Oh no, the supermarket is closed tomorrow!

What is it about a long weekend and the supermarkets (and everything else) being closed for one day, that has us racing out the door, trying to find a carpark; this year for many of us in the rain, just so that we can grab those last-minute items we might need!

I know why I popped into the supermarket on Thursday evening. I had volunteered to make the fish tacos, to go with the margaritas that I would be having with my girlfriends on Friday evening.  The only problem was I had no fish, no tacos, and no salad.  So, yes, I joined half of Motueka in the supermarket Thursday evening where everyone else seemed to be buying everything in sight. I couldn’t resist, I also stocked up on Hot X buns, eggs, and please don’t laugh, but toilet paper too (I was genuinely down to the last roll!), feeling quite happy I headed off to choir practice.  I then realised that I had forgotten milk, so rather than ration my cups of tea, I had to go to the dairy on Friday, thanking my lucky stars that something was open.

This type of behaviour is driven by a few things.

FOMO, the fear of missing out on something.  I saw this in action, and yes, I was one of the shoppers eagerly looking for a carpark on a wet Saturday morning to get to the Easter sales.  I had checked a few things out online, as I did need some warm winter walking gear.  It was almost like being back in Auckland, I had to drive round the carpark three times before I found a park, but there was no way I was going to miss out on getting to the stores and getting the bargain’s that I wanted.

Then of course there was the Saturday supermarket rush.  There was an interesting chat going on with my margarita drinking girlfriends, both who attempted to go to the supermarket.  One gave up looking for a park and went home. She realised it would be just as easy to walk and get the couple of items that she wanted.  The other determinedly pushed on in the pouring rain, until she found a carpark and then battled the trolley dash to get her weekly shopping done.

I also did the Saturday grocery shop.  I knew I should have taken my own advice and just waited, but being a creature of habit, off I went, again in the pouring rain.  I couldn’t help but peek into my fellow shoppers’ trolleys and observe that there was quite a bit of comfort food, and drink being purchased.  I probably had a bit of that too.

Did we really think we were going to run out of food, if we didn’t make it to the shops? No, but also fear of the unknown may well have come into play this particular Easter.  Most of the country was under heavy rain warnings, and it was wet and miserable. Cyclone Gabrielle isn’t that much of a distant memory.  Was the same going to happen again?  We can’t control the weather, but we can control what we put in our trolley, so let’s go to the shops ‘just in case’.

Then Herd mentality can also kick in, we chat to a friend who’s stocked up on something, so we think we should do the same.  Whether it’s toilet paper or hot cross buns, it’s the same psychological trigger that can have us panic buying even if we know there’s no real need.

So, what can we do when we get into these emotional states?

Start by taking a reality check and an inventory of what you do have in your pantry, fridge and freezer.  If everything was closed, how much food and other stuff do you have?

Talk to your friends and neighbours, what do they have? If you ran out of tea bags, does someone have some surplus that they can share with you?

Please don’t forget your pets. I will confess to buying a rather large bag of dog biscuits for Jett.  A hungry labrador is not a happy labrador!

It’s OK to stock on a few extra treats and essentials for a long weekend.  Just don’t let it become all-consuming with fear and anxiety as the underlying emotion.

I know I’ll be happily eating Hot X buns for the next couple of weeks, as I munch my way through the stockpile I have in my fridge.

Oh no, I’ve just realised ANZAC day is coming, the shops will be closed again!