Nics - I guess there is more than a slight difference in panic buying & stocking up.

Given the lockdowns - the idea is to shop - essentially - as little as possible.

I can understand a ' stock up ' on toot paper - who knows how many in the family - nappies - well - 10 changes a day - with perhaps more than 1 wearing nappies - OK - buy bulk.

Here - the carts are full - but so are the shelves.

Food section - not noticed anything missing. 

I agree with what you have said but at the time I don`t think their circumstances had anything to do with the amount of things they were buying. I was born here and have had a very fortunate life so if you took my comment the wrong way I am indeed sorry.Sometimes you can forget how lucky we are.

Nics - the 50's - and all everyone went through - has nothing to to with today.

There were shortages - all experienced shortages - no matter your means - it took at least 5 years post WW2 - to actually get rid of rationing - for all. 

There was perhaps - a pair or 2 - silk stockings on the horizon - but food - necessities - no.

This is 2021 - some should really catch up - it's not a matter of blaardy bent nails in one's shed.

Agreed at the moment its not a case of Blaardy bent nails in the shed, but it might come to that. History shows that economic depressions have a habit of coming around every one hundred years or so. It takes that long for people to forget. We have all been extremely fortunate to live in very settled and prosperous times in Australia, but the only certainty is it wont last for ever. 

Global economies where borrowed to the hilt before COVID and the mass printing of money to pump up economies on a scale never seen before will have to have repercussions down the track. We are already seeing this in rapidly rising house prices and global shortages of steel, building materials, motor vehicles, heavy equipment used in manufacturing,  agricultural food supplies ( world grain stocks are at very low levels and prices went up nearly 10% only last week ) and even the humble mobile phone.

If you dont understand that COVID could potentially be the trigger for the next global recession / depression, you are living in self absorbed La La land.