Given my experience with those who are not into "preparedness", my guess is the guy was embarassed to be caught "preparing". I rarely mention my preparedness supplies/stock to anyone NOT because I'm worried about losing it, but only because I'm tired of hearing comments like "that's weird", or "you're nuts", or "When's the comet coming", or "did you join a cult", or "paranoid", etc. etc. etc.
You get enough of that and you just want to avoid it. At least 98% of Americans have no clue where their water really comes from, how food gets into the store, how a gasoline supply chain works, where their poop goes when they flush, how few cops there really are, etc. etc. They are basically clueless, and rather than deal with it on a rationale basis they live in denial and mock those who happen to accidentally pierce their thin shell of ignorance. I really doubt he was hiding anything, just surprised and trying to come up with a plausible "cover story" to avoid telling you the real reason, which was "I'm worried about taking care of my family, and this gasoline could end up saving our lives."
Of course, this is all just speculation on my part - who knows, he might have been accumulating supplies for his local militia - maybe they were running low on Molotov Cocktails?

I'm shocked nobody mentioned a roll of dimes! People are packing felt markers as disquised martial arts weaponry. I've always packed a roll of dimes. Mugger demands my money and I comply. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

There's no one answer for this that'll work for everyone.

But $40 isn't really any bulkier than $20. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> And $20 doesn't go as far as it used to. I remember when I could fill up for $20. Not anymore....

(I'm not saying $40 is enough either. But I think $40 is the new $20, if you know what I mean.)

Randyo,
I should've mentioned that the incident happened here in Southern Florida. Again its not the amount that I make my remarks about.....50 gallons of gas doesn't go that far...... and (almost) everyone here is into Hurricane preparedness. So this guy wouldn't have been 'embarrased' at his preparations...he seemed to be picking up more than he really needed.

"pierce their thin shell of ignorance"

What a gorgeous phrase. Mind if I steal it?

Go ahead. Words are free. I'm too lazy to sell them.

I may be dating myself, but from my perspective a $100 bill today is the equivalent of a $5 bill when I was kid.

Just my opinion, but if you are buying to profit (profiteering), then you are no better than a looter. And I hate looters. So I guess I would say: buy what you need, but you'd better need what you buy. <img src="/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

Regards, Vince

Wow... I would have thought I set off a bug bomb in a house.. everyone came out of the wood work!

I suggest we not use the word HOARD, but instead use the new politically correct term STOCKPILE. If FEMA can have "stockpiles", so can you! Do a Google search of "Florida stockpile".

from www.m-w.com:
stockpile:
: a storage pile: as a : a reserve supply of something essential accumulated within a country for use during a shortage b : a gradually accumulated reserve of something

hoard:
a supply or fund stored up and often hidden away

Just don't look at the thesauraus, they point to each other...

Oh, and at least in Florida, I didn't find any mention of anything relating to hoarding, stockpiling, wasting, etc.

We got fed "Heater Meals" on occasion recently during Katrina. Just about absolute crap. After living on Army rations for twenty years, maybe I'm biased towards MRE's, but I was NOT impressed with the heater meals.