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