Panic Buying Continues at Lidl

To the Lidl in Granton this morning to buy a pack of their very nice burgers. Next to it is a branch of Iceland that has restricted its opening hours from 10.00 am to 6.00 pm, so had a long queue outside at 9.30 am. I am not convinced by this restricting hours lark as it just seems to encourage punters to panic more.

Lidl was busy, but not heaving, probably because the stuff that the silly sods want was out of stock. I got my burgers without any problem and wandered to the tills pausing only to chat to a worker who looked as if he had just come out of a battle. He told me that the day before two full pallets of bog rolls had arrived and had all been sold in 90 minutes. Punters were restricted to one pack each, and he shuddered as he remembered them arriving like vultures to a carcase.

From there to a second-hand warehouse to ask after a bookcase, and then into the Lidl next door to it to have a nosy around. The girl there told me that as soon as the bog rolls, pasta and the like arrive they are sold before the driver can offload all his cargo. One driver had wanted to buy a pack of bog rolls and couldn't as they had all gone by the time his load was delivered. Even the staff can't buy all that they want as there is no set-aside system for staff purchases.

So, the distribution system is working, but people are in full wank mode and buying the same items time and time again.