Shopping and restocking updates

[harllee]

Went to Costco yesterday afternoon, and they had quite a bit of TP, both Charmin and Kirkland Signature - though it was still limit 1 per customer That's the first time I've seen TP there since the hoarders started their nonsense. And I didn't study every shopper, but I didn't see TP in every shopping cart this time. Unless I just got lucky hitting a restock, hopefully the hoarding nonsense will be over soon...

Midpack--where in North Carolina was this?

 

[harllee]

I am fed up with "Fed Ex". I have had 2 recent deliveries damaged by Fed Ex ( I watched one being thrown on my porch). Then today they delivered my box next door even though my house number was displayed in large numbers on the box. I had to go next door and drag the heavy box to my house--then I had to change clothes and disinfect myself. I realize the Fed Ex workers are over worked and stressed but I have reached my limit. UPS, Amazon Delivers and USPS are doing much better. I am going to stop ordering from places that use Fed EX.

 

[Walt34]

DW headed out early and hit Target at opening time for paper towels and TP, got those, and also brought home jelly beans, gluten free chocolate chip cookies, and a container of chocolate mint ice cream. Love that girl!

Tomorrow it's my turn, early AM to CVS to pick up a prescription and I'll make an attempt at a grocery run since we're running low on veggies and I eat a lot of those, plus whatever else DW couldn't get at Target.

 

[socca]

Dropped by a Publix for a few odds and ends (Southwest FL). About 30% of people were wearing a mask. The only bare shelves were associated with stuff on sale (in normal times, bare shelves are extremely rare, so some panic buying / hoarding is still occurring). I scored a package of TP (8 rolls) - woo hoo - I'm rich!

 

[6miths]

What's wrong with this picture?



And not everyone is complying with social distancing!

 

[USGrant1962]

OK, so I went out for the first time since March 16. Had to go to the liquor store, we were finally totally out. I went in the morning - there were three regular employees and me. One had a mask around her neck while wiping down the entry door with disinfectant. One had a cowboy bandanna around her neck and put it up when I came in. Third had no mask.

I was wearing a cowboy bandanna and had the bottle of hand sanitizer in my jacket pocket. They had the CC readers on a table in front of the regular counter, didn't require CC receipts to be signed (they normally do), and stuck a flyer in my box about ordering curb-side pickup.

It all seemed reasonable to me.

I do wonder what they do about carding?

 

[John Galt III]

I learned something new about grocery stores in Pa selling beer. I noticed they had 2 12 packs of Yuengling lager stuffed into one box, making a total of 24 bottles. But they only had the price for a 12-pack listed. I asked if you could buy a case of beer, and what the price would be. The clerk said they limit you to one 12-pack per day, and that's standard policy, not a covid rule. They also scan something on your driver license every time you buy. Maybe they keep a database of who buys what? The clerk said the scanning of the license is necessary to complete any sale for booze. I asked if they store the buying info and she just went back on script, saying the same thing she said before. about needing to scan a license to make a sale.

 

[MichaelB]

I went to Whole Foods this morning, got there at 7 sharp for their early senior hours. The produce and butcher sections were well stocked, canned goods seemed plentiful. Only the cleansers and paper shelves were bare. At least 3/4 of the people there, including employees, wore masks.

They’re trying to enforce social distancing, but it’s hard because the store is not designed for this. The checkout area can’t handle it, there’s not enough space for people to wait. Probably the greatest benefit of early senior hours is a fast, socially distant checkout.

 

[MBAustin]

Just got back from weekly trip to HEB. Carts were lined up with disinfectant wipes on the handle and hand sanitizer inside the door. About ½ of the employees and ⅔ of the shoppers were masked (including me).

Still no hand sanitizer or wipes, but plenty of hand soap so I got a bottle - going through it like crazy these days. Coffee and microwave popcorn about 3/4 back to normal. Decent selection of rice and pasta for the first time in a month. Meat pretty much normal (except no boneless chicken thighs for 3 weeks in a row) although no butcher service counter - deli is back open with limited inventory and seafood has stayed open throughout. Produce normal.

Store much less crowded than normal for Wednesday, although I was there a little later than usual. All in all looks like things are getting back to a more normal state. (Sorry I didn't check the TP or PT as I buy that at Costco and don't need any.)

 

[blueskyk]

Went to a local upscale grocery (think Trader Joe's) during senior hour and found it in much better shape than last week. I paused in amazement as I turned up the paper aisle and there, OMG, was almost an abundance of paper towels!!!

I didn't just reach out and grab one, no no no - I stopped and savored, not having seen a roll of paper towels in the wild for the last month. I only took one 6 pack. This is now some sort of spiritual practice for me, only taking what I need (clearly the definition varies on this) in hopes that someday, someone will do the same for me with TP.

Cleaning supplies still on the endangered list. There were 4 bottles of dishwashing liquid. I put only one in the basket, again, hoping that someday, someone will do the same with TP. Pay it forward and all...

About 70% of shoppers were wearing masks.

 

[Mdlerth]

Day 79 since first COVID-19 case in USA

Did my weekly run to Kroger's today. Not crowded. I was both gloved and masked (we have a couple of N95s left over from various home carpentry projects), as were probably 2/3 of both customers and employees. It is a warm day here, and my mask was both hot and smelled of sawdust.

Two guys were wiping down every cart in the corral.

No TP, paper towels or napkins, but once again they had a couple dozen of those small cubes of facial tissues (Limit 1). Didn't bother looking for hand soap because we didn't need any, but I noticed they had bleach available again.

Butcher sections shut down, but the fresh seafood counter was partially open. Deli counter was fully stocked and staffed. Produce department had plenty of everything. Ditto for dairy and eggs. You want ice cream? No problem; ice cream freezers were packed.

I've heard in some places store aisles are marked "One Way", but that hasn't arrived here yet. In case of two-way traffic, passes were rapid but polite.

A quick note about bagging. I typically bring some reusable bags (insulated ones for cold stuff) as well as getting some fresh plastic ones for leaky stuff like raw meats. The cashier said he is no longer allowed to pack merchandise in the reusable bags.

P.S. Lots of signs posted around the store saying "Now Hiring!" One of my daughters worked there some years ago. One of their benefits was a 10% employee discount, which was significant when we had her do the shopping for our family of 7. I now have a backup Plan D, just in case.

 

[FIREd]

At my local grocery store, most everything is back in stock (though not necessarily my usual brands), except flour. Apparently, everyone is baking their own bread now. Cleaning supplies (especially disinfectants) are still hard to come by.

 

[dd564]

The supply chain has been remarkably solid considering the amount of unnecessary hoarding that took place 3 weeks ago.

Comforting to know we have such a strong supply chain.

 

[FreeBear]

Costco, 10:30 am, suburban Tucson

Saw large bags of flour and PT (Bounty), first time in the wild in weeks. No fresh chicken breast, but plenty of frozen (with 8% extra salt water). Tons of beef and pork. But DW insists on chicken. Plenty of fish, but this has never been an issues here or in any other store.

Long line of 20-30 people inside the store waiting for the arrival of TP. (Secret: my local Fry's grocer (Kroger) had modest quantities of TP, random brands, in the early stages of the panic. I haven't been back since then because we scored a bidet (should have bought 2) and box of jumbo commercial TP, along with the commercial jumbo dispenser in stainless steel. I think Fry's limited sales of TP early and stationed a very large but friendly man in front the modest TP stock to "make sure folks play nice".)


Anyway, maybe about 30% of folks wearing masks at Costco, plus all the employees. I do hate going there because the aisles are so busy. It's hard to keep the 6 foot distance. Still, I can buy enough perishables for at least a week in one stop, well nearly one stop.

Had to hit the large asian market for chicken breast, bone in, which I prefer for smoking on the pellet grill. Here, mask use was 100%!

Time to hunker down for another week, maybe more if things get uglier.

 

[Walt34]

In a first for a long while, I was "up & at 'em" at 0430, showered, read the paper, and headed out to Martins to be there at 0600 when they opened. OMG, did you know it's still dark out at that time?!! I am NOT a morning person and hadn't done this since I retired 17 years ago.

About 2/3 of customers were gloved and masked as was I, but almost no employees. New to that store they have one entrance for entry only and the other for exit only, and and an employee at each with radios to keep track of how many are in the store. New also are taped markings on the floor indicating direction of travel.

The first place I headed was the paper products aisle where I latched on to the one large package of Charmin Megarolls, (there were smaller ones left) a huge package of Bounty paper towels, and three packages of three each of the store-brand 3-ply facial tissue that are better than any of the name brands. Whoohoo, I struck the Mother Lode! We had practically given up any hope of ever seeing Charmin again. That alone almost made the 0600 arrival time worth it, and was probably the only way to do that.

The produce section seemed almost complete, except they didn't have any jalapeno peppers that I like on my salad, but they did have habanero. This sometimes happens normally so I can't attribute that to hoarding. Besides, I kind of doubt folks are hoarding jalapeno peppers, they just aren't that popular. I didn't look around the meat section too much, but they had plenty of ground beef and plenty of boneless skinless chicken breasts, which was what I was after and I bought two packages of those leaving plenty behind.

What I didn't find that was on the list was bleach or acetaminophen (Tylenol). We're okay for both for now so it wasn't critical yet anyway. Between that run and DW's early AM Target run yesterday we should be good for the next ten days to two weeks with the produce stuff running out first.

 

[jollystomper]

Today's DMV (That is DC-MD-VA for you older folks ) shopping experience:

Arrived at Costco at 7:30. They had already opened the store, so I went right in. Plenty of PT. No Residential TP, but they were selling commercial TP rolls. Everything we needed was in stock, even a few bags of basmati rice (DW loves it) at normal prices, which are going on eBay for $50+ dollars.

At least 80% of people in the store had masks and gloves, including me. A few more double takes at my reflective googles. I also noticed how QUIET it was.. .people seemed less inclined to talk or make sounds when wearing masks. They had workers counting the number of people entering and exiting.

Stopped at Walmart, they had both TP and PT, though those areas were only about 1/4 full. Everything else seemed in stock, but low levels of butter/margarine and yogurt. The also had workers counting the number of people entering and exiting.

 

[Hermit]

I am fed up with "Fed Ex". I have had 2 recent deliveries damaged by Fed Ex ( I watched one being thrown on my porch). Then today they delivered my box next door even though my house number was displayed in large numbers on the box. I had to go next door and drag the heavy box to my house--then I had to change clothes and disinfect myself. I realize the Fed Ex workers are over worked and stressed but I have reached my limit. UPS, Amazon Delivers and USPS are doing much better. I am going to stop ordering from places that use Fed EX.

I ordered 4 heating elements for my house and had the company change the carrier from FedEx to UPS because of the problems I have had with FedEx. Turned out to be a bit cheaper too!

 

[gwraigty]

This morning I shopped at Meijer between 8:30 and 9:30 AM. There was no line waiting to get in. The cashier told me that they had a line formed outside waiting to get in over the weekend, when it's normally busier. They had social distancing markers in the checkout lanes. Everyone was free to wander down the aisles in any direction. About half of the people were wearing masks, both customers and employees. A couple of people had their masks down around their necks. Maybe they had difficulty breathing?

Most things were well-stocked except for the usual culprits: paper products & cleaners. There were some packages of the tiniest rolls of toilet paper on the shelf. I didn't need any. Meats, produce, dairy, canned & boxed goods, frozen foods (with the exception of frozen vegetables) were in decent supply. Prices of many things are holding steady. Some things appear to be creeping up in price. There are still some purchase limits in place. The limit on milk was raised from 1 to 2.

Overall, it was a pleasant shopping trip.

 

[blueskyk]

Just read Costco now allows healthcare workers and first responders (show Costco membership card + official ID of role) to go to the front of any line to enter the warehouse

Bravo Costco!!!!!

 

[Gumby]

A helpful hint for those who want to minimize trips to the grocery - get the organic milk. It is more expensive, of course, but it is ultra-pasteurized and lasts longer than regular milk. Note that this is for a sealed carton; once you open it, it lasts roughly the same time. So we get one half gallon regular for this week and one half gallon organic for next week.

 

[ivinsfan]

A helpful hint for those who want to minimize trips to the grocery - get the organic milk. It is more expensive, of course, but it is ultra-pasteurized and lasts longer than regular milk. Note that this is for a sealed carton; once you open it, it lasts roughly the same time. So we get one half gallon regular for this week and one half gallon organic for next week.

i've noticed one good thing is expiration for perishable items are getting pushed way out, the stuff you do get if fresher.

 

[jollystomper]

I went to Walmart yesterday in full mask regalia to get a couple of non-food items. The employee monitoring the count told me there were 75 shoppers in the store. It was very easy to avoid folks. I just looked at the popular areas, cleaners still seemed cleaned out but some paper towels and TP were in stock. They had nitrile and latex gloves in stock.

I stopped my the local supermarket briefly, also very few shoppers, for the first time in a long time they had TP, the area was about half stocked. Baking isle was still out/low on a lot of things. Everything else seemed normal. Both a Coco-Cola and Pepsi people were restocking their areas and were social distancing. So much for those old commercials.

 

[scrabbler1]

Two shopping experiences in the last 6 days. The first was at a local Aldi's with my ladyfriend. We had to wait outside in 45-degree temps and 30 MPH winds for 5 uncomfortable minutes before getting into the store. They don't have the selection of my regular store, but they had some good prices on things my LF wanted. They have one of those quarter-deposits on the shopping carts but I couldn't figure out how to get my quarter back, and didn't want to stand outside in said crummy weather trying to figure it out. No new shoppers needed carts, so no help there.


Then today at my regular supermarket, the usual minor issues - sizes and types of some foods I often buy were not available, so I had to get alternates. No TP for my ladyfriend, and my own large supply from January is beginning to run down. They put up one-way signs in most aisles although many shoppers weren't following them.

 

[Rex]

I heard they don't allow you to buy paint and carrot seeds...but the liquor store is up and open. I heard you cannot take you boat or jet ski out for a spin but you can you can use your kayak.

(We learned after being in Louisiana for Hurricane Katrina that your governor matters....I think many are learning that lesson for the first time...Think about that when considering Michigan)

 

[WhenIsItTime]

I heard they don't allow you to buy paint and carrot seeds...but the liquor store is up and open. I heard you cannot take you boat or jet ski out for a spin but you can you can use your kayak.

(We learned after being in Louisiana for Hurricane Katrina that your governor matters....I think many are learning that lesson for the first time...Think about that when considering Michigan)

Pure liquor stores now closed. We can still get liquor at Walmart, Meijers, and other grocery stores.

Whitmer even padlocked outdoor tennis court facilities. I'd be mad about that, but it snowed the last two mornings.