Rationing of food

[mossrose]

Stores here are only putting limits on things NOW, 3 weeks after they should have started.

[One Bad Pig]

Interesting. That is not happening here. Needs to be.

Lowes is doing it here.

[Ronson]

The farmers out here in the Midwest are still working. Truckers are still moving produce down the highways. There is no shortage of food.

Now, there may end up being a shortage of processed, non perishable food eventually because the processing plants will be on short staff. But I can survive without candy bars and potato chips for a while.

[QuantaFille]

Every store I’ve been to had been putting limits on short supply goods, for several weeks now.

Same here. It hadn't occurred to me that a store would shoot themselves in the foot by not doing it. It's just common sense.

Interesting. That is not happening here. Needs to be.

When was the last time you went to a grocery store? If it's been a little while, I'm willing to bet they've already implemented limits since your last visit.

[simplicio]

Same here. It hadn't occurred to me that a store would shoot themselves in the foot by not doing it. It's just common sense.

When was the last time you went to a grocery store? If it's been a little while, I'm willing to bet they've already implemented limits since your last visit.

I have seen little rationing in my area. One side effect of rationing goods is the counter-intuitive fact that rationing exacerbates shortages, more people will buy it because it is limited in some way. That is why toilet paper is in short supply, the normal delivery schedules cannot keep up with the current demand.

I am surprised at the number of people here who expect the stores to ration, rationing is tied to panic. If stores had instituted rationing early on, I would bet that the same posters would have condemned it: MSM was supposedly inciting hysteria in the population, Big Brother is taking away our liberties, SARS-CoV-2 is just the flu, socialist control of the population, etc.

Meat and vegetable production is not started and stopped like a water faucet, the cows we eat today were born two years ago, the broccoli was planted a couple months ago. There has been some slow down in the processed and can foods, but not all that much. And the farm markets with locally produced food will kick in soon.

[Watermelon]

Wish they introduced this in the UK a lot sooner and forced larger stores especially to enforce a max limit on certain items. They estimate an extra £1bn of food in people's homes now, so the shelves are mostly empty. This could have been avoided. Some large supermarkets have an elderly only hour first thing in the morning, and have extended the offer to NHS workers and the like. Should be been enforced, and a heck of a lot sooner.

Guilty. My basement is full of supplies. So full. At least when this is all over we won’t have to go shopping for a while. I hope.

[Sparko]

Kroger's is limiting quantities on various high demand items, like bread, medicine, cleaning supplies. And some items like Toilet paper have limits and can only be bought in store. I guess people using the pickup service are hoarding things more than people in the store (where people are afraid to go and catch the virus)

I don't think the government needs to or should institute rationing. Like someone else said, that just creates more demand as everyone is afraid to miss out.

I think the hoarders will soon have enough toilet paper and bread to last them a while and the demand will ease off. Especially as the fear regarding the virus lets up. There is only so much toilet paper and bread you can store. Once that happens the stock will replenish and maybe end up overstocked as the hoarders will have enough to last a while and won't be buying. Might be a sale.

The whole thing is just FOMO. Fear of Missing Out.

[oxmixmudd]

Kroger's is limiting quantities on various high demand items, like bread, medicine, cleaning supplies. And some items like Toilet paper have limits and can only be bought in store. I guess people using the pickup service are hoarding things more than people in the store (where people are afraid to go and catch the virus)

I don't think the government needs to or should institute rationing. Like someone else said, that just creates more demand as everyone is afraid to miss out.

I think the hoarders will soon have enough toilet paper and bread to last them a while and the demand will ease off. Especially as the fear regarding the virus lets up. There is only so much toilet paper and bread you can store. Once that happens the stock will replenish and maybe end up overstocked as the hoarders will have enough to last a while and won't be buying. Might be a sale.

The whole thing is just FOMO. Fear of Missing Out.

I truly hope you are correct, and I realize it is probably not the time to actually institute government enforced rationing. It may be in our future though if people don't cool it with the panic buying and hoarding.

I do believe it is time for all stores to limit the quantity of scarce items that can be purchased. Again, I'm not seeing that where I live, but a lot of you have indicated that may not be the norm.

[simplicio]

I truly hope you are correct, and I realize it is probably not the time to actually institute government enforced rationing. It may be in our future though if people don't cool it with the panic buying and hoarding.

I do believe it is time for all stores to limit the quantity of scarce items that can be purchased. Again, I'm not seeing that where I live, but a lot of you have indicated that may not be the norm.

They are hoping that the panic buying will level off soon. People stock up for a sense of control in facing uncertainty, it is a healthy relief valve of sorts.

[Sparko]

They are hoping that the panic buying will level off soon. People stock up for a sense of control in facing uncertainty, it is a healthy relief valve of sorts.

It seems to be getting better here. I picked up groceries last week and half of the stuff was missing. Today I picked up more groceries, and they had nearly everything. Even bread. They were out of yeast though (that was my backup plan, to make my own bread, but I still have some) - They did have to substitute regular wheat bread for my honey wheat bread. And a different flavor doritos than I wanted.