Abstract
In response to grocery shortages during COVID-19, UK supermarkets limited the number of products consumers could buy, to keep products on the shelves for longer, discourage stockpiling, and help fairer distribution. The effectiveness of this strategy has been questioned, as shortages continued for months and reappeared during further waves of the virus. To better understand the consumer perspective, primary data collected online from over 400 respondents during the UK’s initial lockdown period has been analyzed. By drawing on key concepts from hoarding and scarcity literature, such as commodity theory, the bandwagon effect, and regret theory, we identify factors that influence the effectiveness of the pandemic rationing policies. The broader themes of consumer (dis)empowerment, routine disruption, and emotional fallout are considered, with recommendations for future strategies provided. The findings highlight the importance of timing, consistency, and communication for implemented strategies, and the need to consider the difference between ‘equal’ and ‘fair’ product distribution.
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Brown, J., Apostolidis, C. (2022). Rationing During COVID-19: Is an ‘Equal Share’ Always Fair?. In: Gallitto, E., Massi, M., Harrison, P. (eds) Consumption, Production, and Entrepreneurship in the Time of Coronavirus. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-93169-8_2
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