“I find this kind of greedy behaviour unbearable."
A video showing chaotic scenes at a Sainsbury’s in Whitechapel has gone viral after shoppers rushed to buy discounted Basmati rice.
The clip captures customers piling large bags of Laila Basmati rice into trolleys, creating overcrowded aisles. Some struggled to move through the store as people stockpiled the discounted product.
The video showed trolleys filled entirely with bags of the rice.
According to the original post, the rice was sold at £9.50 per bag.
UB1UB2 West London (Southall) shared the video on X and captioned it:
“People stockpile rice after a Sainsbury’s in Whitechapel put Laila Basmati rice on sale for £9.50.”
The post has been viewed over 500,000 times, sparking a mix of outrage, humour, and cultural discussion online.
One wrote: “I find this kind of greedy behaviour unbearable. People are humiliating themselves over just a few pounds in savings.
Another simply commented: “So embarrassing.”
Some suggested Sainsbury’s should have introduced bulk-buying restrictions, as one posted:
“What annoys me is that, unfortunately, we’re always gonna have selfish people, so as a supermarket, have restrictions in place.
“Only one per customer if purchasing only the rice. Three per customer if you do a minimum £50 worth of shopping. Will stop the selfish people.”
People stockpile rice after a Sainsbury’s in Whitechapel put Laila Basmati rice on sale for £9.50 pic.twitter.com/fBQokKzk1e
— UB1UB2 West London (Southall) (@UB1UB2) August 2, 2025
Others defended the shoppers, citing cultural habits and practical stockpiling:
“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 and use it throughout the year.
Several comments added humour and disbelief.
One person said:
“The British people are gonna be angry when they see this lol.”
Another joked: “Looks like I’m not getting rice then.”
Some found the scene almost cinematic.
One person commented: “Thought it was a scene from a movie.”
Another comment read: “This is unbelievable.”
Others raised concerns about hoarding and the possibility of reselling for a profit:
“They should be restricted, two per customer because they will make a profit when they sell it.”
The viral moment highlights the cultural significance of rice in many British South Asian households and the social tensions that bulk-buying can ignite.
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