@countessalmirena wrote:
A very civilised shopping session (Woolworths, Coles, ALDI) last week resulted in toilet paper from Coles (mind you, there were only 24-roll packs available), dried pasta from Woolworths, chicken from ALDI, beef from Coles, dishwashing liquid from ALDI... We didn't look for potatoes, because I'd bought some gorgeous Nicola potatoes from the Gasworks Farmers' Market before I went into hospital.
It didn't take more than a day for these items to be gone from the shelves.
Flour - well, there seems to be plenty of plain flour in one of our closest ALDI stores, and I've not checked the other nearby ALDI store. I didn't need any. What I would like to buy is soft low protein flour for making pastry. Gone! Not in any store!
But more importantly, I'm having a lot of trouble sourcing Low GI rice, the only rice which one family member is able to eat. It's hard not to harbour some rather frustrated thoughts about panic-buyers snatching up packets of that Sunrice Low GI rice without actually needing low GI rice.
While the panic-buying had subsided somewhat (probably because of the limits imposed by supermarkets), there are - as you say - some very hard-to-get items while the supermarkets struggle to stock up after the pillaging and sacking.
From my observations it seems that it is mainly the elderly who are " stripping the shelves ". I suspect they are chatting amongst themselves and getting ( appropriately ) concerned. They are the ones at greatest risk from this virus and they are taking steps to self isolate....Good on them.
Many older people also remember the deprivation during the WW2 and post WW2 period. I had this discussion with my own mum on the weekend. In my younger childhood, my mother was a hoarder of any old scrap of anything and used to mend and make everything, even though our family was quite wealthy. This was just a throw back to her earlier years, not some compulsion.
As for regular people hoarding groceries, the writing of extensive lock downs have been on the wall for many weeks now. All you have to do is look overseas at what is happening in other countries that are weeks ahead of Australia on the disease curve. I have been quietly picking up a few extra things here and there for some weeks now and have assembled a small stash to get the family including young adult kids through the crisis. Enough to live normally for a month or so and longer on meagre rations if required. The stash includes around 30 rolls of loo paper ( gave a couple to granny and gramps on the weekend ). I just picked up a packet here and there around 3 weeks ago. Blind Freddy could see it was going to be an issue.
OP - Theres no point in getting upset at people who have " sniffed the wind " and taken precautions, you have had the same opportunities and information as everyone else.
3BrNBBRz4UYdo+!~~60_7.JPG "chameleon54"){kind=avatar}
