Panic-buying for No-Deal Brexit?

[LiviFri]

Is anyone else doing this? I have begun bulk-buying dry goods and general supplies. While I recognise that I am panic-buying, the past weeks have frightened the hell out of me. I did consider starting this thread under money and/or mental health.

The possibility of no-deal is rising by the day and my heart goes out to the Mumsnetter who started the insulin thread here. I rely on various medicines too and my GP is already being extremely judicious (to put it politely) with dispensing medicines. So stocking on meds looks to be quite difficult.

The deceit and irresponsibility of all our politicians is terrifying, the no-deal concept is being drip-fed to us as if it were totally normal. And it makes me so incredibly angry.

I know that "No deal won't be allowed to happen" has been floating around. But it feels like we're sleepwalking into a disaster. To the point where it's hard to believe any governmental statement, given how mad and criminally irresponsible the situation is. I mean, who would trust a "public service announcement" coming from this government (or indeed the opposition)? Or any government trying to carry out Brexit, given that it's essentially a self inflicted disaster?

[1tisILeClerc]

LiviFri
Both Revoking and the WA ensure continuity of meds, at least for a year or several, by which time a sensible plan can be worked out.
It would be unfair to hassle doctors etc as they are almost as much in the dark as everyone else but it you need to 'vent your displeasure' do it at your MP and make it known you want WA or Revoke.

[1tisILeClerc]

Around 10% of electricity in England comes from France and somewhere else EU. In NI a considerable amount comes from Ireland.
While not a direct threat as such but new agreements would need to be drawn up.
Water purification uses chemicals that are currently sourced in the EU, it is the possible transport chaos that may make this more difficult again until new arrangements are written up.

[LiviFri]

1tisILeClerc

Thanks for your points. I have actually contacted my local MP and the response has been fairly meaningless. Yes I’ve made clear what I think re WA/Revoking. I am not hopeful as both main parties have essentially the same position on Brexit.

Of course harassing individual doctors isn’t the answer. I was not harassing mine at all. In fact we had a very honest and helpful conversation under the circumstances. I actually felt sorry for the doctor who as a proud and conscientious service provider admitted to being sh*t scared and powerless in this situation.

The uncertainty created - whether about supplies or public services - is grotesque. So displeasure is a feeling voiced by many of us here. There’s no abuse or impropriety going on, so I think venting is fine. Many of us are upset not just by the uncertainty about goods and public services, but so much other stuff that Brexit has brought out into the open - jeopardy of EU citizens rights, hate crime, xenophobia. etc.

[xebobfromUS]

Jason from " Three Blokes in a Pub " mentioned the possibility of brownouts or blackouts with a no-deal crash out.

This was probably 20 years ago but here in Florida during the winter in my neck of the woods we experienced a freak winter storm with temperatures well below freezing with a good amount of sleet and freezing rain.

The power just went off everywhere but my family tasked me with the seemingly impossible task of either finding kerosene for our emergency kerosene heater or fire logs to put in the fireplace so we didn't all freeze to death, and also water if it was available.

I drove all over the place and was about to give up because every kind of store seemed to be closed. I happened to notice a bunch of vehicles parked in front of a small store so I decided to go check it out.

They were open unlike everyone else because they used old-fashion mechanical cash registers and so their ability to sell items was not hampered by the lack of electricity.

I was able to buy some fire logs and water but not kerosene because the pumps required power in order to operate.

It might be to your advantage if you can find a store that still uses mechanical cash registers or tills as they are called in GB ( actually they are sometimes called tills here in the states ).

I remember once I was in a Wall-Mart superstore when the power went off and they closed all the doors so the customers couldn't get out because without power their anti-theft systems would not work.

It took about four to five hours for the power to come back on so meanwhile we got to sit around in the semi-dark. With a fairly simple store with mechanical tills you probably would not have to worry about that.

[HirplesWithHaggis]

Ha, that reminds me of a power cut in central Edinburgh decades ago. The pub I worked in not only had an old mechanical till, we also had hand pulled beers (real ales) and an open fire. Busiest couple of hours we'd had for a while.

[Racecardriver]

Well so much if the food I buy either cone from Britain or from non eu countries. Should probably stick up on some soft cheese though lest my DH looses some weight!

[Racecardriver]

@xebobfromtheUS and that was legal . English law treats that kind of thing as a tort. You can’t just lock up your customers.

[Racecardriver]

Must admit I don’t understand the concern over power cuts. These where common when I was growing up (we’d have between five to fifteen each summer) but they weren’t really a problem. Food in freezers usually stays frozen long enough not to be effected. And it’s a supply issue rather than a grid issue then power can be cut strategically to minimise disruption by choosing to cut power in the night and in areas where it will cause fewer issues. I’ve only ever experienced one in the UK but it was without issue.

[xebobfromUS]

Hirples

That pub sounds fantastic, all warm and comfy especially when it's all cold and bleak outside.

I checked out mechanical tills on Google, it seems they stopped making them in the 1950's or so although apparently you can buy a vintage one on ebay. I have no idea what kind of shape they would be in.

You know, I inherited a 1940's manual type writer from my mother. I remember using it to type up stuff during high school and how my fingers would be sore from having to press the keys so hard. The electrics I used in typing class ( that's one elective I am so glad I took, knowing how to type is so very important ) were so much easier.

The actor Tom Hanks collects old typewriters as a hobby and it seems I said the wrong thing when I mentioned perhaps selling it to him to one of my sisters. I tried to argue that I didn't know how to properly maintain it but that Tom probably would but she wasn't having that, she called it a family heirloom and that I had better not sell it.

Though legally it's mine it seems she would disown me if I ever sold the damn thing.

[xebobfromUS]

Racecardriver

A problem aside from the lack of power would be a possible surge that some device of yours simply can't handle when the power comes back on.

Jason from " Three Blokes in a Pub " mentioned how much tougher it would be to balance loads post a possible no-deal, there would prone to be wilder swings in voltage and current thus brownouts and blackouts ( some probably induced to protect the electrical grid and equipment ).

I read where stoves, refrigerators, freezers, washing machines, and dryers routinely get fried in Venezuela due to their unstable power grid, there is a solid business in repair of these items.

It seems like the UK at present is determined to turn itself through Brexit into a real hillbilly, backwards kingdom. It's not that hard to envision Scotland, NI / Ireland, and Wales deciding to split from England and joining the EU and England being too miserable and flat out broke to do anything about it.

[1tisILeClerc]

The UK power grid is generally more stable than the USA and as far as I can gather less prone to damaging 'spikes'. In my real life I hear many complaints from Americans about gear being trashed, but it is rare in Europe.
Venezuela has been on a downward slide for years so maintenance of their infrastructure has probably suffered and only gets 'fixed' when it actually fails.
Electrical regulations are pretty strict in the UK so load balancing is normally pretty well controlled and of course as the current is less (for a given piece of gear) compared to USA the effects of imbalance are not as severe.

[Stopwoofing]

It’s sensible if you’ve got space and the money to do some bulk of staples in case of price rises, you can get the best prices and take advantage of deals. Not more than you can get through though.

I can’t see us starving, if there is product in Europe it is going to get here, price will be the question.

[1tisILeClerc]

{ if there is product in Europe it is going to get here, price will be the question.}
Food that is produced now (or growing to be available in April) is not being stopped so yes it is a matter of price and the logistics of getting it from source to the shops in the UK.

[cloudtree]

But price could easily be a factor which means that some people really do struggle to eat properly. Lots of people already living on the breadline.

[JSmitty]

Baked Beans, Toilet Roll and shotgun cartridges.

Seen "The Walking Dead?"

[Stopwoofing]

the people for whom price will be a factor aren't the ones that will be easily available to prep - i wouldn't panic too much, the govt will have to issue ration cards or somesuch and subsidise things that become too expensive in a worst case scenario. I wish brexit would just go away really but we've had shortage situations before in history and there are options for dealing with it.

[1tisILeClerc]

{ I wish brexit would just go away really but we've had shortage situations before in history and there are options for dealing with it.}
While the government might be making preparations for ration cards, one issue is that officially they are claiming that there are hardly any 'poor' in the UK. Look at the way they immediately rubbished the UN? report that came out a few months back.
Just writing down 'ration cards' and equating it to a major world economy in the same sentence is just SO wrong.

[jasjas1973]

i wouldn't panic too much, the govt will have to issue ration cards or somesuch and subsidise things that become too expensive in a worst case scenario

Introducing rationing cards? really... even back in WW2 fraud was a huge issue, today a ration card scheme would cost billions to introduce, where is the money coming from to subsidise foods? from health education roads adult care or higher taxes?

But lets take a step back... why on earth are we going down a path with rationing of foods and meds is a consequence? we aren't at war and people who ve led us here wont be rationed for anything at all.

[Stopwoofing]

well i didn't vote for it, but this is what just over half apparently did want. I'm sure fraud is an issue in any system, but there are plenty of ways to subsidize costs for those worse off, and we already do this.

[TheElementsSong]

"There will be ration cards" should have been on the side of that damn bus. (Mind you, it would probably have been a big vote-winner with the BlitzSpirit fetishists).

[bellinisurge]

I've lived with rationing in another country. It's shit.

[cloudtree]

rationing would cause all sorts of problems. Not least of which is that there seems to be a large swathe of the population who wouldn't have much of an idea what to do if presented with two eggs, 500g of flour, 100g of chicken, 2 oz of cheese, half a cup of sugar and a bag of seasonal veg to last them for the week

[Redlocks28]

I can see rioting in the streets long before rationing :(

[1tisILeClerc]

{I can see rioting in the streets long before rationing}
Well the good news is that there are plans for 2 'government officials' to be present at 75 petrol stations in NI to oversee the distribution of petrol and diesel in a 'no deal' scenario to oversee rationing.
Referred to on the Westminsterenders thread about 20 minutes ago.

[Neolara]

I would seriously start stockpiling after my experience today. I work for the Civil service. Our entire department (big, very well known department, nothing to do with Brexit) was gathered together and we were asked to volunteer to move departments to provide Brexit backup, specifically to help ensure movement of food, medicine and people in the event of no deal. They were looking for many hundreds of people to change jobs urgently to do the necessary work and they need them to be in place by the end of January. More than a whiff of serious panic from the big wigs.