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Maybe this time around people will build a bit more slack in their logistics. Maximizing profit and efficiency is what got us into this mess. Younger me was ap
by tomc1985 5y ago
Maybe this time around people will build a bit more slack in their logistics. Maximizing profit and efficiency is what got us into this mess.
Younger me was appalled when I learned most everyone seems to operate in a just-in-time fashion. Remember when you could go to the supermarket and ask if they have any extra in the back room? Stores don't even have that any more, everything shipped to the store goes straight to the shelf. Then COVID comes along and fucks that up.
- Robotbeat 5y agoAll of life is logistics. There’s no getting around the need to try to maximize efficiency. You can choose to improve resilience as well, of course. Supermarkets don’t usually have much extra stuff because they carry a lot of perishable stuff. This is no different than outdoor markets for millennia. If anything, we’re a bit better off due to refrigeration and better preservation techniques, but if you have too much slop, that just means greater food wastage. There is still a backroom for places I go. You can see it behind the milk cartons.
- tomc1985 5y agoYou can keep reserves for select nonperishables. In any case, one of my siblings works at a national supermarket chain and it works as I described
- Robotbeat 5y agoSounds expensive? I doubt it was common to do so in the past, except for government (i.e. for disaster/war preparedness, etc)