![]() In these circumstances the unconscious response tends to be copy what we believe other people are doing. While we told there was enough food for everyone and no need to stockpile, the implicit message was that ‘other people’ were buying lots. Social Proof News and social media were quick to report shortages (and occasional fights). A large quantity in someone’s trolley is likely to be noticed by others. Some items, such as toilet rolls, are very visible they’re also a staple purchase. ![]() In such circumstances people will stop and think about buying a particular product even if they hadn’t planned to do so. So, if they are suddenly looking empty, it’s conspicuous. So what was behind this behaviour and can organisations (or government) learn anything useful from it? Isolating the psychological drivers at work might be the key to understanding – and stopping – undesirable behaviour.Īttention Years of operational improvements, fierce competition and grocery market innovation mean that our supermarket shelves are always full. After all, no amount of toilet roll, lentils or tinned tomatoes can protect us from such a virus. That could hardly be described as rational behaviour. Fortunately, those days are now behind us, with explicit queuing rules, quantity restrictions and limits on the number of shoppers all to thank.īuying bigger baskets made sense if people were worried about not getting out of the house a lot, but in many cases panic buying went much further. Among all the disturbing news about the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, one story stood out: people were panic buying.
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