Here's some good news for all us hoarders:

http://www.garynorth.com/y2k/detail_.cfm/3508

In a recent thread we debated how adaptive the systems are...here we're seeing it. To the extent we can get them to adapt early, we'll lessen the problem. Same goes for cash, I think. There's a limit to what can be done, of course, but let's all do our patriotic duty...

-- Shimrod (shimrod@lycosmail.com), January 11, 1999

Answers

Last night I went to the grocery store. It's a large chain which has many many stores in my area. In the large open center aisle they had a display of camping supplies!

I thought to myself "That's odd. It's winter. Nobody goes camping in the winter in the frozen below-zero north country!". At the time I had a quick thought it was maybe a response to people who were stocking up. Then I thought, naaaw....

But I guess it could be. They had coleman lanterns, coleman heaters, coleman cookstoves, utensils, cooking kits, candles, batteries, sterno cooksets, etc.

On the other hand, it could just be a for winter preparedness too. After last year's ice storm perhaps the stores are ensuring the supplies are there for winter preparedness.

I do notice that my local grocery stores have more beans (way more) than normal. Usually there are several types in those small bags. Now I am seeing larger bags than I have ever seen before. Rice too. Larger quantities of them too.

Four weeks ago, when I went to my local warehouse store, I could find NO dry beans whatsoever - NONE. I asked the store manager if they were going to stock dry beans and why didn't they have them. He said they didn't stock them because they weren't an item that sold very well up here and they couldn't just have them sitting around.

Two days ago when I went to get my bi-weekly stock-up items, lo and behold - dry beans! Go figure huh? I doubt my one comment made that manager decide to stock beans. Wonder how many others asked that manager that question....?

Who knows? But anyway, it's good the "stuff" is there for the buying.

For now.....

Bobbi http://www.buzzbyte.com/

-- Bobbi (bobbia@slic.com), January 11, 1999.

Good news indeed.

I don't believe it'll be TEOTWAWKI, but I do anticipate a very large bump in the road and am worried about public panics late in 1999. This is proof that by preparing early, you position yourself as part of the solution rather than leaving yourself as part of the problem to come, because

1. You stimulate economic activity in the necessary channels so that supply will be enhanced over the next few months (while there is still time to react to the increased demand), and

2. You put yourself in a position where you won't be part of the panic-inspired demand later.

-- Nigel Arnot (nra@maxwell.ph.kcl.ac.uk), January 12, 1999.