The Supply Situation Seems to be Improving

I woke up this morning and discovered that I am almost out of toothpaste, which is kind of embarrassing for a man who not only prides himself on being prepared but who has written a damned book about the topic. So I took myself off to Lidl and was pleasantly surprised to find that the branch had plenty of the stuff.

Nosing around I saw that there was a lot of fresh milk but still no UHT. What little had arrived around noon was quickly grabbed. A bloke told me that they have never run out of the pasteurised stuff, so milk is available, just not the sterilised variety. Pasta is still not in stock, but bread is plentiful and some of the ready meals are starting to return. Meat, fish and chicken are all readily available.

A friend theorised that there had been a run on chest freezers, so the tossers who bought them now had them filled to the brim and do not need to buy any more fresh meats. 

However, panic buying began here at the start of the month, but only for deliveries. That suggests that it was the middle class who were having a funny turn. Lidl do not deliver, so stock was pretty much as normal until last week when their shelves were stripped bare. The funny thing is that the red meat never got sold out anywhere, but the chicken did. There is still no toilet paper, pasta or UHT milk, so folk seem be getting the stuff that does not need to be kept cold. Make of all this what you will.

Panic Buying Continues at Lidl

To the Lidl in Granton this morning to buy a pack of their very nice burgers. Next to it is a branch of Iceland that has restricted its opening hours from 10.00 am to 6.00 pm, so had a long queue outside at 9.30 am. I am not convinced by this restricting hours lark as it just seems to encourage punters to panic more.

Lidl was busy, but not heaving, probably because the stuff that the silly sods want was out of stock. I got my burgers without any problem and wandered to the tills pausing only to chat to a worker who looked as if he had just come out of a battle. He told me that the day before two full pallets of bog rolls had arrived and had all been sold in 90 minutes. Punters were restricted to one pack each, and he shuddered as he remembered them arriving like vultures to a carcase.

From there to a second-hand warehouse to ask after a bookcase, and then into the Lidl next door to it to have a nosy around. The girl there told me that as soon as the bog rolls, pasta and the like arrive they are sold before the driver can offload all his cargo. One driver had wanted to buy a pack of bog rolls and couldn't as they had all gone by the time his load was delivered. Even the staff can't buy all that they want as there is no set-aside system for staff purchases.

So, the distribution system is working, but people are in full wank mode and buying the same items time and time again.

A Bit of Light Relief from Coronavirus Fears

Say what you like about the Scots, they have their moments. The Prime Minister advised people to wash their hands for at least twenty seconds and recommended signing Happy Birthday as a way of timing yourself. Not to be outdone, this meme is going the rounds in Scotland.

So is this note from a man to his wife. God knows if it is genuine, but it is very funny, and we need a laugh at times like these.

Steak & Blowjob Day Downgraded to Pot Noodle & a Wank Owing to the Coronavirus Crisis

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Panic Buying Hits Edinburgh

The Asda store in Leith, Edinburgh today. The panic has hit and people are buying bog rolls which have now sold out as you can see in my photo. Pasta has also sold out, but everything else was right there on the shelves, including a lot of pasta sauce.

Presumably, people are planning to make bog roll and pasta casseroles, or something. 

The Chinese Virus Inspired Panic Buying is not General

I enjoy going shopping late at night when the roads are clear and the supermarkets are almost empty. I did a big shop the other night at a Tesco and the shelves were not full by any means. As I reported in my last posting, people are having stuff delivered to their homes, according to a Tesco worker.

Yesterday I went to a Lidl to pick up some milk, and the place was empty in mid-afternoon and all the shelves were fully stocked. Speaking to a worker there - in Spanish of course - I discovered that Lidl sales are actually not all that great. They are not bad, just not what you expect if people are panic buying in large numbers.

Then I realised that Lidl do not do home deliveries and the panickers are trying to avoid leaving their homes.

What I think this means is that a section of the middle class, who can skive off work easily and afford to pay for home deliveries, are sat in their houses shitting their loads. Meanwhile, the people who actually work for a living are going about their normal routines, oblivious to it all.

I have a feeling that this restarting the blog idea may turn out to have been a false alarm as the Chinese virus may turn out to be something and nothing.

What Are We to Make of This Chinese Virus?

I read somewhere that people are buying chest freezers so that they can stock up with more food. I didn't believe that but going to the big Tesco yesterday morning changed my mind.

The place was near empty so I was able to wander around quite happily and even pause for a natter with various workers who I have got to know over the years.

I made a comment about the seeming press overreaction to one worker and she answered that the panic exists, but it involves people buying food for delivery and that the deliverymen are rushed off their feet with enough overtime to keep anyone happy. She then pointed out all the empty spaces on the shelves where frantic staff are filling trolleys to load onto the vans and there are not enough of them to keep the shelves fully stocked. So, the panic is happening, it is just not happening in the stores where regular punters like me can see it.

I still reckon that a well-stocked pantry is enough, along with a wad of dosh in a wallet under the bed. The world is not gonna end, so let's relax.

With that in mind, I can't face the thought of doing a daily commentary on items from the press, but I have decided that the Coronavirus might turn out to be something important so I will restart the blog and comment on the things that I see in Edinburgh.

Just don't expect many commentaries as this could all blow over very quickly.