Forum Topic

Panic buying

What started with masks and hand gel now seems to have spread to all forms of bacterial handwash.  I was sent a photo of one of the big supermarkets today that shows that the entire row of soap was sold out.

John Geoffries ● 1940d29 Comments

No panic buying in Wilkos! 2 pounds for 10 toilet rolls!Plenty left. Shame not more people go into ExchangeToilet roll has never been cheaper!

Nick Gulliford ● 1936d

I was just saying earlier that I reckoned that the marketing of loo paper in rolls and liquid soap encourages people to use much much more than they did when the paper was in cut sheets (there is also soft paper) and we used a bar of soap.  I reckon that my bar of coal tar soap has lasted at least three times as long as the liquid soap which I don't use and hate because it smells so strong..

Philippa Bond ● 1936d

One good outcome could be that people wash their hands more often ...

Bunny Payne ● 1936d

Well David I don't want to wipe my bottom on the computer thank you very much. Ha Ha.

Barbara Stevens ● 1936d

Izal most definitely wasn't absorbent!

Lucille Grant ● 1936d

Bunny it was dreadful, how a small packet lasted so long I do not know.

Barbara Stevens ● 1936d

‘ the selfish idiots who indulged in panic buying ...’Exactly why I suggested it unwise to advertise specific shortages

Jane Carter ● 1936d

Izal made good tracing paper or with a comb you could make a kazoo.

Philippa Bond ● 1936d

@Barbara, we had Izal at school, you had to do a special kind of scrumple up with it until you could use it, otherwise (without going into too much detail) it was useless!!

Bunny Payne ● 1936d

Barbara, did have an inside loo, but remember that toilet paper more like wiping with tin foil so rough.

Barbara Stevens ● 1936d

You'll definitely want loo paper for Norovirus.  I've only seen one report of COVID-19 possibly causing diarrhoea.

Philippa Bond ● 1936d

"I seem to remember that from when I was a child - more like greaseproof paper: not very soft or absorbent ... even that seems unavailable now!"Well, finally the computer revolution has produced the paperless society, as we were promised!

David Ainsworth ● 1936d

I seem to remember that from when I was a child - more like greaseproof paper: not very soft or absorbent ... even that seems unavailable now!

Michael Ixer ● 1936d

I have no idea what Izal is but a quick search shows it used to be available on Amazonhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/IZAL-MEDICATED-STRONG-TOILET-TISSUE/dp/B00FRK2RCC/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

Matt Palmer ● 1936d

Good point Matt! It did occur to me that hording hand gel might work against the spread of COVID-19. If some can't obtain protection against infection from surfaces then those that contract the virus from that source will provide a greater source of airborne infection for the selfish idiots who indulged in panic buying ...(Hope the XR canvassing went well yesterday.)

Michael Ixer ● 1936d

Barbara..  You're showing your age!  When I was very little, my job was to tear newspaper into squares and thread it on string and hang it up in outside loo.  No loo roll then! can remember when we first got Izal. Don't think younger generation would appreciate it much

Barbara Shillabeer ● 1936d

We're talking about a country where people called the police when KFC ran out of chicken.... panic buying is hardly a surprisehttps://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/police-urge-stop-calling-kfc-chicken-shortage-dhl-tower-hamlets-a8220321.html

Matt Palmer ● 1936d

Its all been grossly overhyped as have other global health panics generated by the media in the past. Panic buying of loo rolls just shows the degree of recessive fear in an otherwise intelligent populous. The media - tv and print - not forgetting the politicians have much to answer for. Does anyone remember the discredited hype hammered out by the morning tv pundits over the MMR jab, and now look where we are with mumps et.al.

Clifford Cowell ● 1936d

Yes on facebook an article about hand gels being sold on line for £18.00. No problem in Sainsbury's in Fulham yesterday still many toilet rolls. Cosco's a lot of items people buy in bulk as then sold in corner shops. Have to cut up your Financial Times newspaper and use instead, or go back to Bronco or Izal.

Barbara Stevens ● 1936d

Hello Jane, I have been thinking about your post and I really do wonder... The press has been covering the shortages widely so including comments here are not going to change or influence things.  If you wish to stock up in case of shortages, I would have thought that tinned food, pasta, rice, bottled water and frozen food would be at the forefront as sanitizing gels that have been sold out.  But loo paper? Let us think about the virus.  It has so far affected 0.09% of British population.  While I agree many people use loo paper as tissues, you only need tissue paper if you are having a bad cold/flu...  But 0.09% of the population?  London has 29 confirmed cases with conoravirus out of 9M population????? Sanitizing gels I could understand a bit more but, why not wear gloves if you do not have a chance to wash your hands soon enough? Flour was also sold out.  But so were some fresh greens.....   Then the nasty side, or cynic side of me, had a thought.  Are/were people not buying things like mad and then selling them online at vast profits?  It is a horrific thought, I grant you, but due to recent developments, I do not think this is a far-fetched thought.

Ivonne Holliday ● 1937d

Some people don't keep any store cupboard essentials and either eat out or eat ready meals.  I suspect a lot of people will be making sure that they don't have to go out so often.  If they are ill they won't be able to go out.We use loo roll instead of tissues when we have a cold and then we can flush them which you can't do with any other paper.

Philippa Bond ● 1937d

Well it's good to know where NOT to shop.  I tried to book a Sainsbury online delivery this eve for tomorrow.... no delivery slots available until Sunday!Those disinfectant wipes for floors and general cleaning are just as good and I used a couple today on my journey to and back from London Bridge.  Handy for pressing buttons and holding onto rails.  As well as a quick hand wipe and across your phone or tablet.

Bunny Payne ● 1939d

It s total madness. I'd better tell my husband to only use two or three squares at a time to conserve it LOL.Seriously though, what is wrong with people?!!  Just.wash.your.hands! Blowing and sneezing into a hanky wouldn't hurt either.

Maxine Campbell ● 1939d

I realise that it was unintentional but I don't think it's a good idea to post descriptions of these shortages on a public forum. It  merely promotes the panic buying you are rightly complaining about. If people bought only what they needed and when they needed it, there would not be so many shortages.

Jane Carter ● 1939d

Ask Lewis Hamilton when Vettel's trying to overtake him. Cause they didn't panic, they're calm and in control, David 🙂 

Michael Ixer ● 1940d

"But a number of things weren't in stock (no organic chickpeas!)"Do vegans have the energy to panic, then?

David Ainsworth ● 1940d

Fortunately our Ocado order had our loo rolls - and the cat litter Felicity likes! But a number of things weren't in stock (no organic chicvkpeas!) or were substituted ... sometimes with unwanted versions. Interesting, as someone pointed out this morning on R4, the Yellowhammer contingency planning done for Brexit may not all go to waste now!

Michael Ixer ● 1940d

We went to Sainsbury's in Putney and I looked in utter horror at the loo paper aisles totally empty, bacterial hand wash disappeared and it looked (almost) like Venezuelan supermarkets.  Frightening to say the least!

Ivonne Holliday ● 1940d

I just went to Lidl on Plough Lane. Completely sold out of toilet roll, almost no pasta, all sugar gone and half tinned food sold. All semi-skimmed UHT milk also gone. 
Customers ahead of us had huge quantities of tins and sugar. Quite remarkable to see 

Sean Hodges ● 1940d