The Media Vilifies Preppers and Those Stocking Up as “SELFISH HOARDERS” While Potential Quarantines Loom

(Psst: The FTC wants me to remind you that this website contains affiliate links. That means if you make a purchase from a link you click on, I might receive a small commission. This does not increase the price you'll pay for that item nor does it decrease the awesomeness of the item. ~ Daisy)

Author of The Blackout Book and the online course Bloom Where You’re Planted

With the Covid19 virus popping up across the country, people who are preppers are adding a few last-minute things to their stockpiles. Those who aren’t preppers are starting from scratch to get what they think they might need to handle a potential quarantine at home.

While most of the folks on this website would read this and think, “Of course they are” there are a few who think, “What a bunch of selfish people, hoarding supplies instead of only taking a little and leaving the rest for other people.”  Often the people with this mindset are those “other people” who failed to prepare and who are upset that they missed their window of opportunity to get the necessary supplies.

But the media and government certainly aren’t helping paint those getting prepared in a good light with headlines about “panic buying” and “hoarding.”

An article on USA Today starts out:

Keep calm and stop hoarding. The spread of coronavirus in the U.S. won’t wipe out our toilet paper supply. Or supplies of hand sanitizer, bottled water and ramen.

That is, unless the frenzied stampedes for hand sanitizer and bottled water continue at their current pace. (source)

The article goes on to use phrases like “impulsive buying binges,” “air of aggressive competition,” “stripping store shelves of toilet paper,” and “the crush of humanity” at Costco.

The entire article dismisses stocking up as ridiculous and even irresponsible, blaming shoppers for causing shortages.

Experts say not to worry and to stop “hoarding.”

The USA Today article blithely reports:

Supply chain experts say to stop worrying about hoarding basic necessities beyond having on hand the recommended 14-day emergency supply of food and necessities.

Perishable food such as fruits and vegetables are unlikely to be limited in the short term. Supplies of imported frozen meat and fish are more at risk but were already curbed by trade sanctions.

Packaged goods such as cereal and toothpaste and dry goods won’t be affected in the near term, either. For items that are now in shorter supply, such as hand sanitizer, plenty of substitutes exist such as soap. Some people are even making their own…

…Even with images of all those empty shelves flooding social media feeds, supply chain experts urged people to stop, well, freaking out.

“We don’t have a shortage of toilet paper in this country. We have plenty of toilet paper to go around,” said Per Hong, a senior partner in the strategic operations practice at Kearney, a global management consultancy. “Those supplies will be fully restocked and my ability to go to the store to get those supplies isn’t going to go away anytime soon.” (source)

I don’t know about you, but I certainly wouldn’t feel comfortable facing a possible lockdown like the one in China with only a 14 day supply of food and necessities. And if what’s happened in Italy is anything to go by, your ability to pop out to the store to get more toilet paper absolutely could go away sometime soon.

An article on Los Angeles News Today continues in the same vein with its own experts chiming in.

Los Angeles County health director Dr. Barbara Ferrer said residents should be prepared just as they should always be for a natural disaster or other emergency.

“That means having some water in your house and some food and your medications that last for a few days,” Ferrer said. “You don’t need to rush out and buy out weeks and weeks worth of supplies, but you (do) need to have what we always ask you to have — enough supplies in your house to get through a few days.” (source)

So according to them, you only need to be prepared for a few days. No biggie.

Stocking up is occurring around the world.

Wise people around the world are gathering up supplies. According to the Nielsen consumer market research agency, the spread of the coronavirus has folks everywhere “actively stockpiling emergency supplies.”

“They’re also starting to think beyond emergency items, such as basic foodstuffs, including canned goods, flour, sugar and bottled water,” according to Nielsen. “Concerns are having a ripple effect into non-food essentials as well. In the U.S., sales of supplements, fruit snacks and first aid kits, for example, are all on the rise.”

The agency noted “significant spikes” in hoarding of emergency supplies in China, the United States and Italy, “where consumers are rushing to build what are being labeled ‘pandemic pantries.”(source)

Of course, what they call hoarding, I’d call preparing for the worst.

Did you notice a word being repeatedly used?

The word “hoarding” is being repeatedly used throughout news reports. They’re already working to paint preppers as bad and selfish people. They’re already vilifying those who hurry out to fill any gaps in their supplies. They’re making it seem like a mental illness to get prepared for what could potentially be a long stretch of time at home with only the supplies you have on hand.

This is a frequent trick of propagandists everywhere. Repeat a word often enough and suddenly everyone begins using it. Everyone begins to believe that the people labeled with an ugly word are terrible, selfish, and threats to decency.

A friend of mine wrote about an article she had read:

There’s a single quote that sticks out to me:
“The government ended up subsidizing masks so that every family could have them after people decided to hoard them like they were bottled water in a storm.”
Do you see what happened there? Those who prepared ahead of time are being vilified. This theme is being repeated over and over again if you start reading what the experts are writing. History tells us that those who are prepared are either hailed the heroes (when they have enough for everyone) or the villains (when they have enough for themselves).
This is a recurring theme. Those who prepare are demonized while those who do not are portrayed as victims of the “hoarders.”

Keep listening because you’re going to hear words like “hoarding” and “selfish” a lot more often as this situation continues to evolve.

State governments and the CDC are at odds

State health officials in places like Hawaii and Minnesota have recommended that residents get prepared for what could be a bumpy ride. Residents of those states are paying attention and stocking up.

The CDC (irresponsibly) couldn’t disagree more. (You know, the same CDC that’s been sending out a faulty Covid19 test all this time.) They are literally telling people not to stock up.

CDC Director Robert Redfield on Thursday told a U.S. congressional hearing that there was no need for healthy Americans to stock up on any supplies.

“We should have one unified message,” said Robyn Gershon, a clinical professor of epidemiology at New York University. “When there’s an absence of a good, strong and reassuring official voice, people will get more upset and start doing this magical thinking.” (source)

There, there. Don’t worry. The government will save you. Go order a pizza and don’t worry your silly little head about some virus.

Many see preparation as selfishness.

I’ve gotten comments on my own website and also in the group that I run on Facebook that preparedness is a “selfish” endeavor. And it’s always in the comments that you find out how people really feel, often using MSM talking points as their guides.

There was this rather naive comment on a mainstream article.

The thing I have with INDIVIDUAL preppers is that why not leave it in the store? Why don’t people see the grocery store as a prepper’s storage unit?

Prepping is inherently selfish IMO. (source)

Someone who is no longer in my Facebook group told us.

You people are part of the problem. You go out and hoard things when it wouldn’t hurt you to leave some stuff on the shelf for other people. If there aren’t enough supplies for everyone, it is selfish for you to only think of your family. What about everyone else’s family? Oh right, you only care about yourself.

A commenter on my own website said:

What a bunch of selfish jerks you all are. You don’t need 10 packages of toilet paper at a time. What about the other people who can’t afford ten packs of toilet paper?

The author of an article about being in quarantine finds those stocking up to be selfish too, which is kind of mind-boggling when you not this author is in the position in which we all worry about finding ourselves.

 I was sorely disappointed by the amount of items that were out of stock after Singaporeans rushed to buy a whole plethora of goods (including instant noodles and toilet paper) when DORSCON Orange happened.

Given such uncertain times, I can empathise with the panic. But I couldn’t help but feel that this hoarding mentality is really selfish.

Because this means that a good portion of people–those on their weekly grocery runs or others like myself looking to get groceries delivered as I am unable to leave the house–cannot get their hands on essentials. (source)

Watch closely. You will see the word “selfish” getting thrown around right up there with “hoarding.”

These people are wrong.

Currently, thousands of people in the United States are spending weeks at home under self-quarantine. I’ll bet if you asked them, there are probably all sorts of things they wish they had on hand right now, and this is even with the ability to order things that can be delivered to their doorsteps. What would happen if all of us within a region faced the type of lockdown happening in northern Italy where there are potential criminal penalties for being out unnecessarily? Wouldn’t you then wish you had made that last-minute run to the store?

Stocking up is the responsible thing to do. It means that your family will not be dependent on government services. It means that nobody has to run out in the middle of a pandemic because there’s not any Tylenol and somebody has a fever. It means you don’t have to risk infection in order to have food for your children.

Stocking up to care for yourself means that you won’t be a drain on those limited government resources being dispensed and there will be more for people who did not prepare. It means you don’t need to order deliveries, causing some other person to risk their own health bringing supplies to you after things get bad.

Stocking up is practical. Whether you’ve done it over a period of years, as most of us have, or whether you’re topping up now (which I’m doing since I’ve been traveling for quite some time and I want to make sure my daughter’s place is well-supplied), taking the steps you need to be prepared is the height of personal responsibility.

There’s one really good mainstream article on Scientific American that talks about the wisdom of stocking up. Aside from that, the mainstream is studded with the usual mockery toward the self-reliant.

Panic buying vs. Prepping

Some folks have noted that what is going on right now as shelves get emptied across the country is not prepping – it’s panic buying. While there’s a little bit of truth to that, I’d still rather see people in the stores getting what they need than waiting for a handout.

Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve hit the stores myself to replenish a stockpile that my youngest daughter has been using. I’m certainly not panicking but I’d be a fool not to fill in some gaps.

Whether you’ve had your supplies sitting there for a year or you just picked them up over the previous week, I commend you for making the effort to get prepared for what could possibly be a lengthy period of quarantine. I know that a lot of people in the prepping world have spoken badly of those making last-minute purchases and I strongly condemn that. Please, if you’re new, know that all of us in the preparedness community are not smug and discouraging. Most of us welcome you and would love to help with any advice you might need.

Is it better to do this far in advance? Sure. Is it better to do this at the last minute than not at all? Also, sure. For those who have waited longer than might be ideal, check out this guide for panic preppers and this guide that offers substitutes when the merchandise at the store is picked over.

The media will try to make us look bad…again.

Regardless of how the Covid-19 outbreak plays out in the United States, rest assured that those who prepared will be painted with a dark brush by the media. This is one of those situations in which OpSec is of primary importance. You don’t want your unprepared neighbor to know you’re doing just fine with your canned goods and dried fruit after they failed to go to the store.

Our first responsibility is always, without fail, to our own families.

Don’t let the mainstream media try and tell you otherwise.

Daisy Luther

Daisy Luther

Daisy Luther is a coffee-swigging, globe-trotting blogger. She is the founder and publisher of three websites.  1) The Organic Prepper, which is about current events, preparedness, self-reliance, and the pursuit of liberty on her website, 2)  The Frugalite, a website with thrifty tips and solutions to help people get a handle on their personal finances without feeling deprived, and 3) PreppersDailyNews.com, an aggregate site where you can find links to all the most important news for those who wish to be prepared. She is widely republished across alternative media and  Daisy is the best-selling author of 5 traditionally published books and runs a small digital publishing company with PDF guides, printables, and courses. You can find her on FacebookPinterest, Gab, MeWe, Parler, Instagram, and Twitter.

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    • Yes……boo..hooo……I am deeply troubled by the greedy hoarders who only think of themselves and went to dollar general and wiped out all the one ply toilet paper……….I am so upset I can hardly finish this reply. Sure there was plenty of 2 ply but I don’t buy 2 ply because I am trying to save the trees!!!!! Don’t you see the dilemma I am in? I need counsel, I need support! I need, I need, I need. Perhaps Bernie Sanders can create a program where all toilet paper (one ply) is free to all Americans (including the “non-documented) Yes, that may be the ticket to ensure equality and happiness for all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • “Why don’t people see the grocery store as a prepper’s storage unit?”

    WHAT THE HELL KIND OF A COMMENT IS THAT?!?! I literally cannot comprehend how that statement makes any sense whatsoever.

    • Someone who feels entitled to loot because they’d rather spend their money on drugs and strippers would see a grocery store like that.

    • You have to understand, this generation has known nothing but plenty. Most have not been to a third world country and have no idea of how fortunate we are. They live in a dream world where the Styx song….Grand Illusion has no bearing on them whatsoever.
      They don’t see the writing on the wall, and when the calamity comes, they will turn on CNN, ABC, NBC and believe whatever the propaganda wing of the demoncrapiic baby butchering party tells them to blame. All the while, they should be smacking themselves upside their own heads. They won’t realize their mistake until its too late and their kids are starving and then they have to take drastic measures by attempting to take from others or eating their own. Its happened before. Perhaps this virus will pass and we dodge the bullet! But I know for sure, trouble is coming like the world has not seen, I know this because the Bible warns us it is coming. So be prepared……….Know Christ….”for whosoever calls upon the name of the Lord, shall be saved”

  • Keep on Keeping On, Daisy.

    You rock it.

    You are a Mom, so always know when to apply that tough love rule and when those who need it applied to them pop up on your blog…… Use it.

    God Bless

  • Do not be surprised if you start getting visits from local authorities asking, at first, then demanding later, to share your bounty, the bounty for which you spent YOUR money for while the unprepared was in line getting the latest iphone.

    • Better come with a warrant, as they’ll be referred to as ‘trespassers’ and encouraged to leave the property. If they refuse to leave, I’ll take that as a direct threat to me and my family and respond accordingly.

      • “If they refuse to leave, I’ll take that as a direct threat to me and my family and respond accordingly.”

        These are exactly the same words spoken by David Koresh and Randy Weaver. You’re absolutely clueless as to how things really work, big man. It’s been nice knowing you, keyboard warrior.

        • You see, when Marshall Law is declared, they don’t need anything. Any resistance will be met with extreme prejudice./overwhelming force. The government will do what they will to do and without a organized militia, you will be at their mercy. When they come door to door, it will be just you and them, you will be outnumbered and outgunned and won’t stand a chance. Know Christ.

          • The patriot …..David Crowley’s attempt to raise the ominous alarm with “Gray State” was sadly permanently silenced, his family was not spared either. It showed a very disturbing dark future for America.

        • ” I will take it as a direct threat and respond accordingly.”

          It won’t be Barney Fife that shows up at your door.

          It will be Homeland Security and local SWAT.

          They will be happy to make an example of you.

          By the way……… Never buy dehydrated food, ammunition or weapons online or with a credit card if possible.

          Always use cash.

  • While at my local Costco replenishing some things, I noticed that virtually every shopping cart was filled to overflowing with bottled water and toilet paper. I couldn’t help but chuckle and think how typical that was for the uninformed and unaware. If you don’t have food, you have no need for toilet paper. Me, I was getting some comfort food, on the chance that I would be quarantined for a period. Water – check. Toilet paper – check. Enough food to feed a platoon for a year – check. Fun stuff to eat – check. Since cable will most likely be out, it should be amusing to watch everyone else panic.

  • Hi Daisy, I have been a prepper for around 4 decades. I am firm believer in being prepared for any eventuality that being said I noticed on amazon people selling things like hand sanitizer for 40- 80 dollars a bottle. There are many other examples of this all over the internet. Some bought out entire supplies of things like hand sanitizer and food only to resell them at 20 times their original price. I am sure there are single moms and people on fixed incomes that cannot afford the horrible price gouging. People like this give all preppers a bad name.

    • My daughter lives on Long Island and went to BJ wholesale club. They were selling multi pack units of Lysol wipes and one woman bought out everything on the pallet and filled her flat truck with it……other shoppers were infuriated as they wanted some ….they started yelling SHAME ON YOU and it got heated ……the store let her buy it——I think it should be a limit on stuff….you cant get it and screw people over charging whatever they can get for it on the secondary market…….I am a Prepper but I still have to look at myself in the mirror…we are still human beings

      • Right. There’s a big difference between buying a sufficient quantity for your household and buying out the store with the intent of reselling at a steep price. I’m appalled at what some people are charging online now for some things; they obviously bought with the intent to resell. Those are the people who should be shamed; not those buying enough PB or beans to feed their family for a while.

      • That was definitely the store’s mistake. And she was a true hoarder. She cannot possibly use it all herself in her lifetime. If you are late to getting prepared and you overdo, then I would call that hoarding. Buying extras over a period of time spreads out the demand and no one is injured and left wanting. There were a couple of months last year that I bought extra TP. My supply was built up gradually and no one was left wanting.

        But here we are, possibly on the cusp of massive changes and we are vindicated, not vilified as preppers. We are not
        adding to the confusion or any shortages. We did without the high life and lived frugally so we would not be a burden to anyone. Time has proven our hunches right — modern life is precariously poised to experience significant challenges.

    • Wal-Mart in Mechanicsburg, Pa raised their price of Deer Park water to ten dollars a case, they were sold out of all gallon jugs of water friday night. Meanwhile Giant grocery store a few miles away were selling three of those cases for ten dollars. one third the price of what Wal-Mart (china Mart) charges. I will remember not to shop at all at (China Mart) when this all blows over for price gauging. This is pretty crappy of Wal Mart to do that.

  • I read an article yesterday in which FEMA said that 95% of American households do not have two weeks of emergency supplies in their homes. That concerned me more than the articles I read about people hoarding. There are so many mixed messages going out right now. Prepare, don’t prepare and I think people are getting confused with all the different messages going out from the different government and media sources putting out the information. To me it is common sense to have what my family may need, If not, then we don’t have to shop for a bit. No panic, just prepared.l

  • Time to keep mum. While this sickness may run it’s course without becoming a pandemic in the U.S., I feel that it may open people’s eyes a bit. On the prepper side, it demonstrates that OPSEC is smart!

  • LOVE this: “When there’s an absence of a good, strong and reassuring official voice, people will get more upset and start doing this magical thinking.” So, all of the Elitists were ordered to get into line, with one voice, to stop this crazy-think from spreading? Magical Thinking, is it? I would love to know how much this official has “hoarded” in his own domicile, or what well stocked government lair he intends to go to, when it all hits the fan? I grew up in LA, survived countless earthquakes. Believe me when I say that losing your electricity, water, gas, and maybe the roof over your head was probable, and usually happened. You will need your supplies, so don’t be intimidated. Nothing like wishing you had an item after you can’t get it.

  • This mindset ranks up there with ‘surgical face masks only work for medical professionals, you’re doing it wrong, stop hoarding them’

    its the same people (koff koff BLOOMBERG) who say that only ‘professionals’ should wield firearms – as in their private security force.

    I say keep on preppin’

    • Wasn’t it strange and rather dumb when the CDC or whoever it was said…”The facemask will be needed for the emergency workers, hospitals, paramedics, etc. b/c they will need them the most,” yet the average person was TOLD “do not buy face mask, they will not help you”? GEE whiz, apparently they think the average person is just plain “stupid”…My questions is this? “WHY WOULD MASK BE ONLY BENEFICIAL TO THE HEALTHCARE WORKERS ET. BUT NOT TO THE AVERAGE PERSON TO PREVENT THE GERMS FROM THE CORONAVIRUS?” If you know the answer, all power to you, now share it with the rest of us.

      Common sense and some wisdom tells me IF THEY WILL PREVENT ALL THE HEALTHCARE WORKERS FROM GETTING THE VIRUS IN ANY WAY THEN THEY WILL CERTAINLY BE BENEFICIAL TO THE REST OF US LIVING BREATHING SOULS (people, humans)…
      Sometimes I believe those in authority seem to think that “they” are they only ones that know anything about anything, however they are very mistaken…Most of the time ALOT of what they tell us isn’t even correct information. It seems to be with this virus and so many conflicting statements that the right hand just may not know what the left hand is doing…No wonder so many people are questioning what to do…

      • As a Medical Professional I will try not to yell so much here.

        I go through a yearly 16+ HOUR training program to Properly Fitted to my gear and Learn How to Use Personal Protective Equipment (and will us PPE from now one here). In addition to that I am taught HOW to Remove it with out getting contaminated by it. What is YOUR Level of Training here?

        WE HAVE to GO TO WORK in the HOT ZONE AKA Hospital. WE HAVE to be FACE TO FACE with Really SICK spewing COVID 19 all over us people. There is ALREADY a SERIOUS Shortage of Medical People to take care of YOU.

        How many LESS Medical Folks would you like WHEN this Nightmare gets CHINA REAL?

        You have the CHOICE Not to go out into a HOT ZONE, I DO NOT.

        Would you use the same “Logic” to TAKE Body Armor from Police and Military BECAUSE it saves me also?

        OWNING a bunch of PPE and NOT KNOWING HOW to USE IT is Nearly USELESS. Even worse it makes you THINK your “safe” and you go places you should have stayed away if you didn’t have it. In EMS We call it the LOOKY LOOS we have to SAVE because they wandered into a Hot Zone….

        People are ALREADY STEALING our PPE and Waterless Hand Sanitizers from the hospital. So WHERE DO they PLAN on Going WHEN they Get Sick? Oh! The Hospital they STOLE FROM…. SIGH

        • To Michael: You make valid points about appropriate use of gear, looky loos, and need for appropriate PPE. Absolutely true.
          Yes, medical people will be on the front line, and you are valuable and greatly appreciated. Crazy stealing- lived through 1980s with AIDS. Stealing stuff from hospitals ain’t new. Need tighter controls like locked cabinets and things in staff only areas. Understand your frustration, but your bosses’ lack of preparation and foresight is NOT MY FAULT. No supplies or few supplies is irresponsible and preventable administratively. Me having a mask is not selfish; it’s self preservation when hospitals are overrun and I have to stay home. I have 80+yo relatives…do you want me to abandon them on the ice flow or teach them to wear masks?

          Understand the exasperation, but you’re wrong about the ignorant public. Lots of retired folks with medical training- we’re all not that stupid. Ignorance means “lack of knowledge.” All you have to do is run training videos on the TV/ YT hourly about the appropriate use of masks, hand washing, etc. You know… the training videos used at every hospital, EMS, laboratory, etc. Problem solved. Even North Korea is doing PSAs on the virus.

          Hospitals have infection control departments for these reasons. Please, yell at them. State officials, hospitals, and EMS stage Mass Casualty drills exactly for this: to find the weak links and fix it. CDC exists to protect US public health from “new and emerging diseases.” Bang up job! To not have warehouses of enough BPE is their stupidity. Did we learn nothing from the Dallas Ebola case? Sheriffs wandering into the guy’s apartment with no gear, his sick nurse allowed to fly on commercial planes…good grief, how incompetent are they?

          Hoarding vs. stocking up: Stores allowing anyone to purchase your entire stock of items is again poor planning. Limit quantities- problem solved. Do the same about price gouging here as you would scalping sports tickets. Make an example of a few people by arresting them for selling items at x20 purchase price on TV/ social media and it stops. Those rules apply during tornadoes and hurricanes, why not here?

          The idea that any system can survive a potential pandemic rests on one principle: triage and appropriate control of resources. DO NOT ALLOW idiots to clog the ER with “I haven’t traveled, have no symptoms, haven’t contacted anybody, but I want to be tested, just in case.” Triage at the door firmly (with security) and route them to a walk-in facility or area to screen, then EDUCATE them, give them pamphlets, and send them home. No hand outs of masks, etc. either just because I showed up.

          Singapore is doing it. South Korea sends out updates to phones daily telling where patients have been diagnosed so the people have the choice to go there or not. It’s not impossible.

          • He’s actually right. Your comment proves it. You are totally clueless, just like Daisy Luther…whoever the hell he really is. 😉 Gotcha Babe!

        • There’s a big difference between people making sure they have SOME hand sanitizer and a small quantity of masks PLUS making sure they learn how to use them properly versus people hoarding them such that medical staff can’t obtain them. But I also blame our government which should be ensuring that they maintain an adequate stockpile of items such as masks and other PPE so that doctors and nurses aren’t competing for them with ordinary citizens on Amazon and at Home Depot. I most certainly do want our medical staff to have all of the PPE they need to stay safe but if my buying a few hand sanitizers and a small number of masks makes that big a difference our government is just not prepared.

        • I also see your point, Michael. I want hospital staff to have everything they need & I appreciate those employees. However, I think your beef is actually with the Materials Management Department of your hospital system. They have contracts with their suppliers and, Home Depot, where I bought a couple of N-95 masks, is NOT one of their suppliers.

          I am familiar with donning/doffing procedures so please do not lump all non-clinicians into the uninformed category. (Anyone else reading this, YOU better learn too.)

          I’m sorry bad (or desperate) people are stealing from your facility but your department management is going to have to lock that stuff down in the most feasible location.

          Please lay your blame with the appropriate group…not the rest of us here.

          • Sadly my hospital did not choose to outsource our production of 80% PLUS of our disposable medical supplies I. E. Masks and Oh BTW Anti-bionics and most “Modern Drugs like Insulin and such.

            Levels of supplies is set well above the Providers Pay Grade. Indeed the Federal Government sets the levels and the Just In Time system is our resupply.

            Amazon and Home Depot DO compete with our hospitals for the same products. It’s called SUPPLY AND DEMAND. They have CONTRACTS for those items while Hospitals have what is called ON Demand Orders. NORMALLY the Just in Time system has enough in the system to make this a Non-Issue.

            As you JOIN in on the Toilet Paper Panic I will smile as I understand Supply and Demand.

            Montana Guy Karma is so remember your mouthy thoughts when WE are treating you.

            • You know nothing about me. I’m also going to be in the real zones.
              I go through more training and fit testing than that on N95, SCBA, 3 styles of gas masks and use all of it throughout the year doing transports, fighting and In environments with smoke and chemicals.
              Heck my survival group even does training once a year.
              Ive got 20 yrs in military decon and another 23 in law enforcement tactical team decon. It ain’t rocket science.
              As far as medical professionals getting it right that doesn’t seem to be the case many times and also die so get off your high horse.
              The law enforcement community has its body armor. The personal stuff I bought much like the masks and tyvex suits were not the ones your going to buy. You weren’t going to drive to my local hardware store and get them. You know and I know it.
              There’s no way I’m going to a hospital during anything like this around that cesspool. It’s a flu and will be treated as such. We’ve got everything we need and have for years to treat that.
              Those with compromised immune systems like my wife don’t seem to do well at hospitals either. If they get well they only get it again from exposure from the others. Yeah we’re gonna pass on that.
              The sooner we all accept we are going to get it the better your gonna be.

        • Honey, you CHOSE that profession. Stop whining and chose another profession. If anyone should be planners and preppers it is medical care providers.

        • Michael, the U.S.A.’s national stockpile of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) as well as of ventilators is reportedly only 1/10th of what health care experts anticipate will be needed if this COVID-19 pandemic sweeps across the country. That is the fault of the agency/ies and official/s who were in charge of funding and maintaining that stockpile. You want to blame someone for the shortage of PPE? Put the blame where it truly lies, not on individuals who purchased small quantities of PPE for themselves and their families. While I certainly want front-line health care workers to be properly protected, I am over 60, and have comorbidities that would put me at a much higher risk of dying if I contract COVID-19 before we have effective medicines to treat it. Also, I have learned that because of my age and comorbidities, if hospitals get overcrowded and don’t have enough Oxygen or ventilators (or even antibiotics) to go around, and I contracted a severe case of COVID-19, they would triage the heck out of me, and I’d just be put into a separate part of the ICU and let die. So, I will take all reasonable steps, including buying PPE, to do my best to avoid catching that disease in the first place. If you can convince me that you and your hospital will definitely provide me with necessary antibiotics, Oxygen, and a ventilator if and when I need it, I’ll be happy to mail you the few items of PPE I have. Otherwise, to paraphrase the immortal words of Leonidas of Sparta, you want my N95 respirator masks? “molon labe.”

          • L.o.l! So exquisitely stated. Many of our families have those who are at heightened risks, first res-ponders, military, I only bought enough to provide protection for myself & my family, which I’m certain most other peppers, are not hoarders did as well, as they have a innate desire to protect & provide for their families…which is not wrong, nor criminal. I still see people who scoff & make light of the suggestion to prepare , even when I have tried to warn them…so it is their choice, they can bear the consequences of their decision.

        • There are very good videos posted by an R.N./Hospital Manager in Toronto, Canada, on how to fit-test your N95 respirator mask, and how to properly don and doff Personal Protective Equipment on the “Huples Cat EPL” YouTube channel.

        • Michael:

          Whining and complaining is so undignified.

          If you don’t like your profession get a job at Starbucks.

          In case your vast experience has not sharpened your perception, let me help:

          At the current rate of infection in the US, the models show the hospitals will be overwhelmed by May 8th.

          Your profession is on the verge of collapse.

          As an aside, the people buying all the N 95 masks in the US have been the Chinese. As soon as this outbreak began in China, the Chinese in America have been buying masks by the case load and shipping them back to China.

          Chinese look out for Chinese. Not true for Americans

          • Well DOM at least you know how to protect yourself against this nightmare virus.See you on the other side.

            • Michael Sez:

              “Well DOM, at least you know how to protect yourself against this nightmare virus. See you on the other side.”

              That is true, and I have been doing everything in my power to inform others since January when I stated that: “This is a bioweapon and not the flu.”

              Not many were listening, but that is changing daily.

              Soon the REAL panic begins.

              Yes, I will see you on the other side.

              There may be a dramatic reduction in numbers, but there will be survivors.

              Good luck to you.

      • Did you notice one of these official “clowns” had their mask on upside down- and backwards? I’m not terrible happy that Trumps Coronavirus Dream Team consists mostly of economists, plus one CDC doctor out of his specialty.

      • Basically it boils down to survival of who they deem most worthy… themselves. “Lord of the Flies” showed the ugly dark savage animal side inside every human…in their minds the common useless eater sheeples lives are expendable. The more people who are awake enough to prep & survive will in their minds compete & deplete the earths resources, the elite view humans as a virus scourge upon the earth which needs to be culled to a more docile manageable number.

      • They are in close, direct contact with people that are infected with covid-19, and don’t have a choice in the matter. Treating patients and social distancing are mutually exclusive.
        For example, imagine you have to intubate a patient (shove a tube down someone’s throat) with covid-19 to put them on a mechanical ventilator to breath for them. If they gag, cough, or sneeze while you’re doing that your face will be covered in aerosol mucus particles carrying the virus. Keep your face six feet away from other people’s mouths (social distancing) without a mask, and you’re far better off as far risk of exposure than that doctor wearing an N95 mask.

        The exception to make here is caring for someone with covid-19 symptoms, because in that scenario caretakers are at the same risk as healthcare workers.

  • I told my friends a couple of weeks ago to go to the store and forward-buy a couple of months worth of things they regularly use anyway, and are not perishable. I seriously doubt that very many, or any of them did so until perhaps now when “panic buying” is in the news. And buying bottled water? Tap water has chlorine in it to kill “baddies” and will still work just fine. Hand sanitizer? Useful if you are away from hand washing facilities, but old-fashioned washing with soap will get you cleaner than alcohol based products any day. I can see some rationale for hand cleaning towlettes when you are on the go. I was at Costco last Saturday (2/29) and didn’t notice unusual buying except several people had multiple bales of TP, and one person had 4 bales and nothing else in his cart. But when I chatted with a neighbor over the back fence a few days later, he said that he went Sunday afternoon (3/1) and it was crazy there. I plan to help SELECTED neighbors (esp. with small children) a LITTLE BIT if needed in an emergency, but TOUGH LOVE for the rest. Hopefully I won’t need to, but I can always “share” some Lead product for anyone who might deserve such “help”.

  • The grasshopper first laughs at the ant, then resents the ant, then begs the ant, then threatens the ant. After that the grasshopper dies.

    • No the Grasshopper Mob uses the LAW to vilify you, reduce you to a 2nd class citizen then steals your stuff in the “Spirit of Equality” and if you resist KILLS you for Resisting Arrest.

      Aesop’s fable 2.0

  • NO NO NO, This doesn’t even make sence. preppers are NOT the ones in the store buying up 50 packs of TP.
    1, we have a bit better of an idea what will be needed and follow a more balanced approach to fill main needs.

    2, the issue is not people who have put back a few extra items slowly over a matter of month overr years, rather the issue is the PANIC buying late comers.. Much of the masses have yet to realize there is a looming issue. It may or may not happen so I choose not to panic and run to by whatever I can get my hands on. I will make a few small extra purchases over the next few weeks based on what I access needing… Hardly panic buying shelf clearing chaos some have which if the crisis gets worse will lead to shortages coming faster – but they were likely coming soon anyway.

    And 3, much of the good in stores are shipped on a slow boat from china and after about 2 months of shipping and manufacturing delays/stoppages from china we would be seeing the shelves slowly bare starting now without panic buying.

    4, scapegoat anyone… Gasp the issue be our government/companies sending all the manufacturing jobs to China. which although it saved issues with unions and wages here and got us cheap disposable goods, also made us incredibly vulnerable. So whom is really to blame

  • Seems I remember a little something bout toilet paper, preppers and Venezuela…..
    Stay positive and focused and take care of you and yours. The socialist and kommies will be thick in commentary just as they are on this site but y’all know better.
    We ain’t always going to agree on things but I believe we are mostly here for a common purpose so hold true to that.
    Develop a tough mentality because we might get it but that doesn’t mean we go down. This is the 3% you don’t want to be a part of.

  • ATTN MEDIA: SHUT UP…we will not listen to you..we don’t like you..and if you don’t shut up..
    we will make you shut up….now shut up

  • Six mega companies control about 90 % of the media . The MSM (mainstream socialist media ) prints and says what it is told . Stay as gray as possible and keep on saving stuff.

  • I don’t care what they call me. I would rather have food and necessities for my family and I than to stand in a FEMA line (remember a lot of long term food is being brought by those government hoarders thus causing a shortage) begging for food or TP.

    I shop bulk due to location and isolation. I will not share except with family. Anyone trying to take my food will get it one bullet at a time. I will not starve or watch my family starve or my animals because someone spent money on movies, cable TV, hot new phones, etc and did not prepare. I gave up things i would like to have had to work on things I needed. They are the panic buyers.

    • I don’t care either. I provide everything I can for my family, friends & special neighbors. Enjoyed your comments. 🙂

  • I have noticed Clorox wipes & Lysol in short supply at stores. Online Sams & Walmart are OUT OF STOCK or LIMITED QUANTITIES on: Clorox – All types, Lysol many types but many other items are Plentiful same with Target. Remember that Online orders take Precedence over stores since your products are coming from Fulfillment Centers or Manufacturer Direct so save the hassle & online order. These stores have Everything online Except full guns & ammo: Amazon, Walmart, Sams, Costco, Target, Walgreen’s, CVS, Home Depot, Lowe’s, Harbor Freight, Tractor Supply, GNC, Petco & many others. Keep Prepping. Cheers!

  • DW went to our Dentist today. Staff told her that they were almost out of surgical masks and dental floss as both come from CHINA!!!!!!!!! Dang them Commies

  • Believeable is all I can say….non preppers and the media are dealing from the bottom of the deck up…Always looking to blame someone.Mass Hysteria caused by the media…Glad to be a prepper…

  • Daisy, I am one that says is what’s happening now is panic buying and hoarding. Prepping since the mid nineties, even when I was unemployed,I bought at least one canned item for prepping. I stand by my statement. BTW: In case of quarantine, I have also “hoarded” books,play cards,and board games to keep me occupied. Oh damn,there I go hoarding again ! ????

    • Even if it is at the last minute, I strongly encourage everyone to get supplies while they can. I have no problem with “panic buying” if people are getting things to help their families and not be reliant on someone else to save them 🙂

  • Wow. Getting harder and harder to log on. Just like trying to buy toilet paper. I get so furious when people vilify anyone just trying to be prepared. I am 68 years old. Grew up as a child when we didn’t eat Friday till dads check got cashed and we shopped. At 21 was unemployed with my husband 2 weeks before christmas in 1974 in Rochester ny and almost starved. It took 6 weeks to get our first unemployment check and we went thru a stocked pantry and a 15 cubic stocked freezer and were down to a loaf of bread and jar of peanut butter when check finally came. I decided then I would never depend on the government and would always be stocked. Over the years we have tried to talk to family but we are just the crazy aunt and uncle with all that food. Even now they are just beginning to wake up. It scares me what the country and the world is facing. Prepping is not being selfish. It’s being responsible

    • Julie, You persevered throughout your life and you nailed this: “Prepping is not being selfish. It’s being responsible”

  • I was trying to prep and was doing fairly good stocking up, then my husband cheated on me and I threw him and my other income out. I had to go into my prep and I used it all up. I even had many days after that I did not eat at all. Now I am trying again, just smaller, like 1 or 2 extra things a month. Sometimes I have to go into it again, but it is there. Now what I cannot understand is why people calling preppers names like “selfish” or “hoarders”. I know for a fact that the bible tells us to look at the ants. They supply for the hard times. We also should. Life is NOT all peaches and cream. We need to do as humans have for thousands of years. Only recently do we grocery stores. No they cannot prep us all or have enough food to feed us all every day. This is why we have a brain. If the workers get sick, no trucks supplying the food to the stores. I am so sorry that people cannot think outside the box of self to see the big picture.

  • I only listen to the prudence of God as my guide. Foolish people, God has many comments to say about them. So I’ll let Him speak to this issue. KJV (When the riots start, remember this scripture)

    Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

    My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.

    11 If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause:

    12 Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit:

    13 We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil:

    14 Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse:

    15 My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path:

    16 For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood.

    17 Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird.

    18 And they lay wait for their own blood; they lurk privily for their own lives.

    19 So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; which taketh away the life of the owners thereof.

    20 Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets:

    21 She crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, saying,

    22 How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?

    23 Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.

    24 Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded;

    25 But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof:

    26 I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh;

    27 When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you.

    28 Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me:

    29 For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD:

    30 They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof.

    31 Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.

    32 For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.

    33 But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.

  • The person needs to realize that not all preppers are “hoarders”. I wonder if Joseph in the Bible got accused of being a hoarder when he saved grain in the years of plenty so that people would not starve in the years of famine? Many preppers have not only themselves in mind but caring for others in a crisis as well. Yes, I understand if there is a crisis that one person should not buy up all of the toilet paper and that indeed is selfish. But true preppers don’t wait until the crisis hits to prepare. We work for our money and then with wisdom use it to make preparations for life’s eventualities.

    And about this comment: “Why don’t people see the grocery store as a prepper’s storage unit?”… seriously, I have NO desire to wait until a crisis to run to a store with a bunch of manic people who didn’t think to prepare in advance for a crisis.

    I will stick to the Bible that says, “A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions. The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences” (Proverbs 27:12).

    I can easily see where that line of thinking could turn into a crazy law where people are limited in what and how much they can buy. Sure glad I won’t be here when the Antichrist is running things with his “Mark of the Beast” economy. They will certainly monitor everything you buy then.

    • @OldOzarkCountryWoman – Exactly! The Bible has much good advice – do not hoard selfishly but do be prepared when you see trouble approaching. The mentality of the diligent ant, not of the grasshopper. Depend on God, be responsible, take care of your family. My parents, who went through WWI & WWII, always had lots of food on hand; they were prepared for emergencies. Thank God for awareness of what’s going on and how to prepare.

  • YEA THATS RIGHT,anyone who doesn’t need the DEVILS in the GOVERNMENT hauling us to a FEMA DEATH CAMP,makes us the Bad guys,AND all those morons who are to brainwashed to think any more from all the drugs the MEDICAL INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX passes out to the ones who can’t see the end on the horizon,well ITS JUST TO BAD,either everyone is ready or their not,I personaly have no intention of signing my own Death warrant because I’am deaft,dumb,and blind,OR STUPID….

  • Where I live, ice storms and blizzards are not uncommon.
    Prolonged power outages are a real possibility.
    Out here, stocking up or “hoarding” is common.
    Then we just top off what we have used.
    Those panic buying, I cannot understand how you cannot have those things on hand.
    Ok, off to start cabbage and rutabaga seedlings.

    • Yay gardening!!! Here in TX, my tomatoes, peppers, green beans and new herbs are coming along. I tried cabbage a few years ago but its just too dang hot.

      • For some reason, my peppers have never done well. I was lucky to get three jalapenos last year.

        Oh, back to the hoarding thing, we have N95 masks, but they are the construction type. We use them for really dirty/dusty jobs.
        I did pick up some replacement filters, but that was back in early Feb.

        • My peppers do best if I can keep them around 80 – 85 degrees. That means the worst part of a Texas summer is too hot for them and I have to make sure they get afternoon shade. Where you are, they might do best in full sun but that is probably what you already tried. I also start the seeds in early February & get them into the greenhouse (which also has to have afternoon shade here) as soon as they pop up. If you are saving heirloom seed, it needs to be from fully ripened red peppers instead of green ones. I try to save seeds every year because pepper seeds don’t seem to last for a lot of years.

          • @JB, I am trying from seed, so I have a heat mat, transparant cover.
            Last night was, hopefully, the last of the lows in the teens (15 here).
            Do what I can to get that soil temp up.
            Thank you for your input.

  • Since we don’t want to be anti-Semitic and since we believe Genesis 12 is true, this should not be a problem. Appreciate your concerns.

  • Yes, we went to Sam’s club this week for our 45 roll package of TP. Why? because I was down to 7 rolls and on my schedule it was time to replenish. We typically have 3 mo of food, personal products and cleaning supplies. We live in SW FL, where Hurricane Season is June thru Nov. We are always prepared for ‘being without’. I’m not a Hoarder, I’m a responsible citizen always ready for a cataclysmic event. Those that resent us are simply uninformed with heads in the sand that demand the government or others take care of them.And, I never let on as to what I have – except of course the hurricane shutters that are visible.

    • Bellen, just stay the course and ignore the whining. Many naysayers are worse than uninformed, they are WILLFULLY IGNORANT.

      Willful ignorance is a rebellion against God. 2 Peter 3:5

  • “Due to high demand and to support all customers, we will be limiting the number of Sanitization, Cold and Flu-related products to 5 each per order. Your order may be modified at the time of pickup or delivery.” This is on the Kroger.com website right now. Thankfully I have enough supplies to last for a while, and stock up a few extra items there as I do my weekly trip to the grocery. Would that be considered hoarding, jeez give me a break! It’s common sense people! It’s absurd how much this is getting out of hand.
    Now there is a confirmed case here in Indiana as well.
    https://www.wane.com/community/health/coronavirus/1st-case-of-virus-confirmed-in-indiana-case-isolated/

  • People still read “USA Today”? Regardless of whether this virus will become pandemic or not, the supply chain is broken and will only get worse. Some government program or agency WILL NOT save you. You do what you have to do to HELP YOURSELF.

    We will probably still have running water and electricity. Our travels will probably be severely restricted especially in big cities. So getting what you can NOW is the prudent thing to do.

    Don’t forget ingredients to make such things as homemade soups. They can be very healthful. Such things as tomato or pasta sauces. Frozen veggies are a must and can be used for all sorts of things.

    The Pennsylvania governor has just set into motion a state of emergency. Who knows exactly what that means. It will no doubt set even more people scurrying off to stock up even more.

  • Having before hand is normal but after an event its hoarding? folks you are on your own,government will think of themselves first and us last. Its your fault if you aren’t ready…all year long!

  • It’s like officials say, BUY ONLY WHAT YOU NEED. Though, they don’t mention how long your needs are or will be.

    Being a prepper means they won’t be a burden on anyone else or government. Demoncraps and lieberals don’t like that.

    • Blather, I am a liberal and have been a prepper for over 20 years. I find your remarks highly offensive as well as untrue.

  • Daisy, thanks to your website I have been prepping for years now. Slowly building up an emergency pantry. I have not been stressed about “stock” and have not made any panic runs to the store. Thank you for all you do.

  • My old friend (and once very popular Alt-Media Commenter “The Underclass Guy”) wrote extensively back in 2008/2009 about the very terms raised in this article – such as “Selfish Hoarders”, and how they would be weaponised.
    He was an ex-gov insider who was well aware of the plans to use chaotic events to push forward Globalist agendas, and expand the control grid.

    He warned explicity about the day when the MSM or Governments would psyop people into stoping using hard cash, specificaly that cash would be refused in favour of electronic payments.
    He said that when cash is refused – not banned – you will know that the plan to demolish the old financial system and replace it with a new electonic version (aka the Reset) is in play and maybe only months away.

    We are not there yet, but with the WHO and other organisations saying that cash could help transmit Coronavirus / Covid-19, therefore people should use electronic payments instead, it is clear we are moving very close to the beginning of the end as he described back in 2009.

    The other “warning signs” he said to watch for were the vilification of preppers who will be called Hoarders (and Domestic Terrorists if they keep firearms), and negative interest rates in banks (to impoverish the people, destroy capital, and kick start high price inflation).

    The final warning sign before chaos would be “shelter in place orders” being given. This is interesting, as “Quarentine” is simply another word for shelter in place. He made a video about this in 2014 (500,000+ views, but it was sadly deleted along with his channel during the great Youtube purge of hard-core alt media commenters back in 2016).

    So, looks like we are getting close now folks. This may be it, but it may also be just a practice run for the really big one – the really big shock / event / false flag which is yet to come, so keep watching and dont get caught off guard.

  • Amen sister!! It is soo nice to NOT have to panic and buy /fight over stuff now. You can call me whatever you want….my grandma’s generation would call it SMART.

  • Guess I “hoarded“ some metal barrels I converted to trash burners in case that system is disrupted

  • Yes well there will be quite a lot of unprepared people feeling very self righteous & unselfish when they refuse to prepare because they’re above the Frey.
    They’ll also either starve to death or they’ll loose all that self righteousness when they raid the preppers stocks or eat the preppers themselves.
    If you believe the media you’ll die!
    They don’t want you prepared because they want a population totally dependant in the corrupt government that has itself been hoarding food & underground bunkers FOR ITSELF!
    Oh idiot non prepper…you can’t eat selfrighteousness,

  • Albert

    Your post is very offensive on a number of levels. Antisemitism like this doesn’t belong on this site and I hope your post is promptly removed.

  • Excellent article, it is good to know where we stand. Us “hoarders” are the minority. All those whiners complaining about “how about those who can’t afford 10 packs of toilet paper, what about them…” would probably do well in communist China or any other truly socialist country.
    If you fail to prepare and are either too distracted or too ignorant to react logically and prepare adequately and in a timely fashion – DO NOT CRY WHEN YOU ARE LEFT WITHOUT BECAUSE YOU FOOLISHLY IGNORED THE WARNING SIGNS AND ALL THAT IS HAPPENING AROUND YOU. IT IS NOBODY FAULT BUT YOUR OWN.

  • We started buying an extra can or two, etc. in January, as soon as we saw how bad it was in China. Obviously it was going to come here. How can other people not see the future? It must be an advantage of walking with God.

  • Always amazing how people react to the various situations they find themselves in. Have been prepping for a while and getting static from family for doing so. Well I guess the worm turned, now they want to know what they need and how much (told them to do some research). They were amazed at how much food they would need for 2 weeks and were shaking their heads when I told them to gather at least 4 weeks since not everyone will be exposed at the same time. Well out to the stores for more supplies, just incase I get some visitors when times get hard.

  • But, this is the very reason that my family and I are “preppers.” We lost almost everything we owned in a hurricane years ago and, because we’re rural, we we cut off from everything for almost two weeks. That was pre-cellphones, and computers, and we didn’t have a generator at the time. Roads and bridges were washed out, so we were literally isolated for those two weeks. So yes, we do prepare for the unexpected, by having extra canned goods, medical supplies, propane, diesel fuel, alternate heat source, a large generator, etc. Don’t blame “us” for being prepared simply because you’re too lazy, too cheap, or just too stupid to take care of yourselves. The dumbest thing a person can say is, “don’t worry, the government will help.”

  • selfish?
    hoarding?
    as far as i’ve seen, there has been PLENTY on every shelf in every store when there is no ’emergency’
    why didn’t these whiners buy what they needed then?!
    to hard to plan i guess.

  • Well. How selfish of me then to consider my elderly neighbor’s who may need our help. People have a way of absolving themselves of being big fat lazy grasshoppers until the snowflakes fall and they want what the ant has diligently worked to be ready for; what is obviously coming. It will not take the ant, nor the grasshopper by surprise. The difference is the SELFISH grasshopper failed to prepare and let themselves and their family down. The grasshopper had an equal opportunity to take care of what was necessary but much like modern snowflakes, chose not to. I refuse to feel bad for making good, sound decisions. It was they who were lackadaisical. It was they who were thoughtless, inconsiderate and as far as I can tell don’t wash their hands.
    You have been a good steward Daisy and have always encourage a little here, a little there, and that is the way we prepare.

    • Also the Selfish ant (sarc) had been wise enough not only to store enough food away, for a long bitter winter, but also to stock up on those evil self-defense rifles , so when the ravenous locust come to raid his supplies, he shall persuade them otherwise.

  • The people who are stocking up now in the press are the Foolish Virgins. The ones complaining about them are the Really, Really Foolish Virgins. No biblical precedent for the latter.

  • Daisy, I love you and the work you do. Thanks. But you are wrong on this article and please apologize for it in writing. There is no such thing as “hoarding” when things are plentiful and the shelves are full, as in a month or two ago. “Hoarding” occurs when a prepper goes out and tries to “top off” their supplies when there is a huge demand from the un-prepped, when the supplies are thin and everyone wants what you are buying. That is wrong, not moral.

    The “prepping” community should now be focusing on the things they will need down the road that no one else can see, but not the things that the ignorant masses had no clue about and need now. You know, the government school grads that can’t see. I am one of those.

    But to buy and hoard things that are in high demand and in short supply is wrong. Please apologize.

    • Just over a month ago, we saw the writing on the wall, and stocked up (more so than usual, and there was that blizzard thing).
      And now we replace what we use: A few boxes of pasta, potatoes, lettuce, fruit, flour, sugar and some other stuff.
      Does that make me immoral?

      Daisy, you dont owe anyone an apology.

    • What you call topping off is simply resupplying the pantry. I have maintained my current level of preparedness for years and will continue to do that so I can be ready to help those around me. No apologies are needed.

  • Exactly! I have lead a very frugal lifestyle in order to provide for my family and to be debt free. I have never expected anyone to share their new cellphones or expensive cars and vacations with me. However, if they knew I had supplies to care for my family, I don’t think they would hesitate to ask for and expect me to give them some…or a lot. Not happenin’. They should have made different priorities.

  • Modern society has institutionalized narcissism, rewards victimization and uses moral relativism as a guiding light. It’s no wonder why the perennial victims call preppers, selfish.

    I’m of the same mindset as a few others here, that if someone doesn’t approve of me buying enough toilet paper to last a month, I don’t give a shit what they think. The idiots — professional or otherwise — simply don’t get it. It’s not just the crisis du jour, but the associated panic which makes things tenuous.

    And then of course we have the “enlightened” bunch who believe that just because something never happened before, it won’t ever happen. Must be nice to be cocksure and live in a cocoon. And who can forget the pragmatic crew who like to bandy about the terms, “tin foil hat”, “conspiracy theorist”, “paranoid”, etc. They’re usually the first ones to call you when it looks like something’s really about to go sideways.

    Nope, I won’t apologize for taking care of myself because if I do that, someone else won’t have to take care of me and by extension, those who take care of themselves are NOT a drain on the system. I can see how someone filling up a flatbed with supplies would piss others off, but in a crisis, suppliers could help out by looking ahead and increasing production. They’re gonna make bank if they do and we need to realize, for better or worse, this is part of capitalism…and I’d want no other economic model.

    In closing, I have some rules I’d like to share:

    Rule 1: Hope for the best, plan for the worst

    Rule 2: DO NOT OPEN THE DOOR FOR ANYONE YOU DO NOT KNOW! …and be SELECTIVE if you do know them. Unprepared neighbors are the first likely beggars. If someone is attempting break in, that might be an opportune time to quickly familiarize yourself with an appropriate self defense strategy…whatever that might be. 😉

    Rule 3: If you have a network of family and/or friends, keep in touch, especially if you’re hunkered down and cannot, or will not leave home. A Plan B escape plan is a prudent thing to have in place, as is redundant communication methods.

    Rule 4: If YOU are the one who needs help, be damn sure you can offer whomever helps you, something in return, be it a tangible, or a service…and don’t renege. They’re more likely to share if they don’t think they’re being gamed. And if someone needs help from you and you decide to help out, inform the individual(s) that you need — or may need — their help with something down the road. Having a string attached can sometimes make someone think twice about asking for help if they don’t really need it.

    Rule 5: Do NOT feel guilty for taking care of yourself. Most of the loudest voices screaming “selfish” are not only NOT helping themselves, but they’re also likely to be the type of individual who will not, or cannot help another. A victim mentality usually comes with a sense of entitlement. Most preppers are pretty good judges of character, so it’s unlikely you’ll be fooled. If a decent individual needs help and you sense they’re trustworthy and you have the excess means to help, goodwill can’t hurt.

    fwiw…

  • I used to be one of you and then it slowly dawned on me how much is simply impossible to prepare for. I read these comments and truly feel sorry for you folks. You only think you’re prepared. Most of you reveal in your words that you have no clue. Man, are you in for a surprise.

  • Preppers are not hoarders. My best estimate would be that 95% or more of the people buying pallets of toilet paper are the folks that have been goaded by the fear porn lobby (msm). Preppers have constructed a well used pantry of supplies that usually have a base amount of everything THEY USE and replaced as we use them, rotationally. This is prepping…this is not hoarding. And call it what they want, over years of doing this same thing, I feel reasonably confident that my family could go a bit of time during an ugly situation.

  • Thats pretty funny. Nothing but sour grapes by the sheeple who took no responsibility for themselves or their families to cultivate self-sufficiency and manage risks to increase their ability to survive difficult times, be it financial, medical, or something else. Now the panic is setting in as they realize their oversight, a panic that is being purposefully ‘streamed’ at them now 24/7, mostly by the MSM.

    To paraphrase a country song, I was a prepper when prepping wasn’t ‘cool’. It didn’t happen overnight. It required staying informed and using a bit of foresight while building the means to hopefully survive mostly intact the ill winds that might blow our way, be it natural or man-made calamities.

    Too bad for them!

  • In central Pa at the Wal-Mart in Mechanicsburg, Pa All gallon jugs of water were sold out. The only thing left were the 24 pack of Deer Park bottles. Wal-mart doubled the price of them. My wife went to Giant and they too were out of gallon jugs of water but had Deer Park 24 bottle cases. Which were three cases for 10.00 as opposed to Wal-mart which had them 1 case for 10.00. Wal-Mart cashing in on the stock up buyers and taking advantage of the situation I feel. Good old supply and demand. Also, I notice hand sanitizers, wipes, everything that disinfects being sold out. Don’t panic though, drive around to different stores, you can still find the stuff. Hurry, all the stores are raising the prices and many stores are having trouble getting the product back in because of the demand. I know this because I drive three days a week for a very large grocery chain. We are delivering three times the amount of this stuff and only three times because that is all of the demand that can be met. The manufacturers can’t meet the demand. So the stores are not getting all they are asking for. The rush is on.

  • While the Elite & Fed agencies are feverishly squirreling away supplies. Who knew that in 2020, buying a extra roll of toilet tissue & ramen would become a crime against humanity>

  • A lot of wack jobs out there. This is being way overblown. I find myself being sucked into a situation that is being used for political purposes. A bunch of dumbasses buying up anything and everything. Oh hell, I bet half of the consumers don’t even know how to cook a meal from scratch. I was raised to keep a supply of food products on hand just in case you list your job. Not a preppier at heart just a man who tries take care of his family in hard times. My parents were depression kids and I was merely a child who grew up in a poor family. Poor people learn to adapt and flexibility’s to one’s environment. Like roaches and rats we shall survive!

  • A few weeks ago I became anxious about things in the news and made a list of stuff In my home that were getting low. I made a trip to Costco and Sam’s to replace needed items. There were hardly any shoppers, shelves were full. Shortly after that trip I was astonished to see the panic buying start. I didn’t have to buy things like TP because I already had a good supply on hand. My shopping trip wasn’t much different from my previous stock ups in the spring.

    The thing is, I believe we have a responsibility to take care of ourselves so resources can be available to the less fortunate among us. I am lucky enough to have been able to load my pantry over time so I can just shop for replacing what I use. We made one last stop for fresh produce before we self quarantined. Most of the frozen dinners and pizza were gone but the fresh and frozen veggies were plentiful yet. I make most of our food and bread and buns so I think we’ll be just fine. I’m here for my kids as well. I worry about older people not getting what they need.

    Good Luck to all – stay well and safe! My the Good Lord watch over you and yours. Thank you Daisy for all your info and encouragement over the years.

  • Shame on all the preppers
    Toilet paper is a human right
    Boo hoo
    Preppers didn’t wipe
    Out the toilet tissue in massive amounts, Yall, they already had theirs. That is why they are called preppers

  • Not that I’m obsessed with the subject of toilet paper, but… I’d like to propose a solution for future similar situations, which avoids problems in this area , if you find yourself without this product. Buy a mini hygienic shower placed, with appropriate plumbing and thermostat, next to the WC, on a hook, with a hand held action. It’s pleasant to wash yourself, each can have his/her own towel, and for those with a septic tank, or other non-connected system, it avoids blocks, and bad digestion by your bacteria. They only cost around $10, depending on your budget and tastes, an amount quickly absorbed, for us in a couple of weeks of toilet paper. And it saves getting in a fight over the last rolls in the supermarket. I prep, but I refuse to get in supermarket punch-ups for a couple of rolls, as is the case here! I adore your articles, by the way, thanks a load 😉

  • For every expert out there I would say.
    I’m confused why people aren’t prepared with some essentials to get them through a possible few weeks of sheltering in place. Essentially I haven’t been going out and hoarding. I essentially have stocked my pantry slowly over the past couple of years as I was essentially able, to buy the essential’s that my family essentially needs. It’s my duty to essentially make sure that my family is essentially prepared in case of emergencies.

  • I have a squirrel in my yard and a huge oak tree that drops boatloads of acorns each year. I also have three bird houses. All over the yard there are acorn shells split open with the meat gone… eaten on the spot. I checked the houses to see if my little birds had returned to raise their families this spring and lo… no birds! Why? There is no room because my squirrel filled all three houses full of unbroken, whole acorns from the yard. So, the question is: is my squirrel a hoarder or is he simply planning ahead for the summer knowing the tree won’t produce again until the late fall? Lean times can fall for all kinds of reasons. I think I’ve got a pretty smart squirrel!

  • I’m curious why you seem to be validating a clearly phony pandemic. “COVID-19” has never been isolated according to Koch’s postulates or any other scientific method. It may exist, but there is no proof that “COVID” is anything but pneumonia and flu, which particularly target the elderly and immune-compromised. Don’t believe me? Search for “IAMJOHNCULLEN” on youtube or on patreon.com. He uses the CDC’s own data to show that we are being lied to.

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