Life After Corona

[Amethyst]

I was dreading our monthly trip to BJs. This morning, we arrived early, expecting to wait in the parking lot. Surprise, the store opened early; people were pouring in. Carts crowded the aisles. Every single shopper had one package of paper towels and one package of Kleenex boxes - today's substitute for toilet paper. (I sure hope they flush okay).

There was plenty of non-perishable food, some dried and canned beans (which I bought) and some huge bags of rice. No pasta. No canned tuna, green beans, or corn. There were soap and dishwashing liquid, but zero disinfectants. Zero nonfat dry milk, which I particularly wanted. Plenty of fresh dairy; less meat and fish. A lot of candy and cereal...could the hoarders be sticking with healthy food?

By the time we checked out, the register lines were to the back of the store. I felt for the store employees, who are generally nice in this store, and tried to chat or at least smile at each one.

Wonder what another month will bring.

 

[sengsational]

Untouched Resturant Certifications

There will be a new certification issued by authorities (probably states) that states that the food you get served has never been touched by human hand (gloved or not, since gloves guarantee nothing). This might be a distant "life after" prediction, but I think it will happen.

Before the government gets into the certification business, there may be private companies that come up with a model to get factory packaged food to a restaurant and to your table without having come in contact with a human hand. Maybe factory packages go into one of those isolation things like they use in laboratories, and only then are opened. Special trays or something for delivery to your table. Things that come hot out of the oven would be simpler (like the example of someone here purposefully ordering the dinner that came right out of the oven, still bubbling when it got to the table). Fresh, uncooked plants might be a problem, though. I don't know all of the details of how it will be done, but they'll figure it out, alter the menu if needed so everything they serve complies, market it, and people will start going to those places.

 

[braumeister]

Just a few minor glitches to work out.

 

[Dog]

I think people will resume their prior habits and life will return to “normal”. This too shall pass and the media will flock to the next big story and beat that to death. I recall the hysteria from 1999 and everyone panicking that technology couldn’t handle the switch over to the year 2000. People hoarded and overreacted then as well. This seems worse because of social media and 24/7 media.

 

[Gumby]

I wonder if businesses will rethink just-in-time inventory control and single sourcing for components. I think we are seeing the limits of those practices.

 

[NW-Bound]

I wonder if businesses will rethink just-in-time inventory control and single sourcing for components. I think we are seeing the limits of those practices.

I doubt it. The changes cost money, and makes you less profitable than competitors who go back to the previous way. People will say: "but it only happens once in a decade or two, and we cannot be inefficient for all that time in between". In the end, money rules.

The only way businesses will stock up supplies is for explicit laws requiring it. Perhaps this can be done with hospital and drug supplies and other goods for public safety, but it is not easy to define.

 

[ERD50]

I wonder if businesses will rethink just-in-time inventory control and single sourcing for components. I think we are seeing the limits of those practices.

Oh, I bet they will re-think it, but as NW-Bound just posted, if your competitors are beating you with low inventory most of the time, you probably have to join the crowd, even though you may get hurt occasionally. But your competitors take that hit as well, so you don't lose market share, you sink/swim together, so they will probably remain pretty much as they are.

I've experienced this general principal at work in my industry, it really does explain why we will continue to see boom-bust cycles. You just can't afford to be left behind, so you jump on that train, and then you crash when everyone else does too. I guess it's just a form of human nature.

A possible alternative - the next generation of managers sees the problem with JIT, and proudly announces they have a better idea, keep loads of inventory on hand! The pendulum swings, and 40 years from now, the next generation of managers sees the problem with holding all this inventory, and proudly announces they have a better idea, and will re-announce JIT with a new acronym! And so it goes.

-ERD50

 

[sengsational]

Just a few minor glitches to work out.

I watched the whole thing. Great editing. But I came to the conclusion that some people have too much time on their hands.

Pizza restaurants already sell a no-touch product. And did you see the picture (in another thread) of plates with little wooden handles? I'm sticking by my prediction. You heard it here first.

 

[NW-Reader]

I hope after all the comparisons to the flu and how many flu deaths we have, people will start getting flu shots. CDC report for 2018 flu season estimated 45% of adults get flu shots. I wonder if the Coronavirus vaccine they eventually develop can be rolled into the annual flu vaccine.

I also worry about upcoming elections. We have been voting by mail here for a few years, much more accessible for working people, although they did tell us not to lick the envelope this time. I think more places should adopt this.

And +1 on national health care and sick leave policies.

 

[michelek]

My prediction FWIW is that higher education will realize that most of the college classes can be delivered very effectively via online platforms. I also predict that the business of higher education will fight this realization and attempt to keep people paying thousands of unnecessary dollars for four years of a high school repeat. This is a pet peeve of mine - our high schools today do a very good job of preparing graduates with all of the AP classes etc. Liberal arts college is a repeat performance of high school. Also if college ever becomes “free” like some candidates propose then, I predict it will become rationed much like Germany’s.
I hope that employees dial back the arbitrary requirements for a 4 year degree and start enacting in house training and apprentice programs. It’s time for business to step up.

 

[RobbieB]

I think people are going to go out and live large! After being shut in for so long there's gonna be a big party, lot's of travel and exotic food and drink. Maybe not so much casual sex but hey that's a good thing too -

 

[daylatedollarshort]

I think some people will be more frugal, just like my grandparents were very frugal after living through the Great Depression. We've all seen the articles about households living pay check to paycheck, and now many will have no income for some time either due to being sick, in quarantine or their employers shutting down for lack of customers.

 

[NW-Bound]

I think people are going to go out and live large! After being shut in for so long there's gonna be a big party, lot's of travel and exotic food and drink. Maybe not so much casual sex but hey that's a good thing too -

Sounds good to me. To the people who will survive this. And I intend to be in that group.

 

[grayv]

when the closed bars open back up, there will be a party

 

[Lewis Clark]

My prediction FWIW is that higher education will realize that most of the college classes can be delivered very effectively via online platforms.

I've been teaching online for 17 years. Class content can be delivered online in most - not all - cases. But delivering content to students, and having students understand and retain the information, are completely different concepts.

Effective online learning requires more study time, dedication and discipline than is required of most students in classes on campus. In my experience, the vast majority of students taking online classes would do a lot better in a classroom on campus.

 

[frances]

Nope nope nope

Y’all need to keep in mind this virus is NOT “going away”. It’s here and it’s staying. Just like SARS, MIRS, EBOLA, Malaria, etc.
What WILL happen is a vaccine will be developed that will help control it, people will - for a time - pay better attention to hygiene, and an amount of human immunity will get built up, just as we have to viruses now.
If you want an eye-opener about viruses and the possibilities of what’s to come go watch “Pandemic” on Netflix. A docuseries that just came out January 22, 2020.
This ain’t the big one, folks....

 

[oscar1]

These are all great thoughts people. I am thinking 2020 is going to go down in history as one of the ‘great equalizers’ we see once a generation, specifically USA vs. other countries but also, have’s and Have-nots within the USA. IF, and this is an IF, CV19 goes on for 6 months, restaurants, travel & leisure, sporting events, you name it, we’ll have a pretty lengthy recovery. We maybe no where near the bottom but you won’t see people quickly return to airplanes. Sporting events, yes. Concerts, maybe. It will take time. Should we have some basic level of health care for all citizens, YES we should (we are about to see first hand how unequal our health care system is (NBA And rich people can afford to get tested but the rest of can not). If 50% of Americans are directly or indirectly (401ks, Other big company savings vehicles) tied to the stock markets, they just lost a boat-load of wealth (meaning average family net worth just equalized a bit with the 50% that have no savings and I am probably low on those percentages). But it will return, always does, IF you have time to ride out the likely lengthy recovery. Then you have the USA’s perception in the world. Italy and Iran are falling flat footed per the current testing and treatment rates. USA could surpass them and China so it could expose inequalities in a bunch of areas. I think at the end of the day, our freedom and capitalist structure and ability to adapt will supersede all else. But we are definitely witnessing an era of great equalization globally.

 

[frances]

Italy

Part of the problem that Italy has had with the outbreak has been that they didn't believe what what happening and didn't isolate as recommended.
There is a VERY haunting youtube video
(link here: https://youtu.be/o_cImRzKXOs)
that has citizens of Italy telling how if they'd known 10 days prior what was to come how they'd behaved differently - they wouldn't have ignored the precautions.
I see so much of that in my community and frankly it scares me not only for myself but for everyone around me. My local city has just issued an emergency ordinance that bans any activity that would result in the gathering of 10 or more people at restaurants, gyms, fitness centers, bowling alleys, arcades, movie theaters, live performance venues, and public and private clubs. Take-out, take-away, and delivery service is still allowed.
This after the local parks/basketball courts/playgrounds were crowded and people were pretty much ignoring the plea for "social distancing".

 

[Katsmeow]

I guess it depends on how this all ends and what happens. For example, if we end up actually having a depression or if there are a huge number of deaths then that is different than having a relatively short recession and a lesser number of deaths.

I can hypothesize some pretty grim scenarios where things are different after this (particularly related to the financial impact).

Failing that I suspect that there will be more of a recognition of what jobs can be done remotely and the value of online instruction. On a personal level I will probably do more to make sure I have at least a month's worth of food and household supplies. I was able to get this for this event for most products but not hand sanitizer. At the start of March I made a couple of large grocery runs (yes, I bought an 18 pack of toilet paper) to make sure we had a month's worth of stuff. I considered getting hand sanitizer but wondered if I was being too alarmist and didn't buy it and thought I could get it later. Well, later, it was all gone.

I do think I will always have it on hand in the future and, honestly, I think I will be more diligent on using it and hand washing (I did wash my hands but not necessarily for 20 seconds).

 

[RobbieB]

I'm getting stir crazy and it's only been a week. I miss my "lunch out" every day. Take out is not the same. And some places just closed.

 

[Vinnyfrombrooklyn]

One thing that I did was download the Sunoco app to my phone. No longer have to take out my credit card. You pull up to pump and hit what number it is on the app and you are good to go.

One less thing to touch. Im sure hundreds touch the pump every day.

 

[6miths]

I've been teaching online for 17 years. Class content can be delivered online in most - not all - cases. But delivering content to students, and having students understand and retain the information, are completely different concepts.

Effective online learning requires more study time, dedication and discipline than is required of most students in classes on campus. In my experience, the vast majority of students taking online classes would do a lot better in a classroom on campus.

Having delivered online material in the past and back to doing it this week and for the foreseeable future - I concur.

 

[doneat54]

We have a pandemic of stupid more than a viral one.....

 

[Sunset]

.....

Before the government gets into the certification business, there may be private companies that come up with a model to get factory packaged food to a restaurant and to your table without having come in contact with a human hand. Maybe factory packages go into one of those isolation things like they use in laboratories, and only then are opened. Special trays or something for delivery to your table. Things that come hot out of the oven would be simpler (like the example of someone here purposefully ordering the dinner that came right out of the oven, still bubbling when it got to the table). Fresh, uncooked plants might be a problem, though. I don't know all of the details of how it will be done, but they'll figure it out, alter the menu if needed so everything they serve complies, market it, and people will start going to those places.

TV dinners fit the bill, they are filled by machine, and sealed. Plus the cooking you do will kill most bad stuff.

 

[Sunset]

...Kleenex boxes - today's substitute for toilet paper. (I sure hope they flush okay).

......

They DON'T flush well, just heard on the radio, Chicago sewer workers are finding more clogs due to paper towels and kleenex , etc being flushed.