One thing I've noticed the last few weeks happening in supermarkets is stockpiling off sale items. I like to think of it as hoarding but my parents disagree.
Every week when they get the Sunday supermarket discount paper, they go and get as much as they can while it's on sale.
I try to think from the perspective of someone else who might want an item but won't be able to get it because another shopper took all 200 of them.
Most supermarkets have a limit but that doesn't stop my parents for going back more than once.
Actually I don't think it stops anyone.
Being frugal is one thing but to take more than you need and not leaving anything for others is wrong.
When you see customers stockpiling sale item, is it being frugal (taking advantage of a good discount) or hoarding (not leaving anything for anyone else)?
dollarish.com
Mr. Savings
Comments (22)
I guess you should take as much as you can put in use?
I think it depends on the situation, If it is someone who really NEEDs the item and will use it for a need and not a luxury. Then its really first come, first serve. They are not stealing, and honestly if they are putting the items to good use then great!
It happens all the time. When I see somethings marked down in the newspaper, I visit the store and nothing is left. I've accepted it as part of life.
As far as people who hoard, I feel there is nothing anybody can do about it. Coming back for more? Fine with me! I don't know their situation and probably will never find out, so more power to them for helping the store get rid of certain items faster.
I never hoard, b/c that's how the store gets your money!!
Frugal is not spending extra money on stuff you don't need (whether it's on sale and cheaper than everywhere else or not).
Hoarding is taking everything of value because you think it'll run out. It's related to the term "panic-buying"...only hoarding is usually something you plan and thinking about, rather than an instinctual reaction based on the basic "flight or fight" programming in our brains.
As others have said, as long as they'll use it, it's being frugal.
That's why I always try to hit the sales the day they start. Most of the grocery stores where I shop have weekly deals, and I hit the best on Wednesday when we get the ads.
Believe me...there's more in the stockroom. If the people buy more than they need then they are losing money in the long run as they will have to throw out all the old food.
For some things it makes a lot of sense. There are certain staples I buy only when on sale. (Like my pasta sauce - on sale for $0.99 and a coupon for $1.50 off 3. So for $1.50 for 3 jars, I cant pass it up. I will use it before it goes bad, so it makes sense to buy it now rather than when I need it and it is full price!)
I would pull the Darwin card and say survival of the fittest. Although, with all our technology, this being an example of survival is kind of lame. I stockpile things I know I will use, like if meats are on sale because they're about to go past their sell-by, I'll buy four to five packs of it and freeze it for later. That being said, I don't get more than I will use (before it goes bad) or can store reasonably.
both! it becomes dumb if you get more than you can finish before it expires.
Hmm...those are two completely different concepts, and are not mutually exclusive. Being frugal is saving money. If you buy cheap in bulk, you save money in the long run. If it harms other people (which you seem to be suggesing is the issue of hoarding) then that is a moral issue, unrelated to frugality. However, when shops do sell sale stuff, it's always a first-come first served thing. There are always people who miss out - whether you buy one item or twenty items. That is the nature of sales. There is never enough to go round - hence the big rush for the January sales.
i think it's actually being both frugal and hoarding.
Gosh, I remember couple months ago I went into CVS and I saw hersheys chocolate bars (those big ones) for just only $1 (wait is it? eh idr the exact price but anyway it was cheeeeeeeeeeeeeap!)
But it was empty.
I asked the manager and she said no more in stock
so i was like
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! @.@
And in my head thinking, who took all the chocolates? could it just be 1 person or many people?
I mean I would just buy a few maybe around 5 or 6 if they have a lot. But I dont think I was hoarding if i were to buy 5 or 6 of em bcuz hoarding would be consider buying like 20 of em.
I think of hoarding as exceeding the limit given, unless it's, like, a limit 2 per person kind of thing. But still, It's kind of hard to blame people nowadays because of all these economic downturns, but I understand what you're saying. I'm embarrassed to fill a cart with shampoo right now, but I guess when I'm older and have to manage an entire family, every penny will count (more than they do now), and I'll begin to "hoard." I'll be respectful of others, though; there will be something left, unless I get to snag the last 2 or 3 packages of pop-tarts or something ;D.
many grocers offer rainchecks so people don't stay in want for very long....but if you're buying 28 loaves of cinnamon raisin bread for a family of three....it might just be hoarding...unless you're my grandmother who eats that stuff on the daily..and freezes it until she uses it.
i guess it all depends on the needs of the buyer. being frugal means that you're not going to waste it...while hoarding is always wasteful.
you should stockpile things that don't spoil quickly and if you have the necessary storage for it.
it makes no sense not to.
I just buy food from sams, I have noticed though that the other shoppers are elderly or families of 5+...
Only take as much as you can carry.. with the exception of TP and paper towels. And Only what you NEED and will USE.
Real frugal people use cloth rags not paper towels anyhow.forget other people
The trick to being really frugal is knowing the cycles of the sales. If there's a really good sale on blueberries, it makes no sense to buy and freeze 12 containers if they're just going to be on sale in a month. It makes more sense to buy 4 or 5 and freeze a few to get you by until they're on sale again. It takes up valuable space in your pantry or freezer if you buy a ton of stuff at once.
Actually, with produce the trick to being frugal is to grow your own!
And it's hoarding if you stockpile things like oreos. They're expensive even when on sale so it is definitely not frugal to buy a bunch when you can make your own cookies for 25-30 cents a batch.
It definitely sounds like hoarding to me.
well if you take all of the item then that isn't very nice to others. But if you still get several while leaving some then I don't see the problem. My dad always buys stuff on sale even if it isn't something we really need at the time. But he only buys a couple not the store's whole stock.
My mom is a total hoarder. Yep. She goes into a store claiming she needs toilet paper, then when a store worker hands her the discount paper she tries to purchase everything on the list. I've asked her, "Why do you need this?" and everytime she justifies her answer with "Because it's a deal" or "You eat these ______, right?"
She purchases those items (most of the time it's food from supermarkets) and we don't eat them. My mom buys candy when it's on sale, and I'm the only one in the household who eats candy. Even if I don't like the candy bought, I'm forced to eat it because my mom won't purchase more (and the types I like). It's just a vicious cycle that doesn't make any damn sense to me and I'm stuck wolfing down food I don't wanna eat because of my mom's unnecessary hoarding habits!
I don't care, the stores (here, at least) kick out a raincheck to anyone that gets there after the hoarders clean them out.