

So I sort of have stockpiled.

But the cost was huge and I felt guilty m, but I promise that’s all there was!

I'd already stocked up my cupboards with tinned stuff for Brexit. Glad I did now as getting a decent shop after I finish work is proving to be impossible.

I think most people are buying sensibly, but need to buy a bit more because they're cooking at home more.

My husband and I went from buying lunch at work 5x per week and going out to eat 2x per week to cooking all of our meals, so had to buy quite a bit more food this week. I think that's the case for lots of people.

Some of our friends barely ever cooked, so didn't go to supermarkets much.

Smaller supermarkets also don't have much room for stock in the back, so have to rely on deliveries to restock. I think that's what's causing the empty shelves - just normal people buying more food because they have to.

OP, I went to the supermarket today and the shelves were only a bit emptier than normal. Have you been recently or are you basing your post on last week? I think the panic has died down (near me anyway).

Bored shitless of seeing posts criticising ‘panic buyers’; it’s literal NHS and CDC advice to ensure you have enough of a stockpile at home to see you through a possible period of quarantine or isolation, to buy more when you do go to the shops so you can reduce the number of trips you take and opportunities to infect or be infected. Because you can’t hate a virus people seem to have banded together to hate panic buyers lol. Yet judging by the number of posts I’ve seen judging them, and the empty shelves, I’m not convinced everyone sharing anti-panic buy memes is strictly buying only what they require for the day or week...

It’s easy to only buy what you need when you have friends and family nearby to drop off supplies or you’re young and fit enough that the virus will probably not floor you and you’ll recover quickly. Not so easy when you’re facing possible months of isolation with nobody to help you. Really gonna judge someone for buying extra when they’re scared of that scenario? ‘Just buy what you need until you need it’ sure, let’s wait until you get sick until you traipse out to the shops to get paracetamol, enough to see you for a couple of weeks of daily use. Oh no, wait, you can’t buy that much at once. And probably can’t go to the shops while feeling that shit. And should be isolating with symptoms anywhere. Now who’s wishing they had enough toilet roll and painkillers in the house?

Sure, judge the guy who bought all the sanitizer and the flogged it for profit (I admit, j find it difficult not to when it comes to essentials like baby items and soap etc.) But maybe he’s just lost his job, has no savings and kids to feed and is doing whatever he can think of to survive. The real problem is supermarkets not bothering to implement buying restrictions any sooner so that stockpiling could have been at least somewhat mitigated, everyone could get a little extra to see them through without some people taking loads and others finding nothing left, but it’s easier to sanctimoniously judge the woman in the queue ahead of you who for all you know might be buying for several elderly relatives. Seems like ‘be kind’ has gone out the window pretty fast... there are entire families now stuck at home who’d usually have eaten school dinners or at their work canteen who obviously need to buy a lot more food to see them through even if they don’t end up in quarantine/isolation.

People are scared and they’re preparing, which is sensible, only it’s en masse. Panic buying is a social phenomena and it’s daft to criticise individuals imo. It’s a Maslow’s hierarchy thing.

I bought some essentials in Feb when I realised what was going to happen. My main concern was my food allergies - I knew if the shit hit the fan the government/supermarkets would prioritise the supply of staple foods not free-from products. However I didn’t foresee that the panic buyers would buy up all the ordinary food then move on to buy up all the free-from food that they don’t even have a medical need for. The ordinary stuff is back in stock now but lead times are longer for free-from items and they’re manufactured in smaller quantities so they’re still unavailable. So I’m pleased I stashed a few packets of pasta and porridge etc or I’d have nothing to eat.

We had to (online) we're now in isolation! And no online slots!

I'm glad we panic bought otherwise we would be stuck with no food

I don't understand why people get upset about this. You want us to stay home and in order to do so, we need food

I bought stuff 6 weeks ago as again had the heads up from a friend. I have a very vulnerable now in shielding daughter, so knew it was likely that we might not be able to get out, and needed to be prepared for that.
I didnt go mental on loo rolls either - 2 packs of 9 for 2 weeks.
And Im still organising random deliveries that I can because we are in for 3 months now, so no, I dont feel guilty. I tried to give people the heads up back in Feb, but people called me names.

I know we all have our reasons, it is scary though especially for the elderly folk.

I prepped for brexit over a year or so, so we have plenty.
Advantages here are that we have not needed to go to shops while panic buying is happening. And, we have helped out various friends with toilet paper, cat food and teabags.
I always planned to have enough in stock to be able to continue donating to foodbank if shit hit fan, and am currently pulling out a few bits for my first offering.
I find the ranting about 'food hoarders' I've seen online quite upsetting, as my shopping in now way affected supplies when I did it.

@Wonderfullifewelive have you been to any shops this week (as in, today)?

I got a Sainsbos delivered this morning (they put up more slots yesterday) and basically everything was either delivered or had a suitable substitute.

Like pps have said, people are buying more because they need more. I've bought more, but I have more mouths to feed at home now.

I am hoping this is a sign that it's starting to calm down now as stores react to the increased demand. Maybe try to get to a local shop earlier tomorrow and buy some extra bits (if you can afford it).

Honestly, I think it’s a very primal response. I think a lot of people who had originally travelled to the supermarket to just get a few essentials saw the emptying shelves (initially because of higher demand and restocking not keeping up with it) and that’s what caused them to panic and think they needed to buy more of what they didn’t actually need or want. Rinse, repeat, multiply by millions of people thinking the same.

As I shared on another thread, I found myself on Amazon yesterday looking for pasta and rice. I cannot tell you the last time I ate pasta or rice. I don’t need it. But when people get scared, they react with that fear. It’s really not helpful to see people being called selfish morons (unless they’re doing it to sell on and price gouge, which is despicable.) I haven’t panic bought, but mainly because it’s only DP and I to feed and we’re pretty basic when it comes to diet. If need be we’ll survive on porridge and tinned soup for a month, and we have plenty of both.

Thank God for Brexit says the staunch Remainer!
Cupboard full of tins, 100s of loo roll bought in 2018, pasta, dry cat food.
3 freezers all full.
I did “panic buy” and order medicines- inhalers, cough medicine, lemsips, calpol. From about January when I knew this might happen but hoped it wouldn’t.
I have only done normal fresh shops in March.

I think the panic buying is either slowing down or the stores are just bringing in more stock.

I'd heard last Monday that schools were going to close so I spent a few days going to different shops for small amounts and managed to get us enough to last almost 2 weeks apart from bread/milk/fruit & veg that relatives are dropping off for us. So not really panic buying but being informed? And not all from one shop.

ComtesseDeSpair
Completely agree

We’ve got a delivery from Tesco tomorrow. It’s a very very big one.
But.
I’ve ordered for us (DH in chemo ward, soon home hopefully, very high risk).
Also my neighbours.
Also my old mum.
So I look like a proper asshole but am actually redistributing iykwim.

I know we all have our reasons, it is scary though especially for the elderly folk.

I keep seeing this and find it strange: in our local supermarket, which serves a wide age range, it’s the elderly who have their trollies piled highest. Which I don’t begrudge them for at all, when they’re the ones who are most likely to need to stay home the longest and the group who should be reducing their trips out most.

The elderly will be fine re food: they have bigger things to worry about sadly. I think we’ve grown so accustomed to having endless choice and the ability to buy what we want when we want it that it feels like a huge disaster to be unable to for example grab a loaf of bread. But truly, nobody will starve for lack of bread. There’s plenty of food in the shops even if there isn’t exactly what you fancy for a few weeks.

I went out just after Chris Whitty's briefing. I dont regret it, DS is vulnerable. If i cant get a food order for a couple of weeks we wont starve.

Oh and i think the panic buying push is a fantastic way for the governments to deflect blame for inadequately prepering the population for what was clearly on its way