Have you been panic buying?

mathsmum

ok - what i don't get is this - we've had news reports about a potential strike for 2? 3? weeks - why has everyone rushed to the pumps now, just cos 'the government said so'?

i admit i'm neurotic about petrol - i need my car for work (have often to take heavy loads so public transport not an option) and son is an actor who can need to be driven to strange locations at a moment's notice. I always refill at half full, and have altered this to refilling at 3/4 full since the strike was first mooted - so i haven't had to join the queues that meant i had to drive son home a different way thursday as they were blocking the way onto a major roundabout

if you want to do the 'prepared' thing - do it off your own initaitive and not cos dc or fm tells you to

erm - why is this in the 'house buying' subsection?

pineapple

I'm not a panic buyer in that I knew there was no strike. But I knew there would be panic buyers and I knew what would be the result.
So if I had had upcoming work/domestic responsibilities and a low tank, what would have been the sensible thing to do?
a) Try to get in first and fill it up more than usual and possibly add to the problem?
b) Risk running out of fuel and getting stuck? (though remember to give your excuses to the boss and your elderly mum when you are stranded at home but feeling ever so virtuous).

Answers on a postcard please! :T

pqrdef

But if we're all going to justify selfish and greedy behaviour by saying that we expect everybody else to be selfish and greedy, and if we don't do the same we'll lose out, then we're finished as a civilisation. We're headed straight back to the jungle.

This is Morality and Ethics 101, The Golden Rule, but most people don't seem to have even got that far nowadays.

Generali

The last time this happened I saw a bloke unpacking 3 water jerry cans (like the picture below) and a lidded bucket all full of fuel from the back seat of his car. He then took is young daughter out of her car seat who had been 'looking after' the petrol. The smell of petrol was terrible.

He had a cigarette in his mouth too but thankfully didn't attempt to light it.

Davesnave

There were two cars queuing at Spar when I went down there to panic buy a few days ago.

"Great!" I thought, "now I can have a bit of the action that I've been seeing on the telly..."

But I was wrong. They were changing the tanks over and folk were just chatting, waiting for that to be accomplished.

So I asked the guy "Are you going to run out soon?"

"Well, us bin a bit busier," he admitted, "so us could run out Monday, perhaps."

"Ah!"

".....But then us is gettin another delivery Tuesday."

It's quite hard to panic people in an area where nearly everyone knows someone with a tractor and a big barrel of red diesel.... :rotfl:

maninthestreet

I went shopping in my local Sainsburys yesterday - the shelves were completely clear of scotch eggs, sausage rolls, pork pies and the like. I asked an assistant what was going on, and they told me people had been picnic buying.

kabayiri

vivatifosi wrote: »

...
By the time I left having paid over £70 for my fuel, the queues were 5 deep again and all of the people around me were putting £10 in, even though there was no crisis. There's nowt queer as folk.

I'm not sure about commenting on people behaviour as a whole though.

An analogy. Most would agree that cats are independently minded creatures. Most cats would have an instinct for self preservation too.

However, trying to herd a load of cats away from a dangerous situation would be nigh on impossible. They would scatter and be all over the place.

I don't always think the collective need aligns with the individuals' needs. It's hard to legislate for individual behaviour.

The only workable solution I could see the government putting forward was an edict stating that no one could buy more than a set amount of fuel (say 20l). The system would then have a rationing control within it, and people would change their consumption behaviour to match. Clearly, it would not be perfect.

kabayiri

pqrdef wrote: »

But if we're all going to justify selfish and greedy behaviour by saying that we expect everybody else to be selfish and greedy, and if we don't do the same we'll lose out, then we're finished as a civilisation. We're headed straight back to the jungle.
...

It's no better in the jungle.

'Chief' has just put the word out that vines are in short supply. There are queues 4 deep at some of the bigger trees.

Umgawa.

poet123

Only for wine!!

pqrdef

kabayiri wrote: »

The only workable solution I could see the government putting forward was an edict stating that no one could buy more than a set amount of fuel (say 20l). The system would then have a rationing control within it, and people would change their consumption behaviour to match. Clearly, it would not be perfect.

The alternative would be rationing by price. I haven't heard of any price-gouging yet, but if the situation continued, I can't see petrol stations resisting the temptation to charge £2 a litre. Enough people would pay it. And if they didn't put prices up, they would only end up supplying a black market.