Panic Buying

Do you think people are still panic buying goods?
in some ways some are ...
a lady in my neighborhood walks around telling people oh this store or that store has this item ... relays the shelf life on a product and how things will be scarce and we all should buy a cart full of this or that ....
it is based more on fear of supply chain issues then Covid but ... i still see the occasional people bulking up on things when i am out shopping
 
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I wouldn’t call it panic buying.

I think people are stocking up, similar to @hawkdon, when they see things that have been in short supply.

In this area the inventory is uneven due to the shortages and the large number of people receiving government benefits at the beginning of each month. I wish that the government would come up with a scheme to level the benefits through the month similar to that used by Social Security.
 
I don't know since I only shop when I need a few groceries. That said; I'm from Canada and we sometimes have BIG storms. Last month the media went crazy and said that "THE STORM OF THE CENTURY" is coming. I laughed since I knew that news heading was totally silly but you know the media. So, I looked out my window over to the grocery store parking lot. It was so full that you couldn't find a spot to park your car. So, the snow storm came and it went. It was hardly, "The Storm of the Century." Someone told me that perhaps this was a sales idea from the local Chambers of Commerce because it sure got most folks shopping like the snow storm was going to last 6 months.

There have been many comments about Canadians being a "bunch of sheep." I would disagree with this comment. No, we are not all a bunch of sheep; only the majority. A few (trouble makers, I guess) still think for themselves as to what is right and what is just a bunch of BULL!
 

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I’m having more attacks of Panic NOT Buying a than buying. Like standing looking at a $2.75 can of soup that used be $.97 . Then going home without it, or other similar non-purchases. Cupboards & fridge haven’t been so empty since last time I was packing up to move out. Took a chance on 1/2 lb ground beef that was 85% at $5 a pound instead of the 93% for $8 a lb….it was awful, greasy. Next time I want a burger I’ll just go to my favorite local shop.

I don’t think Canadians are sheep. On my numerous visits I found them kind, helpful, civilized and knowledgeable. (Of course I never went to a political demonstration there, but I don’t go to any here either..)
Aunt Bea, Soc Sec payments aren’t altogether level. By paying on a certain Wednesday of the month according too one’s birthday, we occasionally end up having to make it last for a 5 week month. I try to anticipate & plan ahead for that.
 
I don't know since I only shop when I need a few groceries. That said; I'm from Canada and we sometimes have BIG storms. Last month the media went crazy and said that "THE STORM OF THE CENTURY" is coming. I laughed since I knew that news heading was totally silly but you know the media. So, I looked out my window over to the grocery store parking lot. It was so full that you couldn't find a spot to park your car. So, the snow storm came and it went. It was hardly, "The Storm of the Century." Someone told me that perhaps this was a sales idea from the local Chambers of Commerce because it sure got most folks shopping like the snow storm was going to last 6 months.

There have been many comments about Canadians being a "bunch of sheep." I would disagree with this comment. No, we are not all a bunch of sheep; only the majority. A few (trouble makers, I guess) still think for themselves as to what is right and what is just a bunch of BULL!
That Canadian going to work with all that snow on the roof of his car would get a big fat ticket if he drove here in the States with that on his roof and got caught.
 
I don't panic buy, even for covid really. For years I've kept a certain supply of things, not only so I'm prepared if there is a blizzard or a power outage, etc., but because I hate shopping and If I can get a few of one item instead of just one and it saves me another trip or two for that item, it's well worth it to me. We have a small freezer and pantry in the basement laundry room, so we're okay for awhile if we can't get out and shop for some reason. Just a bad snow blizzard will clear the store shelves quickly, nice to not have to panic for anything.
 
i lived pretty rural for some time, after raising a kid in town. once he was off on his own and i was living alone
out rural...i still did the same routine.
i used to go grocery shopping once a month at the AF Commissary, since im a vet. my kid was Home after school
the day he knew i was going to Comm. he was there to unload the bags of feed for humans and critters. LOLOL.

id hit petsmart and the comm and come home with a Load of goods to last a month. during the month id hit a
local store for fruit or veg or some small thing like that but that was it.

id drop 150Plus at petsmart for all the animal feeds id need for dogs cats for a month. if not used then id still
have a good supply thru winter built up.
id put up a full propane tank in Aug when rates were Low.
id get all my tons of hay put up from first cut June and then 3rd cut Sept.
all my 5 firewood cords were stacked by sept.

that way i didnt fret getting these needed things during the, then, hard winters. my driveway was a mile
long...and one part got deep snow. without a plow you did not get out.
with climate today i Know that has changed.

its interesting for some of us that covid didnt change the way of life that much. we stocked for a month
rarely left the home front and made sure we had some food put up. id make a big batch of egg rolls
put them in the 9ft freezer and have them all winter as desired. :):)

people who live on concrete live differently. that might be some of the divisiveness ---damn hard word
to spell!!---some of what separates people today. those who live rural live diff lives than metro city concrete folks.
its a very diff view of the country and daily living.
 
i taught a veteran guy how to survive well on little food money. his wife has just passed, he was now alone.
i watched him carry pizza box after another into his RV knowing each one cost him more than a decent meal.

so. i went shopping. bought him 25.00 worth of food.
doz eggs. tortillas. dry pinto bean bag. bacon. potatos. tomatos onions rice. cant recall what else but
25bucks was my limit for Protein based foods He could cook easily. for 25bucks you dont eat all the taters
so the next week you can add some things to the $25 list.
make a crock of pinto beans you got protein side dish for every meal, just like S of the border.
he was shocked. i did this a few months in a row, saving and giving him the 25.00 receipt.

in no time i stopped seeing the pizza boxes. he was cooking eating and preferring it. he told me
his wife did all the shopping, he didnt know squat and was thankful that now he did.
for 25 bucks one can buy good nutritious simple food. he learned how to shop on his own and eat better.
 
Well, I just actually panic bought 2 pkg of caramels, and
2 pkg of peppermint candy, thought they might
run out of them LOL!!!!!!(plus I had been out of them for
3 days !!!!)
I panic bought two packages of chocolate fudge marshmallow pinwheel cookies and two packages of chocolate caramel cookies filled with caramel fudge because I needed something sweet to eat right away.
 
That Canadian going to work with all that snow on the roof of his car would get a big fat ticket if he drove here in the States with that on his roof and got caught.
That photo is a bit too much. However, I have seen over the years people driving with a large pile of snow on top of their cars and the snow is flying all over the place. I think this is against the law; however, we have had so much cutbacks with the city police and the RCMP that often they are no where in sight for months on end. It's getting to be a bit like the "wild west" around here. It's a good thing that we don't carry guns.
 
I'm sure most remember the beginning of the pandemic. I think people may have learned a lesson and no one went hungry. Plus two supermarkets had printed on their receipts many months later that they would not buy back items overbought because of the pandemic. So for them to do so, you know people were trying to return those 30 cans of beans and packages of pasta they got sick of eating. Jerks.

I never went hungry.

Dumpsters still full. Just watch "Freakin Frugal" or any other dumpster diving video on YouTube.
 
I don't see any signs of panic buying around here. That seemed to be mostly in 2020, when the pandemic was new. But I do see sudden, unpredictable shortages of certain items, which seems to change every week. I think it has more to do with production and shipping problems, particularly from China, which is where most of our (non-food) goods come from.
 


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