Anyone stocking up on foods due to the virus?

[Teacher Terry]

Just shopping monthly like always.

[Alan]

I think there's a difference between "stocking up" and "hoarding". Nobody would think twice about someone buying a quarter or half of a cow from a farmer, having it cut into steaks and burgers, and parking it all in the freezer, but buying an extra roast or two at the store when you're there is "foolishness"? Okay.

When a large store such as my local Kroger cannot keep some items in stock due to people buying lots and lots of their favorite staples, that's not stocking up. I would consider the removal of every item from a pasta section of 60 linear feet x's 5 shelves due to fear of not being able to get it later, and those same shelves being sparse at best for over a month despite the fact that the store had to hire extra stockers, to be the result of foolish stockpiling. Perhaps others wouldn't, but I've never seen anything like it.

[JaneV2.0]

I restock when I have the opportunity--I don't think excessively. I have a tiny freezer, but I won't starve any time soon.

[happystuff]

When a large store such as my local Kroger cannot keep some items in stock due to people buying lots and lots of their favorite staples, that's not stocking up.

I agree but, as I stated when I bumped this thread up, I'm talking about "stocking up", not "hoarding". For example, instead of 2 cans of peas last week, I bought 4. Next shopping trip, I may do the same with green beans.

[SteveinMN]

When a large store such as my local Kroger cannot keep some items in stock due to people buying lots and lots of their favorite staples, that's not stocking up. I would consider the removal of every item from a pasta section of 60 linear feet x's 5 shelves due to fear of not being able to get it later, and those same shelves being sparse at best for over a month despite the fact that the store had to hire extra stockers, to be the result of foolish stockpiling. Perhaps others wouldn't, but I've never seen anything like it.

Very few of us have seen anything like this.

It's interesting that people keep cleaning out the pasta aisle at your Kroger. Maybe there are many more people eating at home now. Or maybe people are rejiggering budgets now that their incomes are lower. Or maybe the management at your store is not good at inventory management or at making signs that limit the quantity of products that customers may purchase. Or maybe Riviana or Barilla or Mueller's has had production or transportation issues near Ohio. Or maybe Occam is right.

With the exception of temporary outages at the three stores at which I've been shopping, I've seen adequate supplies of paper towels, toilet paper, soap, pasta, milk -- everything but disinfectant wipes. There are some limits to purchases. But I still see product on the shelves. Huh.

[Teacher Terry]

We haven’t been to any stores with empty shelves.

[ApatheticNoMore]

When this started, yes whole pasta aisles were empty, stuff was raided, but it's gotten better. TP and paper towels are still hit and miss, but I haven't worried about TP since I ordered two dozen of the industrial size rolls.

[early morning]

I've been to our local Kroger's (2 different ones) once each since this all started, wandering around while waiting on scripts, and I saw the same thing as Alan. BUT - I shop almost exclusively at ALDI, where I have not seen bare shelves, although quantities are limited on some things. TP is still an issue many places (not for me, thanks to Catherine - What the Crap came through for us- THANKS MUCH for the tip!!) although not as bad as it was. Facial tissues are everywhere, if you want the sort made from sandpaper, but real Kleenex and their half-brother Scotties are in very short supply. Friends tell me that Meijer and Wallys are pretty well stocked, and were for the entire time. Which does leave one to wonder about Kroger's inventory controls.

When it comes to food storage, I've been influenced by my LDS friends, so I generally get anxious if I don't have at least enough food to get us by for a month or so. I shop maybe 2x a month, or 3 times over two months lately, so yes, I do stock up - but I don't see it has hoarding.

[jp1]

The safeway by us is pretty normal now. Occasionally random things are out of stock or very limited availability, but not any particular items consistently. One weird thing I noticed last time though. Normally the butter here is the short fat sticks. Last time I bought butter, though, it was the long skinny sticks. Our butter dishes will accommodate both types just fine so I went ahead and got some.

[bae]

Very few of us have seen anything like this.

It's been quite common at our island's market - pasta, rice, flours, soups of many sorts, paper products, butter, eggs, sausages, bacon - all in very short supply, often with big chunks of aisles empty.