Grocery Shopping

[daylatedollarshort]

Vox had an article about the TP supply the other day: https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2020/4/3/21206942/toilet-paper-coronavirus-shortage-supply-chain

It sounds like there are a number of factors such as just in time supply chains, people being home more and home toilet paper largely being a different product than what offices, schools, and restaurants supply.

I often buy the big business size boxes of TP online anyway. It is a lot cheaper and seems the same to me. For the most part the business boxes have still been available.

 

[harley]

I often buy the big business size boxes of TP online anyway. It is a lot cheaper and seems the same to me. For the most part the business boxes have still been available.

You mean the 12" wide rolls with the 6" holes that go into the big dispensers? Or just the big boxes of a zillion regular rolls of toilet paper.

 

[seraphim]

Home delivery for groceries. Driver leaves them on porch. Pop on gloves (disposable dog poop bags) take items out of bags and - when feasible - outside packaging (if there are two layers of packaging). Wipe down/spray disinfect items and place in bin. Bags and cartons placed in outside garbage. Bins carried inside, packaged containers are stored On dining room table, and by the time they are used several days have passed. Produce is washed immediately, or soaked in soap water for 15 minutes (asparagus, green beans, leafy produce). They are placed in lowest section of fridge and used last. Empty bin and hands are washed/ disinfected. Counter area used disinfected.

Takes less time than actually going out and shopping lol. We routinely wash the produce anyway, since chemical residue on produce often affects my wife’s allergies - swelling of mucus membranes and blisters on lips.

We order about 7-10 days of supplies at a time, and keep the freezer and pantry stocked with a bit of extra.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

You mean the 12" wide rolls with the 6" holes that go into the big dispensers? Or just the big boxes of a zillion regular rolls of toilet paper.

In non-pandemic times I get the boxes with a zillion rolls. But this last time I bought paper for the big dispensers and I'll just keep the big rolls in a basket in the bathroom, since that was all that was available. I've used the big rolls before when I was sent some for free through a review programs. It is a lot cheaper to buy items like paper towels and toilet paper online and by the pound. Online the items have shipping weights so I calculate the price per pound. Otherwise those mega rolls, double rolls, and all those marketing names just make it hard for consumers to price shop. The TP in stores usually has a really high cost per pound.


I have regular TP in the guest bathroom, but it is not like we're going to be having guests over any time soon anyway.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

We tried Sam's Club pick up today. There was no curbside pick up at our local club and no one manning the customer pick up desk inside. The store was really busy. I had to stand in the customer service line first, then wait quite a while for them to bring out the order and then stand in a long line to exist. Even though I ordered online I was in the store about 30 - 40 minutes, so we probably won't use their pick up service again. On the plus side they had almost everything I ordered so we're stocked up on fresh and frozen meat and produce for maybe a few weeks.

So no more tuna sandwiches with canned soup, tonight for dinner we had fresh asparagus, tomato, mushroom and chicken stir fry.

Our two main local stores had zero pick up times for any date in the future, but I found a supermarket a few miles away with curbside pick up and available times. I put in an aspirational order for items Sam's Club was out of, like eggs, frozen pizzas and frozen taquitos, and maybe if we get lucky they will have some of it in stock.

 

[Scrapr]

My good friend is a transportation manager (trucking) for a Kroger subsidiary. I (gently) asked about his last few weeks. He only said it was chaos. They had called in outside drivers to handle the overflow (which is normal). One outside driver got lost in the system for a day & a half. He said even now they are only filling <60% of the store orders. Simply not in the warehouse. But he did say the flow is normalizing. Kroger is big on hitting your numbers. Creates a lot of stress for him. Now they aren't saying a thing about go over the budget

 

[Bigal50]

We are ordering online and picking up curbside. Don't even roll down the window, just pop the trunk and let them load our purchases. Why expose ourselves to the possibility of infection when there is no need to do so?

Same here! Works great!

 

[DektolMan]

Ordered from BJ's last Monday and first delivery time using Instacart was Saturday 4-6pm time slot. I took it then on Saturday they kept pushing the time back finally to 8:30-9:30pm. Last email was that our order was cancelled. No other times available till I logged in today at 4;30 am and a time slot was available for Sat. 4/18 at noon so I took it and will try again.


Meantime we have a small grocery nearby whole will take your order by email, gather it up, call you when it is ready, take your cc #, and then will go & have them load it into our car.


No way am I going into a store now as it is really ramping up here in CT.

 

[Amethyst]

With the gym closed, I get up at 5 a.m. so I can jog on the beach in the dark with a flashlight, avoiding the fishermen who start to take up the surfside at dawn, and dog-walkers who begin to congregate on the beach at sunrise. There are actually other joggers, runners and walkers out there in the dark with their miner's hats on. We have fun trying to avoid each other.

Getting up that early, I'm not also setting the alarm for midnight so I can try to "get a slot" or hope the web site is working. I'll take my chances in the store every couple of weeks at old-people hour. (Boy, are some of those old men shoppers mean. They'll shove their carts to keep others from something they want. Like aggressive drivers, they won't look you in the eye when they're doing it).

Doing the simplest things is becoming a madhouse; I am starting to resent people I don't even know for existing. And to dislike myself for feeling that way.

Ordered from BJ's last Monday and first delivery time using Instacart was Saturday 4-6pm time slot. I took it then on Saturday they kept pushing the time back finally to 8:30-9:30pm. Last email was that our order was cancelled. No other times available till I logged in today at 4;30 am and a time slot was available for Sat. 4/18 at noon so I took it and will try again.


Meantime we have a small grocery nearby whole will take your order by email, gather it up, call you when it is ready, take your cc #, and then will go & have them load it into our car.


No way am I going into a store now as it is really ramping up here in CT.

 

[gwraigty]

Vox had an article about the TP supply the other day: https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2020/4/3/21206942/toilet-paper-coronavirus-shortage-supply-chain

It sounds like there are a number of factors such as just in time supply chains, people being home more and home toilet paper largely being a different product than what offices, schools, and restaurants supply. And I imagine that people who have run out of TP in the first wave of crazy buying might be apt to buy a little extra. With no backstock or slop in the supply chain a bunch of family buying a 12 pack instead of a 4 pack might well lead to shortages.

I imagine the flour shortage is probably a lot of people doing just a little bit extra baking. Around me I've heard you can get 25lb bags of flour but not 5lb bags which leads me to think its lot of extra buyers not a few hoarders.

It sounds like there's not much hope for the TP shortage to be alleviated in the near term. From the article:

“Shifting to retail channels would require new relationships and contracts between suppliers, distributors, and stores; different formats for packaging and shipping; new trucking routes — all for a bulky product with lean profit margins,” Oremus reported.

Since there’s no certain timeline as to when these stay-at-home orders will be lifted, manufacturers don’t have much flexibility to adjust their production capabilities. Plus, most toilet paper mills were already operating 24 hours a day and seven days a week before the coronavirus, CNN reported. It’s likely that regular toilet paper will stay in short supply, at least until stay-at-home orders are relaxed or suppliers radically alter their production process to meet demand.

As to flour, I just started seeing some back on the store shelves late last week, but not a lot.

 

[gwraigty]

I go to the store alone now. Used to go about every other day. I’m down to about 1-2 times a week. I’ve learned that to keep the salad fresh that long, I have to buy the smaller size and not open it until we are ready to eat it. So that means about 4 small bags of salad a week, instead of 1-2 large ones. Before, I bought one large one and then in a couple days when it was gone or starting to go brown, go get more. Now, I’ll get 3-4 small bags, plus the pre-cut broccoli, green beans, etc in the sealed bag, enough for the whole week.

I've found that the plastic clam shell packages of spring mix or spinach tend to keep longer than bags of salad mix. Sugar snap peas also keep well.

 

[scaubie]

FYI, Moen has lifetime warranty in their products. Ditch the plumber and call for a free replacement.

 

[JoeWras]

My plan is to toss $30 of stuff into the cart that won't be in short supply, then set the alarm for 1AM. I'll grab the phone, select a newly opened time slot, and submit the order (with a saved CC).

The next morning, I'll go to the computer and do my real shopping (you can add and delete items from the order very easily).

This only works because the slots available are for "Tomorrow", which, after midnight, means not the next day, so I've got 24 hours to mess with my order. Then the day after that, I go for the pick-up.

Did ya get yer slot?

DW woke up this morning with Walmart pickup on mind, and got a slot right away for tomorrow, Monday. Maybe because it is Sunday? I don't think we stole your slot because it is on the other side of the Triangle region.

Haven't tried Walmart yet, but we are hopeful. We're out of a lot of stuff. We're starting to mix weird stuff together to make meals. We need some hope after our failure a few days ago with Publix and Instacart. To Publix's credit, they spent 5 hours waiting for Instacart customer service to get us a refund.

DW is pretty much against going into the stores and interacting if we have alternatives. I haven't told her yet, but if we get another failure, I'm going to just go and only give her a 30 second warning before I leave. I'm getting a bit fed up.

 

[MichaelB]

We're out of a lot of stuff. We're starting to mix weird stuff together to make meals.
./.
I'm getting a bit fed up.

Actually, from your post it sounds like your not fed up at all .. and that’s the problem.

 

[JoeWras]

Actually, from your post it sounds like your not fed up at all .. and that’s the problem.

LOL! Yeah, we're not starving. Just headed for steel cut oatmeal and brussel sprout stew.

 

[gwraigty]

Doing the simplest things is becoming a madhouse; I am starting to resent people I don't even know for existing. And to dislike myself for feeling that way.

It's understandable. If not for the extra household members tagging along to go shopping because they're bored at home, maybe our governor wouldn't have issued the new order effective tomorrow that stores have to limit the number of shoppers inside. It would be nice if it makes these bored people stay home, but I'm not optimistic. (Exceptions for young kids who can't be left home alone are understandable.)

Now that it's being strongly suggested that everyone wear a mask while shopping, I'm concerned that it will make some people think it's OK to go out when they're sick. At Walmart last week, they had us all file in 6 feet apart, but then everyone started bunching up around the hand sanitizer. An elderly couple was right in front of me, both wearing surgical masks. The woman turned to me and said that her husband wasn't too happy with her today. He started coughing with a deep phlegm sound. I decided the hand sanitzer wasn't nearly as important as getting away from the crowd and him.

 

[JoeWras]

Now that it's being strongly suggested that everyone wear a mask while shopping, I'm concerned that it will make some people think it's OK to go out when they're sick.

I get the concern. However, my experience through the years has been that people who are sick will go out no matter what. Mask or otherwise.

In late February we had a pastor hold a service* who was hacking away, and insisted that they were "not contagious."

Has this ever happened to you? Meet a friend or colleague who is obviously sick and they announce they are not contagious? Right, I know you've met that person. Instant microbiologists, they are.

Still, I think you have a point. But, at least is going to capture the deniers, and probably more importantly, the asymptomatic spewers.

* - Love church, but not sure when I'll ever go back. It has always been an issue with me to hear all the coughing, sniffing, etc. in church. Now, it will be distracting paranoia.

 

[sengsational]

Did ya get yer slot?

Yes. I imagine it has a lot to do with the particular store and the population near it. As an analogy, on black Friday, I was in an area with my parents, mostly seniors, and went to Best Buy at opening, and there were 20 people in line. We got a number for our door buster and were out in 15 minutes. My BIL, in a regular age range town, went to his store an hour before we went, and the line was wrapped around the building. He didn't get the door buster that we got.

 

[Sunset]

With the gym closed, I get up at 5 a.m. so I can jog on the beach in the dark with a flashlight...

Getting up that early, I'm not also setting the alarm for midnight so I can try to "get a slot" or hope the web site is working. I'll take my chances in the store every couple of weeks at old-people hour....

..

Have you tried getting a slot at 5 am ?
If it's Walmart, you can build your list the day before, and then when you want a slot, just checkout, and pick a slot if available, otherwise try the next day.
I've noticed the availability of slots varies per day, probably driven by local population/other stores/employment factors/weather/etc..

In other words try repeatedly and sooner or later you might get lucky..

 

[dd564]

Went to the grocery store today.
Empty shelves for:

Eggs
Toilet paper

Everything else fully in stock.
Ground beef
Every sort of meat cut they typically carry.
Cold cuts of all varieties
Two weeks ago garlic and potatoes were picked out but each bin was full or close to full.

Other than eggs and toilet paper you wouldn't be able to notice a difference.
The supply chain here has been solid other than a minor convenience on very few select items.

 

[njhowie]

Yesterday, my mother sent me a message to do an online order for her with Publix. This is the first time we tried this and it went extremely well, end to end. Her Publix is less than 1/2 mile from where she lives, but with the current virus situation, it was a good reason to give it a try. Besides that, it's a real hassle for her getting everything from her car up to her apartment.

Publix works with Instacart, and they were obviously swamped based on the delivery estimates. Notwithstanding, we were very pleased with the way they work, and the benefit it provided. Their prices were marked up from the shelf price and there were a couple of fees and tip, but for my mother, it was well worth it.

I'm guessing that going forward, even after the virus passes and things get back to normal, we'll probably go this route for her groceries, at least periodically.

 

[Sunset]

If only PeaPod could have predicted the future, they would be making a killing now in this area, instead of having abandoned it.

 

[Car-Guy]

I went grocery shopping early this morning in the nearby town that is about 20 mins away... I had to stop by all three of the stores in town to get most of what I wanted. Most were stocked up at about 80% but all were missing some/same items. All had paper towels but had a limit of one package to a customer. Only one store had any TP. (limit one package too). All had fresh meats and vegetables but not in normal levels of quantities/selections.

Walmart had setup access to control how many people were in the store. I talked to the guy that was keeping count of folks going in and out. He told me the new local city ordinance limited the store occupancy to 500. I doubt they ever have that many in the store normally except for maybe Black Friday's. Heck, the towns population and local rural area is less than 10k.

I did notice that several "women" were wearing face mask.. (but no men were )

My basic impression was it was looking much better than a week or so ago.

 

[harley]

I did notice that several "women" were wearing face mask.. (but no men were )

Another reason women live longer than men. Less ego involved in being "weak".

 

[Car-Guy]

Another reason women live longer than men. Less ego involved in being "weak".

I had pretty much the same thoughts.