Panic buying

[Eddie]

Utterly mental at Morrison's in Derby today. It took us 10 minutes to actually navigate through to get onto the car park to do our bi-weekly shop - there was a queue from 200 yards short of the store, and it was entirely for fuel. They had routed the fuel queue all the way around the outside of the car park to the service station.

It was absolute bliss once we got into the store - there was hardly anyone in, all the shelves were well stocked with Duvel, Karmeliet, Kwak and Westmalle Tripel, and we had a choice of checkouts with no queues at all.

Because the traffic heading towards the Pentagon was so awful, we headed home via the A38 and A50 (and a detour to the Swarkestone garden centre to pick up some chili plant feed). It was the same story on the A50 - there were queues to get in to the service stations which, I assume, were just for fuel.

I wonder how many people are actually nearly out of fuel, or just topping up 'just in case'. I did note that more than one local petrol station had imposed a 'Maximum spend of £30' rule - I think they've got that wrong. For cars etc, it should be 'MINIMUM spend of £30' - so the morons who are trying to dribble a few pints in to replace that used on this morning's 20 mile commute are royally shafted in the pocket.

[Eddie]

2 hours ago, GboroRam said:

My car is at Luton Airport and I don't have enough to get home when I land tonight. Wish me luck. 

Good luck.

[Eddie]

42 minutes ago, rsmini said:

I  tend to think all this has been created by transport companies across the country. Many obstacles have been put in place for regular drivers to cause this. They want the government to allow them to bring back drivers from the EU on a cheaper wage as it saves them money and keeps shareholders happy 

Not one EU lorry driver will take advantage of the government's latest panic-driven short-term visa scheme to come over here for 3 months work when there is ample work for them on the continent. Also, Belgium, Netherlands, Austria, Germany and Sweden pay higher wages to truckers compared to the UK so, again, why would truckers bother coming here?.

[Carl Sagan]

The media is desperate for stories/clicks/ratings. Every journo I know would sell their own grandma for a story. They know it's wrong but they can't help themselves. They're the people who've caused this and should be ashamed of themselves because it's a lot more serious than not having enough bogroll to go round. Lives could be lost. How do you stop it? How to install a more mature reporting mentality? 

In a way this reminds me of the Double Edged Sword thread in the main DCFC forum. People do stupid things, which we hate and cause problems, but people are social animals rather than rational beings. 

[Stive Pesley]

4 hours ago, David said:

The media for you.

[Stive Pesley]

1 hour ago, RoyMac5 said:

My delivery driver yesterday said he'd seen a video of someone filling a plastic bag and putting it into their car boot. Apocryphal I'm sure but it wouldn't surprise me it was true! ?

Is he mis-remembering the classic Derby story from the fuel shortage 20 years ago when they taxi driver filled 3 wheelie bins, and stored them in his front room. It melted the wheelie bins and seeped into his cellar. Cost £130k to clean up

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1220240.stm

 

 

[maxjam]

1 hour ago, RoyMac5 said:

My delivery driver yesterday said he'd seen a video of someone filling a plastic bag and putting it into their car boot. Apocryphal I'm sure but it wouldn't surprise me it was true! ?

Its an old youtube video from the US - but obviously a good time to tweet it out again and pretend its the UK ? 

 

[RoyMac5]

3 minutes ago, maxjam said:

Its an old youtube video from the US - but obviously a good time to tweet it out again and pretend its the UK ? 

 

Love the way she double bags it for safety no doubt! ?

[maxjam]

16 minutes ago, RoyMac5 said:

Love the way she double bags it for safety no doubt! ?

Should have bought a bag for life ?

Now that may have been a video from the US but I just saw this on youtube from The Independent ? 

She is the reason why I cba to queue up for fuel and when I eventually have to there will be none left.

 

 

Edited September 27, 2021 by maxjam

[therealhantsram]

I think the reality is there is a genuine shortage of HGV drivers right now.  We are getting shortages all over the place in my local supermarket (and have been for several weeks). Now it's fuel. In a couple of weeks time it will be something else.

There's only a limited number of drivers to go round, and the problem had been increasingly getting worse throughout the year.

First there was you-know-what on Jan 1st. Then the government compounded the problem by hitting freelance HGV drivers with new taxes in April. I think that wiped about 15% off their income overnight. Ouch.

I see the body that represent the hauliers say that this year drivers have been leaving the industry twice as fast as new drivers have been passing their tests. If that's true, then the shortages of all consumer goods are likely to get worse before they get better.   

 

[Gritstone Ram]

I got some after work today so I will be going to the match on Wednesday. Panic over until Thursday.

[Pearl Ram]

I’m a former HGV driver with 30 year’s experience, no accidents and clean licence. Enjoyed my job but after having a stent put in, in 2009, the hoops the DVLA made me jump through to keep my licence coupled with having to renew my CPC licence (a tax basically, a nonsense piece of legislation that amongst other things proved I knew how to get in and out of my lorry ?) I called it day.

I’m sure I’m not the only one to have left the industry due to the nonsense drivers have to contend with these days. They’ve taken the pleasure out of the job in my opinion, mind you, it was on a slippery slope since cab phones were introduced in the late 80’s, early 90’s. 

[mozza]

 

 

[Gritstone Ram]

15 minutes ago, mozza said:

 

 

It may be reality soon if there’s no one to drive the dray. I’ve started some home brew just incase.

[QuitYourJibbaJivin]

41 minutes ago, therealhantsram said:

I think the reality is there is a genuine shortage of HGV drivers right now.  We are getting shortages all over the place in my local supermarket (and have been for several weeks). Now it's fuel. In a couple of weeks time it will be something else.

There's only a limited number of drivers to go round, and the problem had been increasingly getting worse throughout the year.

First there was you-know-what on Jan 1st. Then the government compounded the problem by hitting freelance HGV drivers with new taxes in April. I think that wiped about 15% off their income overnight. Ouch.

I see the body that represent the hauliers say that this year drivers have been leaving the industry twice as fast as new drivers have been passing their tests. If that's true, then the shortages of all consumer goods are likely to get worse before they get better.   

 

Whilst I agree with most of what you say, the fuel crisis wasn’t caused by the HGV driver shortage, there wasn’t actually a fuel shortage to begin with. Now that the sheeple have drained the fuel, it won’t be restocked due to the actual HGV driver shortage, leading to a real shortage.

[Mucker1884]

1 hour ago, maxjam said:

Should have bought a bag for life ?

Now that may have been a video from the US but I just saw this on youtube from The Independent ? 

She is the reason why I cba to queue up for fuel and when I eventually have to there will be none left.

 

 

"Almost" the most annoying thing about that video is the fact they deliberately avoided showing the reg plate.

Should have zoomed in and shown it as clear as day!   

[TigerTedd]

2 hours ago, Carl Sagan said:

The media is desperate for stories/clicks/ratings. Every journo I know would sell their own grandma for a story. They know it's wrong but they can't help themselves. They're the people who've caused this and should be ashamed of themselves because it's a lot more serious than not having enough bogroll to go round. Lives could be lost. How do you stop it? How to install a more mature reporting mentality? 

In a way this reminds me of the Double Edged Sword thread in the main DCFC forum. People do stupid things, which we hate and cause problems, but people are social animals rather than rational beings. 

What I don’t get is that everyone I know, everyone I’ve read on here or on Facebook, have condemned those panic buying. But someone’s doing it. 

Do people watch the above video, laugh and say ‘what a ducking idiot, although that does remind me, I’ve only got 3/4 of a tank left and I have to di the school run tomorrow, I probably best go get some before it all runs out, or the world ends.’

like everyone knows it’s a moronic thing to do, but everyone is in the queue regardless. It’s bizarre. 

my wife does about 100 miles a day doing visits in the community as a covid keyworker. No option to work from home. She was lucky enough to be able to fill up in Uttoxeter Tesco yesterday. That should keep her going for a couple of days. I’m working from home the next 2 weeks, so she can use what’s left in mine, then she’s off til Sunday. Hopefully, hopefully, sanity has been restored by then. 

I’ve changed my stance on Elon musk. He needs to build his starship but not to fly it to Mars. He needs to pack it full of the numpties and shoot it into the sun, before he turns his mind to anything else. 

[Gritstone Ram]

Just read on Bookface that a petrol station had some fuel and a tanker couldn’t get on to drop more off because of the queues. Then someone posted there’s another delivery coming on Thursday. Doesn’t that tell you there isn’t a shortage???

[QuitYourJibbaJivin]

12 minutes ago, TigerTedd said:

What I don’t get is that everyone I know, everyone I’ve read on here or on Facebook, have condemned those panic buying. But someone’s doing it. 

Do people watch the above video, laugh and say ‘what a ducking idiot, although that does remind me, I’ve only got 3/4 of a tank left and I have to di the school run tomorrow, I probably best go get some before it all runs out, or the world ends.’

like everyone knows it’s a moronic thing to do, but everyone is in the queue regardless. It’s bizarre. 

my wife does about 100 miles a day doing visits in the community as a covid keyworker. No option to work from home. She was lucky enough to be able to fill up in Uttoxeter Tesco yesterday. That should keep her going for a couple of days. I’m working from home the next 2 weeks, so she can use what’s left in mine, then she’s off til Sunday. Hopefully, hopefully, sanity has been restored by then. 

I’ve changed my stance on Elon musk. He needs to build his starship but not to fly it to Mars. He needs to pack it full of the numpties and shoot it into the sun, before he turns his mind to anything else. 

There was an MP on twitter condemning the panic buyers, saying how it was absolutely absurd that his wife had to drive 5 miles at 6 in the morning to go and get fuel. I guess the irony was lost on him.

[Gritstone Ram]

7 minutes ago, QuitYourJibbaJivin said:

There was an MP on twitter condemning the panic buyers, saying how it was absolutely absurd that his wife had to drive 5 miles at 6 in the morning to go and get fuel. I guess the irony was lost on him.

At what point does the non panic buyers become panic buyers after they see all the fuel going?