There are moments when the world appears to be disintigrating around us.
Homes and livelihoods are being destroyed by weather, US presidents are being shot at, poverty and illness are on the rise, AI is taking people’s jobs. But are we truly on the verge of apocalypse?
A Very Uncertain Future
For a lot of people, the end of the world is a real possibility and one that’s expected soon.
According to a poll conducted by YouGov in 2020, 29% of US adults believe the world will end in their lifetime. A poll of 20 countries in 2012 found that an average of 14% of people in those countries believed the world would end in their lifetime.
But Do You Have a Plan?
Americans are more likely than others to make practical plans for a world-ending event.
According to YouGov’s poll from 2020, 17% of Americans have an actual survival plan in case an apocalypse should occur.
Now You Can Get Food
Now, you can go one step further and stock up your basement or bunker with food.
CostCo have started selling a product that has been dubbed an “Apocalypse Bucket”
What Does it Contain?
The “Readywise Emergency Food Bucket” contains 150 dehydrated food portions. That’s enough for approximately 50 days for one person, more if it were rationed.
These have a shelf life of 25 years, which means Americans can feel secure in the knowledge that they would have some food available in case of a world-ending event. This product is only available on CostCo’s American website, it is not available in the UK or other countries.
Practicalities
There have been varied responses to this new product on social media.
One person pointed out that if there were indeed an apocalypse, where would you get the water to prepare the meals?
Serious Applications
It may be easy to laugh at the marketing behind “Apocalypse Buckets”.
They do, however, have a serious application in the present time. There have been many weather events across the US in recent months and for those left stranded without power or road access, CostCo’s ready meals may indeed be a life saver.
A Sense of Safety
According to CostCo’s website, the main purpose of the food buckets is to provide a sense of safety.
The website says: “In a world where unpredictability has become a constant, our assortment takes on a vital role in emergency preparedness.” In other words, you can rest a little easier knowing that if something untoward happens, you will at least have food.
Clever Marketing
A more cynical view might be that CostCo has good marketing skills.
Since America has a high proportion of people actively preparing for the worst (compared to other countries), it makes sense to sell something directly to those people.
Varied Diet
If you were to buy one of the “Apocalypse Buckets”, you would have a varied diet.
Each one contains a mixture of chicken alfredo, creamy pasta and vegetables, teriyaki rice, cheesy macaroni, as well as food for other meals, such as puddings and breakfast.
