Grocery Shopping

[Calico]

If she is the "young wife" shouldn't she be the one going to the grocery so the "old husband" can stay home and be safe from the virus?

If I'm not mistaken, Gumby uses the term "young wife" as a term of endearment.

 

[Souschef]

If I'm not mistaken, Gumby uses the term "young wife" as a term of endearment.

True, he is sweet about that. She is two years younger than he.
In my case, DW is 5 or 6 years younger, depending on the month. It is really a May/ December romance.

 

[gromit]

For eating food beyond the printed date I suggest referring to EatByDate.com. It tells you how long food is good to eat after the printed date, depending upon whether you're keeping the food in the pantry, refrigerator or freezer.



How Long Does Food Last? Guide to Shelf Life & Expiration

 

[RobbieB]

Yes, my "young wife" is super concerned about the expiration or "best by" dates. She was in horror when I ate a can of beefaroni 2 years after.

Didn't even get the runs.

She told me today that she ate some moldy bread by mistake. I said you'll be fine, a case of the trots at worse.

It really is fake news and much ado about nothing. Just give it a sniff, the nose knows.

 

[audreyh1]

A can of pickled jalapeños that expired last December? No problem!

 

[Winemaker]

Do expiration dates really mean anything? I don't pay much attention to them.

It means nothing as it is just not as fresh as it was when packaged. I have eaten many item well past their expiration date. Especially, bottles of water.

 

[sengsational]

At first, I was going to say "we're basically the same as our ancient ancestors who ate bugs and slugs", but that's not really the case; we have lost the robust digestive microbiome they had, so we'd probably not be very healthy (certainly not happy) with their diet.

I'm surprised there aren't more curbside pickup horror stories about how you ended up with a grocery item that you never would have picked up.

We have several stories on that topic, but anti-horror: we learned something. The thick asparagus that we would have left on the shelf is actually really good. And the huge bag of chicken (that's packaged so you can't see it) is really a good deal. So the picker substituted something we wouldn't have, and it ended well.

 

[Sunset]

...
I'm surprised there aren't more curbside pickup horror stories about how you ended up with a grocery item that you never would have picked up.

We have several stories on that topic, but anti-horror: we learned something. The thick asparagus that we would have left on the shelf is actually really good. And the huge bag of chicken (that's packaged so you can't see it) is really a good deal. So the picker substituted something we wouldn't have, and it ended well.

Now that you bring it up, the anti-horror story from our experience is the $2.50 bottle of wine from Walmart is fine for cooking (I add red to spaghetti sauce, and white Chardonnay for various pan sauces), plus I pour it over ice (the horror) for a really cool refreshing sip.

 

[skipro33]

Still no Clorox or Lysol wipes at either our COSTCO or SAM's clubs. Not just that they run out quick, they flat do not carry it any more; no space reserved that is just empty. Small 35 sheet Lysol wipes are available at our local Walmart though. I avoid Walmart; too many unclean there for my tastes. Heck, just trying to get those patrons to wear pants, let alone a mask is asking too much. I'd say 50% of 'em wear pajamas and probably on day 5 without changing. My DIL went the other day though and having hear me rant about not having enough of these disinfectant wipes, picked up a couple tubes of them for me. She said they had plenty and no limit! Not surprised based on the hygiene habits of the average Walmart shopper. She only got two because her hands were full and she didn't want to touch the carts. I wonder if I stood out front and offered someone money to go in and buy them for me? Like my high school days hanging out in front of the liquor store...

BTW, they can't be ordered for pick-up. In store only their web link says...

 

[Dtail]

Still no Clorox or Lysol wipes at either our COSTCO or SAM's clubs. Not just that they run out quick, they flat do not carry it any more; no space reserved that is just empty. Small 35 sheet Lysol wipes are available at our local Walmart though. I avoid Walmart; too many unclean there for my tastes. Heck, just trying to get those patrons to wear pants, let alone a mask is asking too much. I'd say 50% of 'em wear pajamas and probably on day 5 without changing. My DIL went the other day though and having hear me rant about not having enough of these disinfectant wipes, picked up a couple tubes of them for me. She said they had plenty and no limit! Not surprised based on the hygiene habits of the average Walmart shopper. She only got two because her hands were full and she didn't want to touch the carts. I wonder if I stood out front and offered someone money to go in and buy them for me? Like my high school days hanging out in front of the liquor store...

BTW, they can't be ordered for pick-up. In store only their web link says...

There can be some characters at Walmart, but not too many in my area and it is the only store by me which carries disinfectant wipes and spray.
So I go there once a month just for those 2 items.

 

[skipro33]

There can be some characters at Walmart, but not too many in my area and it is the only store by me which carries disinfectant wipes and spray.
So I go there once a month just for those 2 items.

Our area is a little more 'isolated' than most; Placerville, California. AKA Hangtown. It's peaceful for the most part, but a lot of set-in-their-ways sort of folks who moved way out to the woods to avoid most people contact. I think they forget about dress when they hitch up the buckboard and head to town. Ha!

 

[statsman]

Still no Clorox or Lysol wipes at either our COSTCO or SAM's clubs. Not just that they run out quick, they flat do not carry it any more; no space reserved that is just empty.

Our Costco finally had some Clorox wipes when I was there yesterday, but they weren't in the usual spot back with cleaning supplies. They had them on a pallet just past the certain items they put out that are in display at the entrance but before the checkout registers. They probably figured the wipes moved so fast that it probably wasn't worth the effort to place them in their usual spot.

 

[Walt34]

There can be some characters at Walmart, but not too many in my area and it is the only store by me which carries disinfectant wipes and spray.

Lucky you. Y'know those web sites that host "Pictures of weirdos at Walmart"? The local store here is where most of them were taken.

I used to go in to buy motor oil but would never get groceries there.

 

[Amethyst]

Plus, in case she had anything that needed penicillin, that's all taken care of!

She told me today that she ate some moldy bread by mistake. I said you'll be fine, a case of the trots at worse.

 

[timo2]

I'm using instacart mostly for groceries since March 11. Buzzfeed says there was a data breach at instacart. Instacart denies it. [is this OK to post here? should we have a data breach category?] I changed my password just in case.

"As of Wednesday, sellers in two dark web stores were offering information from what appeared to be 278,531 accounts, although some of those may be duplicates or not genuine. As of April, Instacart had "millions of customers across the US and Canada," according to a company spokesperson."
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/janelytvynenko/instacart-customers-info-sold-online

"Instacart said it has not found evidence of a cybersecurity breach after customers' private data was reportedly unearthed on the dark web. "
https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech...ta-breach-more-people-use-service/5493290002/

 

[John Galt III]

Ran into the 'coin shortage' at Giant in eastern Pa. When thinking I would pay cash as usual, I did not notice the sign on the self-serve terminal saying credit card only and at the last minute the watcher clerk rang me up at her terminal, for cash. She had to give me 8 cents change, which she did have on hand.

 

[Car-Guy]

Ran into the 'coin shortage' at Giant in eastern Pa. When thinking I would pay cash as usual, I did not notice the sign on the self-serve terminal saying credit card only and at the last minute the watcher clerk rang me up at her terminal, for cash. She had to give me 8 cents change, which she did have on hand.

I have recently noticed signs at several stores and restaurants around here that are asking for correct change or credit cards due to the national coin shortage.... I didn't know anything about it until earlier this week.

 

[Sunset]

I have recently noticed signs at several stores and restaurants around here that are asking for correct change or credit cards due to the national coin shortage.... I didn't know anything about it until earlier this week.

I always use CC.

But I heard about it the news and frankly it doesn't make sense to me. If less folks are using cash, then simply less coins are going into and out of a store.

It's not like I've been storing up coins since covid, I don't have a penny more than before. Probably this way for most folks, so where are the coins being stored ?

You would expect vending machines are still being emptied, even if used less.

Seems to me, more like the mint is not minting enough and distributing them, and just lying about it.

Or banks are closed, and stores are finding it hard to find an open bank to go get coins from as ATM's don't give out coins. I know when I had to find a bank to deal with a person, I found many branches were only ATM's and select ones (yes far away) were open with humans.

 

[Dtail]

Kind of strange this coin thing.
Anyway, rarely use cash.

 

[Car-Guy]

The explanation I've heard is that the coin shortage is due to reduced buying and selling. (Spending volumes are way down...) Doesn't make much sense to me that would create a coin shortage...

 

[Winemaker]

Never had a reason to buy hand sanitizer, clorox wipes or anything along those lines. We do use diaper wipes to help with cleanliness.

 

[Gumby]

I never used hand sanitizer or bleach wipes until this March. Now, when I go to the grocery, I bring a wipe with me to wipe the cart handle and open the doors to the refrigerated cases. When I return to the car, I use the hand sanitizer. I don't know if it is helping, but it can't hurt.

 

[cathy63]

Seems to me, more like the mint is not minting enough and distributing them, and just lying about it.

They're not lying about it. Back in mid-June, the Federal Reserve said:

...the U.S. Mint’s production of coin also decreased due to measures put in place to protect its employees...

https://www.frbservices.org/news/communications/061120-strategic-allocation-of-coin-inventories.html

This Forbes article is also pretty interesting: https://www.forbes.com/sites/advisor/2020/07/20/is-there-really-a-coin-shortage/#264d5cd1f0a3

“A disruption is a better way to describe it,” Ma says. “It’s reflecting the fact that, once circulation is resumed, these disruptions will ease out.”

Ma says businesses that primarily take coins, such as laundromats, vending machines and car washes, likely stopped operating during the pandemic due to social distancing and stay-at-home measures. These businesses are usually key components in getting coins back to banks to redistribute back into the economy. Since they weren’t receiving coins, the flow of them back into the economy has been significantly reduced.

 

[Amethyst]

I so rarely go into stores, and saw that sign for the very first time last week.

I think there are some quarters and dimes in a little jar in the car, from when we still used them for parking meters. I haven't used cash (except to hand out tips when traveling) for at least four years. Might need it if we get a hurricane strike, though.

I have recently noticed signs at several stores and restaurants around here that are asking for correct change or credit cards due to the national coin shortage.... I didn't know anything about it until earlier this week.

 

[John Galt III]

The explanation I've heard is that the coin shortage is due to reduced buying and selling. (Spending volumes are way down...) Doesn't make much sense to me that would create a coin shortage...

I thought it was interesting that the 3 pennies I got back in change were all brand new shiny 2020's.