I think it’s mainly them worrying that if the virus spreads more then either shops will close or food/products won’t be produced as much anymore. This is very, very unlikely though as countries keep stocks of things for situations like this.
I’m not a psychologist or a behavioural scientist so I don’t study this – but I think its partly so that they can feel in control of an uncertain situation, and partly because they see other people doing it so think they should be too.
I think they are scared, because they don’t know how long this situation will last for and they aren’t reassured that the shops will still have enough products for everyone in a couple of months.
I think it’s because it is an uncertain situation. Especially as things are changing quickly every day. People who panic buy are most likely worried that they won’t be able to leave the house at some point and then they want to make sure they have enough food to see them through.
But in my opinion, if the government put restrictions on the country that we all must stay indoors, there will have to be a way for people to get food and other everyday things. We won’t be left with nothing.
It’s also a vicious circle because there are some people who panic buy and then there are others who aren’t panicking buying as such but want to buy things when they see it is available because they know people are buying so much which isn’t helping the situation
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anon-249483 commented on :
true
Sophie commented on :
It’s also a vicious circle because there are some people who panic buy and then there are others who aren’t panicking buying as such but want to buy things when they see it is available because they know people are buying so much which isn’t helping the situation
Mod Em commented on :
IMPORTANT: This question and its answers are about coronavirus (COVID-19). The information on this page might be out of date or wrong.
For up-to-date health information and advice, please go to the NHS website: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/