Coronavirus

Out of context: Reply #960

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  • Nairn0

    I think a big problem with empty stores because of stockpiling isn't so much the stockpiling itself, per se - rather the razor-thin margins in terms of stock and profit that most companies work on. Even larger supermarket chains. Perhaps, *especially* large supermarket chains.

    Here in the UK it's all gone a little nuts and from my perspective, I've seen rows of empty shelves in large supermarkets and then last night in my local one - it was literally about 95% empty. My partner gave me a withering "I fucking told you so" look when I exclaimed this as I got back from work last night.

    This morning though, it's full again. Tonight it'll be empty on my way back, and I imagine that tomorrow morning it'll be full again.

    The image of empty shelves looks terrible and feeds back into the disfunctional system, but the system itself is pretty resilient.

    I don't think Big Data Delivered Well will do much to quash fear, but I do think that a week or three's sustained tolerance by The System might. if it continues to work and deliver, people's fears will change their focus.

    Right now this is all new to all of us - the optics are stark and the images plenty. Give it a bit of time and people's reactions will moderate.

    .

    Or not, and everything totally fucking implodes next week.

    Nairn 0Permalink
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    • < In relation to SteveJobs' postNairn
    • I think the data, when put into terms that broader audiences can comprehend, would mitigate this type of panic to a degree. But people see overall death statsSteveJobs
    • and bleak headlines and then react.SteveJobs
    • Good news is that people dont magically eat more than before. So as long as food distribution is okay, we should all be fed.monospaced
    • its the just-in-time economy. The stores have a supply chain for ~X days food for ~Y people. When everyone tries for 2-3X food, things fall apart.monNom
    • at least for the moment, but sucks if you are in the store trying to buy food in that moment!monNom
    • Exactly! 'just in time economy' was the key term I forgot. I could've made that whole post a lot shorter if you'd said beforehand, monNom! :)Nairn
    • We are seeing stores here in NYC mediate the whole process. Limiting capacity to under 50% and not allowing any obvious hoarding at all. People are very civil.monospaced
    • I waited to get in for 10 min at 10am, got everything I needed in a fully stocked store, and was home within an hour at a Trader Joe's. I'm so proud of us.monospaced
    • People don't understand that grocery stores get stocked all day, all throughout the day, and right now they're just having trouble keeping up
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    • It's like no one ever noticed that every shelf is perfectly full of all items 100% of the time. How do you think that happens?
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    • Don't be afraid of food shortages, that won't happen. Be afraid of maybe needing a hospital bed three weeks from now.
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