Panic-buying has come to absolute insanity. I can't even buy the most essential everyday items. With limits in place. it seems like it won't stop the panic?
What can be done?
How Can We Solve The Supermarket Shortages?
L[Deactivated] on 19/03/2020 - 18:33
Comments
There were good specials on lollies and chocolate last week at Woolworths ( not so many this week - probably not going to be as many for a while ).
If the world was really coming to an end, surely you would want chocolate and lollies? Makes you feel good, high energy and never expires. Turns out not. It was the most stocked isle.
But all that toilet paper will help them when the world ends.
The actions of low IQ people, stirred up by the media…..
đŸ˜¬ I confess i hoarded on magnum ice creams 1/2 price recently (4x boxes). Happy to barter for A2 milk or pasta noodles.
Yeah by cracking down on Asian's raiding the supermarkets to sell it back to you ten fold
Can we change terminology to be more specific like prc daigao or whatever you call them please do classify these people as PRC instead of just asians which is a very broad spectrum of different race included.
For one thing the formula buying issue is not new. There are several comments on that video saying that the footage is old.
It's not only Asians who are hoarding currently now, if you've bothered to watch any news recently you would have seen that people of all races are hoarding and even fighting in the aisles for things such as toilet paper.
Your comment comes off as prejudiced and ignorant. There is a LOT of misinformation going around right now, the best thing one can do for oneself is to question what you are reading and seeing instead of blindly believing everything.
Get idiot councils to allow truck deliveries at all times of the day & night = non stop deliveries = shelves full of stock
Makes sense as there's much less traffic on the road now…. But no doubt they'll do to little too late. It's because we don't trust our government to do what's needed that causes people to panic in the first place.
No, low IQ causes people to panic.
the reason there are curfews is complaints about noise pollution.
Introduce rations based on household size.
Why ration when we have enough produce for 3 times our population. The problem is not supply, its all to do with logistics (transportation of goods from warehouses to retailers in a timely manner).
Ration until the supply chain problem sorts it self out. If forces demand to not out strip re-supply. This is effective an attrition problem.
We need to go easy on the bottle neck and one way is to force people to stop hoarding via ration while things gets restocked.
If shops never get restocked, people will always think there's not enough regardless of all the inventory in warehouses.
It's not permanent, maybe 1 week to begin. Force people to reduce demand and calm down.
Then why not just create a logistic system in which home delivery comes straight from the warehouse? Instead, they remove home delivery altogether which does not make sense..
warehouse systems are not setup to go straight to the consumer, its much easier said than done. they have agreements with the supermarkets who then have systems in place to onsell to you.
Limit number of certain items per transactions. Limit number of transactions per credit card/debit card.
Maybe they could hold people accountable for their debt, and not continually reduce the interest rates?
That would make me people think twice about unnecessary purchases.
The whole reason this is supposed to be so bad is because people are loaded up on so much debt, they are living payday to payday. How then do they have money to buy 6 months worth of shit in 1 week?
It's really naive to think it's just "hoarders". It's not - there is actually a shortage but the shortage isn't because of a decline in supply, it's due to an increase in demand.
But it's not hoarders, it's everybody. Most people are just increasing their stock at home from a few days of supplies to 2-3 weeks. That's completely rational under these circumstances. If you get quarantined, you might not be able to leave the house. Plus even if you don't it's actually a good idea to buy more now then to frequently have to go out and buy more later and increasing the chance of catching or infecting others.
So if you think that every single household is doing this, then this effect easily becomes worse than the minority who are hoarding.
As to how to fix it, you can't. It is what it is until supply catches up. In the meantime, the item limits are the most sensitive way to ensure the stock is distributed evenly.
The world is unfortunately full of selfish pricks. That is why we have wars, poverty, homophobia, famine, road rage, racism etc. Now it is manifesting itself in a new way. What we can do is stay positive, don't let it get to us, and get on with it. Even though we may not be able get exactly what we want and may have to try something new, There is lots of food available - my local Asian grocer has full shelves. And there are alternatives to shoving wads of toilet paper into the toilet.
Surely the panic buyers will eventually have enough stock and demand will ease?
They should set up ID scanners at woolies and coles exactly like they do at QLD pubs and clubs and only let in x amount of people at a time and ban people for over purchasing. If it's not too draconian to do this to me after work on a Friday, it should be just fine to do this across the board in this time of national emergency.
Everyone must use the relevant loyalty card, then they know who has bought what when. Long term, it would allow [some] control of baby formula hogs.
"sorry sir you already purchased toilet paper from our Burwood store today".
When Aussies continue to live like they did a few weeks ago in Italy, what can you expect.
Theres no common sense in this country and we are expecting to end up being different somehow to Europe?https://7news.com.au/lifestyle/health-wellbeing/packed-bondi…
When news like this are coming out, of course everyone panic buys. The numbers will definately spike up next week after this sort of thing.It's a cultural distrust thing panic buying, it shows how much faith we really have amongst each other (once you strip away racism you then have media histeria to deal with) Australia is no different then America, if we had guns we would be defending our property from those infected.
Thank goodness that's not possible, but yes (while I'm not saying all) most do not have the efficacy to politely share, since it's rare to for such panic to happen? Can anyone think of a time panic buying occurred?
Just wait for the inevitable power going out and peoples stocked up food in the freezer going bad.
Keep your canned/jarred food in stock/reserve and just eat fresh food for the foreseeable future. Plenty of bread at the bakery too.at first they were only stockpiling long life goods because it can be stored longer. UHT milk was empty but fresh milk was still in supply. When that stuff was always wiped out, only then did they start hoarding the perishables, presumably because the LL stuff was out of stock.
How to stop the shortages? How about you all just not watch the nightly news for a week and stop visiting news.com.au …..
that's not going to happen. The reason they don't do as advised is because it's not enforced.
OP is asking for new policies that would enforce good behavior.
Surely people will run out of money to buy so much?
Not when the government's handing out payments of $750…
only welfare recipients get that.
Ah right. The smartest portion of the population, unsusceptible to media suggestion and panic. Oh wait.
@ssquid: i'm pretty sure it's not the pensioners and disabled that are doing this. They're the ones finding it hard to get any stock. Supermarkets had to dedicate an hour exclusive to them to ensure they got stock. I went there one time during that hour (as a carer) but it was pointless. The store was just as empty at 7AM as it is any other hour.
The fillers are restocking during opening hours instead of after it is closed. Whoever is there at the end of the night clears it all out before the store closes, so nothing is there in the morning anyway.
There wasn't any of the 2L long life milk we normally buy, so I tried purchasing 4x 1L cartons.
The lovely checkout girl said there's a 2 carton limit and that I should bring others from my family shopping next time, because it's a per person limit.
This is a non-issue, dont get melodramatic.
I literally came back from doing the big shop and except for a lack of mince, I got everything I needed including toilet paper which was limited to one pack of 8 per transaction.
People need to stop being stupid.
I have no idea why anyone would hoard meat when Australia is a MASSIVE EXPORTER OF MEAT.
If by some calamity, Australians don't have meat, BELIEVE ME, you will have BIGGER PROBLEMS THAN A VIRUS.
I'm guessing you went at a time right after they restocked it?
I've not seen hand wash, sanitizer, wipes or TP since January. And I go regularly.
Maybe it's different buying patterns? I buy soap and wash my hands. I don't really like sanitizer and usually have access to soap and water.
If you haven't seen TP since January what have you been doing?
Going to the store at my regular times of the day before the virus became news. I haven't done anything different.
My buying patterns do not change availability. Availability depends on what other people do, not me. You can't magically make TP appear if there is none in stock.
@koalabargains: I still have some left over. I don't use more than two squares at a time, so a roll lasts a couple of days. But what I have left won't last more than a couple more weeks. I'm not sure what to do when that happens other than start using facial tissues which I don't have a huge supply of stock for either.
It's been about 2 months not 3. This stockpiling of TP started around late January.
@lostn: Where exactly are you?
I'm in Geelong and there's toilet paper. And soap. I don't know anyone that can't get either.I dont know about sanitizer and your other stuff because I don't use that stuff though.
@koalabargains: Melbourne metro. SE suburbs.
Geelong would have a smaller population so things might be a little different there.
It's not just me. You'll see it in the news and youtube. Shelves are dead empty everywhere. Not even limited to this country. Some countries like Korea don't have this problem though.
Bar soap is still available to some extent, but it's getting less and less. The brand I buy (for bathing) is never available. It's not quite an emergency yet, but I can tell it is getting there. When liquid soap is unavailable, people are more and more settling with bar soap.
I only use sanitizer when I'm not home. At home, it's too expensive to use sanitizer. Per mL, it's hugely more expensive than hand wash and it doesn't last long. It should only be used when you don't have access to soap and water. I needed it for travel, though my second trip for the year had to be canceled. I was due to leave in 2 days time.
@lostn: ALDI seems to have stock in the mornings, just need to join the queue and risk catching corona
@TEER3X: I was there after leaving woolies/coles. It was 8:30 and there was already a queue forming to get inside. The shutter was still closed. I then looked at the opening hours: 9:30.
So a long queue had already formed an hour before opening. You know it's a long queue when they have belts set up outside so the lines snake back and forth like in a bank.
If you don't spend an hour lining up, you have no chance of getting anything at 9:30.
It goes against social distancing recommendations.
Not a whole lot you can do.
Maybe they can introduce cards to every adult that allows you to buy X amount of toilet paper (and sanitizer, hand wash, and other stockpiled items) which needs to be handed over to the retailer, and you get a new card every week. The card would come in the mail and have your name on it, which means redeeming it requires an ID check. Alternatively, the card should have your photo on it, which would make checking identity easier. This would be expensive and difficult to administer. But it would stop people lucky enough to be there just when it get restocked, then getting around the limit by buying up to their limit, dumping it in the car and coming back for round 2.
I have never once seen TP in stock since late january.
The other option is, just raise the price of TP. Pensioners and disabled can present their health care card at checkout to get the regular price. Everyone without it pays market value which would be far above RRP. The price would fluctuate. This would end the stockpiling. The demand will go back down, and so will the price.
So let's say the popular $10 for 20 rolls of Quilton, raise the price to $20 or even $30. The stockpiling should end there. The extra profits go back to the government as a tax to pay for assistance and stimulus packages. At these prices, people will only buy the amount they need. It will be more expensive than their regular value, but the free market is the best and only way to deal with shortages. Shortages happen because the price is not reflective of supply vs demand curve. If they are in that high demand that the shelves are always empty, then they are underpriced. If the shelves return to being full again, then the price can go back down until they find an equilibrium where people continue to buy the amount they need, no more and no less.
As long as the vulnerable are exempt from paying inflated prices, this will ensure everyone gets a fair chance at getting stock. For people pissed at paying above RRP, paying more and getting stock is better than never getting any stock ever. It would strongly discourage stockpiling.
And also, no refunds. So if you still stockpiled at a high price, you would not be able to get your money back when prices return to normal.
Your logic is flawed. Raising prices on items in-demand just exacerbates the issue. Supply and demand economics 101.
Care to elaborate?
You saying people buy more when it's expensive and less when it's cheap? Every business that wants to maximize profits (the goal of all businesses) should just jack all their prices up then.
Do I really need to elaborate on the concept of supply vs demand? You are talking about an item that is difficult to get at the moment, and everyone wants. If you jack prices more, people panic more and the same people who are already exploiting the issue (e.g. buying it up and reselling at a profit) raise their prices to capitalise. I've watched a family of 4 exploit the hell out of the "1 item per buy" and end up with a carload in a matter of 10 minutes.
Apparently a warehouse in Footscray is packed with pellets of food, sanitizer, toilet paper, baby formula, etc and is sending container shipments across to China daily.
If true, there are probably more of them around. Wouldn't surprise me.
Got any evidence?
In the words of Ricky Gervais "let's take the do not drink labels off bleach". That should solve the shortage issues.
"What can be done?"
I'll just say nothing. People were always like this and will always be like this.
Only shops can limit how much you can purchase at the moment, but if there was widespread destruction, not even shops could do anything, people would just loot. It is every man for himself. Always been and always will be. It is just not noticeable in a developed world until something bad happens.I've been in far worse situations than this, so I just laugh at people, what else can you do? Humanity in its shell doesn't change. Times can, technology can, but at the end of the day while there are some humane people, the world itself is not.
I hear people saying how it is possible Australians behave like this. Well, what did you think, Australians are saints? Yeah, right.
I hear people saying how it is possible Australians behave like this. Well, what did you think, Australians are saints? Yeah, right.
It is pretty funny. People seem to forget that this was originally a penal colony and that 20% of Australians are descended from convicts.
@Ghost47: Yes, but majority of those were people who stole bread to survive. If they have decent living and working conditions no one would come here.
I guess Coles/Woollies/Aldi, whoever don't want to be posting huge revenue figures for a few months even if they are able to supply all the stores with everything everyone needs during panic buying. They'll have their KPIs and targets revised and probably lose all their bonuses as a result.
Raise prices until supply == demand
How can one hoard with the extreme mark up on items and no job to bring in money
must be some rich people on OzB because im struggling to make ends meet!
$400 headphones are very common here… didn't you notice?
Increase delivery and online ordering.
Less people in store preventing spread of virus.
Stock limits apply to households instead of per person (as often exploited by persons coming back minutes later).No, but total lockdown. In a month you'd be laughing. The way this has been handled there will only be crying.
If it a serious enough priority they could limit purchases of items by linking it to ppls Medicare cards! Any children are included on their parents card & every Australian citizen has one! They could create an app that could be displayed at checkouts on iPad & individuals could check on their phone! But is it really worth the effort and time & would privacy laws even allow the government to do it? Really everyone just needs to realise there is enough for everyone, how much do you need to survive 2weeks? & Really in this country to you think you'll be left alone to starve if you really need supplies? C'mon everyone calm down
You could even have 2tiers where there is a free market over and above the limits so hoarders can pay 20x 40x the price ppl pay within the limits! Hell I'm fairly poor maybe I'd be willing to sell my weekly supply of toilet paper to some rich toff for $100 per roll & I'll switch to newspaper & more frequent showers!I got a stack of old t-shirts I could put to good use ;p
I think our local woolworths only get one delivery per week. Once the stock finish on that morning next day the remaining of the week has nothing worth going to the shop to
It's solved, mines been back to normal stock levels for 4 days now
What they have hand sanitiser outside the store?
Woolworths made 2. 7 billion last year.
Never seen any automatic hand sanitising station outside any store.
They make so much money they can afford to let their most vulnerable customers die - they're good yanks.
they have more store security - they could put some bottles on a table next to the guard….
floor stander probably cost them less than $200 per store but hey no interest
Relevance to my comment? What?
What they have hand sanitiser outside the store?
@nuttapillar: What they have hand sanitiser outside the store?
'Woolworths made 2. 7 billion last year.
Never seen any automatic hand sanitising station outside any store.
They make so much money they can afford to let their most vulnerable customers die - they're good yanks.
they have more store security - they could put some bottles on a table next to the guard….
floor stander probably cost them less than $200 per store but hey no interest'
try reading
try reading
@petry: "What they have hand sanitiser outside the store?" Does not make sense. Trust me, I'm an expert.
@nuttapillar: ok you think hand sanitiser is useless and you're an expert in just using your hairy palmed hands…
@nuttapillar: Been told that spudshed are now doing just this
security guard wiping trolley handles and free sanitiser for customers entering. Good on ya
@petry: I'll try again, but slowly this time. When did I say hand sanitiser is useless? try reading…
petry's comments make my brain hurt. exacerbates the issue by posting 'try reading' on their gibberish posts.
Name and social shaming. Harsh, but effective
That almost sounds like you're encouraging someone to incriminate themselves by means of deception… What's the word for that again?
It should fix itself eventually. people will have massive stockpiles at home, and not need to buy for ages, leaving more for others. we're buying faster than we're using, so eventually sales should reduce to pre.-virus-levels.
Goverment need to show proactive action. First, produce testing kits and provide it to every household for free. Germany is able to test 12500 pp a day. In contrast, we are waiting for order of 37000 test kit. In Vietnam test kit is less than a dollar. The key is testing testing and testing. People'll be more confident and we can stop the spread of virus on time.
Secondly, the Health depatment should study countries who successful stiffle the virus , promote and educate the community, through TV Radio. There are so many countries good at it like Thailand Vietnam, So far the radio and TV here still not do anything.
And goverment need to show garuantee to everyone, that seniors will be take care of food, people will have food, stable price, no matter if you shop later. like they garuantee the bank loan for thoselenders. you should garuantee the price for necessitues instead.
One card/ID in a physical/digital form can be assigned/created using a photo Id or passport.
Then, To checkout from the shopping, those IDs should be scanned. There should be a daily and weekly limit on buying selected(high demand) products.
Also, buying those high demand items is only permitted on the person's living addresses.Those for visitor/tourists or other people, exceptions can be set/linked up in the ID itself.
Basically those uniques ID will actually let people to buy stuffs.Saying this, everything will be linked up in one card which can rise privacy issues and needs a dedicated teams to support and maintain.
But in-long term this sort of system is doable with more improvements
they couldn't fill the demand. There would not be enough stock inside the stores for people walking in to shop.