SHOPPERS were last night begged to stop panic buying, with supermarket bosses warning: “Calm down or stocks will run out.”
Stores joined forces to write an unprecedented open letter reassuring customers they can cope.
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But supply chains will only hold up if crazy bulk-buying of crisis goods like pasta, handwash, sanitiser, frozen foods and medicines slows down.
Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons reported empty shelves. A Costco outlet in Chingford, North East London, was forced to shut and call police after a stampede .
Online sales also went into meltdown, with delivery slots filled until April.
Ocado was forced to block orders from new customers.
Older folk unfamiliar with stocking up online and less able to join the queues were most at risk, it was said.
Food retail expert Clive Black warned: “Online will struggle to replicate the supply from supermarkets.
“There aren’t enough store pickers, delivery vans or capacity. Tesco has the biggest share of the online food market, with 96 per cent, but clearly there’s not enough slots. ” Another senior retail source said: “Panic buying is the biggest problem, because it warps stock control.
“Normal buying behavior isn’t one person clearing an aisle of toilet roll. There isn’t an issue with supply. ”
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Goods flying off the shelves at Asda Eastlands in Manchester Credit: JOHN MATHER
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7 () Shoppers wait in a long queue amid empty shelves at a Tesco in London (Credit: Jeff Moore) () PANDEM-ONIUM
Shopper Mo Hassan captured the commotion inside the Costco in Chingford as security guards had to stop shoppers from buying more than one crate of water each.
She told The Sun: “People were just going for water like no one’s business. The length of the queues was phenomenal. People couldn’t move from aisle to aisle and the checkouts were absolute mayhem.
“I was told by a shop floor man that, before they shut the shop, there was an argument about how much water and tissue people could buy and they had to call the police.”
In their open letter, store bosses asked Brits to be “considerate”, adding: “We understand your concerns but buying more than is needed can sometimes mean that others will be left without.
“There is enough for everyone if we all work together. Together we can make sure we are looking out for family, friends, neighbors.
“Together we will care for those around us and those who are elderly, vulnerable or choosing to remain at home.”
Government officials have relaxed rules that ban nighttime lorry deliveries to supermarkets to help restock.
But retail experts fear further chaos if staff at stores, warehouses and delivery firms have to self-isolate. Helen Dickinson, chief exec of the British Retail Consortium, said: “Retailers are working incredibly hard to keep shops well stocked and deliveries running as smoothly as possible.”
A leading economist warned coronavirus will speed up the end of cash – and sound the death knell for high street stores.
(Pasta shelves stripped bare at a Tesco Extra in Worthing, West Sussex Credit: PA: Press Association
(7) Toilet toilet rolls sold out at a Tesco in Leith, Edinburgh, Scotland Credit: Alamy Live News
7 Panic buying in a Morrisons in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, which has seen three coronavirus cases Credit: The Mega Agency
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Prof Richard Werner said coins and notes will become so tainted by the pandemic they would be replaced by online and contactless.
And he warned the added safety of online deliveries would drive traditional high street shops to the wall.
Prof Werner added: “Up until now we have clung to human interaction, which we like, but that is now tainted and money is tainted.”
‘Coronavirus will test every nerve and sinew in the PM’s body ‘
By Katie Perrior, former Director of Communications at No
CORONAVIRUS will test every nerve and sinew in the PM’s body. .
This is Boris Johnson’s Churchill moment – but he faces a hidden enemy.
It is the ultimate test for a man who always wanted the top job.
He will be relishing the chance to lead, while dreading what each day will bring. There is no escaping the fact his leadership credentials are at stake.
It is a scientific and political judgement to let the virus run its course. There will be comparisons to other countries, particularly those on lockdown.
It takes guts and leadership to follow your own course. Boris is ensuring that in a crisis where we know so little, those who know the most should lead.
What would people rather he did? Follow the shrill self-appointed experts and fantasists on social media? Other countries may be implementing measures purely for political reasons.
School closures seem unnecessary. Kids will be dumped at Grandma’s house, one of the most vulnerable groups. Parents working in public services will not be able to work.
Boris knows it is of paramount importance to prevent the NHS from collapse if we have any chance of saving as many lives as possible.
It’s right that we question the decisions being made. That’s what freedom of speech and a free Press are all about.
But these decisions are not taken lightly. It will be a long time before we know whether the UK’s approach – keeping a stiff upper lip and looking out for those around us – was right.
But we all have to accept that we are dealing with a pandemic: we cannot stop it, just try to slow its progress.
Even his time as Mayor of London cannot have prepared Boris for the mammoth task he faces now.
Boris the joker is nowhere to be seen, and rightly so. Instead, we’ve seen a PM of fierce intelligence, able to get his head around the most complex issues and take bold decisions.
Donald Trump’s refusal to take responsibility is causing fear and uncertainty. It doesn’t bear thinking how Jeremy Corbyn might have reacted.
I’m relieved Boris is PM during the worst health crisis for a generation.
A national crisis calls for unity from both the public and politicians.
The PM will have pored over every word. The seriousness of his comments about the possibility of people losing loved ones will not be lost on him.
If we face this together, we will get through as we always have in the past.
Katie Perrior was Director of Communications at No and ran the PR for Boris Johnson’s mayoral campaigns.
Gemma Collins yells’ I’m ready for the Coronavirus lockdown ‘as she stockpiles 90 toilet rolls and M & amp; S grub amid pandemic panic
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