Some companies will go bankrupt and there will be other troubles. The smart person, whether they believe the apocalypse is coming or not, will prepare for trouble. Some useful things that people can get to prepare for Y2K disasters would be good things to have handy in case of any emergency, like a generator or a gun. These items have high resale values, so folks can always get most of their money back for them later, if they decide they don't want them anymore. Human interest stories define the plot movement in Y2K .
People do have limits.
I cannot decide to disobey the law of gravity, for example, and float down to the grocery store for a root beer. But people are also infinitely creative, and can create futures for themselves of their own choosing - if they will only believe in themselves enough to reach out and make it happen. Many readers know you as an advocate for political causes. Consider Ayn Rand - never taken seriously by the philosophers whose attention she craved, she nevertheless has impacted the lives of millions of people and her intellectual heirs continue remaking the world. Even if they buy no supplies or tools for self-defense, they can help themselves enormously just by having a plan.