Like a Locust Plague !

News footage of people fighting in supermarket aisles over dwindling stocks of toilet paper served to  increase the rate of panic buying and now shoppers are confronted with empty shelves and limits on what will be processed through the checkouts.

The problem is that when the rumour mill sends thousands of shoppers on a buying spree this peak overwhelms the supply chain and incoming replacements are being snapped up as soon as they arrive at the store.  As a result, city shoppers have turned their attention to the out of town supermarkets that serve the rural community and there have been reports of bus loads descending on country towns, described as " like a plague of locusts ",

A lot of small country towns are served by a single supermarket which keeps stocks levels commensurate with demand.  They serve local farming communities and many of these come to town fortnightly or even monthly because of the distances involved.  This depredation caused by city folk plundering local stocks is causing distress and hardship in the farming communities.

It is fast reaching the stage where strangers are being made to feel unwelcome.  Towns that usually welcome tourists are looking hard at out of area number plates on cars if the occupants are in town to raid supermarket supplies.  Strict rationing has been applied in some stores on the basis of preserving stock limits and store managers have been told to close and lock their doors if they sight a tourist bus full of shoppers.

It was hoped that this buying panic would quickly hit a peak and subside, but that is not happening. To some is is reminiscent of the days when New South Wales was the sole state tolerating poker machines and each day bus loads of eager players poured over the borders keen to throw their money down the coil slots of these gambling machines.  Today's hordes are only interested in gaining access to hard to find grocery items.

If this continues, the government may have to turn to the solution that balanced demand during the war years.  Older folk well remember the days when they shopped with " ration cards " and handed over a " coupon " which determined their right to butter, meat, groceries and eggs.  Strangely, toilet paper was not at that time included in the list of " rationed " goods.

Hopefully, sanity will prevail and all that will not become necessary.  There will be no shortages if the public revert to their normal buying quantities and certainly no prospect of this virus causing a siege.  A little logical thinking would quickly end this panic buying.