Panic buying fuel

Have you been an panic bought fuel today?

  • Yes

    Votes: 1 1.3%
  • No

    Votes: 76 98.7%

  • Total voters
    77
  • Poll closed .

BiMGuy

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Or public money is being used to keep the economy moving and averting a longer problem? :) Depends on how you see it.

I guess the police could have patrolled forecourts last week and nicked anyone filling up with more a 1/4 tank full:ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:

Maybe that'd have a few foaming at the mouth
Public money that is being spent on wages regardless of whether they drive some trucks or sit polishing their boots.
 

ColchesterFC

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Public money that is being spent on wages regardless of whether they drive some trucks or sit polishing their boots.

Public money that is being spent on wages that are enabling private companies to make a profit. I hope that LT is correct and that the companies are being charged for the contractors and aren't getting them for free.
 

drdel

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Public money that is being spent on wages that are enabling private companies to make a profit. I hope that LT is correct and that the companies are being charged for the contractors and aren't getting them for free.

The military staff costs are a sunk cost, by driving commercial trucks the marginal cost compared to what they may have been doing could well be less!
 
D

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The bottom line is almost no business can cope with an unexpected big 'run' on it.

JIT systems make the matter worse, as stocks held are low, but larger stocks don't mean an instant solution and almost no business can affordable the massive excess capacity just in case.

Doesn't matter if you are the NHS(Virus), Petrol Stations, a Bank(Northern rock), Shops(loo rolls, pasta, tin food etc), builders(current mad rush), Golf courses(the massive increase under covid), Stock Market(crashs) and so on. They just can not cope.

You need to stop the 'runs', that is the only solution. Finding a solution to stopping the 'runs' is far harder than said, as the modern technology means runs happen faster and harder:sneaky:
 

yandabrown

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The bottom line is almost no business can cope with an unexpected big 'run' on it.

JIT systems make the matter worse, as stocks held are low, but larger stocks don't mean an instant solution and almost no business can affordable the massive excess capacity just in case.

Doesn't matter if you are the NHS(Virus), Petrol Stations, a Bank(Northern rock), Shops(loo rolls, pasta, tin food etc), builders(current mad rush), Golf courses(the massive increase under covid), Stock Market(crashs) and so on. They just can not cope.

You need to stop the 'runs', that is the only solution. Finding a solution to stopping the 'runs' is far harder than said, as the modern technology means runs happen faster and harder:sneaky:
Didn't we all learn this watching Mary Poppins in our youth?
 
D

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The poll above, this forum is made up of saints and does not reflect the general public:ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:
 

GB72

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The poll above, this forum is made up of saints and does not reflect the general public:ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:

Looks like I am the only one who put my hand up and said 'yes'. That said, I happened to be at a supermarket the day this all started kicking off, saw the queue starting to build and so bought enough fuel for the next week or so to be safe. The fact that I bought fuel when I would not normally have done so (would have done it a few days later) due to a queue at the petrol station is classed to me as panic buying. Not sure that I was ever worried at that stage that I would not be able to get fuel the following week, was more worried about having to sit in a queue for ages.
 

SwingsitlikeHogan

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Looks like I am the only one who put my hand up and said 'yes'. That said, I happened to be at a supermarket the day this all started kicking off, saw the queue starting to build and so bought enough fuel for the next week or so to be safe. The fact that I bought fuel when I would not normally have done so (would have done it a few days later) due to a queue at the petrol station is classed to me as panic buying. Not sure that I was ever worried at that stage that I would not be able to get fuel the following week, was more worried about having to sit in a queue for ages.
Not alone. I topped up with £20 (and was given pelters on here for doing so) but as I was in the middle of nowhere in Scotland heading to Skye with no idea of the situation in Skye or indeed how many filling stations there were,
and no idea how long the problem would continue, I took the opportunity when I spotted a station with no customers.

When voting in the poll I did not consider my ‘top up’ to be panic buying as commonly portrayed - rather I saw it as a mitigation against me running out in the middle of nowhere. But I accept that some consider my actions to be panic buying and so I should have chosen Yes in the poll. And I expect I am not alone in doing what I did, or something similar, and who voted No.

As it happens fuel supply to the filling station local to where we were in Skye was pretty much OK, though at the outset there were queues of campers vans filling up…but like me they did not know what they fuel supply situation in the Highlands and Islands would be.
 
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D

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Looks like I am the only one who put my hand up and said 'yes'. That said, I happened to be at a supermarket the day this all started kicking off, saw the queue starting to build and so bought enough fuel for the next week or so to be safe. The fact that I bought fuel when I would not normally have done so (would have done it a few days later) due to a queue at the petrol station is classed to me as panic buying. Not sure that I was ever worried at that stage that I would not be able to get fuel the following week, was more worried about having to sit in a queue for ages.

The area I live in(which could be like yours, as think you are a bit more rural based, rather than city), tend to have an oversupply of supermarkets/petrol stations, so we only had a brief run here(a few days I believe) and you could still purchase fuel.

Just before going on holiday, when I needed to fill up, one station was closed, one didn't have any diesel(no queues tho) and the next one did have diesel, so followed my normal pattern, of going from about 1/4-1/2 tank to full. Scotland, no problems in the highlands.
On arriving back, I filled up at the normal petrol station just before getting home(no queues, all grade of fuel available). If there had been queues on the way home, I would have driven home.

But being honest, if I had not filled up on the way home, I would have been out first thing the following day to fill up.
 

theoneandonly

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Looks like I am the only one who put my hand up and said 'yes'. That said, I happened to be at a supermarket the day this all started kicking off, saw the queue starting to build and so bought enough fuel for the next week or so to be safe. The fact that I bought fuel when I would not normally have done so (would have done it a few days later) due to a queue at the petrol station is classed to me as panic buying. Not sure that I was ever worried at that stage that I would not be able to get fuel the following week, was more worried about having to sit in a queue for ages.
The poll was closed when I answered but I was all over it. We've Just finished the last of my jerry cans.
 

Robster59

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Interesting article here. You can see a lot of it is down to the model that the suppliers use to fill their stations, rather than trying to blame it all on the Government or Brexit.
How an extra five litres of petrol helped cause the country to grind to a halt
Like many companies, they use a "just-in-time" system and the panic buying put strains on the overall supply chain, which was exacerbated by lack of drivers.
 

Mudball

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Interesting article here. You can see a lot of it is down to the model that the suppliers use to fill their stations, rather than trying to blame it all on the Government or Brexit.
How an extra five litres of petrol helped cause the country to grind to a halt
Like many companies, they use a "just-in-time" system and the panic buying put strains on the overall supply chain, which was exacerbated by lack of drivers.

i must say, i read it and it is a classic case of oversimplifying a complex issue.. Statistically they are correct, it was a case of increasing average consumption by 5. The JIT model is based on efficiency and also managing to keep costs down. We learnt last week that the breaking point of that fuel JIT system is 5L.
Unfortunately statistical and operational models dont take into account the stupidity of the people that use it. IMO, it as a black swan event and move on. Should not look to change the JIT model model - will lead to bigger shocks up the supply chain.

Of course, the Govt now blaming businesses for not being prepared for events that they were told wont happen is not going to help.
 

Robster59

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i must say, i read it and it is a classic case of oversimplifying a complex issue.. Statistically they are correct, it was a case of increasing average consumption by 5. The JIT model is based on efficiency and also managing to keep costs down. We learnt last week that the breaking point of that fuel JIT system is 5L.
Unfortunately statistical and operational models dont take into account the stupidity of the people that use it. IMO, it as a black swan event and move on. Should not look to change the JIT model model - will lead to bigger shocks up the supply chain.

Of course, the Govt now blaming businesses for not being prepared for events that they were told wont happen is not going to help.
I agree that we should just move on. I wasn't blaming it, I was just putting a reason (albeit simply explained) as to why we are in this situation.
At the end of the day, if people didn't panic buy, then this wouldn't happen.
 

SwingsitlikeHogan

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I agree that we should just move on. I wasn't blaming it, I was just putting a reason (albeit simply explained) as to why we are in this situation.
At the end of the day, if people didn't panic buy, then this wouldn't happen.
This is true…but the best tightrope walkers avoid doing so where the wind is likely to suddenly change and subject the walker to strong gusts…they mitigate the risk and either choose to walk elsewhere or ensure they have a net or safety harness.

And so for fuel, if JIT means walking a tightrope then one obvious mitigation would be to ensure that there are sufficient drivers and tankers immediately available to support a sudden increase in demand. And clearly these last couple of weeks tell us that that is not currently the case. The industry and JIT in respect of fuel, essentially requires supernumeracy…and that will cost us all at the pump unless we can tap into a ready supply that is not paid by UK business to be on stand-bye.
 

drdel

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This is true…but the best tightrope walkers avoid doing so where the wind is likely to suddenly change and subject the walker to strong gusts…they mitigate the risk and either choose to walk elsewhere or ensure they have a net or safety harness.

And so for fuel, if JIT means walking a tightrope then one obvious mitigation would be to ensure that there are sufficient drivers and tankers immediately available to support a sudden increase in demand. And clearly these last couple of weeks tell us that that is not currently the case. The industry and JIT in respect of fuel, essentially requires supernumeracy…and that will cost us all at the pump unless we can tap into a ready supply that is not paid by UK business to be on stand-bye.

The 'Lean' supply chain reduces costs. If you want to pay more for products then companies might hold buffer stocks- but I suspect not as its become an embedded concept as the high ROI is liked by the city and shareholders.
 
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