To ask if you have prepped for the second wave

[Oldbagface]

Have you been buying a few extras with each shop in anticipation?

I notice many items are already out of stock online.

What sort of things have you been putting away.

We have bought the odd extras with each shop e.g. tinned tomatoes, pasta, loo roll and baking powder.

We have loads of flour anyway as buy in bulk for our bread maker.

Oh, and chocolates for Christmas.

Not buying extra, just what I need, but I have booked ahead a few ocado deliveries.

Nope because stockpiling massively disadvantaged the elderly and those in need last time. And if we’d been sensible there would have been plenty for everyone.
I bought some extras last time but quickly realised it was pointless as we go through so much milk and bread I’d have been forced out into the real world pretty sharpish anyway

Threads like these are completely irresponsible

Only toilet roll and painkillers.

Will add a few tins to each weekly shop.

Just want to avoid shops if there's panic buying. We had stockpiled (a bit) for Brexit so were able to stay at home last time until it calmed down.

Oh for God's sake....

I'm not talking about stockpiling. I'm asking if people had bought a few extras with each shop in anticipation of the inevitable.

I am disabled and poor if that helps.

I don’t get why people do this??? You can still go to the supermarket even in full lockdown.

I think if we learnt anything from last time it's that panic buying is utterly pointless. The supply chain is robust. Even with numptys panic buying there was food to be had.

The only outcome was that many people had bread, eggs, flour and milk they didn't need: inconvenient to store and some of which will have gone bad before it could be eaten. Meanwhile there were stressed and hungry nurses and vulnerable people unable to get what they needed.

Agree- pointless and irresponsible thread.

The supply chain is robust people. Only buy what you need.

My cupboards have good stock, yes. Not panic buying though.

Yes.
Nappies, wipes, hand soap, sanitiser, painkillers. A months supply at least or more.
Last time, I had none of these on hand beyond immediate supplies and, following an experience I sincerely hope I don't have to repeat at the one shop where I found most of these items in stock, where my jaw quite literally hit the floor at the till thanks to the profiteering actions of the unscrupulous owner, I will not be without supplies of these essentials on hand. Essentially I've done all the people who won't be prepared this time a favour, as they won't be competing with me for these items.

No because I couldn't afford to first time round and I can't afford to now. Unfortunately when people do stockpile it tends to mean only the most expensive items are left, so many like myself on a tight budget have to decide what we can manage without.

And again I am not talking about stockpiling but don't let that stop you having a pop.

Do you even understand the difference?

The stockpiling/shortages thing is actually a myth.

An economist online did a deep dive into the numbers released by the supermarkets, and only something like 7% of people were bulk buying. The shortages were actually caused by large numbers of people buying only slightly more than they needed.

British supermarkets operate on a “just in time” system which is very fragile; the tiniest interruption to supply chains (like a snowstorm) or unanticipated increase in demand can lead to empty shelves very quickly.

According to ONS data 50% of meals in the UK (pre-COVID) were eaten outside of the house, that includes school lunches, restaurant means, takeaways, supermarket and coffee shop ready-to-eat foods, and of course most working people eat lunch out of the house. Lockdown meant the vast majority of people who’d normally eat at least a third of their meals at school/work/out where suddenly eating all their meals at home. That meant millions of people had no choice but to buy more - not because they were hoarding but because they had extra food requirements placed on their household. If you suddenly have to make lunch 5 times a week for 4 people, that’s 20 extra meals a week. So you have to buy extra food.

The media cynically exploited images of people bulk-buying and juxtaposed then with images of elderly people crying in front of empty shelves in order to manipulate the public into blaming each other and creating scapegoats among the general public. All through this pandemic the government and the media have tried to create scapegoats from amongst the public (disabled people, medically vulnerable people, people on beaches, shoppers) to avoid blame falling on them for their own failures. It’s classic media manipulation.

The reason we had empty shelves is because millions of people needed to but two packs of pasta when they’d normally buy one, not because of a tiny minority bulk buying. And if the government had been competent and not dragged their heels on announcing lockdown and employed such poor and last minute communication throughout, supermarkets could have altered their supply chains accordingly, in the same way they do before every Christmas or other any other occasion linked to an increase in demand.

You are literally describing stockpiling

No.

We have kept up having a couple of weeks worth of food in freezer and cupboards since March to cover potential isolation, as we don't have anyone nearby we'd expect to want to go shopping for us!
Nothing has changed drastically imo.

Describing stockpiling? I have bought the odd extra tin of toms or bag of pasta over the last few months with each weekly shop. Our definition differs greatly.

Although now we know there's a local church run group who we've helped deliver stuff to people, so no I'm much more relaxed this time around.

No.

Not going to either

@Oldbagface don’t feel you have to defend yourself, slowly building up a stash is not comparable to panic buying. You say you are old and disabled, it’s sensible to stock up, you won’t have to rely on others so much if you can’t get out.

I’ve been ready for about the last month, I brought a chest freezer in the summer which I have slowly filled by buying a bit extra each week, I have plenty of toiletries and cleaning products to last months. I brought a second hand treadmill and exercise bike in case gyms close again, the thought of exercising in the rain and cold is depressing.
Hoping to do just a small top up shop once a week. I’m aware that we can go shopping during full lockdown but I don’t fancy queuing for an hour in the rain, it was ok when the sun was shining.
I’m buying a few Christmas presents each week online.
Absolutely dreading the coming months.

We really struggled last time to get the things we needed. But despite this (and my comments at the time) I will not be “stockpiling” more than we need as I know how it impacts everyone else.
You may say you’re not talking about panic buying or stockpiling, but it was people and preppers just buying a little extra that caused the last shortage and strain on the supply chain not mass stockpilers as was thought by some at the time. There have been many studies and reports done and linked to on here that showed that.

@Oldbagface

And again I am not talking about stockpiling but don't let that stop you having a pop.

Do you even understand the difference?

You're wasting your time. People don't and refuse to know the difference. You're better off posting in the prepper topic.

Have you been buying a few extras with each shop in anticipation?

Aka 'stockpiling'

We have bought the odd extras with each shop e.g. tinned tomatoes, pasta, loo roll and baking powder.

Aka 'stockpiling'

I'm asking if people had bought a few extras with each shop in anticipation of the inevitable.

Aka 'stockpiling'

I have bought the odd extra tin of toms or bag of pasta over the last few months with each weekly shop.

Aka 'stockpiling'

You are literally describing "Stockpiling". You might not define it as that, but if you are genuinely buying extra items every week, over the course of months, then what on earth other than a 'pile' of 'stock' would you describe your now accumulated hoard of items that far exceeds what you would ordinarily expect to use in the course of a normal week as?

FWIW, I'm not in any way critical of you for doing it, but for god's sake, it is what it is.

Thanks @Southernsoftie76. I'm mostly bedbound and dh my carer and carer to our disabled children. If DH husband catches it and becomes incapacitated we are screwed so popping to the supermarket is not a risk he wishes to take.

Thanks @gamerchick 😀

No because no one is going into lockdown even if the gov think they are. This whole fiasco and the Covid police could do one. I'm not locking myself up nor am I going to follow any rules over a virus that has mutated and no longer kills. Mental Health problems will kill. So good luck to those who are going to hide forever but myself and many others are learning to live with this.