So sick of panic buyers

I can't find basic needs, that fall under panic buying tendencies. My mom is looking for something that used to be prevalent and 3 stores don't have it. Supposedly her life is at risk whenever she leaves her house. So she asked me to look. I'm frustrated. I have 4 dollars to my name I saw something i think she said she needed but it was 4 bucks and not what i was shopping for. So i didn't get it. She didn't respond to text or phone calls to find out and I'm not spending my last 4 bucks when it's a week before my next check.

Now i feel like i should have bought it, she would pay me back. But in the heat of the moment i was mad that she wasn't answering my calls.

I feel the same. I also don't like this "reserved for elders" in the morning thing. Hey ok sure fine but not every day. I mean first responders need to get stuff or people that work.

They should have elders on like Monday and Tuesday and then people who work on the weekends.

I was really disgusted at the store today. The lines were long and things like salad dressing was all out of stock. Salad Dressing? Seriously?

Yeah, I actually think that's a really good point. People working in health care should be given some preference. The lab I work with has now turned our focus to COVID 19 and I'm exhausted from working nonstop to figure stuff out. Today is my first day off in 2 weeks and I've been sleeping almost all day. Fortunately I can order grocery delivery and that's working for now.

But I'm higher paid and not all healthcare workers can afford that. Maybe delivery should be free for healthcare workers right now. I dunno. I just want to take care of the front lines right now. And people who work in the grocery stores should be getting first access too so they are okay. They are getting trampled right now.

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Originally Posted by seesaw Yeah, I actually think that's a really good point. People working in health care should be given some preference.

I am not in health care but we have had a run on our work product and I was frustrated to go shopping today after a week of work and find nothing there. I assumed that the grocery people got what they needed before the store opened. A lot of stores are shortening hours so they have more time to clean and restock.

I’ve been trying all last night and today to buy fruit. I really don’t want to go to the store if I don’t have to. All the grocery delivery services are booked for the next 2 weeks. My mom is currently trying to figure out how to get groceries.

Now restaurant delivery is getting backed up as well.

Can I just add that I'm so sick of social media of all kinds and people posting endless misinformation. I'm getting ready to leave all social media entirely except I cant for work and I will miss my friends there.

Let me just add... that I meant in my specific area only....

Your tone seems very pointed.

OMG! I'm sorry, I actually did not mean you or this at all. I just saw some crap on the Nextdoor app and Facebook and then was catching up on posts here and my irritation kind of crossed over. I really did not mean you or here. I have seen very little here on the pandemic.

I've never really thought of PC has social media because it doesn't exist to like create spheres or influence, etc., in the way other platforms do. Sorry for that miscommunication. I did not mean to insult or offend.

We went to grocery store yesterday. Precisely Costco. We bought groceries, no lines as we went pretty early. Then my husband went to target by himself and they had toilet paper, 6 rolls pack. One per person. He did buy it. We still have some but my dad is running low.

Somehow we don’t think of food delivery. We can afford it but we feel we have luxury of living across from Costco so we shouldn’t rely on delivery, let people who can’t get out or are already sick use it. We just ran in and out.

On the positive note we are awaiting masks arriving from my coworker’s mother who sewed over a 100 masks. My husband’s coworkers are excited! I posted a pic of them on current events subforum.

My bad. I’m sorry for jumping to conclusions.

I finally got the app to work and am getting a lot of groceries delivered for Friday.

No worries. I can totally see how you thought that. I'm glad you're getting groceries ordered! Yay!

I know what you mean. Why are people stocking up on toilet paper? There are plenty other kinds of paper that can be used if we run out. I grew up in the days of outhouses and Sears and Roebuck's catalogs. I guess we have "to enjoy the go" as one kind of toilet paper's ads say!

We'd even use leaves when out walking in the woods.

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Originally Posted by seesaw Can I just add that I'm so sick of social media of all kinds and people posting endless misinformation. I'm getting ready to leave all social media entirely except I cant for work and I will miss my friends there.

Yes and I don't mean anyone here.

Though I admit the memes are cracking me up.

Me too!

Here in the UK it's been disgraceful. Has been suggested that one tabloid newspaper told everyone to stockpile toilet paper. The other reason could be it's cheaper than facial tissues. Other item not available is small freezers!

Can't get online shopping slot for elderly mother because her preferred supermarket doesn't recognise her as in the vulnerable category. Nowhere on loyalty card website is age requested so how do they know, lol! Can get click and collect slot, but then they don't have items needed. Now some supermarkets are relaxing restrictions on certain items, so we'll have more stockpiling. Braving supermarket tomorrow, for both mother and myself (going alone). Be interesting to see what's available.

Special shopping hours for elderly and health workers a very good idea, if managed properly. They need to eat as well. What's disgusted me is, over the past few days, pictures have emerged here of bins overflowing with unopened unwanted or out of date food. There was even a bunch of bananas still fit for consumption.

Buying on panic and fear does not help anyone.

The thing was most of us had in our heads a panic buyer. It wasn't us. It was a greedy person who came in and stripped the store of what we wanted.

But in the UK at least the figures told a different story. They showed total numbers of grocery visits shot up, so regular shoppers were shopping more often, they were buying extra with their shopping. So the cause of the surge was more visits by the same people, buying a little extra each time. That is all it took to push the stock system to the brink. The trouble was once the shelves were bare the panic grew as people saw it as a shortage so as soon as it came in they bought extra. Even with an item limit it was still increased demand.

On some lines this has had a long lasting serious effect for example flour - wheat growth is not infinite it must be cultivated and farmed well in advance. So now it is diverted to the bakeries. Better than sitting unused in garages and cupboards. The bakeries will use it and it will be consumed.

Working in food retail this was the worst time. We have seen mini panics (such as an inch of snow lol this is the UK!) But never this. I got the roughest time ever off customers just because I was there, they were angry, we all took the flack for something we had no hand in. Human beings (some) do these things. I have come to accept it.