Dear Hugh,
A local supermarket announced that it was having a re-furbishment, and to clear the shelves it would open at 6:30am on a Sunday morning and all goods will be at 50% marked price.
Now, think what you would buy. Make a list and read on. One of my tenants told me this, and so my wife and I checked out the store and confirmed the situation was just as reported. We came home and rearranged the freezers to see how much space we had available; one of our neighbors was let into the situation and she had space in her freezer if we needed it.
Now, both my tenant and our neighbor knew the store would open the next morning.
I was outside the store at 5:30am.There were five people there already. I joined the line, and in the next hour about 130-ish people turned up (It was difficult to tell how many there were, as the queue went round the corner.) Two spaces ahead of me was a guy who looked as if he could be trouble. I checked out everyone around me, and apart from some being criminally ugly there were no likely threats that I could make out.
The doors opened, and the queue shuffled in all very orderly. Inside, the store had re-arranged the aisles into a square, and so everything was in a different place, and we were told to go clockwise around–one way. This was a great idea, and there was no trouble. Behind me a guy was constantly whining about his two sons that had made him get up so early as they wanted to buy half-price sweets (candy to you). I filled my trolly, paid, and left,no worries. All was stored safely. So what am I going on about, I hear you cry.
It’s this: People can be so dumb!
- My tenant did not show up.They are not rich.
- My neighbor did not show up. She is strapped to the wall, and I offered to lend her some money so she did not miss out.
- The two boys had more sense than their father, who didn’t buy anything!
- The woman in fourth place filled her cart with…toilet paper!
- Another woman had her cart 3/4 full of cakes with icing on them.The expression “Putting the Fat into Bastard “sprang to mind.
- Another bought 30 two-liter bottles of Pepsi (full fat, as she was).
- Someone filled up on pizzas.
- Another filled up on ice cream.
- I had no trouble or competition, helping myself to the frozen legs of lamb, the tuna steaks, the ducks, bacon, pork, or the tins of stewing steak, salmon, and sardines as much as I thought we could store. Trolly filled to capacity.
My point is that instead of buying the expensive, good, and wholesome food, “The Great Unwashed” do not think, in a time when they really should; and they continue to act in a way that is normal and routine for them in unusual circumstances. It just goes to show that in a SHTF situation they will not think or act any differently than normal to start with. Time will tell how they act later. So the good news for preppers is move fast while the herd sleeps. – G.W.