Hi folks,
I hope you are all keeping well in this most difficult of recent times and I hope you are all pleased to hear that I am so far still in my normal rudeness of health. Apart from the disruption to my business and probably my investments, the main inconvenience I have suffered is the recent apparent dearth of basic foodstuffs and household essentials over the last couple of weeks. Like all the people I know, I have resisted panic buying but have not been able to buy any quantity of toilet paper, I have been unable to source any kitchen cleaner spray and now eggs, bacon and most fresh vegetable are all but unobtainable by the normal shopper.
I went to my local very large Tesco store last Sunday but the shelves were, unusually until quite recently, only very thinly stocked, if at all. I therefore visited the Waitrose supermarket on my way home, where I experienced much the same frustration and shortage of supplies but with fewer signs of the ravages elsewhere and a much better class of devastation. I therefore made another foray to both shops the following day with much the same results. I decided to leave it for a day, in the hope that the rampant ransacking would abate, and drove yet again back to the Tesco store before midday yesterday (Wednesday 18 March).
I will let the photos below speak for themselves but suffice it to say that I was assured that all the shelves had been stocked normally and fully at 7am when the store had opened:
Apparently some 700 citizens of this green and pleasant land had been queuing at the doors and, when these were opened, they descended like a swarm of starving locusts and played a manic, crazed version of Supermarket Sweep for an hour or so. While trying to keep some semblance of order and stop blatant dog-in-the-manger hoarding, one member of staff was spat in her face by an irate customer, who shouted, "There, now you've got the virus, so go home and die!"
And meanwhile, I can buy 36 rolls of toilet paper on eBay for the bargain price of £43.00 and I am becoming ever more ashamed of being British.
Hoping to have better news soon with prettier pictures.
In the meantime, stay safe.
Love,
Philip Xx
Dreadful photos. Well, not the photos themselves of course, they're quite good and provide a vivid picture, but the contents of the photos are dreadful. I'm shocked because my corner shop has everything I need and I've been going there everyday to get the few items needed for survival on a daily basis. Who are these people that are queuing 700 deep to plunder the shelves of supermarkets of all standards? What do they think as they wait in line? Fear motivates many, but 700? No, surely we are looking at gross selfishness and greed. Bring back the ration books I say. It's about time the majority of people were reminded of just how little we need to con…
Thanks for posting Phillip. These are bonkers times are they not and it's sad to see what is happening in our supermarkets right now. Keep safe Phillip