Archbishop: please stop hoarding and think of others
Justin Welby appeals for Christian response to crisis as supermarkets insist they can maintain supplies across the country – but cannot keep up with panic buyers
THE Archbishop of Canterbury has urged people to “please, please stop” hoarding food as supermarkets continue to struggle to meet the unprecedented demand.
Justin Welby said there was no Christian justification for the sort of panic buying that had stripped shelves in many shops leaving vulnerable people unable to get hold of vital supplies.
As supermarket bosses, MPS and health worker leaders called for restraint from shoppers, the archbishop took to Twitter to urge people to be more thoughtful. He wrote: “Please think of others – especially the most vulnerable, and those risking their health to look after us. Leave enough for everyone. We depend on each other,” he tweeted.
“If your cupboards are full, here’s an idea - take a few items to your local food bank, or ask if your neighbours need something. And to put it a bit more strongly for followers of Jesus – there is no Christian justification for hoarding more than you need.
“As John the Baptist said in the Gospel of Luke, ‘Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise’.”
His comments came as the run on supermarkets across Britain showed no sign of abating. Leading chains have insisted they have enough supplies to maintain stocks across the country, but acknowledge they are having difficulty getting goods on to the shelves quick enough to keep up with demand.
Key workers, including NHS staff, who are working long hours, have reported finding shelves stripped bare by the time they get to the shops after finishing their shifts.
Yesterday the Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association called on supermarket bosses to put special measures in place to help NHS staff buy essentials.
Shops have also been closing earlier at night in order to allow more time for shelf-stacking, but this has come under fire for excluding customers who work unsocial hours.
Supermarkets across the country admit that the unprecedented level of demand since the Covid-19 pandemic took hold, is continuing to stretch their resources to the limit.
But the behaviour of some shoppers in hoarding particular items, such as lavatory rolls, hand sanitiser and tinned foods, has left supermarket staff unable to get stock out quickly enough. One supermarket source said: “It is a bit of a vicious cycle in that when people see that something is running low, the minute it is restocked they panic and sweep the shelves because they assume we are running out.”
Dave Lewis, the chief executive of
Tesco, said while the sector was in “unchartered waters”, he was confident they could continue to meet demand providing shoppers were sensible.
Some of the major supermarkets have also taken drastic measures to control supplies by limiting the number of items any one customer can buy.
But there have been reports of shoppers simply going back into the supermarket numerous times until they have purchased all the items they want. The introduction of “elderly hours”, intended to allow senior citizens exclusive access to the stores has also been beset with problems.
There have been reports of younger people barging into shops ahead of older customers leading to confrontations and abuse.
Nigel Daniels, 77, from Leicester visited his local Sainsbury’s for its “elderly hour”. He told The Daily Telegraph: “I have never seen the place so busy and it was all over 70s. But it cannot be a good idea to have so many older people all crammed in together.
“It is the absolute opposite of what we are being told to do in order to keep safe. It feels like in addressing one problem they are creating another.”
Chris Noice, from the Association of Convenience Stores, said British shopping habits were partly to blame because people were increasingly unable to estimate how much food they needed for a period of time.
He said: “In recent years people have tended not to do a big weekly shop, but have instead preferred to top up during the week as they run out. This means they find it hard to work out just what they are going to need.”
Most corner shops have remained well stocked and have proved a lifeline for many customers.
Mr Noice said: “One of the advantages convenience stores have over the big supermarkets is that they are not necessarily waiting on a delivery for their stocks. If the owner of an independent corner shop runs out of something they can jump in their van and head to the cash and carry to restock.”