# Should we be stocking up? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 5, 2026, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-be-stocking-up/1029820 "2026-05-05T22:27:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2026, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-be-stocking-up/1029820/61 "2026-05-10T17:02:15Z")
Thanks. Doesn’t bother me to eat the older stuff, but my lovely wife has some liver issues that cause us to err on the side of caution. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2026, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-be-stocking-up/1029820/62 "2026-05-10T17:33:58Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > So… not container ships of broccoli so much as container ships of stuff like potash. 85% to 90% of the potash used by American farmers already comes from Canada, which does not involve the Strait of Hormuz. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2026, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-be-stocking-up/1029820/63 "2026-05-10T17:38:06Z")
But the shipping to get it to the farmers costs more. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2026, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-be-stocking-up/1029820/64 "2026-05-10T23:31:11Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > 85% to 90% of the potash used by American farmers already comes from Canada, which does not involve the Strait of Hormuz. Uh-huh. What about Europe? What about Asia? If they can’t get it through their customary channels they’ll look for alternatives. Which could well include Canada. That will drive up the price for _everyone,_ and it already has. Shutting down the Strait of Hormuz has _global_ implications. The US might not be the most affected nation but it will be affected by the market disruptions this shut-down has caused and continues to cause. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2026, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-be-stocking-up/1029820/65 "2026-05-10T23:44:51Z")
> [@EddyTeddyFreddy](#): > > (b) deliveries of oil, fertilizer, and helium (to name three commodities that move through there) The USA produces the most helium of any nation. > [@EddyTeddyFreddy](#): > > Please tell me this guy is overreacting. Please tell me he’s wrong. America exports food, and oil. > [@wolfpup](#): > > The US is in fact overall self-sufficient in oil, though practical realities result in a mix of both imports and exports. If there are shortages in some situations it’s likely because US oil companies have ramped up exports, allegedly to help stabilize global oil markets but I suspect more likely for profiteering Right, and also market jitters have cause oil and gas prices to go up. > [@puzzlegal](#): > > It’s true that CA gets most of it’s oil from the middle east. But it’s not true that it can’t get oil from the US. We may not have good pipelines for that, but we have a lot of trucks and trains that can carry oil. Does that cost more? Yes. Will our food prices go up Hell yes. Will we have widespread food shortages? I don’t think so. > > Is someone going to starve because of this? Yes, probably. But probably not in the US. Good points- note that CA produces like 25-30% of it own oil, and gets most of the rest from Alaska. ---
**Author:** ![Ellecram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellecram/32/18948_2.png) [@Ellecram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellecram)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2026, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-be-stocking-up/1029820/66 "2026-05-10T23:58:49Z")
I am anticipating some potential shortages but there is no way to predict where they will occur. I can barely manage to do the regular shopping let alone stocking up. Question sera, sera. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2026, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-be-stocking-up/1029820/67 "2026-05-10T23:59:23Z")
My modern(ish) high end (read overpriced) Wolf range can definitely light with a lighter. I have a Wolf brand torch lighter that came with it. Matches work fine. The oven could be lit manually but it’s not recommended. We like our eyebrows. But, yeah ..you can go overboard prepping and hoarding. I don’t believe the screamers on YouTube. I still have some hope we can turn this thing around. Just keep a safety pad stored back if you’re nervous. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2026, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-be-stocking-up/1029820/68 "2026-05-11T08:09:20Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > > [@EddyTeddyFreddy](#): > > > > (b) deliveries of oil, fertilizer, and helium (to name three commodities that move through there) > > The USA produces the most helium of any nation. If the world helium supply drops by 1/3 because of war in the Middle East prices for helium will go up everywhere regardless of where you live. > [@DrDeth](#): > > America exports food, and oil. While I agree that the gentleman on the linked YouTube is over the top, and while I agree that America exports food and oil, it is naive to think that food and oil shortages elsewhere won’t affect the US. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2026, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-be-stocking-up/1029820/69 "2026-05-11T11:59:48Z")
Substantially every commodity is globally traded now. The landed price at your or their factory door may differ regionally due to trasnport costs and taxes / tariffs. But the underlying price of the product whatever it is, less transportation & taxes, is darn near a single number worldwide. The only crises that _don’t_ change your prices at the store or pump, are those crises which are small enough that the price change is lost in the sauce. You might not notice it or be able to attribute it. But it’s in there. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2026, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-be-stocking-up/1029820/70 "2026-05-11T19:18:54Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > While I agree that the gentleman on the linked YouTube is over the top, and while I agree that America exports food and oil, it is naive to think that food and oil shortages elsewhere won’t affect the US. Sure, prices will increase. But there wont be shortages. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2026, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-be-stocking-up/1029820/71 "2026-05-11T19:29:50Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > there wont be shortages. My WAG is that there shortages will occur if people get the sense that _others_ are starting to hoard. Then @N9IWP’s grandmother’s thought process becomes the norm: > [@N9IWP](#): > > “We better stock up [on sugar?] before the hoarders get it all” ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2026, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-be-stocking-up/1029820/72 "2026-05-11T19:39:05Z")
We recently did a little bit of an inventory. Biggest problem I see(in pantry foods) is we have an extraordinary amount of canned garbanzo beans. (Yep, I ordered Tahini, already) We have way too many sardines and canned salmon. This will get rectified over the summer. Or, as they say we do have 5 cats. I told my daughters we need canned or shelf stable dairy and were probably good. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2026, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-be-stocking-up/1029820/73 "2026-05-11T19:56:43Z")
If people panic/over react and feel like hoarding anything, there will be shortages of that thing. Recall the pandemic toilet paper fiasco, suddenly there’s no toilet paper in the stores. ---
**Author:** ![fedman1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e495f1/32.png) [@fedman1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fedman1)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2026, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-be-stocking-up/1029820/74 "2026-05-11T20:01:03Z")
Dollar Tree carries cartons of real milk that doesn’t need to be refrigerated ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2026, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-be-stocking-up/1029820/75 "2026-05-11T20:15:13Z")
Meh, as I said earlier, I don’t share the minority view of a coming apocalypse, and with regard to food, I have relatively little stocked up at any given time. I’m not big on canned goods to begin with, so there’s not much there besides a few cans of baked beans and some soups, none of which I have very often at all, plus a few jars of pasta sauce and cartons of dried spaghetti. Almost all of my food supply, such as it is, consists of either perishables in the fridge or relatively long-term frozen stuff in the freezer, and I’m perfectly comfortable with that. Even during the peak of COVID, there was never anything even remotely close to a food crisis and I don’t expect one any time in the foreseeable future. As I also said before, the guy quoted upthread pontificating about the coming apocalypse is a crackpot; he’s of the same mentality as the doomsayers standing on street corners with “The End is Near” signs. [![](https://improvisedlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/new-yorker-cart-end-was-near.jpg) ](https://improvisedlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/new-yorker-cart-end-was-near.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![knavette57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knavette57/32/3871_2.png) [@knavette57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/knavette57)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2026, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-be-stocking-up/1029820/76 "2026-05-11T20:26:06Z")
Ah, I understand the fear of storing gasoline. My spouse was fond of doing that, but since he now has mild dementia, he forgets to do stuff. This one kind of stuff makes me glad (sometimes) that he forgets ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2026, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-be-stocking-up/1029820/77 "2026-05-11T20:34:19Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > We have big barn away from the house and I hate my husband and son keep a drum of diesel fuel there. Diesel fuel is similar to residential heating oil and plenty of people keep that in a tank in the basement. I think my parents have a 275 gallon tank, which is a standard size. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2026, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-be-stocking-up/1029820/78 "2026-05-11T21:09:42Z")
Yeah. Storing gasoline is stupid dangerous. Storing diesel is just economically dumb. Unless one is heating a house or running a working farm / ranch out of an industrial scale tank. Improvised storage of any flammable, even firewood, is asking for a disaster. Just don’t. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2026, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-be-stocking-up/1029820/79 "2026-05-11T21:13:52Z")
We have a winner! Hoarding _creates_ shortages. It doesn’t preclude you from suffering from them. Everyone else is collectively faster & selfisher than you are. You simply can’t out-hoard the horde. The only way to win is for (almost) no one to play. So laugh and point at anyone proposing to hoard whenever and wherever you hear of it. Peer pressure works. Use it hard and use it often. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2026, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-be-stocking-up/1029820/80 "2026-05-11T21:21:09Z")
The toilet paper shortage was exacerbated by hoarding, but that didn’t cause it. A lot of the supply of toilet paper is designed for industrial use. (Office buildings, etc.) People who usually did some of their business at work did all of their business at home during the pandemic, increasing demand. And there wasn’t any fast way to repackage the paper for home use. It was a problem with paper towels, too. That’s _why_ the case i bought in the middle of the pandemic was a case of giant rolls with narrow interiors (“spoolless”), because there was a glut of that stuff on the market. I happened to have a holder in the bathroom off my bedroom that was easy to retrofit to accept the industrial stuff. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-be-stocking-up/1029820.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-be-stocking-up/1029820.md?page=5)