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My 23 year old daughter went to Target today because she was getting antsy. When she was walking in a older guy with a walker asked her if she would check if there was any toilet paper, dry cereal or canned soup left since he didn't want to walk all the way into the store only to find empty shelves. He gave her his cell number and waited in his car. She cried when she hung up after telling him those shelves were bare. She also witnessed and called security on a woman who ripped a package of baby wipes out of the hands of a young mother holding an infant. In this case security told the lady to give them back, telling the lady he had seen her yesterday buying a carton of wipes so her claim that she needed them more than the mom with the infant was untrue. My daughter bought herself a bag of pretzels and saw a large well stocked display of a lip balm she needed. Another woman came up to her and told her, "I need those." My daughter said, "They're right there," pointing to the display. "No," the lady said. I want the ones in your hand.

This is why I did not leave the house today.

busterbill wrote:My 23 year old daughter went to Target today because she was getting antsy. When she was walking in a older guy with a walker asked her if she would check if there was any toilet paper, dry cereal or canned soup left since he didn't want to walk all the way into the store only to find empty shelves. He gave her his cell number and waited in his car. She cried when she hung up after telling him those shelves were bare. She also witnessed and called security on a woman who ripped a package of baby wipes out of the hands of a young mother holding an infant. In this case security told the lady to give them back, telling the lady he had seen her yesterday buying a carton of wipes so her claim that she needed them more than the mom with the infant was untrue. My daughter bought herself a bag of pretzels and saw a large well stocked display of a lip balm she needed. Another woman came up to her and told her, "I need those." My daughter said, "They're right there," pointing to the display. "No," the lady said. I want the ones in your hand.

This is why I did not leave the house today.

What is the matter with people???

A reflection perhaps of the society they live in, and its response to the situation?

While suoermarkets were busy here and people were buying a bit more than usual, I haven't witnessed anyone going mental. One comment I heard in Tesco in Kilrush was 'Hello Mary, are stocking up for the famine?' which in my mind was an adequate piss-take (and the Mary in question didn't really have the trolley overfilled, to be honest).

Perhaps because the government here was clear in the information it has provided right from the start and responding in a way that appears adequate and to the point so far. People with flu like symptoms all get tested just to be on the safe side and to keep a handle on the spread of the virus. Safety measures are put in place.

Not sure where the notion you need to stock up on toilet rolls came from, it seems a bit of an odd response, perhaps that is what reading facebook does to you?

Mr.Gumby wrote:Not sure where the notion you need to stock up on toilet rolls came from, it seems a bit of an odd response, perhaps that is what reading facebook does to you?

Good question. I read microbiologist Keith Warriner quoted as speculating that people are confusing coronavirus with norovirus. That could explain it.

It's about giving yourself a sense of being in control of at least one aspect of a situation that is, unknown, uncertain and which you have no influence on at all. It calms the anxiety, a bit. But why toiletpaper, it beats me.

And why are there no reports of shortages of the one product that absolutely everyone can agree is one of the most helpful under the circumstances: hand soap?

Toilet paper madness seems to prevail around here as well although I've noticed it seems to hit the big box stores like costco more than the local supers. Costco if you don't know stocks large quantities of stuff like packages of 24 paper towels 16 pounds of oats, that sort of thing. We can never go there because our house isn't big enough. They seem to have really mad rushes. Something about them already being for people for whom "enough" means "way more than enough."

Herd mentality/madness.
People see others hoarding and going mad for toilet paper, so they fear that they might not have enough. I usually buy in the bulk packs once every few months.

I did a quick count. Near as I can estimate, I have enough to last me through the first of May. I'm not going to buy any extra. If we can't get toilet paper in May, we have bigger problems than how I'm going to clean my arse.

And why are there no reports of shortages of the one product that absolutely everyone can agree is one of the most helpful under the circumstances: hand soap?

Soap isn't a problem here, heaps of that. Hand sanitisers though, the alcohol based gels, they should not be unavailable (as they have been for several weeks now). i had a few small bottles, carry one in my jacket pocket to clean before and/or after going into a shop etc but I have nearly gone through that supply. Some places like libraries, and a concert venue (last week, before they all shut up shop) had them available at the entry for public use but most places who want/need the stuff are unable to get it and shops can't get the supplies. I managed to score a half litre dispenser of hospital grade virucidal hand gel three weeks ago, sheer luck. But I have seen it available otherwise for nearly a month now.

busterbill wrote:Another woman came up to her and told her, "I need those." My daughter said, "They're right there," pointing to the display. "No," the lady said. I want the ones in your hand.

That's just insane. What makes an item in someone else's possession more attractive than a well-stocked display, close to hand, of the same thing? Besides, for all the woman knew, your daughter might have already been carrying the virus.

busterbill wrote:She also witnessed and called security on a woman who ripped a package of baby wipes out of the hands of a young mother holding an infant. In this case security told the lady to give them back, telling the lady he had seen her yesterday buying a carton of wipes so her claim that she needed them more than the mom with the infant was untrue.

Once we start thinking it's okay to prey upon each other, that's a sad day indeed. Might as well erase the word "society" from our vocabulary.

benhall.1 wrote:What is the matter with people???

Fear.

Thank you everyone.

benhall.1 wrote:

busterbill wrote:My 23 year old daughter went to Target today because she was getting antsy. When she was walking in a older guy with a walker asked her if she would check if there was any toilet paper, dry cereal or canned soup left since he didn't want to walk all the way into the store only to find empty shelves. He gave her his cell number and waited in his car. She cried when she hung up after telling him those shelves were bare. She also witnessed and called security on a woman who ripped a package of baby wipes out of the hands of a young mother holding an infant. In this case security told the lady to give them back, telling the lady he had seen her yesterday buying a carton of wipes so her claim that she needed them more than the mom with the infant was untrue. My daughter bought herself a bag of pretzels and saw a large well stocked display of a lip balm she needed. Another woman came up to her and told her, "I need those." My daughter said, "They're right there," pointing to the display. "No," the lady said. I want the ones in your hand.

This is why I did not leave the house today.

What is the matter with people???

And this is only the beginning... wait a couple months (especially once the economy starts reflecting all this...).

Tunborough wrote:And why are there no reports of shortages of the one product that absolutely everyone can agree is one of the most helpful under the circumstances: hand soap?

Where I live, there is.

And, oddly enough the other day, one store was cleaned out of onions (???), and at another I saw toilet cleaner was getting low (some people clearly have very different priorities than I do...).

Nanohedron wrote:

busterbill wrote:Another woman came up to her and told her, "I need those." My daughter said, "They're right there," pointing to the display. "No," the lady said. I want the ones in your hand.

That's just insane. What makes an item in someone else's possession more attractive than a well-stocked display, close to hand, of the same thing? Besides, for all the woman knew, your daughter might have already been carrying the virus.

Good tactic. If someone comes up to you and tries to take what you have, promptly cough on it.


Unfortunately for me, now is the time that I actually need to buy toilet paper (having inherited some large packs from my mother when she died, I have literally not had to buy it for a year and a half). Figures.

Good tactic. If someone comes up to you and tries to take what you have, promptly cough on it.

Interestingly enough the kid has severe asthma and thought a trip to a Target with a self checkout could provide her with an outing where she could keep social distance and keep from going stir crazy. She is experiencing her typical end of winter bronchial wheezing cough and was given a clean "noninfectious" bill of health by her doctor Thursday. But if she were to haul off and let go with a wholehearted cough she'd be terrifying.

Just saw a Dutch twitter video doing the round on some news sites, taking the Mickey out of the toilet roll hoarding: a guy driving around an absolutely immense warehouse stocked to the rafters with the stuff an laughing his arse off and asking people if they really think there's a shortage. In itself not a particularly funny thing but underlining well how irrational the stockpiling behaviour is.(here)

Meanwhile, with cafés and restaurant about to close people were queuing outside Dutch coffee shops on Sunday to stockpile cannabis