Hey S.F., Bay Area People - Stop Hoarding Giant Bags of Rice!
People, people, people. You read something on the Drudge Report about an area rice shortage and then you make it come true by buying 200 pounds at a time.
Until the government issues you ration cards, you can’t call it “rationing,” so don’t go there, girlfriends. If you want to talk about salmon, well then go ahead, as you might very well have a case about recent losses in salmon.
But, there is no rice shortage. Don’t stock up. Don’t buy stuff for your neighbors.
This will sort itself out, and then we’ll all look back and laugh.
A local Costco back during a happier time when there was so much rice stacked up that even the pigeons could get their fair share. Yes that is John Grisham looking down on us from above - his visage adorns the gaylord of books on the left. Larger photo in all its glory here on SFist.com.
Tags: california, costco, mountain view, northern, rationing, rice, San Francisco, shortage
April 23rd, 2008 at 8:31 pm
You say ‘hoarding’ like its a bad thing. Modern inventory management systems mean most stores have only a few days of inventory in stock at any one time. Even the Red Cross and FEMA, hardly paranoid survivalist organisations, recommend having several days worth of food and water on hand. In a natural disaster you can take care of yourself without joining the crowd rushing to clear the shelves. It is sad that it takes a panic to get Californians to do this, but your own words apply to stockpiling also: it too will sort itself out.
April 24th, 2008 at 1:55 am
The mind boggles at the thought of a person who considers 200 pounds of rice to be “several days worth”.
April 24th, 2008 at 2:55 am
We are vegetarians and we buy rice in tremendous amounts, but not like these folks. From personal experience, I guarantee the wastage due to rice bugs developing eventually will outweigh the amount of rice actually eaten by possibly as much as double.
April 24th, 2008 at 9:10 am
“…we’ll all look back and laugh.”
Except for all the idiots that have a ton of rice stacked up in their living room that costs three time more than it’s worth.
April 24th, 2008 at 9:52 am
Rice still strikes me as being pretty cheap, even after the recent doubling in price for some types.
If things go back to normal fairly soon, then stocking up on a lot of extra rice will look kind of dumb, that’s for sure.
April 24th, 2008 at 10:42 am
You folks who marvel at 200 lb bags of rice do realize (do you not) that small restaurant owners buy much of their products from Costco and Sams Club and Walmart?
Get a grip, grow a pair and get a life.