Why do people need so much milk and bread when it snows? Stopped at supermarket on way to work, sold out of milk and people fighting in bread isle. WHY
If you lived in hurricane country you'd better understand. When a potential natural disaster is forecast prudent people stockpile food and supplies and top off their gas tanks. There is a real possibility power will be off for days If you don't evacuate, and many people do not, you need to be able to eat and drink without power. People with kids probably need a lot of milk. The bottled water was probably sold out too. Sometimes drinking water is compromised or the supply is shut off. Ice can be very precious for hurricanes but probably not as important for an ice storm. Bread makes sandwiches with very little wash-up after. Even if they are able to restock, you may not be able to get to the store or the people running the store may have evacuated or not have power to operate.
After a hurricane, stores have to throw out ALL their frozen and cold foods. Before the hurricane, yes, people rush the stores snatching up everything in sight. It is a shark feeding frenzy. I suppose snow storms are no different. Either way, you are cooped up inside for awhile and everything is closed.
My own never fail hurricane supplies are a box of wine and huge pan of brownies. Comfort foods make one not care that an ancient oak is laying on the house, and rain pouring through the roof. I don't miss living in hurricane alley. but I traded it for tornado alley.
As to your question, milk and bread, both are no-preparation foods. I cooked roasts and ham in order to make sandwiches. Milk and cereal is easy and makes a romantic meal in candlelight.
Most people have less than a week's worth of food in their house. So when an emergency comes along, they panic and buy everything in sight. Most of us on TEG would be well prepared because we already have food stored. It's called canning, dehydrating and freezing our garden produce.
When the grocery stores open back up, the atmosphere is hushed, like being in a church. Grateful people shop the bare shelves, happy to have anything at all to purchase.
I suspect you hit the nail on the head with "most people have less than a week's worth of food in their house." In cities where people can stop at the store for the night's groceries they hardly have reason to have a refrigerator -- keeping the sodas and beer cold are important -- so the threat of not having food for what might be several days is probably scary. For others, having the only bread and milk supply on their block might be an interesting bartering tool.
My BIL and his wife had a tiny camper-sized refrigerator. That's all they needed. Everything they ate was freshly purchased at the store a block away.
Right after I bought the country house I ran to the supermarket about 10pm. The door was stuck, as I was tiring to wiggle it open a kid waiting for ride home said they are closed. I said what supermarkets never close. He said you must be from the city.