Have you been panic buying?

ruggedtoast

As a family in Cheadle set fire to eachother decanting petrol over a bunsen burner, Cameron and Maude cackle at the carnage they have wrought in forecourts across the country, and George Obsorne's shares in jerry can conglomerates just go up and up at the expense of the little person.

Have YOU been panic buying, are you planning to this weekend or will you save it til Easter?

Also, margarine tubs or tupperware, which are best for storing petroleum based emergency supplies; and should it go in the fridge?

Tell us your stories.

SecondLegDownIsTheBigOne

I've been panic buying houses, with petrol being stockpiled in the home under the genius advice of posh people from another planet, houses can only go up.

wymondham

Why panic buy - whats the panic? Supply is as normal with no strike even set, indeed looks to have receeded. It's the person driving past a queuing petrol station thinking 'they know something i dont' and feeling compelled to join!

How much fuel has been wasted by people sitting in queues in the last few days?

North Norfolk apparently has no fuel now ..... for no valid reason!

shows how easy it is to cause chaos with a few words...

ruggedtoast

Chaos in North Norfolk!

AMG762

Well i have to admit buying slightly more fuel than normal a couple of days ago.

It was nothing to do with the strikes as i knew the 7 days notice had not been given for them.

It was purely because when i drove by the filling stations and seeing the queues i knew full well that they would run out of fuel. Which they have done. And i now have enough fuel to take the children out this weekend and will buy more when its available again next week.

sammyjammy

I put half a tank in my car yesterday as usual, had to drive to three forecourts before I found one that had any petrol, its laughable.

ruggedtoast

I usually top my tank up to the top and run it down to a 1/4 of a tank as my fuel gauge is about as reliable as the Royal Mail.

I filled up at 1/2 a tank this time though but it took me a while to find a station that had fuel and didn't have an immense queue.

This is by far the first time down here that I've had trouble getting fuel, a lot of the garages are Shell, who seem to be next to useless at supplying their forecourts even when there isn't some sort of panic on. I don't even bother going to the big shell station near where I work anymore as their "out of use" signs on unleaded seem to be a near permanent fixture, they don't even seem to be able to keep the coffee machine stocked up despite the "Coffee Republic" banners flapping away outside.

pineapple

Fortunately I had just had my usual monthly fill up before it kicked off so no I didn't change my buying pattern.
But if I had been working or otherwise really relied on my car and had half a tank left - would I have tried to fill up? Possibly. Or if I normally bought £20 worth at a time would I have upped it to say £40? Definitely. The thing is when you see the signs of queuing and panic buying building all around you and irrespective of whether you think it's founded/unfounded are you seriously going to risk being one of those who had to abandon their car or queue for an eternity to get a meagre amount? Because that also makes you a bit of a numpty IMO. Some consolation feeling all smug and virtuous if you are stuck at home or your car is abandoned in a layby somewhere.
The trick is to keep your eye on the ball and get in there first. Sorry if that's not a politically correct answer.
Certainly until this dispute is resolved I will be keeping it at least half full. I might even continue with that. Isn't that the answer anyway? Ie as a general rule not to let it get too low in the first place.

DervProf

My last vist to fill up (and I mean fill up - it is now costing about £90 to fill from just under 1/4 of a tank) was on 12th March. My next fill up will be around the middle of next week, and that is what I intend to do.

I had mixed emotions as I got stuck in traffic around filling stations over the last couple of days. I was annoyed at people's stupidity and greed, but I was also amused by their sheepish behaviour. I bet if you asked most of these people what they think about politicians, they'd say they didn't believe a word they say. Well, they certainly believed what was said about filling up, because there they were, wasting time in a queue, and delaying people who genuinely did need to fill up.

I do expect that there will be queues if a strike is announced, but as of three or four days ago, no strike was confirmed, and even it it were, it would have been at least a week away.

ruggedtoast

Apparently filling stations are all based around just in time (unless you are Shell) delivery, and it would appear that a lot of people get by on just putting 10 or 20 quid in at a go. Suddenly all these people want to fill their tanks instead and the system collapses.

Petrol prices are only going one way.

jamespir

i have been panic buying chocolate you never know when were gonna have a shortage