EDITORIAL – The unbearable politeness of hoarding – together again

An editorial by Mel Rothenburger.

IN TIMES OF CRISIS, our thoughts turn to toilet paper. And food.

If you want to know anything about the flood situation in B.C., go to your favourite super market.

The one I was at yesterday was busier than a Black Friday super sale. The expansive parking lot, normally a third full, was jam-packed. So was the inside of the store as anxious shoppers loaded their carts to the hilt with bottled water, canned goods, frozen dinners and, yes, toilet paper.

The produce aisles were almost bare. No leafy greens, no bananas, just a few russet potatoes and some red peppers.

There was only one topic of conversation. Customers talked with each other about where the slides had happened, the latest weather forecasts, which highways were shut and how long it was going to last. They swapped stories about having tried and given up at other stores because they were so crowded and low on supplies.

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Mel Rothenburger is a former mayor of Kamloops and a retired newspaper editor. He is a regular contributor to CFJC Today, publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website, and is a director on the Thompson-Nicola Regional District board. He can be reached at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.