An unprecedented energy failure in Spain caused a mass influx of customers to stores.
Some customers were prepared for Blackout, knowing what articles to buy while others acted chaotically.
Recommendations for what to look for in stores in a crisis situation was issued by, among others European Union.
Paola, which entered the Mercadon market in the center of Barcelona She knew perfectly well what she needed at the time of an unexpected energy crisis. An unprecedented failure in Spain began at 12:30 on Monday. Over 99 percent were restored to Tuesday. power supply, but there are still difficulties in some regions.
– I take unnecessary products: water, rice, dried pasta, canned tomatoes, sugar, eggs, lots of eggs, chopped bread, toilet paper and toothpaste – said “El Pais”, adding that as Argentina she chooses Yerba Mate, without which she can't live “.
“We went through Pandemia, we learned something,” she added.
Spain. Mass failure in the country and chaos in stores
The team of the “El Pais” daily appeared in a market in the dark at lunch. Not only the local residents, but also employees of nearby office buildings and the crowds of confused tourists without access to the cellular network, decided to shop for “last chance”.
There were no tapes at the ticket office, and the refrigerators were covered with special sheets in such a way as to keep the cold. The refrigerators themselves were almost full – most people, seeing them covered, avoided them completely.
– They take water, toilet paper, legumes, candles – replaced the store security guard. Bottled water, ready dishes, salads and guacamole quickly disappeared. There was no bread at all, because the store owners decided not to lose the power of the generator on baking.
However, not all buyers were as well organized as Paola. Some people who bought fresh fish and meat, only at the ticket office were aware that they will not be able to store them in the fridge at home. Difficulties also appeared with huge water supply after leaving the store, when it turned out that especially older people They don't have the strength to take them home.
As “El Pais” pointed out, in the first hours of failure throughout the Iberian Peninsula appeared Problems with card payments and payments from ATMs. The full functioning of the emergency system was implemented at 15:30.
However, this was not a big problem for the Spaniards who are attached to the settlement of cash. According to the European Central Bank, the traditional form of payment is the basis of 57 percent. all retail transactions. 39 percent Payments are made using a card or application.
Chaos in stores. The water disappeared from the shelves
Chaos also prevailed in supermarkets in other cities. In the absence of cooking dishes, from shelves Conservations, drinks and basic products disappeared the fastest Suitable for immediate consumption. Huge queues lined up in front of the ticket office.
– I felt like a pandemic. Shelves with bottled water have been literally razed to the groundmany people rushed at her, ”said Rtve.es Lucia, who was shopping in the center of Valladolid.
In turn, customers of Madrid stores admitted that when they turn off the current “they don't know what to buy”. They explained this by the lack of knowledge about how long the failure would take. – I take a little bit of everything – said one of the clients.
What to buy when it comes to a crisis? The EU advises
The European Union guidelines prepared in March this year may help decide what to buy in an extraordinary situation. The survival package “for 72 hours without the need for abroad” consists of: wODA, basic food products and medicines. For extraordinary situations, we should also have prepared identity documents, a flashlight, a lighter, a knife, a phone charger, a powerbank and a battery radio.
Ignacio Ortega, an instructor of the Spanish survival school, then commenting on the RTVE guidelines indicated to take food that does not require heating. In their elections, shop customers should therefore focus on canned products, legumes and protein bars.
Source: “El Pais”, RTVE, Interia