I expect to come down with coronavirius, so to plan ahead for that ...

[ivinsfan]

Got it I haven't been a grocery store in 3 weeks. Most people I saw were shopping pretty normally

I don't really care about the people buying that TP..they are beyond talking to.

 

[gwraigty]

It doesn't really work that way. The more sources of exposure you have the greater chance you will get the bug or bring it home to your family. As far as your DD if it was an option I think you said she worked like 5 hours last week. IMO if she could get an unpaid leave I'd take it. You do an online shop and DD doesn't work in public, Bingo your chance of exposure is greatly lessened.

But your comment that it doesn't matter if you go to the store isn't factual.

Yes, the irony is that if they would furlough her, she'd be able to collect unemployment and get more money. But if they keep scheduling her to work, then she's not furloughed. She's supposed to work a 4 to 5 hour shift today, 8 hours tomorrow, and 9 hours Monday. I don't believe she'll be able to work all those days/hours, but hopefully some. The schedule for the last 2 weeks was made out before the order to close dining. The schedule going forward should hopefully reflect the new reality and give a more accurate picture of what she can expect.

I realize that any exposure is exposure. The "experts" don't know enough at this point. They claim that going to the grocery store is pretty low risk, because contact with others is just in passing (other customers, especially during less busy hours) or relatively brief (having to use a cashier). Who knows if it's true or not? I'd be happy to try online pickup or delivery to further limit my exposure. I've thought about it. However, the frequent reports from other forum members about their orders being cancelled doesn't inspire confidence in me. Some grocery stores have cancelled those services period. They don't have the means to handle the demand right now. Smaller local/regional grocers don't offer the service at all. I was looking at stock on Amazon yesterday and they appear to be completely out of many food items, unless I expect my family to live on bone broth.

Please don't accuse me of not doing enough. I'm not mad and I'm not trying to make excuses either. I've thought about all my options, long and hard, truly I have. I'm not running to the grocery store every day. Or every other day. I'm going once or twice a week when I need to replenish perishables. As long as my family wants to keep eating fresh produce, it's hard not to. I'd put some limits on that and try to go less often if they'd get and keep some darned food on the shelves! I have 4 adults to buy for, so I need to go out more often than someone who lives alone or in a household of 2. I'm purposefully eating less, but I haven't mandated that others in my household do so and it'd be a dire situation if it got to that point. I don't qualify for senior shopping hours. (Though from photos I've seen, it's just cramming too many seniors into the stores at once anyway and not doing much at all to allow for social distancing.) More people in the household, more risk of spread, I know that. I'm not willing to risk going through our few weeks of food supply and then find I'm unable to find enough food to keep us going for even a week, much less another few weeks. Then I'll turn into one of those shoppers running from one grocery store to another every day, desperately hoping to find something because I have no food stocked up anymore. If we had to go into quarantine, it probably would be a lot longer than just 14 days with 4 people in the house, by the time it spread through to the last of us. I'm trying to control what I can, which I sometimes feel isn't very much right now.

 

[Midpack]

This is difficult for all of us, lots of uncertainty and things changing by the hour, very hard to keep straight. If we’re all thoughtful and think of others as much as ourselves, it would help a lot. There will always be some asshats, we don’t need more.

 

[gwraigty]

I dont care how much TP and water people buy. In your house with so much outside interaction a month's worth of food would not be unreasonable..every family is different as to what they need.

Can I confess that I'm feeling pissed at how often I have to poop?

Oh, that was bad...

But you don't really take notice of those things in normal times.

 

[ivinsfan]

Yes, the irony is that if they would furlough her, she'd be able to collect unemployment and get more money. But if they keep scheduling her to work, then she's not furloughed. She's supposed to work a 4 to 5 hour shift today, 8 hours tomorrow, and 9 hours Monday. I don't believe she'll be able to work all those days/hours, but hopefully some. The schedule for the last 2 weeks was made out before the order to close dining. The schedule going forward should hopefully reflect the new reality and give a more accurate picture of what she can expect.

I realize that any exposure is exposure. The "experts" don't know enough at this point. They claim that going to the grocery store is pretty low risk, because contact with others is just in passing (other customers, especially during less busy hours) or relatively brief (having to use a cashier). Who knows if it's true or not? I'd be happy to try online pickup or delivery to further limit my exposure. I've thought about it. However, the frequent reports from other forum members about their orders being cancelled doesn't inspire confidence in me. Some grocery stores have cancelled those services period. They don't have the means to handle the demand right now. Smaller local/regional grocers don't offer the service at all. I was looking at stock on Amazon yesterday and they appear to be completely out of many food items, unless I expect my family to live on bone broth.

Please don't accuse me of not doing enough. I'm not mad and I'm not trying to make excuses either. I've thought about all my options, long and hard, truly I have. I'm not running to the grocery store every day. Or every other day. I'm going once or twice a week when I need to replenish perishables. As long as my family wants to keep eating fresh produce, it's hard not to. I'd put some limits on that and try to go less often if they'd get and keep some darned food on the shelves! I have 4 adults to buy for, so I need to go out more often than someone who lives alone or in a household of 2. I'm purposefully eating less, but I haven't mandated that others in my household do so and it'd be a dire situation if it got to that point. I don't qualify for senior shopping hours. (Though from photos I've seen, it's just cramming too many seniors into the stores at once anyway and not doing much at all to allow for social distancing.) More people in the household, more risk of spread, I know that. I'm not willing to risk going through our few weeks of food supply and then find I'm unable to find enough food to keep us going for even a week, much less another few weeks. Then I'll turn into one of those shoppers running from one grocery store to another every day, desperately hoping to find something because I have no food stocked up anymore. If we had to go into quarantine, it probably would be a lot longer than just 14 days with 4 people in the house, by the time it spread through to the last of us. I'm trying to control what I can, which I sometimes feel isn't very much right now.

No way did I mean you weren't doing enough..so sorry if you got that impression. Don't be concerned i n any way about on line shopping and pickup. Give it a try you might be happy with it. I started a thread about tips and recommendations. Your family is in kind of a high risk of exposure mode because of work stuff. Strange times for sure

 

[Amethyst]

I hear you. My conservative shopping habits have clearly made life easier for others, so boo on me.

What about when the Internet goes down, because no one will go out of the house to maintain equipment? Not every IT-related thing can be done remotely.

Hope you are not justifying it.

We are trying to keep distance and haven't been to the store in 10 days. Apparently, when we go this week, we're screwed.

From what I see some on this forum reporting, they are going to the store daily. That's not helping.

 

[gwraigty]

I didn’t think I needed to repeat myself, but I was talking about people buying months worth, not days more. If you’ve been out shopping, it’s easy to see who’s buying way more - granted some may be buying for multiple families or other reasons, but not most. I saw a few at Costco last week - disgusting.

Agree, that appears to be obvious hoarding. Unless he has a household of 10 or is buying for multiple households. Eh, but not likely.

 

[gwraigty]

Got it I haven't been a grocery store in 3 weeks. Most people I saw were shopping pretty normally

Wow, that's wonderful. I really mean that. Things have changed radically around here in 3 weeks. A part of me thought that maybe empty store shelves wouldn't really become that much of an issue around here, but I was proven wrong.

 

[jollystomper]

I didn’t think I needed to repeat myself, but I was talking about people buying months worth, not days more.

In BC times, bulk shopping was encouraged. The success of Costco, BJs, and Sams club led to more and more stores adding "bulk" sections.

For many, including us, shopping for certain items to last 2-3 months is more the norm. I do not like to spend a lot of time shopping, so I have found it easier to figure out what we consume over the course of 2-3 months and just deal with that level of shopping once a quarter.

Some of the items we buy a quarterly (or less) at a time:
- TP
- paper towels
- trash bags
- condiments
- rice
- condensed milk
- sugar
- zero calorie soft drinks
- frozen fruit
- bottled water
- paper plates, bowls, cups
- soap
- deodorant

So... if you saw our cart during BC times, no one would think anything of it. Because everyone who was doing was done at a more random distribution. But in DC times, the context is seen as hoarding. Particularly when those who do not shop like that decide they must.

As for that photo, I have learned as a minority not to judge things I see without trying to understand the context of the target, as so many have judged me based only on what they see.

 

[cathy63]

Yes, the irony is that if they would furlough her, she'd be able to collect unemployment and get more money. But if they keep scheduling her to work, then she's not furloughed...

She should apply for unemployment and let them decide whether she's eligible instead of just assuming she's not. In most states an involuntary reduction of hours does qualify. Ohio might be different, but there's no penalty for filing an application, even if it turns out she's not qualified.

 

[Amethyst]

I've tried Amazon Fresh (no flour or oatmeal), walmart.com (ditto, plus the closest one had stopped pickup and delivery), BJs.com (our two nearest stores, both 30 miles away, suspended pickup and are out of everything we need anyway), ditto the Publixes near me.

I'm exhausted. It's worse than w*rk, because at least I was being paid!

No way did I mean you weren't doing enough..so sorry if you got that impression. Don't be concerned i n any way about on line shopping and pickup. Give it a try you might be happy with it. I started a thread about tips and recommendations. Your family is in kind of a high risk of exposure mode because of work stuff. Strange times for sure

 

[gwraigty]

No way did I mean you weren't doing enough..so sorry if you got that impression. Don't be concerned i n any way about on line shopping and pickup. Give it a try you might be happy with it. I started a thread about tips and recommendations. Your family is in kind of a high risk of exposure mode because of work stuff. Strange times for sure

Thank you. I'm trying not to be too high strung right now and it's hard. Within the last couple of days, a nursing home in Ohio about 179 miles away (yes, I Googled it ) has been hit with the coronavirus. Already 11 positives, a total of 32 symptomatic, 16 residents, 14 staff, 2 visitors. This place is reported to have done everything right. To make matters worse, some vendors are refusing to deliver to the nursing home and employees are being refused entry into stores.

 

[ivinsfan]

I've tried Amazon Fresh (no flour or oatmeal), walmart.com (ditto, plus the closest one had stopped pickup and delivery), BJs.com (our two nearest stores, both 30 miles away, suspended pickup and are out of everything we need anyway), ditto the Publixes near me.

I'm exhausted. It's worse than w*rk, because at least I was being paid!

This is another one I don't get..everyone is suddenly going to turn into a bread or pasta maker?

 

[gwraigty]

what about when the internet goes down, because no one will go out of the house to maintain equipment? Not every it-related thing can be done remotely.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

 

[Teacher Terry]

Ever since retiring 8 years ago we shop once a month. Of course we need to pick up milk and perishables at the 2 week mark. This definitely lowers our exposure.

 

[gwraigty]

She should apply for unemployment and let them decide whether she's eligible instead of just assuming she's not. In most states an involuntary reduction of hours does qualify. Ohio might be different, but there's no penalty for filing an application, even if it turns out she's not qualified.

Ohio is still trying to work out some of the details. One stumbling block is that she hasn't worked 20 weeks yet. She has a couple of more weeks to go to hit that milestone. But it may be possible, however, see below...

Her employer recently switched to pay cards or direct deposit only. There's an interesting story behind this, but what matters is that she hasn't been getting any pay stubs since the switch. I've been on her case about finding out about this. How can she confirm she's getting paid right? Is there electronic access at some website? (DH & DS have that.) Are they supposed to be getting paper stubs? (DS had that at his previous job with a pay card.) What if she needs proof of income someday? Like for filing for unemployment!

 

[Scrapr]

This is another one I don't get..everyone is suddenly going to turn into a bread or pasta maker?

using the bread makers from the 90's. Everyone had one, used it 4 or 5 times and it was relegated to the top shelf in the pantry. I can't remember did you have to put in pre mixed dough?

 

[sengsational]

Just toss in flour and other ingredients and hit the button! 25 years ago I went low carb and gave our bread maker away. I saw it again the other day while cleaning out FIL's house. My BIL's household now it the proud owner, hehe! Old, but probably only made a dozen or two loaves.

 

[audreyh1]

I
What about when the Internet goes down, because no one will go out of the house to maintain equipment? Not every IT-related thing can be done remotely.

I think infrastructure maintenance is considered essential services. I’m not worried about utilities. And if we can’t keep them up when Wuhan did during their massive crisis, then shame on us!

 

[ivinsfan]

Just toss in flour and other ingredients and hit the button! 25 years ago I went low carb and gave our bread maker away. I saw it again the other day while cleaning out FIL's house. My BIL's household now it the proud owner, hehe! Old, but probably only made a dozen or two loaves.

Wonder if there has been a run on yeast? We threw our out because "the machine"made us fat.

 

[CaptTom]

I've made bread a couple of times in the past two weeks.

One observation from my earlier, unavoidable supermarket runs was that all the fashionable, gluten-free, low-carb, free-range, vegetarian, vegan, non-GMO stuff was still on the shelves, while the "regular" products were totally gone.

I live in a HCOL town where people usually try to outdo each other with conspicuous spending, and keeping up with fashion trends.

I actually found this return to comfort foods refreshing, and a bit validating.

 

[Ian S]

Just remember even if you think you will likely get it. Putting it off as long as possible has real value. Flattening the curve and all that [emoji52]

+1 yes flattening the curve is crucial to saving lives.

 

[ItsAllGood]

I live in the Seattle metro area. Other than my no yoga, art classes, dog training classes, or plays/shows, my life is largely the same (and a much anticipated trip to Italy in April/May postponed to 2021). I am able to walk my dogs daily, hike, enjoy the glorious past week of sunshine with hard labor yard work. I also planted my spring garden. We are able to find all the food we need (and TP and cleaning solutions) at my regular grocery store. There were two waves of low stock, but remedied quickly (love our dedicated grocery workers). Both DH and I have noticed that people we run into are MUCH nicer (hopefully goodbye to "Seattle feeeze"). My DD and I are both trying to stay engaged with the local coffee places and restaurants we love (take out). Some surprisingly entrepreneurial small business owners that we are taking notice of and will continue to support. This will all be over soon, chill and enjoy nature. It's all good.

 

[zedd]

Went to the market to pick up a few things. Chose a small family-run market in the next town over (population 1,988).

TP gone, paper towels decimated. Bottled water gone - most folks around here are on private wells. Canned goods picked thru with only the more expensive brands remaining. Produce department well stocked with beautiful stuff.

Bread aisle decimated but in the process of being restocked.

Beer, wine and chip aisles well stocked as if for Labor Day!

Had called an elderly friend (82) earlier in the day to see if I could run any errands or shop for them. Turns out he had been out earlier shopping for his elderly neighbor at the same grocery store!

He shared a story about being in the checkout line standing a respectable six feet behind the person in front of him. That shopper spun around and barked that everyone should be at least ten feet away. Okay he said but what are you going to do when you reach the cashier?

 

[daylatedollarshort]

She should apply for unemployment and let them decide whether she's eligible instead of just assuming she's not. In most states an involuntary reduction of hours does qualify. Ohio might be different, but there's no penalty for filing an application, even if it turns out she's not qualified.

There was a post about that on Reddit recently. Many posters replied they were accepted for unemployment due to reduced hours. One poster said companies sometimes will schedule people one day a week so the employees think they can't apply for unemployment since they are technically still employed. Having an employee file for unemployment benefits can make the company's future unemployment taxes increase.