http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x4783551Oh my.
The grouchy old primitive, from Illinois:
NNN0LHI (1000+ posts) Wed Jan-07-09 01:20 PM
Original message
Poll question: Generally what would be the result if the grocery stores ran out of one common item like bananas?
For whatever reason. Transportation problems. Bad crop. For any reason. And don't dwell on bananas either. Any commodity that people are used to be able to going into the store and it is always there. Almost like magic. Milk, butter, vegetables, fruit, anything. The stuff we take for granted.
Poll result (24 votes)
There would likely be no major problems (21 votes, 88%)
People would panic and/or riot (2 votes, 8%)
Not sure / Something else (1 votes, 4%)
The mountain man primitive:
ThomWV (1000+ posts) Wed Jan-07-09 01:22 PM
Response to Original message
2. It happens from time to time, the world doesn't come to and end - they ran out of beer once
There was a national beer truck drivers strike in the late 60's (at least in Colorado) and they ran out of beer for weeks. It got so bad locals started drinking Coors there for a while.
FSogol (1000+ posts) Wed Jan-07-09 01:23 PM
Response to Original message
4. Q. What would happen is all the disposable diapers disappeared?
A. It would be a real mess.
grasswire (1000+ posts) Wed Jan-07-09 01:29 PM
Response to Original message
6. bananas ARE going to disappear
It has to do with a plant disease and unwise propagation practices. Bananas as we know them will disappear.
calico1 (1000+ posts) Wed Jan-07-09 01:32 PM
Response to Original message
7. People usually hoard things when they are scarce
I remember reading about relatives of an elderly woman who had died finding bags and bags of sugar in her house. Some of it was so old it was rock hard.
Hoarding bananas though would be rather impractical.
But during WWII when there was no sugar (or bananas) to be found anywhere, people just got creative and used other things in place of sugar. So maybe that would happen again.
KamaAina (1000+ posts) Wed Jan-07-09 01:34 PM
Response to Original message
8. Out here, if anyone even whispers the words "dock strike"...
...the result is a run on the stores, similar to that seen before a blizzard is about to hit the Northeast or Midwest, focusing on three items in particular: rice, toilet paper... and Spam. Yes, Spam.
supernova (1000+ posts) Wed Jan-07-09 01:37 PM
Response to Original message
9. Milk, and meat and grain products like bread would be more likely to cause a riot if there were shortages.
Think about anything you have to feed to children, that would cause rioting.
A single fruit like bananas? Naw.
lumberjack_jeff (1000+ posts) Wed Jan-07-09 01:39 PM
Response to Original message
10. One? Nothing.
Six months ago, you couldn't get rice. It got better.
The kinds of problems I expect are going to be much more widespread.
Hmmmm. That's very peculiar.
franksolich buys rice, and franksolich found grocery shelves groaning with rice last summer.
Of course, franksolich buys real rice, and not the artificial chemical foods the primitives tend to like.
Morning Dew (1000+ posts) Wed Jan-07-09 02:30 PM
Response to Original message
14. hoarding
Remember the toilet paper shortage of '73?
Uncle Joe (1000+ posts) Wed Jan-07-09 03:01 PM
Response to Original message
16. You mean like as happened to spinach last year?
I've noticed some salad bars still haven't brought that product back.
Hmmmmm. The last time franksolich ate at Valentino's, which was about ten days ago, the salad bar had a bowl stacked with fresh spinach. franksolich noticed it because franksolich likes raw spinach.
One wonders where the primitives live, where they have these shortages.
