Panic buying

[choo1choo]

 

 

Asda home deliveries here crazy. (South west Wales) Site just goes round in circles and crashes.

 

Went out at 7am for fortnightly shop...everything more or less available but still no sign of any loo rolls ,tissues or Paracetomol .AAAARGGHHH....no booze until 8am!!! Local Coop what are you trying to do to us.

 

 

[Joseph_Pestell]

16 minutes ago, melmerby said:

One thing that seems to be in short supply (amongst many others) is Shredded Wheat but all the sugary things like Frosties and CoCo Pops are still available

Are people actually turning to more healthy items during lockdown?

 

In most supermarkets that I have visited over the last few years, the shelf space devoted to breakfast cereals has been much reduced which suggests sales have declined greatly. Not sure what is replacing them but there seem to be more croissants, muffins, etc than previously.

[polybear]

17 minutes ago, runs as required said:

When outside,  the guy arrived at his passenger window,  dangled a bag and gesticulated for son to lower the window.

He tossed in a paper bag full of 500mg paracetamol styrene push-out sheets saying "A mate had given him loads more than need" and walked off !

 

Be worth checking (as far as is possible) the make etc. - just in case they're iffy ones (not all are, in fairness) off ebay.  It does happen....

[runs as required]

32 minutes ago, melmerby said:

One thing that seems to be in short supply (amongst many others) is Shredded Wheat but all the sugary things like Frosties and CoCo Pops are still available

Are people actually turning to more healthy items during lockdown?

Ah! Takes me back to the old pack with a pic of the sparkling white factory alongside the ECML at Welwyn and the wartime  slogan

"Britons Make It - It Makes Britons"

[jonny777]

Off licences are not bound by the closure restrictions. 

 

[Rugd1022]

Just back from our local Co-Op just round the corner, all the shelves aside from the pasta section are well stocked. Our big Sainsburys a mile or so further out had a queue outside when we drove past but is now closed temporarily with no more cars being allowed into the car park until some have left.

[Fat Controller]

55 minutes ago, Joseph_Pestell said:

 

In most supermarkets that I have visited over the last few years, the shelf space devoted to breakfast cereals has been much reduced which suggests sales have declined greatly. Not sure what is replacing them but there seem to be more croissants, muffins, etc than previously.

Some replacement by croissants etc, but probably a lot of people skipping breakfast entirely.

[Joseph_Pestell]

3 minutes ago, Fat Controller said:

Some replacement by croissants etc, but probably a lot of people skipping breakfast entirely.

Or stopping at a Costa (other brands are available) on the way into work.

[big jim]

10 hours ago, kevinlms said:

How long until a tea leaf comes along and helps themselves?

The beauty of having a ring video doorbell, we had something taken the other week off the step, person in question denyed it, showed them the video and it was returned 

[Joseph_Pestell]

We had a similar experience when a Tesco van wiped out our new gate some years ago. They did not want to know until they realised that we had video footage.

[polybear]

40 minutes ago, big jim said:

The beauty of having a ring video doorbell, we had something taken the other week off the step, person in question denyed it, showed them the video and it was returned 

 

Hopefully you still clobbered the b'stard?

[mezzoman253]

4 hours ago, melmerby said:

Yah

Eventually manage to log in and got a slot, Wednesday 15th April

Booked a delivery pass as well so I needed to add to the shopping list to get to minimum spend - site went down  again.

 

Hi,

We manage to get another slot ,as well, for the 15th. It was a bit better this morning.

 

However, whilst trying to renew our car insurance online, the card was declined and I got a message from the bank saying it had blocked it due to "suspicious activity".

 

Turns out I had 4 transactions with Asda last night, all for the same amount. It appears although these initial attempts were failing, on the screen, they were actually going through. 

 

We've now got to sort that out, but can't get through  to Asda on the phone for obvious reasons. I'm assuming they will use common sense and only take one payment, on the day, and realise what had happened. Time will tell.

 

As an aside, re car insurance, when I went back to doing that after the bank had unblocked the card, the insurance website kept saying I was logged out, although I'd only just logged in. On a hunch I came out of Chrome and used Firefox. All went through smoothly first time.

 

Make of that what you will.  Chrome was up to date.

 

Interesting times.

 

Rob

[Baby Deltic]

Drove past a couple of Lidl stores with people queuing outside so I didn't bother going in being the impatient b'stard that I am. BM Bargains had no queue so I went in there although everyone was keeping clear of everyone else and there were queuing markers to keep people apart.

[John Isherwood]

1 minute ago, Baby Deltic said:

Drove past a couple of Lidl stores with people queuing outside so I didn't bother going in being the impatient b'stard that I am. BM Bargains had no queue so I went in there although everyone was keeping clear of everyone else and there were queuing markers to keep people apart.

 

All supermarkets are now required to limit the number of shoppers inside at any one time.

 

Queues outside will now be the norm, for the forseeable future.

 

John Isherwood.

[Baby Deltic]

Just off to Tesco:

 

 

[Rivercider]

3 hours ago, melmerby said:

One thing that seems to be in short supply (amongst many others) is Shredded Wheat but all the sugary things like Frosties and CoCo Pops are still available

Are people actually turning to more healthy items during lockdown?

I did notice when the panic first set in that reduced salt/sugar baked beans, and unsalted butter were the last to be cleared from the shelves.

 

cheers

[JohnDMJ]

 

3 hours ago, Rugd1022 said:

Just back from our local Co-Op just round the corner, all the shelves aside from the pasta section are well stocked. Our big Sainsburys a mile or so further out had a queue outside when we drove past but is now closed temporarily with no more cars being allowed into the car park until some have left.

 

That must be causing havoc on the Dunchurch Road!!

[melmerby]

2 hours ago, mezzoman253 said:

Hi,

We manage to get another slot ,as well, for the 15th. It was a bit better this morning.

 

However, whilst trying to renew our car insurance online, the card was declined and I got a message from the bank saying it had blocked it due to "suspicious activity".

 

Turns out I had 4 transactions with Asda last night, all for the same amount. It appears although these initial attempts were failing, on the screen, they were actually going through. 

 

 

 

Rob

Do they actually take any money until the order is fulfilled?

The first one I set up has been revised several times in the last 10 days due to items being struck off as OOS.

Each time though it goes through to the bank authorisation page.

Some businesses get pre-approval at the time of ordering.

[Gwiwer]

3 hours ago, Joseph_Pestell said:

Or stopping at a Costa (other brands are available) on the way into work.

Costa was one of the first chains to close seating areas. All their outlets are now completely closed as are Pret a Manger and Nero. Probably others as well. 
 

I popped into M&S after work. It’s not much bigger than a corner shop but with a different range helpfully including good quality fresh fruit and veg 

 

It was me and the staff member and a shop of fully stocked shelves. 
 

Colleagues reported no queuing at either Sainsbury or Lidl and again full shelves. 

[57xx]

14 hours ago, kevinlms said:

How long until a tea leaf comes along and helps themselves?

 

That's why I have an alarm set for 6am on Fridays so I can get stuff in just after he has left them. Not so bothered on other days, it's only 1 pint of milk and will be annoying but not life threatening if stolen.

[jjb1970]

I took my once a day period of exercise at one o'clock and walked to the local retail park where there is a large Morrisons and an Aldi. Went in and both shops were basically back to normal except for bog rolls well after the morning rush. Everybody keeping 2m apart as requested, orderly queuing, no drama at all. Queuing to get in meant it took a little longer, offset by no till queues, probably added less than 5 minutes to what I'd expect on a normal day. 

[andytrains]

On 08/03/2020 at 17:34, rab said:

I was struggling to understand why a flu type virus was

causing panic buying of loo rolls, its not as if its norovirus.

Then I realised, in the good old days we used newspaper,

but a phone or tablet isn't much good for wiping your backside,

and a T.V. even less so 

I don't know. I think somebody has already been wiping it on the TV, when you see some of the sh!te that is broadcast.

Edited March 25, 2020 by andytrains

[LBRJ]

Local Spar and not so local mini Tesco appear to be operating almost normally this afternoon, there was even some bread and other bakery products left on the shelves.

Not a lot of fresh meat or veg left in either, but that kinda pleases me cos the local butcher and greengrocer were also doing good trade, the latter to the extent he was closing early due to having nowt much left to sell.

 

 

 

[mezzoman253]

2 hours ago, melmerby said:

Do they actually take any money until the order is fulfilled?

The first one I set up has been revised several times in the last 10 days due to items being struck off as OOS.

Each time though it goes through to the bank authorisation page.

Some businesses get pre-approval at the time of ordering.

I don't think money is taken until the order is known. As you say things go out of stock and you can add to it too. So it would be daft to take the initial cost and then refund if non-available items.

 

We've not changed ours, so didn't notice the authorisation page again. Hopefully we'll get enough to keep going.

 

There's a Tesco Express just 100 yards down the road, but I'm not going out unless it's really desperate.

 

Rob

Edited March 25, 2020 by mezzoman253

[Colin]

Our local M&S even had some hand wash (but no sanitisers) when I went in today, can’t be bad. Plenty of fresh fruit/veg, bread & dairy stuff but still no packs of pasta. I hope the hoarders all enjoy their nice stodgy diet over the next few weeks!