Let’s be safe out there people … it’s madness.
The news is either full of stories about virus doom or virus induced panic buying. I kinda miss the ‘Britain has gone brexit bonkers’ stories now. So with the images of empty shop shelves, I ventured out to the supermarket with a certain amount of trepidation. My extensive survival prep shopping list was a loaf of bread, a pack of Curly Wurlies, a bottle of milk and tea. That will surely tide us through the end of days.
I arrived at 8.40am which normally ensures that I have the shop to myself apart from the three shop assistants. Not this morning. The car park was heaving. Is it the day before Christmas? Inside was not much better. Rammed with shoppers. Not seen a crowd like this since the ‘Everything for a Pound’ Store had a sale.
It was bizarre watching the frantic shopping. Trolleys rammed full. So many seemingly sensible people falling into the panic buying madness. But this was a very Yorkshire panic. People still had time amongst the panic to stop and talk about the weather. In other parts of the country items like toilet paper, hand gel and paracetamol tablets have been stripped as if consumed by a plague of locusts. Here those items were still well stocked. In fact I didn’t see anyone buying them. No the items of panic choice here were different
- The saver pack of soap bars (4 for a £1)
- Cadbury’s Chocolate
- Tins of mushy peas (one chap had a basket filled with just these)
- Custard powder
- Cheese
- Beer, lager and wine.
I have to say that if I was going to panic buy I would rather stock up on £100 worth of beer and chocolate rather than 50 rolls of bog paper.
My hand basket was easily filled with my items until I arrived at the tea section. No Yorkshire Tea. No pigging Yorkshire Tea. Stripped bare. Oh the humanity. I had to buy another brand. Bloody philistines. The virus crisis is so much worse than I ever imagined. Stand by your pitchforks people.
Did you buy some more corona beer? If not, go back!! 😜 🍺
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I would have if I was not on the wagon. But it was selling well.
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No Yorkshire tea? Oh my…I can send you some – tho it might take a while to ship from the US…
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Thank you. Going to a different shop tomorrow…
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I work at a grocery store in the U.S. and this is absolutely true across the pond – though the tea aisle is currently a safe haven. We are however stripped bare of anything that could conceivably be used to sanitize or disinfect, from rubbing alcohol to hand sanitizer to vinegar to regular, uh, drinking alcohol… Thanks for the laugh!
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Pleased it made you laugh. Is it getting worse.
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Hmm, well, we’re completely out of the aforementioned products and I don’t see new shipments coming in. So I’d say it’s stabilized for now. However, our city just cancelled SXSW (a huge annual festival/tech conference) and all other large gatherings through May 1st, so we’ll see.
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We are still open here. Nothing has been cancelled.
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You must be in Austin. I used to live in Round Rock and worked in the Stephen F. Austin building on Congress Ave.
I heard about SXSW being cancelled. Wow.
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Ha, I used to pass that place all the time. The local view is unanimous – mourning free beer, but overwhelmingly in favor of less traffic.
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Yeah. I can see the concern.
My buddies in Texas have showed me shots of where a large portion of Congress has been shut down and closed off. That is just weird.
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One of our government has been tested positive now.
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Health Minister?
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Ironic isn’t it.
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Loved this! My daughter won’t let me go to the grocery and took my list for me today. I feel badly because it is my monthly shop trip so a long list. We haven’t had any outbreaks here but I’m wondering what they will find when they go to the grocery. My sister in Vermont has an outbreak near her and I just saw one today in New Jersey where my son lives. He is a nurse so that’s a bit scary. I’m not panicked but I do think people should be cautious and for Pete’s sake, you should not have to be told to wash your hands🙄😄
Sent from my iPad
>
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It’s staggering that people need reminding. In the figures they don’t mention the numbers who are counted but who are now virus free. x
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I felt smug for ordering 200 alcohol wipes to stick in my purse for the normal price of $10, but then they arrived & I saw they are teensy squares to dab skin before a shot. Sigh…
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They will come in useful when we all get miniaturised.
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With the chap buying a load of mushy peas, means their will be some strong winds.
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Very …..
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The panic buying is quite strange to say the least especially where we live where obviously you can’t get a toilet roll for love nor money, personally if the worst comes to the worst I have kept a few handy old newspapers which I will cut into squares as they did during the war. The strangest thing going short here is pasta which I can’t quite see the reason for and as for the Yorkshire tea we are getting a little short ourselves. Here are a couple of links which might help to put this into perspective. https://thediaryofacountrybumpkin.com/2020/02/26/yorkshire-tea/ https://thediaryofacountrybumpkin.com/2020/03/06/coronavirus-were-all-doomed/
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Love the photo. We had loads of Pasta. It’s very bizarre.
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Lol! You’re hilarious Gary. 🤣🤣🤣
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Thank you my friend. x
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No, thank you for the smiles. 🤣🤣
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🙏
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Oh, that was a good one! You made me laugh! I do hope you can get your Yorkshire tea tomorrow, though … never know … you could be stuck in the house for weeks … months! I went to the grocery yesterday, and saw no actual empty shelves, but the loo paper shelves were well picked-over. Ah … people. If you want to sell a product, all you really have to do is tell people it might not be available for the next year or so.
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So pleased you laughed.
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I much prefer your shopping list but for the mushy peas. No toilet paper? I wonder how things will be when I get home…
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I have them once a year….
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I’ll send you some Yorkshire tea in the post if you like 😁
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I’m hopeful for tomorrow
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Happy to be a backup plan [desperate times call for desperate measures]😂
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So true.
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Haha, your list is cool. But it is really crazy. Those people who only want to buy their regular stuff leave the store empty-handed…
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Wish people would just breathe and then think.
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A good advice!!
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Thank you
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😊
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Can’t get your mountain view out of my head. x
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Perhaps it forces a possible visit in the region… anytime after Covid 19…
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Let’s hope so.
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😊👍😊
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Haven’t seen any problems at any of the 3 stores I normally shop at. I don’t think there’s been any virus reported in San Diego, which is the BIG city by where I live.
I’d be mad if there was no coffee. I’d have to borrow Ben’s Guy Fawkes mask and create some havoc 😉😂💌
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Now that would be a look…. x
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No proper tea?!
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None…..
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You can still get Yorkshire tea in NZ! 😉
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That’s Sod’s law…..
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Oh my gosh, I was so shocked about my trip out today I almost wrote about it instead of the post I had started. Stay tuned, I am going to write what I saw hopefully tomorrow. But it is much of the same! Crazy!
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Don’t tell me your out of Yorkshire tea as well…..
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I didn’t look for tea – I needed jugs of water. Completely out!
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That’s the priority.
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I love a curly wurly …. tell me they had curly wurlies 🤞😬
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Plus anyone with that many tins of mushy peas might need to stock pile bog roll! 🧻
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Probably need something stronger.
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They did and on offer.
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Yey!!
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Haven’t even had time to think about shopping.
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That’s actually no bad thing at present. Will just make you mad.
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It’s because of my fractured wrist, and hours of phone calls just to get seen
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The pictures look so painful.
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Probably will be tomorrow when I see the specialist.
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Hope it goes ok.
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I work for a famous supermarket brand. Okay, so I slightly exaggerate, but one bloke with a trolley full of loo roll said “it’s only a type of flu”! I thought, “why are you panic buying then?!”
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Going to mummify himself….
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Maybe it was his grandkid’s birthday party to mummify himself for, that was always a fun one!
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The good old games. I remember when fans would bring a toilet roll to throw at the game.
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Seriously – curly wurlys could get you through any crises! Do not run out of those!
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Should be first on any Survivalcraft list.
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The store I work at is out of hand sanitizer. Supplies of toilet paper, tissue, and hand soap are also very low. Thank goodness we still have plenty of chocolate.
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More for us….
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I’ll send you tea from here. 🙂
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Thank you.
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Our shelves were cleared of Yorkshire Tea last eek, but now they’re brimming! Have faith. Stocks will be replenished!
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I’m on my way to yours.
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Hope you’ve had deliveries by now Gary. We’ve taken to shopping in the evening when we know deliveries have just been made and they’re putting them out. Our supermarket closes at 10pm.
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That’s a great idea.
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I am still scratching my head over the scarcity of toilet paper. Why toilet paper? It’s a mystery to me. Panic buying is everywhere.
At work my manager had to order more hand sanitizer and Lysol wipes – she told me we’ve gone through a month’s worth in just a week. Well, I guess my coworkers (and I) have been a bit more thorough in making sure surfaces are wiped down and our hands do not transfer germs to an unsuspecting public. Working with the public is always challenging in cold and fly season but Covid 19 has made us even more conscientious than ever – even though there has not been a single case of it here to date.
Panic seems to be the norm these days. Sigh.
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I can’t remember it being this mad with Swine Flu or Ebola.
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No, it wasn’t nearly as bad. The media isn’t helping. Take care of yourself and your son. Stay safe and healthy.
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Yes the media is in complete meltdown
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I studied journalism and later communications. One of the first things we learned was a bit brutal but when it comes to news the operating principle is if it bleeds it leads. A horrible truth but there it is.
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It’s sad but it sells papers.
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It is all about the bottom line for the owners. I think most journalists do want to serve the public though. Many have died in efforts to ” speak truth to power”.
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Sadly it will always be like that.
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Yes, I think so. Unfortunately greed seems to be an ongoing issue.
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That’s not going to get cured any time soon.
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Nope, it’s part and parcel of the human condition. Thankfully there are many, many really good people too.
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That’s why there is always hope.
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Yes, agreed 🙂
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LOL. It’s just as crazy here in West Los Angeles. Lucky me, I was able to stock up on my favorite brand of green tea 🙂
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That’s a result.
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Lol… your post or the way you said it was a little humorous …
I would load up on the Cadbury chocolate myself!!
I went to the store today and thought of you and one of your posts 😄… I should have taken a picture…
I went to the store to get my coffee and creamer (which plenty to be had- as well as tea… too bad I can’t send you some – we have plenty here!!!) I love my coffee probably same way you love your tea – I would have been beside myself if my coffee was out!!! Then I would have been mad.
BUT what made me think of your post was you had mentioned toilet paper 🧻 being out like crazy… when you mentioned that – it was normal over here … but now it’s not lol… took us a minute but now that’s flying off the shelves 🤨
So now those shelves I have never seen so bare – there were 4 rolls left – I bought 2. I wasn’t gonna take all 4 and leave someone else with nothing. But I did need the 2.
You still can’t find Clorox wipes or hand sanitizer around here at all… I luckily have the sanitizer at home already before all this happened… and I have other things I can use to disinfect things … so I am good there
I have food… some soups and stuff…
Water is also going like crazy… which I already have a ton of because I live in the country so I stocked on that the other day for shower purposes lol … I don’t know what everyone else is doing but whatever (the well is fixed now so back to normal but I have a lot of water)
I also have a lot of Tylenol and Advil due to my surgery area which every so often kinda hurts. (Only the bad side though) just sometimes too much and I have to take something. Plus just good to have – but I don’t have cabinets of it… just 2 bottles a piece
Our stores are always busy so I didn’t notice a difference with that? Is like right before Thanksgiving 🤨 … all the time!! 🤨
Just now they are leaving complete shelves totally bare!! Ahh the panic.
Yeah it’s gone crazy for sure. Just human nature I guess – especially with panic
You made me kinda laugh with this post also. ✌️
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I popped into the shop for a glue stick. Shelves a bit more empty. They will get restocked but it’s all gone a bit mad. How much stuff is going to be never used. Such a waste. We don’t have much storage space so we can’t get much anyway. x
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Here too 🙄… everyone is preparing incase we have to be confined to homes – everyone is starting to REALLY panic.
I don’t have the space either… my place is tiny. So whatever – guess I’m screwed lol
Whatever will be, will be ✌️
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Let’s start the ‘we are screwed’ club.
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Lol 😄😄 that’s hilarious! We be the founding members lol
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Might be a short lived club…….
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Lol 😄😄😄 hey at least we go down together ✌️😄 misery loves company lol
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That’s the spirit.
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as some wise person said recently- you won’t be doing a lot of pooping if you have no actual food to eat…something to think about
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That’s so true.
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I headed to Costco, yesterday, for my normal, monthly supplies gathering. Lysol & Clorox hand wipes were nowhere to be found. There were signs posted that cases of water were at a two case limit. Then, there was the sugar & rice. They had signs that stated five bag limit. We’re talking restaurant size bags. Sugar & rice…gone. What? They’re making rice wine and tending a still? Everything else was there. Kirkland brand toilet paper was gone but, Charmin was still there. Went to a Harris Teeter grocery store. Again, Lysol & Clorox wipes all gone and all the bleach was gone. They left behind spray bottles of the same cleaning solutions. Strange.
As I entered Costco, I had an employee stop me and wipe the grips on my shopping cart with their employee hand wipes. What good does that do? I’ve already touched it. They didn’t offer to wipe my hands.
The world has gone full retard.
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Not doing anything like that in our stores. I’ve seen one assistant with hand gel but I think that was her personal supply.
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You know things are bad when the shops start running out of tea.
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End of days….
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Well yeah, I can understand why the chocolate shelves are stripped bare!
I bought a little more because it’s harder for me to physically get to the supermarket and shop on my own, but nowhere near what some other people have bought. The soap and rice I wanted were out of stock.
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Some people won’t need to go shopping for years.
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That is serious deprivation.
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Beyond the pale.
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Yeah my daughter was joking that Irish people would be stockpiling booze.
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It’s a sensible strategy. Can drink it or use it as anti bacterial solutions.
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Fortunately, there doesn’t seem to have been panic buying round here. I’m the other hand, getting to and from work has been a breeze. Now is that because the road works have ended or something else, I wonder?
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Good to hear that.
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Panic buying here, but I am in the south, we panic buy when we see a snowflake.
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Apparently our stores are now empty of soap, pasta and paracetamol.
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I am sitting here debating whether to book my internet shop now for two weeks time, they are getting booked up very quickly considering I normally just do next day
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I finally booked one for late next week. Quite a few things we normally buy are out of stock or restricted to 2.
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I have just done mine for two weeks time and have found the same
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Just got to see what turns up now.
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Fingers crossed their subsitutes are not too bad, although I have been hearing ocardo were cancelling all there home deliveries this morning
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Will settle for anything apart from sprouts and a U2 cd.
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A U2 CD comes in my delivery I am going to assume they are trying to kill me
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Yep. That would be time to get your pitchforks out.
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That happens and I will be the first one looting
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Many will.
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I dont think it will get that bad, it depends on much Cummings reads twitter though
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Yes Cummings is pulling the strings which is always a worry.
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Maybe he is not the heartless arsehole we all think he is
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Still time…..
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I think that time is now going to be in 18 months time, when we see what small business actually survive through this and paying back the loans they are going to have to take
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Yes the payback will come.
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This scary but so creepy. It’s like the whole world is shutting down. All the schools around are closed and there is no toilet paper . It’s like you won a prize if you find some. And water as well food is diminishing as well But! A lot of Corona beer here 😂
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My new phrase is that it’s the new normal for a couple of months. It will change again but not sure if we will go back to the old ways fully.
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I do agree with you. Yes I do not believe things will be the same. How can they after this. It’s a bit much.
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Hopefully we will be changed for the better.
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Exactly . I hope so as well.
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I love you all bless is the lord and bless is are god and with that share the love because the word is coming in bless the lord when he come I love y’all all and bless the lord don’t fear anything bless is the word besafe sharing the love but don’t be afraid to be you fear not to show love to one another love y’all
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Thank yiu
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I hate the fact that the hoarders have grabbed up everything I need: pizzas, candy bars, toilet paper, hand sanitizers, and peanut butter and honey. The biggest slap in the face to me happened this week when one Safeway market placed over 300 petite bottles of hand sanitizers ( at $5.95 each) on the customer courtesy desk and there was no limit on how many a customer could purchase. That my friend is marketing greed in the flesh.
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Yes a few are making handy profits. Plenty of food just not necessarily the ones we want.
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“I had to buy another brand. Bloody philistines.”
With a poorly chosen brand name like that they are doomed to fail. 😐
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😀🙏
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Most people have got it the wrong way around. Panic buying is caused by shortages, not shortages by panic buying. I have worked in logistics, logistics is not coping. Here’s why:
There are two completely different supply chains, domestic and commercial. The domestic chain is what you see in shops and supermarkets. The commercial chain is to factory canteens, restaurants, etc. Each supply chain is for different products. 6, & 9 packs of toilet rolls for the domestic supply, big rolls that fasten on walls for the commercial supply.
But people are not in the factories and offices, pubs and restaurants are closed. So there is a whole lot of big rolls of bog rolls not being used, but as people are posing the same amount but doing more of it at home, hence te domestic supply of bog roll has been hit. People are panic buying because there is a shortage, making it worse.
The same with bananas, distributed in bunches to the domestic supply, in singles in large boxes on pallets commercially – these are perishable and being dumped.
Tinned veg. Catering sie tins are no use to families of 3 or 4. There’s plenty of tinned veg, which is in storage for when cafes and restaurants reopen.
Logistics if finding it difficult to cope. Distribution centres are at full capacity, with some staff in isolation and having to observe social distancing output is slowed down.
The distribution network is stretched. That is why there’s a shortage and that is why there is panic buying.
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Thank you. I now understand
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