Coronavirus (COVID-19) Panic Buying?

[lovetravellingoz]

Indeed, I get the impression Aussies are too busy emptying supermarket shelves to go on holiday!
cheers skip

Not at the supermarkets I frequent. And at Costco, when don't shoppers here have full trollies?

I think it is more that hand sanitiser has a run on.

 

[Denali]

Im going to say a naughty word so block your ears, Pushka.

To the people in Coles or Woolies or ??? who reduce their check out staff to tears, cough you. I was just in Coles and one of the ladies that Ive seen for years was in tears because she abused over coughing toilet paper or mince or purchase limits or whatever. There are 3 beefy guys at the front of the store, there are beefy guys wandering the check outs. There are trolleys full of items that people have either put back, couldnt afford or was over the limit - these items have to be sorted and returned by staff every day. This is all unnecessary - we have plenty in the country, just need to figure out the framework to get it on the shelf but stop abusing staff who are showing up, on their feet all day, exposed to more germs than a daycare centre and go home exhausted, oniy to turn around and do it all again 12hrs later.

AND...... takes breath

Hubbys friend texted me at 6am because he got home with a premie baby 2 weeks ago, has a toddler and a wife dealing with all the good stuff that comes after giving birth and hes tried for a few days to buy meat and no luck. I know this friend deals with the black dog, told hubby to phone him and I was on my way to the shops (butcher opens at 7 and I would wait to check out Coles for him) to get would I could otherwise to come to our house for some stuff. WTF are people doing with all this stuff they are hoarding?

 

[get me outta here]

Some people are behaving very badly. But, I don't understand how there is such a failure on the shops/delivery/supply end of goods that are made in Aus apparently as we are told repeatedly and still not getting TP etc onto the shelves. They have definitely exacerbated this problem with goods being sold out now for weeks.
And, we are told to stay home, so of course risk averse anxious people, and those who have been caught short need to stock up.

This in no way excuses the awful behaviours of some. I really feel for those innocents, workers, etc etc caught in the middle. This is in part an almost total logistics failure.

I have never operated a 'just in time' shop so I have no stocking concerns.

 

[amaroo]

Some people are behaving very badly. But, I don't understand how there is such a failure on the shops/delivery/supply end of goods that are made in Aus apparently as we are told repeatedly and still not getting TP etc onto the shelves. They have definitely exacerbated this problem with goods being sold out now for weeks.
And, we are told to stay home, so of course risk averse anxious people, and those who have been caught short need to stock up.

This in no way excuses the awful behaviours of some. I really feel for those innocents, workers, etc etc caught in the middle. This is in part an almost total logistics failure.

I have never operated a 'just in time' shop so I have no stocking concerns.

They were hit hard when 7 days worth of supply was purchased in one day, The distribution centres, transport and stores can't cope with that amount of catchup when the behaviour is repetitive.

Stores that operate with a suburban footprint are further disadvantage due to restrictive noise curfews - no deliverers between certain hours, some as strict as 6pm - 7am.

There's plenty of stock, but getting it distributed is the real problem..... of course, if people stop hoarding - problem solved.

 

[Pushka]

Some people are behaving very badly. But, I don't understand how there is such a failure on the shops/delivery/supply end of goods that are made in Aus apparently as we are told repeatedly and still not getting TP etc onto the shelves. They have definitely exacerbated this problem with goods being sold out now for weeks.
And, we are told to stay home, so of course risk averse anxious people, and those who have been caught short need to stock up.

This in no way excuses the awful behaviours of some. I really feel for those innocents, workers, etc etc caught in the middle. This is in part an almost total logistics failure.

I have never operated a 'just in time' shop so I have no stocking concerns.

Just in time never factors in crises or even supply issues. Maybe that will change.

 

[tgh]

It will end..in a week the shops will be overflowing.
There may/will be a second wave of genuine shortages when the workforce depletes with infection.. caveat emptor….

 

[Denali]

Im limited by the size of my fridge freezer but even frozen desserts are limited to 2 per person

Are people planning on survivng the virus with a touch of diabeties with their pasta? Their plan is to survive sittng on the couch with their Almond Magnums?

 

[Denali]

Friend in Nelson Bay fojnd toilet paper today.

I noticed the oldies at Coles 7am golden hour. Nothing crazy. Box of cereal, bottle of milk, one giuy had 2 carton of eggs only so doesnt look like Granny is being dragged down there yet by the younger family members wonder if being a weekday made a difference.

Saw one lady who was obviously a carer with someone who looked like they needed a carer - that person wouldn thave had a chance if she didnt have that 1hr window.

 

[opusman]

Im limited by the size of my fridge freezer but even frozen desserts are limited to 2 per person

Are people planning on survivng the virus with a touch of diabeties with their pasta? Their plan is to survive sittng on the couch with their Almond Magnums?

I'm not sure there's much planning going into it.

 

[ja1]

They were hit hard when 7 days worth of supply was purchased in one day, The distribution centres, transport and stores can't cope with that amount of catchup when the behaviour is repetitive.

You almost got the units right.

Woolworths advised they are selling 7 _weeks_ of toilet paper daily.

There is almost no business or for that matter any engineering (bridges, roads) that are designed to cope with usage/demand that is 50 times higher than the normal usage). Not twice or 10 times as much but 50 times as much.

It really boggles the mind.

I was in Woolies yesterday and in a relatively affluent area. I'd never seen so many empty shelves.

I got a laugh on the way out as I asked if this was the queue for not having any potatoes or the queue for not having any meat.. as I was bored with queueing for no potatoes..

There were approx 30 Woolies staff working in a shop that I'd rarely seen more than 10 on a normal restock night (i.e Tue night for Wednesday specials changeover)

 

[Lawrage]

Almost at my wits end with this whole thing. Annoyed at people stripping the shelves bare, annoyed with the shops for not restocking the shelves.

No beef or mince of any kind yesterday afternoon, no chips in the freezer section and no Corn Flakes for the little ones breakfast.

As for Coles / Woolies, I saw pallets in the middle of the aisles full of stock just not on the shelves yet, can they spend some money and get the food restocked.

The shops not restocking the shelves fast enough is causing a flow on effect and even normal people are going to be buying more causing an even longer period where we cant get things.

 

[blackcat20]

Almost at my wits end with this whole thing. Annoyed at people stripping the shelves bare, annoyed with the shops for not restocking the shelves.

No beef or mince of any kind yesterday afternoon, no chips in the freezer section and no Corn Flakes for the little ones breakfast.

As for Coles / Woolies, I saw pallets in the middle of the aisles full of stock just not on the shelves yet, can they spend some money and get the food restocked.

The shops not restocking the shelves fast enough is causing a flow on effect and even normal people are going to be buying more causing an even longer period where we cant get things.

I heard a staff member saying there was no point restocking the goods they had onto the shelf cos they would just sell out. But really, does it matter if it sells out at 7pm, or 7am the next day?

 

[Pushka]

I heard a staff member saying there was no point restocking the goods they had onto the shelf cos they would just sell out. But really, does it matter if it sells out at 7pm, or 7am the next day?

If they have their item restriction in place then put the damn things on the shelf.

 

[Lawrage]

I heard a staff member saying there was no point restocking the goods they had onto the shelf cos they would just sell out. But really, does it matter if it sells out at 7pm, or 7am the next day?

If people go into the shops and the shelves arent bare they are much less likely to start panicking and stock piling. People keep saying there is heaps of supplies in warehouses but that doesnt help everyday people trying to buy dinner for the family.

Shops will be raking it in at the moment, they should be incentivising employees or getting in more people to stock the shelves.

 

[33kft]

I heard a staff member saying there was no point restocking the goods they had onto the shelf cos they would just sell out. But really, does it matter if it sells out at 7pm, or 7am the next day?

They aren't building houses here, there is no end product for the supermarkets other than bare shelves. The whole point of their enterprise is to sell staple items to the population. If that means they need to restock the shelves at the end of the day well that's the whole point.

It's an incredibly odd sentiment to me. Do they not realise the reason they sell out is because they can't keep up with demand?

 

[dajop]

Going to ask a question because I have no direct experience , not being there. My mother mentioned she was able to get mince for my sister - family of 6, from the butcher, and the local more boutique, but 30-50% dearer IGA had plenty of stocks of most things. Also the local fruit and veg stores had plentiful supply. Does this also indicate that people also should get back to supporting local businesses, or is this just an exception where they live?

Also, wonder how this is playing out in more remote areas (such as Broken Hill, Kununnura, Bourke, Tennant Creek etc) -less panic than cities? What about cyclone prone areas in th north , are people better equipped because they never know when a cyclone might come through and thus do have a supply of rations?

 

[drron]

They are getting more people in stocking the shelves.every recent visit to supermarkets I have noticed a lot of staff restocking-really couldn't have any more as little room to move.
And they are hiring more.A recent email from Coles-
"To help us continue to offer the best possible service to customers during this busy time, we are recruiting an additional 5,000 casual team members to join our supermarkets across Australia. This will allow us to serve more customers and replenish shelves faster, while offering employment opportunities for Australians in industries impacted by COVID-19. We'll be fast-tracking inductions so we can boost the number of team members on the shop floor as quickly as possible. "

The blame lies sqarely on the idiots stockpiling.Plus there is still the Daigou operating.When in bundy there were obvious Chinese shoppers-at least 8 in one group.each one had a 16 pack of toot paper and outside loaded into 2 vans.
Reports of busloads of shoppers descending on rural supermarkets in Victoria.
3 weeks ago toot paper was available in our supermarkets on the Sunny Coast.Overnight they all were empty.

Please stop shooting the messengers.

 

[Pushka]

If people go into the shops and the shelves arent bare they are much less likely to start panicking and stock piling. People keep saying there is heaps of supplies in warehouses but that doesnt help everyday people trying to buy dinner for the family.

Shops will be raking it in at the moment, they should be incentivising employees or getting in more people to stock the shelves.

That is a great point. I have stocked up but in reality could only last 2 weeks for food. So that's all the space I have. But it's frightening looking at the bare shelves and thinking maybe I should do more! I don't but can understand why some might.

Post automatically merged: Mar 18, 2020

Going to ask a question because I have no direct experience , not being there. My mother mentioned she was able to get mince for my sister - family of 6, from the butcher, and the local more boutique, but 30-50% dearer IGA had plenty of stocks of most things. Also the local fruit and veg stores had plentiful supply. Does this also indicate that people also should get back to supporting local businesses, or is this just an exception where they live?

Also, wonder how this is playing out in more remote areas (such as Broken Hill, Kununnura, Bourke, Tennant Creek etc) -less panic than cities? What about cyclone prone areas in th north , are people better equipped because they never know when a cyclone might come through and thus do have a supply of rations?

No, a friend told me her supermarkets in a country beach part of SA were stripped bare last weekend. But city folk are making their way down there according to reports. IGA and Foodland have drastically increased their prices now. Couldn't believe the cost of fresh veggies this morning. Am making a gallon of chicken vegetable soup sometime this week.

 

[luxury-lizard]

I presume many/most people saw the PM's address to the nation this morning - among many other things he told Australians to stop hoarding and start acting like real Australians. While I'm certainly not the president of ScoMo's fan club - I thought his speak showed some real leadership.

The question is will this stop the hoarding - I'm not so sure. One reporter asked if some sort of anti-hoarding legislation would be introduced - he said he seriously hoped that it would not be required and people would start acting sensibly.

 

[Denali]

Going to ask a question because I have no direct experience , not being there. My mother mentioned she was able to get mince for my sister - family of 6, from the butcher, and the local more boutique, but 30-50% dearer IGA had plenty of stocks of most things. Also the local fruit and veg stores had plentiful supply. Does this also indicate that people also should get back to supporting local businesses, or is this just an exception where they live?

Also, wonder how this is playing out in more remote areas (such as Broken Hill, Kununnura, Bourke, Tennant Creek etc) -less panic than cities? What about cyclone prone areas in th north , are people better equipped because they never know when a cyclone might come through and thus do have a supply of rations?

My local butcher is 1kgs of mince for $15 but its the quality mince. Coles cheaper mince grade is $10 per kilo.

I bought from both and told hubbys friend to contact us if he becomes desperate again.

 

[Lawrage]

My local butcher is 1kgs of mince for $15 but its the quality mince. Coles cheaper mince grade is $10 per kilo.

I bought from both and told hubbys friend to contact us if he becomes desperate again.

Even the fancy butcher across from our local Farmer Jacks was out of mince when I went at lunch time yesterday

Post automatically merged: Mar 18, 2020

So right now I have meats in the fridge from our weekly shop on Saturday but come Saturday morning we will be out and need to go weekly shopping again. Slightly worried of what I will find at the shops.

Getting to the stage where I wont be able to plan my meals for the week but have to look at what is in the shops and plan my meals around what I can get.