If you want to buy something, the best time to do so is early in the morning. ... So maybe we can compare panic buying to a fever.

And also like fevers, they are higher later in the day.

Seriously though... I think people are VERY nervous. If enough of this is happening to create a sales bump at a giant Super de Duper Walmart, then that's a lot of scared people.

 

Seriously though... I think people are VERY nervous. If enough of this is happening to create a sales bump at a giant Super de Duper Walmart, then that's a lot of scared people.

Another thing that the lady told my wife that I forgot to put in the opening post - the local wal-mart is selling more food then anything else in the store.

 

Hmm.. Honestly I think a lot of reasons may be the culprit. One that comes to mind is that some customers may be trying to reduce the amount of trips out of the house? Ya know, do all your errands on 1 day instead of several days. People may just be stocking up so they don't have to go back out this week or next. With the way gas is getting... well we all know.

 

I agree, with gas rising in price, I think people are trying to make fewer trips to the store. Could be also, that people who still have jobs are stocking up because they fear the worst could happen to them like it has already to their neighbors. In the beginning of the mess, many were caught unaware because they thought it wouldn't last or they could depend on unemployment. Not the case anymore....

 

I think there are a lot more people waking up than we think. Just because they aren't on this forum doesn't mean they are not out there. It seems the more people I talk to everyday, the higher percentage of them are realizing something is amiss.

 

True, but then these are probably the same dummies that will run to the poles to vote Donkey.

 

I agree with all of the above. I had a family memember who usually makes fun of me for prepping, state that he is stocking up on food. He then started to ask for advice on guns and ammo. This past weekend his wife said wanted a handgun.

I will say that a lot of the shortages may be compounded by "just in time" inventory kept by retailer and wholesalers. Companies are keeping a limited inventory on hand to keep costs down. I have noticed this with my distributors over the past year or two. It is very frustrating, and I fear it is the new norm.

 

I'm guessing its almost subconscious instinct. People (even the most clueless sheeple) are starting to "feel" something bad approaching.

 

This is why Humans have survived for as long as we have. It's also why there will be a large number of people who will survive a SHTF event, despite that we may think of them as sheeple.

 

The beginning of the month, as soon as the store opens their doors is the best time to put on your shopping hat. For 24/7 stores, get there at 4 -5AM.

The beginning of the month is important especially to grocery stores. This is when chunks of your paychecks are redistributed to others. These recipients then descend on the stores to stock up for the month. The stores prepare for this and put "specials" in place.

The stereotypical food stamp recipient is not up at 5AM, so that is the best time to get the best deals and quantities.

This is however just from my experience in WV, YMMV in other places.

 

For 24/7 stores, get there at 4 -5AM.

At my local 24/7 supermarket the best time to go shopping is right around midnight or 1 am.

The overnight people start their shift at 11 pm. By 12/1 they still have energy, and are slightly more enthusiastic than they are at 4/5.

I make sure I go there at roughly the same time every time I go. The staff know me by sight, and the little old lady at the cash register loves me (because I'm nicer to her than most late night customers, and I usually stay to chat with her for a few minutes). More than a few times she's saved me money by letting me know about things going on sale later in the week before the next week's flyer comes out.

Another good reason to go at 12/1 am: When the flyers say that whatever sale starts tomorrow, at 12:00:01 am it's technically "tomorrow". The little old lady cashier and the overnight manager have both done price overrides (because their computers don't update until 4 am or so) to give me the sale price.

Good reason to shop at 12/1 am #3: The supermarket is practically empty. Nobody (but the little old lady cashier who loves me, and the perennially high stock boys) takes notice of what or how much I am buying. At that time of night there are no screamers, oldsters, harried soccer moms, hippie-label-reading moms, slow movers, or lane blockers. There's no lineup at the check out. There no delay while soccer mom sends little Jimmy to run back and get a different carton of eggs or whatever other half dozen items she "forgot" to get.

Reason #4: The shelves are being restocked at 12/1 am. I am virtually assured (as long as the fragile "just in time" delivery system keeps working) to find full shelves, or full cases of stuff on the floor, waiting to be stocked on the shelves.

As to the OP, I haven't seen much in the way of panic buying of food. Gas on the other hand... When the price drops around here, people load up - almost to the point of draining the gas stations' tanks dry. When the price goes back up, gas stations are ghost towns.

 

I'm not sure if there was just a backlog of orders on the 1 lb bottles of propane or a rush but for a couple weeks, we couldn't find those at any wal mart we went to. thankfully, the last time I went, the shelves were full. I usually only get 1-2 pack but this time it was 2.

Suzanne

 

please consider this item:
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_11829_11829

 

We live in an area where grocery stores (or any stores) are few and far between. We usually go across into Georgia because that's the closest one, and shelves are empty of sale goods before the end of the delivery day. They will, however, order goods for individuals and put your name on it, so that's what we do.
Right now rice is hard to get in anything bigger than 5 pound bags. The grocery doesn't even put it on the shelves, they just pallet jack it out the stock room doors and it's gone in a few hours.
This is a rural, agriculture and timberculture area populated by hardy folks who have been thru hard times before, and in the years we've been here we have never seen this level of food storage (people here don't panic, they prepare).
We are doing the same.

 

What the wal-mart employee told my wife matches what we have been noticing for several weeks. Maybe people are worried and are stockpiling canned foods? But the panic buying is at such a low rate that nobody is really noticing. Its not like right before a hurricane where people make a run on the store.

Another possible explanation is that people are trying to "beat" inflation. IOW, buy now, before prices rise even more.

Or does that explanation fit in with your "worried" scenario?

 

When ever I go into a store there's some things I look at just to see what's on the shelf/not. I.e. The supermarket that we primarily shop at in CDA can't keep powdered milk on the shelves. And even the new Walmart in Hayden had a pretty low stock on hand last night. If there's a "red arrow special" in the paper on Thursday, you'd better not wait til the weekend.
A few weeks ago, a special of store brand hydrogen peroxide $.50 @ 16 fl oz. just flew off the shelf according to manager. I was lucky to get the last 2.

 

I'll bet you it would be even more apparent if there weren't so many people living pay check to pay check that
just can't afford to stock up.

 

I think that most people have seen the rise in food prices, even in canned goods, Hunt's Pasta Sauce at Walmart here was $.99 for a long time 1-2years now it is $1.12, not a huge increase but it is significant when that $.13 is on every item. People realize it may be better to spend extra money now that to get less later. I really don't think most people are worried about the state of the world right now or see any trouble it is all about them and their money to hell with the rest. They would rather keep up on Charlie and Lindsey rather than the 7.5 miliion time over legal radiation limits the ocean water near Japan is today. Most people are still sheep.

 

i've noticed another phenom... the friends and family that normally would post doom n gloom threads on occasion..the ones that always like to talk about how worried they are, but usually don't do much about it....they have mostly gone quiet...it's not because I've beat them into the ground about preps.. I don't.... I don't preach it nor even discuss my prepping with 99% of them.
They might know I have a gun..they don't know I've got more than one...they might know I've got some resources here on the property, but they don't know to what extent or my mindset.
I was wondering it it was Obama weariness...folks that just kept passing around all the emails of end of world anti-christ, manchurian candidate conspiracy but have so saturated themselves that they are tired of it...but I have a different theory that as things get to such a level, people are hunkering down. I know for a fact a couple of family members have finally purchased a gun for the home, and a generator, etc this year. Huge steps for them.
Others have stopped talking about it because it only embarrrasses them that they have to look into the face of all this and acknowledge to themselves that they have done nothing to prepare. A type of denial.

AT the other end of the spectrum there are folks who are "fishing". they'll make a comment to a complete stranger...just to see if they can get public opinion.

All I know is, I measure the market based on price of canned veggies and availability of handgun ammo.

right now, the veggies are 3 times what I normally pay for them and I still can't find better brands of 45 cal at my local gun stores..never mind walmart.

 

Have you tried to shop at walmart the first five days of the month?

It is impossible to get around in there. All the food stamp people get their money and rush to walmart. It is packed with welfare people. We make a serious effort to stay away for the first five days. Problem is that some of the stock is gone because supplies have not kept up with demand during those days.

 

Good point John. What about shopping a day or two before the first of the month? Might be worth a recon trip.

 

My thoughts exactly. People are looking at prices and have started to stock up because they fear what is coming. There are also a lot of people who have not come out ok of the last recession and they are really worried by the price upticks we are seeing. Remember the seventies?

 

Good observation, Kev.

From where I sit--at the helm of Safecastle Royal, one of the major online emergency food sellers--the panic has been simmering for almost 8 months now. Emergency food stocks of all major brands are and have been at crisis levels for the last few months. Backlogs of several weeks or even months are common for many storage foods.

Mountain House, the world's largest emergency storage food producer totally shut down new canned-food sales operations a month ago while their factory tries to work thru several months worth of backorders.

Food production capacity throughout the US is maxed out. Demand --especially for canned foods of every kind--is at very high levels. The demand slope continues to steepen. At some point soon, I believe, we will reach critical mass, which will cause MANY more people out there to see and recognize the danger, adding their own panic buying to the surge.

 

Been noticing more people stocking up. Groups going to buying clubs and buying up almost skids of stuff. There is a definite shifting of the tides.

Was out buying some Lugol's Solution (Potassium Iodide) and was musing over my lack of success in finding it. I did find some and have it put aside. The cashier eye's widened when I explained that it was potassium iodide. "That's the stuff everyone is looking for"

 

We have some Iosat Potassium Iodide Tablets in transit that are scheduled to arrive early next week. After we have filled all backorders, a limited quantity of additional tablets will be available. Order today and you’ll be put into the queue for this shipment. We’ll stop taking orders after this shipment is sold out. We do have more on order, but we don’t have a time table for when they will arrive.

 

We have been seeing it here in Michigan as well, I think there are 4 contributors to this phenomenon.

• Inflation is recognized and folks are stocking up to reduce the impact
• High fuel prices reducing trips to the store
• Stores are reducing costs by increasing inventory turns (less in store stock sells out faster)
• World events are causing sheeple to wake up and prep a bit

 

I think I told too many people to stock up. I didn't think they'd all listen.

 

I think people are also worried about the radiation from Japan making it into the food supply and that's why they are buying canned food.

 

Good post! It reminded me I need more rice.

 

Agreed. Good thing I work in the big city less than two miles from a Vietnamese grocery. They've got beaucoup rice. I'm going to get a few 50 pound bags. And a few one gallon cans of Kikkoman soy sauce. The bags are cloth, too, and have other uses as well.:thumb:

 

I recently visited a local food bank that I've know over the years. Their shelves were dramatically empty. Mot absent was canned goods. There was still plenty of cereals, box-plus X meals and the like. But canned goods were obviously low in supply.

 

In addition to what is happening with the public starting to buy more, you need to also factor in that WalMart corp office is pressuring every store to reduce on hand inventory and have more of what is called "inventory turns" - where things come in and go out faster - and sit less on the shelf or back room (which is cash flow money tied up in stock)

I think that is a large part of it. Every company is pushing to increase those turns and reduce money in inventory.

Companies are moving as close to a JIT (just in time) stockign method as they can.

 

http://blogs.gxs.com/sampathp/2010/02/wal-mart-starts-enforcing-must-arrive-by-date-deductions.html

Funny, reading the above shows how wally world is making this a supplier issue. What they didn't factor in is that when your selections suck your revenue goes down. Yes, they are out of stock, and yes they could be selling much more if they had what people want and not just what they make the best margin on.

Since they changed our local store to "optimize" how they deliver in store goods, we just stopped going. They don't have anything and what they do have you spend way too much time trying to find.

I got a kick out of reading the NY piece on the executive stating that "maybe making the changes we did to minimize goods wasn't such a good idea".

Ya think? Target is now my new local store....

 

'Signs that people are worried', well one sign for me was when we went to the LDS to pick up bulk foods and the lady in charge told us that they are seeing more than 4 times the number of people buying from them. They were out of some things we needed.

Also, spoke to my sister who lives in a large city, and she said she could not believe how many green houses and gardens are going in and around their neighborhood.

Of course what others have already stated we've noticed.

 

At Costco and Bob red mill store I've overhear more than a couple people talking about their preps recently