Grocery Shopping

[youbet]

The markup for delivery is indeed pretty high. Enough so that it would dissuade me from the service on a long term basis. For the next few weeks/months though, I consider it a tolerable "cost of doing business" to manage risk.

I've found the cost of having delivery from Amazon Fresh to be acceptable in these times. I believe the order is actually fulfilled by Amazon subsidiary Whole Foods. Here in NE Illinois, stock is good with only the usual "unobtainium" items being unavailable. Prices are similar to shopping at Whole Foods with little on sale, but no signs of gouging at all. Delivery times have been fairly easy to schedule so far. Things are very well packaged with fragile items well protected, refrigerated items in insulated containers with ice and everything else in heavy duty paper bags that are never too heavy to easily handle. There is no delivery charge if your order is at least $35, although they suggest a $5 tip which is included in your bill unless you delete or edit it.

We have an adequate supply of long term non-perishables on the shelf already so about once a week I order fresh fruits and veggies, milk, bread, yogurt and odds and ends and have them delivered.

The only freezer we have is the one incorporated into our normal size kitchen fridge. So, we've missed some opportunities to reduce the number of deliveries by freezing milk, bread and other space eating items. What we do have is plenty of protein. We fish as a hobby. When this COVID-19 thing hit, we were noting that we still have a LOT of last autumn's frozen fillets of various fresh water game fish (At least 40 lbs) taking up a lot of space in the freezer. Now we're solving that problem by serving fish (walleye pike, northern pike, crappie, perch, bass) at least twice a week.

 

[Jeffman52]

Since its just DW and I, we can survive for a few weeks on a full fridge. We picked up enough groceries to carry us through the next 3 weeks. No plans to go to the grocery in that time. We did get fresh veggies and fruits but alas we know it wont last that long so we also got frozen to tide us over.

My beer fridge is full
My wine rack is full

We still do some carry out for lunch once in a while and did a nice dinner carry out with wine, to support one of our favorite non-chain restaurants.

 

[jollystomper]

For years when shopping I would have the shopping list on my phone. Either a memo app to create and save it, or DW would send me a text of items needed if I was out shopping. These days the less I touch my phone when out of the house, the better. So I have reverted to the ancient ways of keeping a paper shopping list, that I can discard when done.

 

[gwraigty]

I just watched a brief interview featuring the CEO of Baldor. They primarily serve the commercial markets and they've started shipping direct to consumer. Their delivery area is quite limited, but maybe we have some forum members here who qualify to take advantage of their service.

https://www.baldorfood.com/baldorhomedeliverymap

 

[MichaelB]

For years when shopping I would have the shopping list on my phone. Either a memo app to create and save it, or DW would send me a text of items needed if I was out shopping. These days the less I touch my phone when out of the house, the better. So I have reverted to the ancient ways of keeping a paper shopping list, that I can discard when done.

Same here. I also use the camera to take photos when DW wants something very specific. My previous grocery run I brought a paper list, which immediately got wet in the produce section. For my grocery run this morning I used an old iPhone, and just set it aside after I got home.

 

[Souschef]

Went to Von's in CA for senior time. There was no line, because they changed the hours from 7 AM to 6 AM.
Got almost everything on my list, except chicken thighs, which were gone. Also all the dried beans were empty.
Still some people there walking around without masks and/or gloves. I had both on.
DW is worried about me being mugged in the parking lot for some reason. I am just very aware of my surroundings.

 

[dd564]

My wife (who typically shops almost daily) went to Sams Club for eggs. Only brown eggs were gone. Restaurant size of eggs available and various others.

Also got fruit, maple syrup, etc.
The supply chain, other than a couple weeks with limited eggs and TP seems to be back to normal here.

 

[Poopycat]

Location: Cincinnati metro area

Pre-coronavirus, I regularly ordered delivery from Whole Foods. Yes, not the cheapest, but it’s just for me and WF is the only place around me that has decent seafood. I’m not a big Kroger fan. The service was prompt and my order was always accurate.

Now, I haven’t used WF delivery lately because I can’t get same-day delivery and items are not always available. At least, that’s what the Amazon app says. But when I go to the store, the items I want are often there. There is a person up front that asks if you want a little cart, big cart or basket, then that person wipes down your selection and gives it to you. I sometimes can’t get a vegetable item, and the frozen veggies are pretty well picked apart, but most everything else is available. I also liked that the store had tape on the floor to show how far six feet away is. Very helpful.

I text with my cousin in Northern CA, who is freaked out about Coronavirus. She only uses Instacart, and was all over me for going to the store. That made me feel nervous. So I tried to the WalMart pickup service. I ordered a lot of cleaning supplies (mop, cleaners), personal items (eye drops), and things that I either can’t get at Whole Foods or are cheaper and of similar quality (frozen Birds Eye broccoli, bulk sweet potatoes, Gatorade zero, which I only use to mix with a medication). I got a time slot for the next day, which was ok, but it wouldn’t let me buy certain items like bottled water, TP, sanitizer or chicken breast. They were in stock but you still had to go in the store for those. When I got the order, they didn’t include the Gatorade, so I had to call customer service, and they were out of the eye drops. Two items were substituted. So a really mixed bag.

In spite of not being a Kroger fan, I decided to get the water, chicken, and TP, plus a couple of other items WalMart and Whole Foods don’t carry, at the Kroger down the street last week. There were three people wiping down carts. I grabbed a cart, kept my distance from people, and got what I needed. I was surprised how full the shelves were. Certain items like rice and TP were low on certain brands, but if you didn’t have a brand preference you were fine. I always get Charmin but they didn’t have any. But there was a ton of Northern. Cool! There were 2 per person limits on some things like soap and drinking water. Otherwise, no problems.

Because of my positive Kroger experience, I tried to sign up for their pickup and delivery service. But I can’t get an order for two weeks. Can’t get a WalMart pickup time either. I also have a prescription that is set to run out next week at Walgreens. I will have to pick that up due to delivery timing restrictions.

So while I would be happy to allow these places to deliver to my home, or just bag the stuff up and put it in my car so I don’t have to go into the store, those services won’t work for me. I will try Whole Foods delivery one more time since I have had good luck, but I will need to go to the pharmacy early next week, and to Kroger or WalMart early next week as well. Hopefully I won’t have to go to the store again until May.

Meanwhile, my cousin’s Instacart order was delayed three different times, so she ended up getting a relative to go to the store for her.

 

[geeky_grrl]

I did 2 pickup orders at Fred Meyers (local Krogers) in March. At the beginning of the month I was able to schedule a pickup next day. Middle of the month it was 3 days out and half of my order was out of stock. I was planning on doing another order at the end of this month but it looks like the only way to get a spot is to schedule at midnight when they add a new days slots 7 days in the future and those are filling within a couple of minutes. No other stores have pickup in town and no instacart here.

You couldn't pay me to step foot in that store with how crowded its supposed to be. I may just make do without a lot of things until things return to normal. My pantry is stocked up enough to make it for a few months at least.

 

[Ready]

I’m not seeing any news articles indicating that a high percentage of grocery and warehouse club workers are coming down with COVID-19 infections. I’ve seen a few articles indicating one or two employees of a particular store, but considering how many hundreds of thousands of people across the country are working in these stores 8 hours a day it seems like a very small number.

So if these people are working 40 hours a week in the stores, what is the real risk of us going to a store once a week for 20 minutes? Of course it’s something more than zero, but is it really enough of a risk to justify eliminating all shopping trips?

If I was living in a hot spot area I’d probably just not go. But for the majority of the country I think we are being a little too cautious by completely avoiding an occasional and brief trip to the grocery store to stock up on things we need to live on.

I am still going once a week. I wear a face mask and I carry hand sanitizer in the store and frequently spray it on my hands, then thoroughly wash my hands when I get home. It seems like an acceptable trade off for me.

 

[travelover]

...........So if these people are working 40 hours a week in the stores, what is the real risk of us going to a store once a week for 20 minutes? Of course it’s something more than zero, but is it really enough of a risk to justify eliminating all shopping trips?..........

I doubt that they are being tested and unless their symptoms are bad enough for them to stay home, they will work because they need the money. But everyone has a different risk tolerance.

 

[geeky_grrl]

If I was living in a hot spot area I’d probably just not go. But for the majority of the country I think we are being a little too cautious by completely avoiding an occasional and brief trip to the grocery store to stock up on things we need to live on.

My take is that currently is that I have everything I need to live on at home for quite some time; its just wants at the store. There are some things I'd miss but I'm high risk and I don't think those wants are worth the risk.

 

[youbet]

I’m not seeing any news articles indicating that a high percentage of grocery and warehouse club workers are coming down with COVID-19 infections. I’ve seen a few articles indicating one or two employees of a particular store, but considering how many hundreds of thousands of people across the country are working in these stores 8 hours a day it seems like a very small number.

So if these people are working 40 hours a week in the stores, what is the real risk of us going to a store once a week for 20 minutes? Of course it’s something more than zero, but is it really enough of a risk to justify eliminating all shopping trips?

I've been wondering the same thing. If employees are spending 40 hrs a week in the store and there aren't any negative statistics popping up, how risky is it for me to be there 30 mins a week?

If it turns out later that employees spending significant time in what most of us are considering high risk areas have higher rates of infection, I suppose law suites will be forthcoming against employers who encouraged them to be there and failed to adequately protect them.

DW and I are high risk, so we're taking a pretty extreme view and trying to just not go. But, like you, I'm curious as to just what level of risk I'm actually eliminating.

 

[Accidental Retiree]

I just placed my first delivery order with Costco/Instacart at 6:35 am, and I received a text at 7:05:

Mark H just started shopping! We'll notify you if there are any changes. Your perishables will be temperature controlled while in-store and carefully handled by your driver until delivery.



Let’s see if the ever-elusive TP actually makes it into the order.

Mark H went AWOL and Cody stepped in to finish the order.


My friend is undergoing her 4th round of chemo for ovarian cancer, and her Instacart shopper did the same to her a couple of weeks ago. She never did learn what happened.

I think Instacart offers a great service, but having good shoppers working for them would make it even better.

 

[mn54]

had the third grocery pickup today. didn't go as well as the first two. our order got mixed up with someone else's. they apologized, will correctly fill our order ( I hope), and deliver it to us for free. let's hope they get it right, unless someone else is ordering t-bone steaks and lobster.

 

[athena53]

I have to laugh- I've been trying to judiciously allocate funds I have to help those affected between food bank-type programs, other organizations that have no admission fees coming in (the Chicago Children's Museum, e.g.) and straightforward support of struggling businesses. A winery in Hermann, MO (Stone Hill) that I've visited many times sent me an e-mail offering 50% off shipping if I bought 6 bottles. OK, probably still more expensive than the local liquor store but more selection. I ordered this AM.

It will arrive tomorrow between 3 and 5 PM. (I'm about 3.5 hours' drive from them, same state.) That was fast!

 

[W2R]

My take is that currently is that I have everything I need to live on at home for quite some time; its just wants at the store. There are some things I'd miss but I'm high risk and I don't think those wants are worth the risk.

+1

Somewhere between 80% and 100% of the major grocery stores in my New Orleans suburb have already reported employees with tested, confirmed COVID-19. These grocery stores either didn't close or only closed for a couple of days for cleaning, and none quarantined their other employees at all. Those with confirmed cases were given paid leave. All this has been in the news, but briefly and in minor stories that are easy to overlook.

I'm staying out of the grocery stores for a while longer, to make sure everything seems OK before I go back to grocery shopping in person.

 

[Accidental Retiree]

Mark H went AWOL and Cody stepped in to finish the order.


My friend is undergoing her 4th round of chemo for ovarian cancer, and her Instacart shopper did the same to her a couple of weeks ago. She never did learn what happened.

I think Instacart offers a great service, but having good shoppers working for them would make it even better.

Latest on Instacart.

Ordered chicken thighs. First guy, Mark H., says not available, do you want breasts instead?

Ok. $49+ charge. ��

Three hours later, new guy Cody picks up my order, says the other one may have quit because my order was too complicated.

Ten items, just a few substitutions already approved, pretty much done, then AWOL.

Cody texts, oh, hey, thighs here, breasts not available. Sub these thighs for breasts? Shows me photo with thighs at $24+, so I ok that. It’s what I wanted.

I still got charged $49+ for breasts. The receipt says breasts.

I’m disputing the charge with my CC and reported a problem with Instacart. I’m also online with their chat.

There are only 5000+ ahead of me on chat. This could take a while.

PS. And he was not wearing any kind of mask, despite Riverside County Health Dept.’s orders on the subject.

I’m wondering whether a single shopper could have 2 phones, hence 2 log ins. Phone +1 grabs my order really early, takes his sweet time with my order, fits a few shorter ones in those 3 hours, and logs back in under another phone to finish up.

I’m not sure how it all works....

 

[JoeWras]

There are only 5000+ ahead of me on chat. This could take a while.

DWs try with instacart was similarly disastrous.

We got a manager from Publix to handle the fact we got charged for not getting any food at all. She spent 4 hours on the phone in the queue and got our charge reversed! DW isn't sour on Publix anymore, just Instacart.

(We thought the stores would have a "red phone" line to Instacart. Turns our they wait in the same queue.)

 

[Sunset]

+1

Somewhere between 80% and 100% of the major grocery stores in my New Orleans suburb have already reported employees with tested, confirmed COVID-19. These grocery stores either didn't close or only closed for a couple of days for cleaning, and none quarantined their other employees at all. Those with confirmed cases were given paid leave. All this has been in the news, but briefly and in minor stories that are easy to overlook.

..

Imagine how hard grocery shopping would be if the grocery stores closed.

They simply cannot be closed for long, regardless of how dangerous it might be.

 

[Ready]

I doubt that they are being tested and unless their symptoms are bad enough for them to stay home, they will work because they need the money. But everyone has a different risk tolerance.

Perhaps, but I know when anyone coughs or sneezes in a store now the customers go running for the hills. So if someone is showing up to work and exhibiting any of these symptoms they are going to be sent home pretty quickly whether they like it or not.

Personally I am more uncomfortable with a house cleaner spending 8 hours a day in my house. If they are infected but asymptomatic they just spent 8 hours touching virtually every surface in my house. That just seems to be a bit too risky for me.

Yet there are people on this forum who won’t go into a grocery store but are allowing a house cleaner into their house for the day. I’m not going to argue whether either one is right or wrong since none of us our experts here. And even the experts are changing the advice they give us almost daily as they learn new things about the virus.

But life is full or risks. I’m more likely to die of a car accident driving to the grocery store than I am of dying from getting the virus while at a grocery store. But I don’t stop driving. I just understand it’s all part of the risk of living your life.

 

[harley]

Man, y'all are making me glad I don't have to deal with the stores, and especially Instacart. Since we're doing LCHF/Keto/IF, we just aren't eating anywhere near as much as we used to. So the major shopping trip I did last week could easily last us a month. Plus, our cherry tomato plant is putting out 10-20 red tomatoes a day, our lettuce is ready to start harvesting, we've got more cucumbers than we can eat (sharing with our neighbor), and the zucchini are probably less than a week from being pickable. Sadly, something else (birds? squirrels?) likes unripe strawberries, so we may not get any of those. But between all that and the frozen meat and veggies we have, I'm not sure when we'll have to go back to a store. Probably when I run low on Diet Pepsi.

DW was a genius, bless her paranoid little heart. As soon as she started hearing about the virus in early Feb she decided we should start all these vegetables. We already had the tomato going, but all the rest is just because she was nervous about the food supply lines. I went along, condescendingly, but damn if she wasn't right again. You'd think I'd know better by now. And, of course, we wouldn't have been able to do this if we'd been back up north. Chalk one up for FL.

I'm hoping that by the time we do need more supplies things will be better and not worse, because I far prefer going into the store than dealing with the pickup/delivery options. But you never know. Whatever the situation is, I'll play it as safe as I can.

 

[braumeister]

I live in Kroger's back yard (Cincinnati area) so I'm a big fan. Also, one of their very largest stores is less than a mile from my house so it's very convenient. I'm one of those who likes to walk through the store, sometimes buying things on a whim, so delivery or pickup really doesn't appeal to me.

I took inventory this morning and determined that another shopping trip will be necessary in about a week, so I've started making a list.

What will be different about that next trip is that I'll be wearing a mask and safety glasses (haven't done that yet). I've always done the bulk of the grocery shopping, and I'm trying to keep that up, just to protect DW.

 

[JustCurious]

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.

LOL! That's so true!

 

[dd564]

Although a highly contagious disease, it's comforting to know store staff has done a good job distancing themselves properly to stay healthy.