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Technology Stocks : Discuss Year 2000 Issues -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: C.K. Houston who wrote (9558)	12/28/1999 8:30:00 PM
From: Jim	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 9818

Maybe the only problem is that people are "hoarding" and stocking up because of all the Y2K hype. Maybe some people will not be able to get their needed medication, because the Y2K fears have caused some people to act irrationally. Jim

To: C.K. Houston who wrote (9558)	12/29/1999 8:09:00 AM
From: Lane3	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 9818

>>Here's what they said, "We received your prescription ... but we only have 2 pills left in inventory. If you like, you can come down now an pick up your pill." I asked, "When do you think you can fill the entire prescription?" They said, "We hope after 11AM tomorrow."<< Cheryl, I wonder if this isn't just an example of an ordinary problem that just happens to be occurring around Y2K so it is instinctively attributed to Y2K. In my lifetime there have been at least a few occasions when my pharmacist didn't have enough pills in stock to fill my prescription. They've always said what your pharmacist said--come back tomorrow for the rest. I think the experience you had could well be business as usual. Pharmacies don't maintain much of an inventory. I did have one experience where I couldn't get a prescription filled because of what I suspected was hoarding. I was off to some special spot in some jungle in some third world country, I can't recall just where, and had difficulty filling a prescription for malaria protection. While I can't recall where I was headed that trip, I recall well it took four pharmacies to fill my six pill prescription. I had to sit down with the yellow pages and call and call until I could fill the prescription one pill here and two pills there. Seems the Gulf Was was on and Uncle Sam had grabbed up the entire national supply. While I wouldn't begrudge a soldier a needed medication--it certainly has priority over my adventure travel--I couldn't understand why all the Lariam in the US was needed for soldiers who were in the desert in Saudi Arabia, not a likely place for mosquitos. I suspected that the shortage was due to unwarranted hoarding and that made me pretty angry. When I first engaged this Y2K issue, I did some research on the verb "hoard." Sometimes it is used casually to simply mean store a supply. Sometimes it has quite a negative meaning--to cache an oversupply that unintentionally or intentionally creates a shortage and profits the one who does so. I don't know just where the line is in making sure one has enough needed medication--what number of pills is prudent and what amount is taking more than one's fair share. I sure hope there aren't too many who are doing the latter. Karen