Panic buying in shops due to weather
 

It has been said on the news, that there is a start of panic buying by the public due to the bad weather.

In my local store of Asda, there are members of the public, that are buying up bread, milk and sugar etc in large amounts, has anybody else noticed this.:)

Re: Panic buying in shops due to weather
 

Yes. Every time the weather is in the slightest bit bad. There seems to be a mass paranoia that is fed by the media's almost continual stories of how everything is falling apart.

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My local asda was quiter than usual this Sat.

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Yes i have! Went to Tesco before for the usual weekly shop to find not a blinkin loaf left on the shelf!! I've not got a slice in the house, just don't understand why people are not able to buy as they go instead of being selfish about it. Obviously there are people who really can't get to the shops when the weather is bad, but for the majority of us there is no need :mad:

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Apparently, there's lots of people engaging in panic-staying-at-home seeing the weather has been ***** for a while now...

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We went out on Friday and bought a few extra bits just to see us through until the middle of next week.

We would normally have bought those bits tomorrow, but we bought them early because we weren't sure that we'd be able to get to the shops tomorrow.

We haven't 'stocked up', we haven't bought in bulk, we've just bought exactly what we think we'll need for the few days ahead.

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I can never understand, if stores are seeing this, why they can't stop people going mad, l tell you something, as anyone tried by more than two packets of pain killers or more than four bottles of beer.

My wife got stopped buying three packets of painkillers and also told you would have to separate twelve bottles of beer and pay for six at a time, and that was Asda.

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I think the pain killer thing is driven by the goverment, complete waste of time as there is nothing to stop going back stright away and buying more.

JJ

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Yup and 16 could do most people quite a lot of damage anyway, probably finish some peeps off!

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I know about the 2 packets of painkillers, but never experienced the beer thing.

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Well I got to my local Co-op where there were 5 loaves of bread left..I took only one because there were others who wanted bread as well but blow me someone after me took two.:rolleyes:

Luckily the local independent baker is still baking bread.Let us hope he still has enough flour and yeast to keep going if it snows again.

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I noticed the same thing in Morrissons, the only bread available was Hovis Multi Grain. No skimmed milk and no veg.

People have gone bananas, and there were none of them too.

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The reasoning behind this is that many suicides are spur of the moment decisions. Very few people go out to buy pain killers with a view to committing suicide. It's having them in the house in sufficient quantities at a vulnerable time that can push people over the edge. Limiting the amount you can buy at one time is supposed to decrease the stock people normally keep. Not to prevent planned suicides (the minority), but to prevent suicides that happen because the means just happen to be there.

---------- Post added at 23:29 ---------- Previous post was at 23:22 ----------

That sounds like rollocks to me. Do they really want you to break up that multipack of lager that's on their shelves?

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Well I understand the thinking but I still think it was a ploy for the pharmaceuticals to charge over the odds for the product.In one fell swoop they trebled the price overnight by getting that law passed. I used to save sooo much by buying Paracetamol a 100 at a time.Those bubble strips are so wasteful with all the packaging too.hardly environmentally friendly.:rolleyes:

I'm so sick of this nannyfied country..I'm not allowed to think for myself or to run my life the way I like..because I might just 'hurt' myself.

Anyway I think panic buying in this case might be laid squarely at the governments feet this time.They appointed the agency that oversees the gritting and salting whom the AA say have allowed the levels to lag drastically

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8450176.stm

No one would need to panic buy if there were buses running and they could drive out from their housing estates.Instead we are having to take perilous walks on frozen compacted ice at the risk of broken limbs to get to our nearest shops which for many of us are the centralised high street.All the corner shops have disappeared around here(mine is now a frigging craft and wool shop and so useless in this present crisis).

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And it's threads like this that increase the paranoia, there are plenty of shops, supermarkets, garages selling every item of day to day needs, it's only a bit of snow ffs, it's not like we haven't seen it / dealt with it before

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Unless you want to knit yourself a nice bobble hat, scarf, and wooly pully :D

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Did something else happen, Mggy, with all due respect, you must have seen more problems overcome than this in your time, no disrespect, this is not a crisis, it's snow, just like we used to get, and get through :angel::angel:

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Have you got a bread maker?

You can thrn get the ready mix flour and make a loaf at home.

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No, and I'm not at home - I'm in OH's :(

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Say hello to Paddy for me ;)

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Sorry what's OH?

Re: Panic buying in shops due to weather
 

The last time I saw weather like this I was 30 years younger and far more sprightly so I guess getting around wasn't a problem..plus all the roads got cleared and the pavements were gritted..and there was more public transport.

In the 1963 freeze I lived in London on Shooters Hill.The pavements were cleared by the council workers(with shovels) but we still had snow piled in heaps well into March it was so cold for so long.

Yes I coped but local councils and their workers and the community at large pulled together to take care of others..it was a more joined up effort.This time round it seems more disjointed.

Re: Panic buying in shops due to weather
 

Boy friend ;)

Re: Panic buying in shops due to weather
 

Other Half?

Re: Panic buying in shops due to weather
 

Of course Other half :D

Re: Panic buying in shops due to weather
 

ah well you can always just buy flour most of those panic buyers wont be after that as they wont know how to make it ;)

now if they are buying up the cola tell me i will have to go get more of that ;)

Re: Panic buying in shops due to weather
 

Stores are not interested in two customers wrestling over the final loaf on the shelf, they just see ££££££££££££'s.
When the shelves are completely empty and no deliveries anticipated due to the weather they can just lock up shop and save on the overheads!
But given that the above would probably never happen, yes people do panic and go into the survival mode.
Your tale about Asda is interesting, must be different Asda's, I bought three boxes of Bud before Xmas, and I did not have to open each box to split them into 12's.
I know that pain killers are limited, but that is to try to prevent overdoses, has nothing to do with " Rationing ".

---------- Post added at 08:54 ---------- Previous post was at 08:51 ----------

Difference now Mags is probably every area has less Workers to Shovel the snow and throw the grit from the back of a wagon.
Our taxes now go to keep the Council bosses in the comforts they enjoy at home.
And probably a lift home at the end of a tiring day from the door of the town hall to their front doorstep, all at our expense to be fair ;)

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We heard (but have yet to see) that the bin people were supposed to be re-deployed clearing the pavements as they are unable to collect waste from the side roads.

Plenty of bread & milk at the local Spar yesterday :shrug:

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Heard that around here too Angua, but there is still a lot of money wasted locally on the " upper echelons "
Perhaps our local council bosses could get in the spirit and join the lads and girls shovelling the snow?
My suggestion would be for those long term unemployed to be given shovels and asked to clear their local areas if more staff cannot be employed to deal with the " Emergency "
It annoys me no end that the main arterial roads are not so bad, but the effort to get to them is hampered by the house level roads being clogged up with hard ice.
I mean if nobody can actually get to work how can the country survive?
All those benefits to pay, wars to fund, mp's expenses to fund, second mortgages..........;)

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It just goes to show how quickly civilisation would collapse if there was a real emergency.
Most of Northern Europe is suffering under cold temperatures & heavy snow at the moment, even Germany but the media conveniently ignore this. Our news coverage is becoming like the USA, very insular.

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Have to agree with the sentiments.
In defence of USA, Boston in particular, they know how to deal with far worser conditions than we would ever get.
When the snow hits there they do not just grit the roads, which we cannot even manage, they have the snow ploughs out, and life carries on as normal.

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The strangest thing is, this country DOES ground to a halt when we get hit by bad weather, and it does happen each year. And yet we cannot deal with it, we have also the problem of grit.

It really amazes me, l read an article in the paper today about Sibera, where this sort of weather is there, but much harsher, and theyjust get on with it.

The trouble is, we don't prepare for it, we don't store the stuff we just sell it abroad, then when we need the stuff and goods, the PM will say, lets gets the military in, what when its to late.

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In all honesty though Arthur, this weather isn't normal for us - its much harsher. Siberia expects this type of weather so they are prepared for it.

The OH just came back from Stockholm the week before christmas where they have very limited daylight and he was under 10" of snow each day. The cars are equipped with chains on the wheels, public transport continues without any problems and snow ploughs aren't like the little sissy ones we have here - they actually get rid of the snow. Everyone just goes about their daily business as its completely normal to them. Here, we kinda get 4 seasons a year (well sometimes anyway) :shrug:,

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if we did get all the equipment to cope with siberian temperatures and conditions we would be prepared ,but we would only use them once in 20 yrs and then the public would be winging that we wasted all that money and we could have built 3 hospitals with the money blahblahblah
cany have it both ways arthur

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The thing is, the temperatures in the south east and London are low, but they aren't that much lower than is normal for january. It would also be relatively easy (though expensive) for the rail companies (at least) to keep the main train lines clear. BR managed it mostly.

I know it seems self centred to bring up the conditions down south when there are people a lot worse off in villages, but London is our capital. Millions of people were unable to get to work because the rail companies down here were apparently unable to cope with the cold. Why is that important? Well, it could have cost the economy a *lot* of money.

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I think the problem with the railways is down to modern train design, they have so many on-board processors & electronics that go wrong at the drop of a hat, they just aren't resilient enough in adverse conditions. The older trains were simpler engineered & they were heavier so could gain more traction on the rails. The old slam door trains in the South always seemed to get through.

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Sorry I've got no time to post properly, I'm just rushing out to the shops to buy everything in sight. :D

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Buy a breadmaker for a two week winter stint of snow, yeh thats cost efficient isn't it :p: I'd rather go without bread, which is what I've done.

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And who has the time for that?! Between working two jobs, I just about find time to sleep (sometimes!) :D

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Try telling that to my 2 year old daughter! lol

I've just panic bought a packet of sausage rolls, 6 litres of milk, 2 six-packs of yoghurt, rice noodles and a packet of rolo's! :o)

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It does make me laugh when i go to the local sainsburys and see all the muppets stocking up as though they won't be able to get out for the next six months. Seriously some people in the UK need to get a grip and realise that we are talking about a few days when things might not be delivered on time and even then there is usually plenty in stock. Media does play a big part how they love trying to terrify everyone and the only thing that is sadder then that is the growing number who seem happy to be paniced at the slightest thing.

While i don't think we should pay out for all the cold weather kit many other countrys have i am sure there is a middle ground to this as there usually is with all things and putting the old agreement back in place where local firms and farmers would be out clearing roads and suchlike in these conditions seems a simple one to me. Should we limit what people can buy no not really because then us reasonable people wouldn't have so much to laugh at when we go about our usual routines.

As far as the media go i really hope someone with a pair either above or below the waist gets a grip on the in this country soon because they have a lot to answer for in the way they hype up the silliest thing getting people worried about it.

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Its even worse on Christmas eve, when even though most places are open on Boxing Day, people still go absolutely nuts in the shops!

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Yeah, makes you wonder how half of them survived in the days when all the shops shut at 5pm and nobody but your local corner shop was open on a Sunday.

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Yeah xmas loonies are just as bad i literally pointed and laughed at one couple this saturday who had four trolleys loaded up two of them with just bread and milk. Apart from anything else it is selfishness of the worst kind as they have to know that 1 they won't be using all that stuff anytime soon and 2 that they are reducing the amount available for everyone.

I really do wonder about some people at times like this and how absolutely stupid they are and how they would manage in a real crisis and my bet is not very well at all.

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That could also be a cafe/shop owner. I remeber when we used to have a corner shop, Sainsburys sometimes had 2 litre of coca cola cheaper than we could get it from coca cola itself. We used to go into Sainsburys and load up trollies of only coke and resell in the shop.

Re: Panic buying in shops due to weather
 

but you could use it too make lvely bread all year round - 5 mins to dump it all in teh machine, set it go overnight & lovely fresh bread in teh morning!!

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I have considered one before, but tbh I've never liked the bread anyone has made me in them :rolleyes:

Good news though - I got bread :hyper:

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So thats why all the Dolly Mixtures had flown off the shelves at Morrisons................

Re: Panic buying in shops due to weather
 

Well our freezer is fully stocked, not through panic buying but taking advantage of the various offers.

Bread - Only use it for sandwiches
Milk - Don't drink it

We will live.

Re: Panic buying in shops due to weather
 

no problems for me my local farmfoods shop is selling bread at 50p a loaf and milk 50p for 4 pints and there's plenty of it ...so its milk sandwiches for tea yummy

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:sick: Sounds vile!

;)

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I was given a bread maker, its great making fresh bread, be it from a ready mix flour that you just add water, to following a receipe in the book.

A house smells of freshly made bread make you hungry.

Depending on what you make the bread is far cheaper than a bought loaf, plus it doesn't have any of the stuff you don't need.

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yep it is ,nothing else left ..panic buyers dont ya know

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I forgot to add you can put all the ingredients in the night before and wake up to fresh hot bread.

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50p for 4 pints of milk? I thought i did well only paying a quid. Is it always that price in there? Is it semi skimmed?

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full cream or semi 2 x four pints for a £1 2 loafs of Everyday bread for £1
it is a special but the price is normaly bread 2 for £1.50 and milk 8 pints for £1.50

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Even Tescos has 2 litres of milk for 65p and that is saying something.

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:Yikes: Ooh i'll go this week and have a look, we go through loads of milk cos my son eats cereal for snacks aswell as brekkie and supper, where most kids would want crisps or sweets lol. Thanks for the info :D :tu:

As for the panic buying, i stocked up on milk and freezer food (well, about a week or two's worth) online with Tesco, to save me driving or pushing the baby's pram in the snow (an impossible task might i add) and i looked a few days later and their delivery slots had gone up to £6 but they were fully booked for a whole week! There's usually loads of empty slots for £3.50 a time.

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worth it, loads cheaper than morrison ,tesco and asda named brands as well

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Well my milkman got through on Saturday so I'm sure he'll be back for his scheduled delivery tomorrow.

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You've got me thinking now, so I've decided I might spoil myself at the end of the month (just a cheap one mind) to get me started. I get through so much bread and if I can make my own (and its nice) then so be it.

Delivery went up at Christmas, but did you not get an email for free or cheap delivery from them Pia? I think I got sent a code.

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Another thumbs up for the bread maker. I got one at the beginning of December and it's being well used. Just a cheap cookworks one from Argos but it does the job.
My kids will only eat the "full of crap" white bread so at least they're eating a little bit healthier. I had to buy an electric knife too though to get slices of a reasonable thickness. I like doorstops but the kids couldn't quite get their mouths wide enough. :)

All the supermarkets stock premixed flour/yeast so you only have to add water and a bit of marge or olive oil.

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My local Tesco and Morrissons has got no Salt (As of Monday Afternoon).

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I have a bread maker and in all honesty not very impressed with it. It's not even a cheap one, had some high reviews and was recommended by friends. The times I have used it I have not been too impressed with the final product, and its not been worth the wait.

I am going to start making bread properly (i.e. kneading flour yeast etc and using the oven). I think this will be much more fun and also more satisfying, especially for my daughter too.

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Mmmmm I can almost smell it. Cut us all a slice and slap on a bit of butter. :)

For lunch today I've brought in a couple of slice of homemade bread with sunflower seeds to go with my homemade Scotch Broth.

Is it lunchtime yet?:D

---------- Post added at 10:30 ---------- Previous post was at 10:25 ----------

Sorry to hear that. I was considering buying a more expensive one but thought I'd see how I get on with the cheapie first. Making bread by hand is fun but it is time consuming compared to a bread maker. I can spend less than 5 mins in the morning at the weekend pouring in ingredients and water. Go about normal business and leave the machine to do it's thing. By lunchtime I've a freshly baked loaf... and the house smelling brilliantly. :)

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Yes customers were like a plague of locusts in my local tescos with the milk almost gone if its one thing we do really well in the uk its panic buying,i remember in the 70s there was a sugar beet shortage and people panicked bought the sugar,a few years later there was a wheat shortage and people panicked over bread.

The supermarkets really ought to allow people when it comes to essentials a limit to make sure the greedy do not empty the shelves, leaving everyone else with nothing in 2010 its good to see the "i`m all right jack" attitude alive and well in uk PLC sadly.:(

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Check the size of the baking tin first some are bigger than others.

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Yes, as in a lot of things, size is important.;)

Most of the premixes are for 2lb or 1.5lb loaf.