topic Re: Panic buying in Community Spirit

Panic buying

springyzone — Wed, 18 Aug 2021 22:38:00 GMT

I was just reading a Coles report about their latest financial year and they mentioned the effects of Covid, panic buying etc and how they expect that to settle down more by 2022.

Now, I am in Melbourne, lockdown capital of Australia (although Sydney is catching up).

Here are my experiences.

March 2020. 1st round of lockdown. Shocking. Toilet paper was off the shelves for 5 weeks, unless you were in the right place at the right time. Being a senior, I was later able to pop in at 7am but even that didn't guarantee products on shelves.

Other things in short supply were mince, pasta, rice, pasta sauce, even cooking oil took a hit.

Second lockdown (the really long one) About mid 2020 to Nov: Initial panic buying but it settled down almost immediately. Never got to anything like the first time. I think media didn't harp on it as much so didn't set everyone off.

6th lockdown (now, Aug 2021). Not even a ripple as far as affecting buying habits. I guess most people know that the goods will still be there, there is no need to overbuy, although I guess most people have a spare pack of toilet rolls stashed away, they don't live as close to the edge as they once might have.😁

So.. what is the experience like for those in other states? Are they still having the panic buying each time a new lockdown starts?

Re: Panic buying

nicnacs_4u — Wed, 18 Aug 2021 22:45:13 GMT

I also live in Melbourne and have noticed that there are many empty spots on the shelves in the supermarkets whether there are less staff available to restock or the goods are taking longer to arrive by truck I have no idea. You need lots of patience too as I have noticed that there are less staff monitoring the registers also!

Re: Panic buying

ambercat16 — Thu, 19 Aug 2021 05:19:38 GMT

I think there is a difference between "panic buying" where people buy much more of a product than they need for their short term use because they think it might run out, and "faark there's a lockdown I need....." buying which the media have tagged panic buying.

We have just had a brief (four day) lockdown in Darwin this week and the supermarkets were very busy in the few hours before the lockdown officially started but it was people buying what they needed for the next few days, not what I consider panic buying.

Re: Panic buying

countessalmirena — Thu, 19 Aug 2021 08:10:02 GMT

There does seem to be a continued focus on toilet paper... but I have seen a much calmer response to lockdowns in Melbourne this year in terms of not emptying the shelves in supermarkets.

We have steady supplies of toilet paper, hand sanitiser, masks, dry goods. I think Melbournians have worked out that their need for post-excretion back-end consumables, so to speak, is not going to increase to the point of needing a 5-year supply of toilet paper, and the world isn't going into a pastaless and riceless Armageddon right at this moment.

Re: Panic buying

springyzone — Fri, 20 Aug 2021 00:50:02 GMT

I wonder what it is like in Sydney?

Our local shopping centre (which isn't huge but has 3 supermarkets) has not had any empty spots or short supplies of anything that I have noticed.

I can live with lockdown (it even has its advantages in that you know you're not getting unexpected visitors if you're still wandering around in your dressing gown at 10am), but I found the run on grocery items last year very draining and annoying.

Re: Panic buying

papermoon.lady — Fri, 20 Aug 2021 01:07:18 GMT

I haven't noticed any panic buying here either this time. Plenty of toilet paper too. I guess people have learnt.

Re: Panic buying

wide-world-of-stamps — Fri, 20 Aug 2021 03:15:11 GMT

No panic buying here (1 larger and 1 smaller supermarket), but deliveries to replenish some stock seem to be a little slower than usual.

Re: Panic buying

katistrophik — Fri, 20 Aug 2021 16:13:56 GMT

Where I am in Sunny Coast Q, the supermarkets now place a restriction on the amount of "panic' products that can be purchased, since the first debacle where everyone seemed to think a 2000 rolls of toilet paper was the cure for COVID.

We don't have it too bad here, and really feel for those of you who are going through all this yet again.

Re: Panic buying

papermoon.lady — Fri, 20 Aug 2021 19:54:19 GMT

In these or similar situations we always have to hope that there are no silly people starting the hoarding trend (again) because then other people decide that thinking is not an option and just do what the silly people do like sheep.

Re: Panic buying

domino-710 — Fri, 20 Aug 2021 20:56:45 GMT

It's possible the idjits who hoarded in the first place are still wading through their stash.

All good here on the South Coast NSW - no empty shelves - no panic buying.

Re: Panic buying

papermoon.lady — Fri, 20 Aug 2021 21:09:08 GMT

Same area... All good here too.

Last year I even saw disgusting pics of food the hoarders had thrown away because they didn't understand they can't hoard fresh food. Unbelievable.

Re: Panic buying

domino-710 — Fri, 20 Aug 2021 21:51:16 GMT

Anyone with a problem - just yell. lol

Re: Panic buying

repentatleisure1952 — Fri, 20 Aug 2021 22:20:08 GMT

Our nearest Aldi also has restrictions...

Only allowed to buy 2 diving suits, 1 trumpet & 1 mig welder.

Re: Panic buying

domino-710 — Fri, 20 Aug 2021 22:25:02 GMT

Re: Panic buying

springyzone — Sat, 21 Aug 2021 00:36:14 GMT

@katistrophik wrote:
Where I am in Sunny Coast Q, the supermarkets now place a restriction on the amount of "panic' products that can be purchased, since the first debacle where everyone seemed to think a 2000 rolls of toilet paper was the cure for COVID.

We don't have it too bad here, and really feel for those of you who are going through all this yet again.

Yes, I think the supermarkets now swing into automatic product limits on some items as soon as there is a lockdown. It's a good thing.
I remember seeing a photo last year at the start of it all, of a family in a neighbouring suburb. Their house was a hoarders delight. Never seen anything like it. One whole wall of the lounge room was stacked with crates of food, toilet paper etc. Kitchen ditto and even the top of the fridge was loaded.
I think they must have bought up every case of bottled water in the area too.
Even the bedrooms took the overflow from the kitchen, with so many stacks it is a miracle anyone could move around the house.
That's one family that should not have had to do much shopping for at least the last year!

And during one lockdown, I was in Aldi and saw one man buying about 30 jars of pasta sauce. I mean, I can understand one or two or even 5, but whole trays of it? Who eats this much spaghetti or whatever, you'd think you'd get tired of it.

Re: Panic buying

countessalmirena — Sat, 21 Aug 2021 00:46:38 GMT

I have a terrible vision of a man "wiping" his nether regions with pasta sauce after having cooked reams of toilet paper for 8 minutes.

Re: Panic buying

wide-world-of-stamps — Sat, 21 Aug 2021 00:47:41 GMT

We're in a smallish country town, and the locals here don't tend to panic buy as much as in the city.

The main problem last year was that busloads of people came from out of town (even from as far away as Sydney) and stripped the shelves, which luckily hasn't happened since.

That caused the locals to buy extra of everything (generally not in hoarding amounts, but definitely more than usual) when the stocks were slightly replenished so that we all didn't run out again ourselves.

I think that is part of the later "panic buying" - people know that the shops will still be open during lockdowns, but they're worried about others emptying the shelves so try to get in first.

Re: Panic buying

repentatleisure1952 — Sat, 21 Aug 2021 02:11:06 GMT

Re: Panic buying

nicnacs_4u — Fri, 27 Aug 2021 23:17:33 GMT

Noticed yesterday at my local supermarket(Eastern suburbs) certain type of people were stocking up on toilet paper,paper towels,nappies etc loads of it and apparently no limits on how much they could buy.Lots of people around were shaking their heads in disbelief,me included!😮

Re: Panic buying

chameleon54 — Sat, 28 Aug 2021 02:40:38 GMT

@nicnacs_4u wrote:
Noticed yesterday at my local supermarket(Eastern suburbs) certain type of people were stocking up on toilet paper,paper towels,nappies etc loads of it and apparently no limits on how much they could buy.Lots of people around were shaking their heads in disbelief,me included!😮

In defence of " certain types of people "........ ( was it our new migrant population ? ) we have had it pretty cushy in Australia during our adult lives. Few of us have experienced war, famine, economic or social depression. It tends to scar those who have had to live with very little and tends to trigger the hoarding instinct in many.

Both of my parents grew up in the years immediately following the depression and second world war. Everything was scarce and even basic necessities such as nails, tin and wood where impossible to get. The old farm homestead sheds are full of containers of bent roofing nails and little scraps of steel that where saved for future use. Some of the walls in old farm sheds are clad in 200 litre ( 44 gallon ) fuel drums that where cut open, flattened out and used as wall iron. Furniture was made from packing cases with bits of cloth nailed on for cupboard door curtains or chair covers. Although naturally tidy people, both of my parents tended to hoard stuff, as did most other farmers of the era.

I am renovating a shack built in 1940. Everywhere inside the walls are little scraps of timber nailed together to make longer pieces of wood and the floor is a bit of cement smeared over old house bricks and flat stones.

Having lived in extreme poverty myself when first married and starting out in farming ( thanks to Paul Keatings 27% interest rates on loans soon after buying my first farm ) I have the hoarding bug myself. Visiters to my farm are amazed at the collection of steel, roofing iron, wood etc. lined up in rows. It has come in useful over the years with all fences, gates, sheds and some farm equipment made out of scrap materials. Its all good stuff, painted or galvanised and is indiscernable from the brought item.

With our generous social security, safety net, most Australians have been blessed to live in a state of relative prosperity and privilege compared to many in the world and so have difficulty in understanding what it is like to really live without even basic foods and necessities.