Panic buying

[Paul.Uni]

So today in the DIY store, most of the changes seemed to work. Most of the customers were sensible with the various changes. Unfortunately the store had to close early because of the sheer amount of people who turned up about half an hour before closing. Most customers were understanding as to why the store shut early, sadly some were not.

[melmerby]

2 hours ago, jjb1970 said:

Mrs JJB visited Aldi this afternoon and reports their shelves are petty much back to normal. However the near adjacent Morrisons still struggling.

 

2 hours ago, Mark Saunders said:

 

Snob value, some people would not be seen dead in Aldi!

 

2 hours ago, jjb1970 said:

 

Not ours, Aldi is now quite the place, I see my GPs in there and most of my neighbour's shop there.

I shop where there are a Morrison's and an Aldi opposite each other and not particularly nice housing estate nearby.

There is definitely a better class of customer in Aldi. (Pity I lower it somewhat)

[adb968008]

Ive panic bought a few model railway bits, in anticipation of this lockdown.

I hope they made the post today, otherwise I guess there is going to be a 3 week delay at least.

 

A lot of ebay ads may disappear tonight, as private sales and the nations model shops consider their options, whilst manufacturers now have to shut down.

 

I hope the retailers survive this shutdown, but it is for the right reasons, and a little overdue.

Edited March 24, 2020 by adb968008

[John Isherwood]

16 minutes ago, adb968008 said:

A lot of ebay ads may disappear tonight, as private sales, and the nations model shops & manufacturers now have to shut down.

 

I didn't hear Boris mention anything about private, or any other kind of, on-line sales.

 

Did I miss something?

 

Regards,

John Isherwood.

[LBRJ]

Round my way Aldi is almost pretty much a cool place to shop, it's been  that way since the financial crisis of 2008 when many people made their first venture there and the habit stuck.

The strange thing is that the ostensibly near identical Lidl doesn't have the same image.

Edited March 23, 2020 by LBRJ

[adb968008]

4 minutes ago, cctransuk said:

 

I didn't hear Boris mention anything about private, or any other kind of, on-line sales.

 

Did I miss something?

 

Regards,

John Isherwood.

Unless your planning to eat the parcel, I don't see how it is essential to be wandering the streets and be posting model railways about.

 

personally, I removed my remaining listings yesterday.. I dont want to be exposing me and my family to risk in a post office. Nor do I want to expose myself to incoming parcels either.

 

The virus can live on cardboard for up to 24 hours, google yourself, how many times will that parcel change hands during the delivery process ?

 

 

by all means selfishly carry on.. but Its safer not to.

Edited March 23, 2020 by adb968008

[John Isherwood]

Just now, LBRJ said:

Round my way Aldi is almost pretty much a cool place to shop, it's been  that way since the financial crisis of 2008 when people first venture there and the habit stuck. The strange thing is that the ostensibly near identical Lidl doesn't have the same image.

 

Yet Lidl has a far more eclectic range of continental products, much loved by the upwardly-mobile and the already-arrived.

 

Around here, (North Cornwall), it is very noticeable that the second-home denizens of Westminster-on-Sea, (Rock and Polzeath), including a certain ex-Prime Minister, have no qualms whatsoever about shopping in the Wadebridge Lidl.

 

John Isherwood.

[Reorte]

6 minutes ago, adb968008 said:

Unless your planning to eat the parcel, I don't see how it is essential to be wandering the streets and be posting model railways about.

 

personally, I removed my remaining listings yesterday.. I dont want to be exposing me and my family to risk in a post office. Nor do I want to expose myself to incoming parcels either.

 

The virus can live on cardboard for up to 24 hours, google yourself, how many times will that parcel change hands during the delivery process ?

 

 

by all means selfishly carry on.. but Its safer not to.

 

Wanting to stay sane is not being selfish. If we're talking for a couple of weeks that's one thing, many months quite different. And how many things will slip through "essential"? Someone at work had a baby a few weeks ago, she'll be needing all sorts of things not usually available in supermarkets or pharmacies (perhaps more likely at a very large supermarket than was once the case but some people live a long way from those).

[LBRJ]

My Post Office is situated right at the back of the local Spar shop, and I have to use the PO Counter; well I do if I wish to have gas for any heating or cooking

[John Isherwood]

5 minutes ago, adb968008 said:

Unless your planning to eat the parcel, I don't see how it is essential to be wandering the streets and be posting model railways about.

 

personally, I removed my remaining listings yesterday.. I dont want to be exposing me and my family to risk in a post office. Nor do I want to expose myself to incoming parcels either.

 

The virus can live on cardboard for up to 24 hours, google yourself, how many times will that parcel change hands during the delivery process ?

 

 

by all means selfishly carry on.. but Its safer not to.

 

It has been officially stated that there is no danger in receiving mail.

 

It has also been officially stated that on-line business may continue.

 

If I have an urgent need for an item that is available on-line, and I am still permitted to do so, I will order it. Safe systems of receiving parcels have been adopted and notified by Royal Mail.

 

Moreover, whilst I remain symptom-free and in self-imposed isolation, I will continue to accept and process orders for transfers, and post them during infrequent essential food shopping trips.

 

Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe this to be wholly within the latest set of restrictions announced by the Prime Minister this evening.

 

John Isherwood.

[adb968008]

1 hour ago, cctransuk said:

 

It has been officially stated that there is no danger in receiving mail.

 

It has also been officially stated that on-line business may continue.

 

If I have an urgent need for an item that is available on-line, and I am still permitted to do so, I will order it. Safe systems of receiving parcels have been adopted and notified by Royal Mail.

 

Moreover, whilst I remain symptom-free and in self-imposed isolation, I will continue to accept and process orders for transfers, and post them during infrequent essential food shopping trips.

 

Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe this to be wholly within the latest set of restrictions announced by the Prime Minister this evening.

 

John Isherwood.

Whilst your exploiting loop holes already for your own gain, dont forget other loop holes exist.

cardboard..

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200317-covid-19-how-long-does-the-coronavirus-last-on-surfaces

Quote

But the NIH study found that the SARS-CoV-2 virus survives for longer on cardboard – up to 24 hours – and up to 2-3 days on plastic and stainless-steel surfaces. 

 

Not everyone uses Royal Mail, measures may vary.

 

The virus can get on your shoes and clothes, no one is disinfecting feet. Theres a remote transmission route there, each time you go out, take off your shoes and hang up a coat.

 

To use an IRA phrase... the virus only needs to get lucky once, you need to get lucky everytime.

 

The definition of infrequent shopping is subjective, but explicity... as infrequently as possible (not as an excuse to nip out to do whatever else you want as a cover story).

 

 just because your symptom free, doesn't imply your not carrying symptomlessly spreading it... which is precisely why we are in lockdown.

 

Boris said tonight “You must stay home Shopping infrequently as possible, one form of exercise a day, any medical need, and travelling to and from work where absolutely essential”.

Theres no need to be tripping out packages every few hours, grabbing a few quid, saying I feel ok and I need a Packet of crisp each time.

Quote

Around here, (North Cornwall), it is very noticeable that the second-home denizens of Westminster-on-Sea, (Rock and Polzeath), including a certain ex-Prime Minister, have no qualms whatsoever about shopping in the Wadebridge Lidl.

 

John Isherwood.

 

its seems a bit hypocritical saying second homers should not be going out, yet somehow doesn't apply to you.

 

lockdown means that.

 

i’m doing my bit, were staying in, shutting down and interacting as little as possible. Reducing need to have packages sent or recieved...its a shame not everyone is doing the same... as its those that could make the difference.

 

The aim is to save lives, predominantly those who are elderly. The economy is being sacrificed for them, one hopes they appreciate it, as the rest of us will be paying for it years after they've, hopefully, naturally gone after an extended life beyond this virus.

 

if everyone does their bit, sit tight, the lockdown will be shorter and normality closer.

 

At least supermarkets might now get chance to stock up.

Edited March 23, 2020 by adb968008

[John M Upton]

I have two ebay items sold and paid for that need to go to the Post Office tomorrow so that will presumably be required to be part of a shopping trip I guess.

 

What a mess....

[47406]

7 hours ago, John M Upton said:

With the news that Macdonald's is shutting down tonight, I have had a report that their 24 hour drive through had a queue of cars almost a mile long earlier!

 

This is getting silly...

 

it may not be as dumb or horrendous as it sounds at first.... after all, mcdonalds food doesn't go off, get moldy or decompose - it may in fact be the best self-preserving "food substitute" the human race has ever invented - will last longer than many things in packages or cans even

 

https://www.today.com/food/mcdonalds-burger-fries-shows-no-sign-rot-after-6-years-t60026

 

[adb968008]

Maybe the now dormant macDonalds delivery lorries could be used as common carriers for supermarket deliveries ?

 

on the subject of lockdown violations, perhaps rather than telling people, who seem set of working around it...  Tax it instead.. if people are found outside, adjust their tax codes to reduce the 80% payment, benefits, pensions etc they are getting... it could be long term alteration too.

Edited March 23, 2020 by adb968008

[The Stationmaster]

5 hours ago, Pacific231G said:

Probably quite simply because she'd always bought them for immediate use and never needed to know how long they'd last. I buy fresh carrots quite often but I couldn't tell you  how long they keep because I've always just bought what I needed right now. They always get used fairly quickly like all the fresh veg that I buy. The clue is in the word fresh.

In normal times the only people who'd really need to know their full shelf life would have been those who grew their own or those in remote areas likely to get cut off.  

But didn't many (most??) people grow their own carrots well within her lifetime with those who didn't have gardens often having an allotment.  We grow carrots although we tend to eat them almost as fast as we pull them but I have stored them in the past with no problems (stored in peat).  But that was home grown ones and ones you buy from shops are not in the same league for storage as they have usually been washed and trimmed unless you can get them at a farmers market.

 

If you grow your own and store them properly you can easily reckon you'll be having your home grown carrots in good condition with your Christmas Dinner so basically you can count storage in months.  When my paternal grandfather was growing some root crops in fairy good quantities those not immediately needed went into proper clamps and would also last for months.  I'd be surprised if contemporary 'fresh carrots' from a supermarket last more that 2 -3 weeks if stored in the fridge.  Put them into a cake and they tend to go very quickly.

[LBRJ]

I am not so sure about this "older generation using fresher stuff" all the time....

 

Both my paternal grandparents were very much Edwardian* country people; my granddad was a Gardener at a number of Big Houses for the best part of 60 years so he was more than pretty clued up what to do. My grandmother had been In Service, in kitchens, so again she was hardly not knowing......

 

One of the greatest joys of her life on moving to the "city" was that "veg n stuff" was available off the shelf, ten minutes walk away, in the spanking new local co-op store (Which is still there!)

[chris p bacon]

2 hours ago, adb968008 said:

on the subject of lockdown violations, perhaps rather than telling people, who seem set of working around it...  Tax it instead.. if people are found outside, adjust their tax codes to reduce the 80% payment, benefits, pensions etc they are getting... it could be long term alteration too.

 

That's fine for those getting the 80%, but for those of us who are self employed the help is the sum of sweet FA.

 

[Pacific231G]

43 minutes ago, The Stationmaster said:

But didn't many (most??) people grow their own carrots well within her lifetime with those who didn't have gardens often having an allotment.  We grow carrots although we tend to eat them almost as fast as we pull them but I have stored them in the past with no problems (stored in peat).  But that was home grown ones and ones you buy from shops are not in the same league for storage as they have usually been washed and trimmed unless you can get them at a farmers market.

 

If you grow your own and store them properly you can easily reckon you'll be having your home grown carrots in good condition with your Christmas Dinner so basically you can count storage in months.  When my paternal grandfather was growing some root crops in fairy good quantities those not immediately needed went into proper clamps and would also last for months.  I'd be surprised if contemporary 'fresh carrots' from a supermarket last more that 2 -3 weeks if stored in the fridge.  Put them into a cake and they tend to go very quickly.

Yes a carrot cake would certainly vanish very quickly if it got anywhere near me (Weren't they originally a wartime idea with the sweetness of the carrots subsituting for that of the very rationed sugar?)

 

Perhaps the woman in question was asking how long "these" carrots would last but if she was, as implied, in her late sixties she came long after the Dig for Victory generation. My mum, who lived to over a hundred, was just about in that generation but she worked all her life and certainly never grew anything. Her father had grown his own stuff, tobacco and peas I can remember but spuds and carrots were probably there too, and, like many railwaymen working shifts, had once had an allotment.  

[LBRJ]

Talking of "older people" and the world being better in the past etc

Its Lady Day tomorrow (weds) so maybe we should all be packing our belongings onto the carter's cart to move to the next village where they are said to earn a shilling a week more....

Edited March 24, 2020 by LBRJ

[Paul.Uni]

So 'hardware stores' are 'essential'.

[LBRJ]

5 minutes ago, Paul.Uni said:

So 'hardware stores' are 'essential'.

 

I would have thought that if you work in one, you know that they sell things that are essential....

but given the staff of our local one Ill not say that........

[Andy Hayter]

4 hours ago, Paul.Uni said:

So 'hardware stores' are 'essential'.

 

If your plumbing springs a leak - yes

If your electric fire blows a fuse - yes

If bad weather damages the building and makes it unsafe, or allows external penetration of the weather - yes.

I might even argue, that if you need to sow  vegetable seeds so that that minimises the number of times you go out to buy fresh food (and I am sadly thinking this set of conditions will last months not weeks) - then yes again.

[Baby Deltic]

New studies have been carried out to find out the cause of all the panic buying and hoarding:

 

 

[melmerby]

A week ago I managed to get a delivery slot for an Asda delivery on Monday 6th April.

I have been trying to secure a delivery slot for the following week but everytime I log in to the calendar (with some difficulty) the next day is always totally booked up, so It looks like I am back to square one and personal shopping.

Not good.

[F-UnitMad]

6 hours ago, Paul.Uni said:

So 'hardware stores' are 'essential'.

I hope your plumbing or central heating doesn't get a problem in the next few weeks. You'd find out how 'essential' a Hardware store is then.