the term "Hamsterkäufe" (hoarding) used in the MSM has a very negative connotation
Am I mistaken in thinking the word breaks down into "hamster" and "buy"? That's such a cute word.
You are right on the money. Around here it´s not as cute as you might think. It is connected with greed, stinginess and selfishness.
No, it is fairly old. It was already around when there still was a bounty for hamsters.
Hamsters do not hibernate. They create supply caches to live through the winter. Sometimes they cache more than they actually need.
Also, in response to robert's post above: is there some sort of emergency preparation tradition in Germany?
No there is not. Emergency preparation is on a rapid decline for at least two or three decades.
In the post war time people used to can or dry food they grew in the gardens so they could use it when it was out of season. Having supplies for a month or more was normal. That gradually changed when retailers offered fresh supplies all year around. Stockpiled supplies are not cool as they limit choice.
Today being prepared is kind of suspicious to a substancial number of city people. They tend to rely on ERTs (without contributing time or money beyond taxes).
Only in regions where people traditionally have to face harsher conditions ( e. g. in the alps or on the coast) prepardness is part of daily life.
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