What are you stock piling for?

[LlamaPjama]

I'm so so interested to know why people are stock piling? What do you think is going to happen? (Literally no critism, genuine curiosity)

I've stocked up on Bailey's and chocolate.

Nothing. I think it is quite frankly ridiculous. People have seen too many zombie apocalypse films.

Imported food not getting in due to problems at the ports. Panic buying leading to shortages and hellish queues at supermarkets. Fuel shortages due to panic buying leading to supply chain issues for fresh British foods such as milk. Those are my main concerns. I know some others are stockpiling to lessen the effects of price rises but I haven't really factored that in, although I might start thinking about our more expensive regular items. I've also not prepared for power and water supply issues but I know some others have.

Many foods, medicines and household items are imported from or via the EU. The import industry is currently very slick, with no need for customs checks on products that were made in the EU. Many non-EU goods will come to the UK via an EU distribution point and will have been customs checked on arrival at the EU port so will not need to be checked again on the way into the UK.

Leaving with no deal means checks start having to be made at entry points (the principal one being Dover). There is little infrastructure in place and even shirt delays for each lorry end up quickly building into enormous queues. This will disruption the whole process and have considerable knock on effects so there will be delays in getting foods, medicines and other goods to shops and pharmacies in the UK.

Also, a no-deal would undoubtedly result in a plunge in the value of the pound. Add in tariffs and some imported goods will become much more expensive so I consider it worth getting a few of my favourite things in now.

short delays

Not being funny but there are about a million threads on this now and people have explained many many times.

There is currently no certainty about what will happen come 29th March. We don't know whether we are crashing out, whether everything will be postponed or whether a deal will be done.

There is a chance that there will be serious disruption to supply chains affecting the availability of food. Longer term there will be price rises due to tariffs etc and the extra costs retailers have had to incur (eg warehousing) which will be passed on across the board. Predicted to be circa 20%. Some foods will be affected more than others in terms of longer term prices rises. For example cheese price increases are expected by experts to be up to 38%. For some people these in prices could be very significant for their budgets.

As a result, the sensible thing to do as an insurance policy is to avoid being part of the problem. The problem will be those people who all rush out at the same time at the end of March and clear the shelves of stuff in their panic.

If you can afford to do it, the sensible and responsible thing to do is to ensure that you have food available for your family - particularly if you have children. If you buy it now there is plenty of time for the shops to restock. Their just in time methods mean that they only have three days of stock at any time. Things you buy today will be restocked before the end of the week. Most people who are stocking up now hope to avoid having to go near the shops when others around them are panicking. They are doing this by buying a few extra bits and pieces each week.

If these aren't eventually needed then great - it was an insurance policy that wasn't needed (like most insurance policies). The food will then be used gradually over the next few months. If it is needed then they have secured a much better position for their family (and also left more available in the shops available for others who weren't as responsible)

We still don't know on what terms we are Brexiting so businesses can not plan to avoid problems. Y2K was avoided because lots of time and money went into planning. Theresa May seems to believe that the EU will cave in first. Losing UK trade will affect EU businesses but so will the other way round. 80% of our food supply depends on the EU. (This includes stuff like UK meat being fed food from the EU ) The inevitable price rises will be greatly affected by the terms of Brexit because WTO tariffs are far higher than the "deal" that May got from the EU.

What do I think is going to happen?
If we no Deal, it will be pretty rubbish and more expensive.
Just in Time food supply and distribution system will get hammered and no amount of "hoped for" goodwill can overcome this.
So I can't guarantee the food I want or need will be in the shops for me to buy. And if it is I don't know how much more it will cost.
If you can, then don't bother but you are probably the only person left in the UK who can.
My responsibility is feeding my family. I have no responsibility to feed yours.

I'm stockpiling two different types of stuff. The first is enough basic stuff to tide us over for a month or so of supply chain difficulties. The second is imported goods which I'm expecting to see rise in price significantly and which I use regularly.

Chocolate, wine and yarn. Just the essentials.

I think it's all pretty dramatic to be honest. I honestly don't know anyone doing this in real life. Just mumsnet.

Actually, does seem like a great excuse to order an extra couple of cases of wine. I will do that now.

You don't know anyone in real life doing it because hopefully they aren't telling you. Or anyone else.

A little of everything, snow(semi rural) brexit and then after March, the switch to UC.

Well I know my family and close friends aren't. Maybe we will be the first to starve 🤷🏻‍♀️

Well, l look forward to whiny posts from you and others about stuff not being in the shops when you expect it. You can, of course, name change

Yep. Probably will but then I'll likely be too pissed too care!

To*

My friends (those I’ve now approached tentatively and individually) have now admitted they are “forward planning”. They are mostly mc professionals (bankers, lawyers, senior civil servants, doctors etc) and they have the space and money. A few of them were scoffing last year. They aren’t anymore. We are now so close to the wire, that even the most blasé of them have changed their minds. I didn’t even have to convince any of them, turns out they'd all started without needing my scaremongering advice

One friend has a child with serious health conditions, she is slowly stockpiling essential meds for her daughter. I’m most worried for her. One friend still thinks brexit will be cancelled, so hasn’t stocked anything...she’s the only of my close knit group.

Chocolate, wine and yarn. Just the essentials.

TheABC - judging by my yarn stash I've been pre-empting a no deal for the last decade.

Did someone mention yarn stash?

Also have a yarn stash.

Lots of food too. I'm prepping because if Brexit is shit, or we end up out of work, or if a storm like Beast from the East hits again I want to say "Sorry it's UHT milk on the cheerios, kids." not "What are we going to feed the kids?"

I have a yarn stash but I think it's just called "lots of wool to make a ginormous and therapeutic crochet granny square ".

Ebooks and wine. Gutted i cant stockpile cheese.

If you have the fridge space I think hard cheese can be fairly effectively stored for a long time. Good parmesan will have been maturing for 2.5years before it gets to you - a few more months sealed in a packet won't do it any harm.

I'm planning for short to medium term supply chain problems, as planning is very difficult for businesses when you don't actually know what type of Brexit you're going to get.

The best outcome is that I spend a few months not buying pasta, rice, tinned tomatoes and other tinned /shelf stable goods.

You actually can stockpile cheese out of the fridge (although I think the PP was taking the piss). You dip it in cheese wax and can then keep it in a cool place.