A video capturing a chaotic rush for Basmati rice being sold at a discounted price at Sainsbury’s in Whitechapel, East London, has gone viral, prompting backlash on social media.

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW VIDEO

The viral video shows a swarm of shoppers filling their trolleys with large bags of Laila Basmati rice. Several shoppers can be seen stacking multiple bags into their carts, with some struggling to walk through the aisle due to the overcrowding at the store.

According to the caption on the post, the rice was being sold at a heavily reduced price of 9.50 pounds per bag. The video was originally shared on X by the account UB1UB2 West London (Southall). “People stockpile rice after a Sainsbury’s in Whitechapel put Laila Basmati rice on sale for £9.50,” the caption read.

Watch here:

Indianexpress.com couldn’t independently verify the credibility of the video.

Story continues below this ad

With over 500,000 views, the video has sparked a range of reactions. “I find this kind of greedy behaviour unbearable. People are humiliating themselves over just a few pounds in savings,” a user wrote. “So embarrassing,” another user commented.

“What annoys me that unfortunately we always gonna have selfish people so as a supermarket have restrictions in place. Only one per customer if purchasing only the rice. 3 per customer if you do minimum £50 worth of shopping. Will stop the selfish people,” a third user reacted.

“Immigration problem aside, it is not a bad idea to stockpile something that has a long shelf life & does not go bad for a while. Cultures where rice is a staple, it is not uncommon for people to buy even a 100 kg sack of rice, store it in large drums & use it throughout the year,” a fourth user said.

According to a Yahoo article, a temporary shortage of Costco’s rotisserie chicken triggered a chaotic rush for chicken at a California Costco in 2021. The viral video showed several customers filling their carts with multiple birds, sparking outrage over overbuying and food waste.

© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd

Expand