Given that supermarkets work on ‘just in time’ stock rotation there is no reason why people buying a couple of extra items each visit will empty the shelves of anything. It is when a crisis hits that problems arise, as those who don’t prepare all need the same things at once and the broken supply chain can’t provide them.
There is a huge difference between stockpiling and sensible housekeeping. We always have extras of things like loo roll, batteries and non-perishable food, and none of that has prevented others from buying anything. In fact, in the event of an emergency we won’t need to buy those things, so there will be more available to the unprepared.
In answer to the OP question, I won’t be stockpiling anything, but will keep an eye on our supplies of pasta and rice and maybe get a few more tins in case of a power outage that spoils the frozen food we have. We buy loo roll in bulk from Costco anyway, and will continue to do so according to need. There’s nowhere to put an extra 48 rolls of the stuff, so we only buy it when the designated cupboard is empty. That’s neither selfish nor moronic - it’s just the way we do things. One trip means one lot of fuel, whereas buying a roll at a time would ‘snatch up’ the same amount each visit.
Who stockpiled vaccines?
