Shock as Aldi panic-buyer loads up with giant stash of rice and pasta
AN Aldi customer left shoppers in shock this week as he loaded up with a giant stash of rice and pasta.
Stuart Darben spotted the panic buyer at the tills in a Lincoln store on Monday morning, filling the conveyor belt with piles of long-life items.
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It comes as England gears up for a second national lockdown from Thursday, in a desperate bid to halt the spread of coronavirus.
Stuart said: “There was rice, pasta and Doritos.
“It was really busy in the shop. I was gobsmacked with what I saw and the shopper in front of me was too.
“I could see another staff member looking at the till but I don’t think he wanted to say anything.
“I turned to my partner and said, this shouldn’t be happening, it’s not right.
“I even said to the check-out operator, is it right he should be doing that?”
Under the new lockdown restrictions, food shops, supermarkets, garden centres and certain other retailers providing essential goods and services can remain open.
But pubs, bars and restaurants will be forced to close.
Non-essential retail shops will also shut, although they can remain open for delivery to customers and click-and-collect.
It means shoppers’ access to supermarkets and other essential stores won’t change during the lockdown – but panicked shoppers have shown their concern.
Yesterday, aerial photos showed a long line of shoppers snaking its way through a Costco car park in Lakeside, Essex in a desperate bid to stock up.
Many shoppers could be seen leaving Costco with trolleys full of goods, while video footage showed crowds of people fighting over items in a Tesco store.
In Birmingham, customers wearing face masks patiently queued outside Costco to stock up.
The rain didn’t even deter the throng of shoppers as they huddled under umbrellas in the car park.
One woman was pictured leaving the store with a trolley filled to the brim with toilet paper.
Others grabbed up bottled water and multipacks of crisps and cereal as panic buying sweeps England again.
In Watford, Herts, a man filled his trolley with booze, tomatoes and a giant cuddly bear at a Costco.
It comes despite repeated warnings against panic-buying during the pandemic as there is plenty of stock to go round.
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Earlier this year, supermarkets were forced to introduce widespread rationing for the first time since World War Two as panicked Brits hoarded hand sanitiser, booze and loo roll.
Stats from the first week of March show that Brits spent nearly £60million extra on stockpiling essentials – with an extra £17.6million splurged on toilet roll alone.
Aldi has been approached for comment.