Grocery Shopping

[Telly]

Local WalMart is overstocked with hand sanitizer. It's not moving. Zero interest. They have not marked ANY of it down. The small 8 oz. bottles are still $4. It's like it's wasted shelf and aisle space now. Kroger has a floor display of whiskey bottles of hand sanitizer piled up high and wide. Buy one, get one half-off. They aren't selling. In over a month and a half, I have only seen one bottle disappear. Maybe somebody snagged it with their cart and broke it!

No one's marking it down. I assume on the wholesale level it's dead. Maybe the stores are hanging on to it till winter, with the idea that sales may suddenly pick up again. If the rest of the country's hand sanitizer sales are like they are here, can't see all the companies that jumped into making it still doing it.

 

[jollystomper]

Local WalMart is overstocked with hand sanitizer. It's not moving. Zero interest. They have not marked ANY of it down. The small 8 oz. bottles are still $4. It's like it's wasted shelf and aisle space now. Kroger has a floor display of whiskey bottles of hand sanitizer piled up high and wide. Buy one, get one half-off. They aren't selling. In over a month and a half, I have only seen one bottle disappear. Maybe somebody snagged it with their cart and broke it!

No one's marking it down. I assume on the wholesale level it's dead. Maybe the stores are hanging on to it till winter, with the idea that sales may suddenly pick up again. If the rest of the country's hand sanitizer sales are like they are here, can't see all the companies that jumped into making it still doing it.

Interesting point. This week I was in Walmart, Costco, and 4 other groceries stores, and a Dollar Tree. All have large supplies of hand sanitizer. Two of the stores have moved the displays from right in front of the cash registers to aisles near the back of the store.

I may to go to the nearest Ollie's this weekend, a couple of months ago they had liquor bottle sizes of hand sanitizer at a decent price, just to see if their situation has changed.

 

[Sunset]

Today for the first time since March I was able to purchase my preferred brands (Scott bathroom tissue and Brawny paper towels) from the grocery store, instead of paying piracy prices on Amazon. I am only buying what I need, so one pack of each.

...

By not buying more than you need, you are at risk of paying the pricey Amazon reseller price during the next shortage.

Better to stock up while the reseller's are not buying.

 

[harllee]

Local WalMart is overstocked with hand sanitizer. It's not moving. Zero interest. They have not marked ANY of it down. The small 8 oz. bottles are still $4. It's like it's wasted shelf and aisle space now. Kroger has a floor display of whiskey bottles of hand sanitizer piled up high and wide. Buy one, get one half-off. They aren't selling. In over a month and a half, I have only seen one bottle disappear. Maybe somebody snagged it with their cart and broke it!

No one's marking it down. I assume on the wholesale level it's dead. Maybe the stores are hanging on to it till winter, with the idea that sales may suddenly pick up again. If the rest of the country's hand sanitizer sales are like they are here, can't see all the companies that jumped into making it still doing it.

Pre- Covid we used a ton of hand sanitizer because we were out and about, traveling, etc.. We have noticed that we are not using hardly any hand sanitizer
now because we are not going anywhere and not traveling.

 

[Calico]

By not buying more than you need, you are at risk of paying the pricey Amazon reseller price during the next shortage.

Better to stock up while the reseller's are not buying.

That's a good point. I might pick up a few more packs.

 

[Another Reader]

We have not used online shopping or curbside pickup. We have been going to stores in person, but wearing mask and practicing social distancing.

Before and after Covid, shopping is one of the few occasions that we leave the home. I think with the precautions we take, the risk is small.

Recently, was able to pick up some Cervena venison striploin and shortrib. I often have NZ lamb rack, but have not tried farm-raised venison. If I stayed home, would not be able to spot this kind of specialty items.

Curious where you are finding items like these? I think you are in the same Tempe/Mesa/Chandler corridor as most of my rentals, and I don't recall these items at the local Safeway or Sprouts...

 

[retire-early]

Interesting point. This week I was in Walmart, Costco, and 4 other groceries stores, and a Dollar Tree. All have large supplies of hand sanitizer. Two of the stores have moved the displays from right in front of the cash registers to aisles near the back of the store.

I may to go to the nearest Ollie's this weekend, a couple of months ago they had liquor bottle sizes of hand sanitizer at a decent price, just to see if their situation has changed.

Plenty of hand sanitizers but rubbing alcohol and hydrogen peroxide are still hard to find.
Why is that?
.

 

[NW-Bound]

Curious where you are finding items like these? I think you are in the same Tempe/Mesa/Chandler corridor as most of my rentals, and I don't recall these items at the local Safeway or Sprouts...

AJ Fine Foods often has some of the specialty meats, including duck, ostrich, venison, bison, etc...

 

[pacergal]

Ran out of milk and Went to local Safeway last night 9 pm, first time in a store in a while, as we have been doing pick up from Fredmeyer/Kroger for months. Only saw 5 other folks in the entire store.
Walked down a couple aisles and they had generic bleach wipes! No limit on packages, I just make my own, but DS prefers wipes, so I picked up some for him.
Plenty of paper products, general cleaning supplies ok, no Lysol spray.

The mouthwash and hydrogen peroxide were picked over. I think the article on the covid mouthwash is making its way around!

 

[youbet]

That's a good point. I might pick up a few more packs.

Yeah, we're looking at doing some minor hoarding too.........

 

[W2R]

Yeah, we're looking at doing some minor hoarding too.........

After reading the recent posts in this thread, I'm thinking of doing some as well. We planned to go to the grocery store today, but the humidity is insanely high here today and we were both feeling lazy, so we put it off.

Hope the shelves aren't empty later in the week.

 

[ivinsfan]

After reading the recent posts in this thread, I'm thinking of doing some as well. We planned to go to the grocery store today, but the humidity is insanely high here today and we were both feeling lazy, so we put it off.

Hope the shelves aren't empty later in the week.

Far enough, but my advice is to be sure your shelves are fully and completely stocked before the presidential election. That's my plan anyway..

 

[Gumby]

Far enough, but my advice is to be sure your shelves are fully and completely stocked before the presidential election. That's my plan anyway..

Mine, too.

 

[Koolau]

Far enough, but my advice is to be sure your shelves are fully and completely stocked before the presidential election. That's my plan anyway..

I suppose it depends on where you live. If the (recent) past is any indicator of the future, we're in good shape. It's perhaps the only advantage of living in a one party (literally) state. There will be no surprises. Of course, YMMV.

 

[jazz4cash]

I am really surprised that people are still reporting shortages in some areas.
As far as I can tell all the usual retailers are fully stocked with paper products. We don't use the sanitizer wipes but hand sanitizer and bleach and the like is stocked high and wide at all the retailers including the hardware stores. DW "warned" me that supplies of paper products were going to run short again so I plan to stock up using the free Sam's Club membership I learned about here. Unfortunately they have a limit of one ginormous package per member. I just might buy one name brand and one store brand in case some relatives run short.

 

[ABQ2015]

I was on my way back to New Mexico from the Grand Canyon today and stopped at a grocery store in Winslow, AZ to buy some fresh produce. Once I get back to New Mexico, I am supposed to quarantine for 14 days and cannot go grocery shopping. To my amazement, the store had loads of Clorox disinfecting wipes, the bleach free type with the Dimethyl Benzyl Ammonium Chloride. There was no limit on purchase quantities and the checker said they had been carrying the wipes for a while now. I have not seen these in my city of more than a half million population since February but Winslow has plenty.

 

[Telly]

I was on my way back to New Mexico from the Grand Canyon today and stopped at a grocery store in Winslow, AZ to buy some fresh produce. Once I get back to New Mexico, I am supposed to quarantine for 14 days and cannot go grocery shopping. To my amazement, the store had loads of Clorox disinfecting wipes, the bleach free type with the Dimethyl Benzyl Ammonium Chloride. There was no limit on purchase quantities and the checker said they had been carrying the wipes for a while now. I have not seen these in my city of more than a half million population since February but Winslow has plenty.

See post #5 in this thread:

https://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f55/hand-sanitizer-recall-104822.html

It is the same chemical, there are different ways of listing it. That by itself does not kill Covid-19.

 

[ABQ2015]

See post #5 in this thread:

https://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f55/hand-sanitizer-recall-104822.html

It is the same chemical, there are different ways of listing it. That by itself does not kill Covid-19.

There is a long list of active ingredients on the label and for brevity I listed only one just to indicate that the wipes did not contain bleach or alcohol. I am assuming that these active ingredients equate to "quaternary ammonium compounds" as the EPA List N Disinfectants for COVID-19 includes Clorox Disinfecting Wipes and names quaternary ammonium as the active ingredient. So I hope these work against COVID-19. I am tired of dealing with alcohol wipes that dry out in my arid climate and/or bleach which seems to leave a residue and dissolves finishes.

 

[iloveyoga]

I have a stock up order being delivered from Walmart this morning. I got some extra paper goods this time. And a small frozen turkey breast for our two person Thanksgiving dinner.

 

[harllee]

I have a stock up order being delivered from Walmart this morning. I got some extra paper goods this time. And a small frozen turkey breast for our two person Thanksgiving dinner.

I have been doing Walmart pick up but Walmart delivery is now in my area and I
am thinking about doing it. How do you like the Walmart Delivery?

 

[Another Reader]

AJ Fine Foods often has some of the specialty meats, including duck, ostrich, venison, bison, etc...

They are owned by Basha's, which I never really liked much. I know the center because the Fido office is on the corner, but never visited the store. Been there for maybe 15 years?

 

[iloveyoga]

I have been doing Walmart pick up but Walmart delivery is now in my area and I
am thinking about doing it. How do you like the Walmart Delivery?

I have been very happy with it. I did the delivery for a while first. The annual charge for delivery is around $100 a year, but it has been worth it for us. The Walmart app is very helpful. I have not been inside our local Walmart since early March.

 

[John Galt III]

Did my part to be a pre election panic buyer, and bought 2 chuck roasts on sale for $3.99 a pound. I remember when chuck steak was regarded as undesirable (too much fat?) and was always $1.49 a pound NOT on sale. Oh well. The store I was in did have some drawdown of paper products going on. But I just couldn't bring myself to stock up. I already have tons.

 

[FIREd]

No election around the corner here, but talks about another lockdown. I made sure to stock up in the last few days, just in case. No signs of shortages anywhere. After 5 months of in-store grocery shopping, during our almost COVID-free summer, I'm probably going to start doing curbside pickup again as the number of cases is exploding once more.

 

[Sojourner]

Pre- Covid we used a ton of hand sanitizer because we were out and about, traveling, etc.. We have noticed that we are not using hardly any hand sanitizer now because we are not going anywhere and not traveling.

I think the initial panic buying of hand sanitizer and alcohol and disinfecting wipes was driven by people's (mostly unfounded) fears of being easily infected by touching contaminated surfaces. Nowadays, we're being told that this mode of transmission is of much less concern than direct, respiratory transmission, so people seem to be a lot less interested in hoarding Lysol wipes and Purell. And, of course, with travel way down across the board, hand sanitizer isn't really a daily necessity. Personally, I use it only when out and about (e.g., after putting gas in the car) and still have a fair bit left from the bottles I bought shortly before the pandemic started in March.