Hoarding is a concept that ordinarily draws little attention outside of some reality show on TV, but during uncertain times such as those we find ourselves in now, it has become a widespread issue of some concern. It all began with the disappearance of toilet paper and various household cleaning products from store shelves. Entire aisles were devoid of certain commodities. Panic buying suddenly threw the normal supply and demand models to the wind, as retailers and customers found themselves struggling at both ends of the equation.

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Prepping is a concept that has grown popular in recent years, even making it to mainstream television with shows like “Doomsday Preppers”, “Survivorman” and others. These illustrate the various preparations people undertake for a myriad of potentially cataclysmic scenarios, ranging from economic collapse to natural disasters to pandemics or terrorist events. While some of these narratives might seem unduly apocalyptic, such as alien invasions or asteroid impacts, recent world events have placed a far more sobering light on such endeavors.

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