Shopping For Groceries Is Like Hell Right Now (PT 2)

Link to the previous thread:

Thank you, OP.

I'm worried. Without wipes, sanitizer or alcohol swabs I can't leave the house.

The lines to get in to grocery stores are ridiculous because they defeat the purpose of social distancing... mostly because dumb bitches seem to be unaware that they need to keep at least 6 feet apart.

I wish there were a way for grocery stores to develop an online notification system or text system where they text you when it's your turn to go into the store, so you can just wait in your car.

If not that, even if they could put one of those Deli numbering systems out front and each person grabs one, waits in their car, and someone comes out with a loud speaker and lets you know when it's your turn or something.

If people are crowding too close, just start coughing loudly and they will back off.

R5 not always. I was in line with someone yesterday who was coughing without covering her mouth and the morons around her (all standing 2 feet apart) didn't flinch.

R3 do you have paper towels and bleach?

I live in Chicago and the stores are well stocked and the lines are short. I go at 3pm. The stores even put distancing tape to show where to stand in line.

The only "hardship" I see is they removed all the salad bars, olive bars and things like that. Big deal.

Update us in a week or 2, R8. Trust me, things will change.

our Walmart is only accepting the first 50 delivery orders of the day and then they stop. You then have to try again the next day because there is no waiting list. A friend couldn't get in so called Aldi's and they delivered her order in 2 hours.

Paper towels and gallons of water seem a bit easier to get now. Everyone agree?

But of course not Purell, toilet paper, wipes or Lysol spray, right?

R11 around me, Paper Towels are still out but Toilet Paper is available in the mornings and water is readily available. However, a friend of mine, who lives 15 minutes away from me in the town over, hasn't been able to get water in weeks.

The Trader Joe's here in SF are well-stocked, you'd never notice that there's anything amiss, except only shortage is with toilet paper and rice. They also have TJ staff standing outside allowing certain number of people at a time but the line goes pretty fast. I was there 2 days ago at around 11am, was in line for about 10 minutes before being let inside. Also the staff sprays your hand with hand sanitizer before you go in, if you wish for it. You can also make your own hand wipes (hand wipes are more effective than hand sanitizers) with hydrogen peroxide, alcohol, and glycerin.

Arizona here. I still can't get any kind of dried beans or rice. Paper products are hard to find as always, but I'm fine with what I have. Any sanitizing products are hard to get ahold of. Frozen foods are pretty well stocked, as are canned goods.

I went to a Trader Joe's on Monday, aside from having to wait in line for 40 minutes, they had everything I wanted to purchase. The week before, the store was mostly empty shelves.

No hand sanitizer or alcohol in Chicago since January. Stores otherwise well stocked. The older women over 65 are creepy about standing too close. My biggest fear is other people’s germs. I wear gloves to the store or to touch anything outside of my apartment. Laundry room as well. I’m afraid of the stores at this point. The grocery closest me have no cashiers anymore and it’s all self check out. Good. The cashiers looked like they were risking their lives. Be careful. The next two weeks are going to be harder. Everyone JUST STAY IN THE HOUSE. I hope that they settle the strike quickly with instacart workers. Before it even starts on Monday. They aren’t asking too much at all.

R8 and R15 - What part of Chicago are you in?

I too agree that the next two weeks we will see this thing explode. Unfortunately I am in FL and still going in to work everyday.

r8 Are you seeing disinfecting wipes or Lysol spray anywhere?

Houston - I was able to order black beans, both canned and dried. But I could not find any black-eyed peas or regular red beans at HEB online: not canned, dried or frozen. I guess, for us, that's comfort food. They didn't have my usual brand of rice, but a decent selection of Jasmine and Calrose rice. I ordered some canned soups and sports drinks. I was not allowed to order more than one Gatorade multi-pack, so I guess people have been hoarding that Lots of fresh vegetables were available to order and a fair amount of frozen meals. We'll see what actually shows up on Monday. With luck I'll be eating black bean tacos with peppers soon.

R18 if you have paper towels and bleach, make your own.

I'd just like to re-post what another person wrote on the previous thread about Karens taking their brood of brats to the store:

[quote]It's bullshit that these parents can't leave their kids home alone. Most of the people I see dragging their kids around, the kid is old enough to stay home and/or watch the other kids. In most cases there is at least one parent that is also stuck at home but could be watching the kids... but they're not. So these moms and dads either drag the kids with them (even though one parent is at home) or they bring the whole fucking family.

[quote]It's not about necessity, it's about cluelessness/selfishness.

[quote]I also think a large number of them are dragging their kids with them to skirt the, "1 per," rule on most items, so they can continue being greedy fucking assholes and hoard.

BRAVO,

I visited the Pavilion's in West Hollywood yesterday around 2:30-3p. Haven't been there in a couple weeks so this was the first time I saw the line outside.

Lines at Trader Joe's move much more smoothly (so I've experienced) but this is a much larger store, therefore a much longer wait time.

It was 50/50 when it came to the mask/glove situation as well, but most kept the appropriate distance. There was a homeless man trying to butt in line but the guys he asked told him no, which I thought would spark an argument but surprisingly, he just muttered and shuffled to the back of the line.

Paper bags are being used upon check out except for the self-checkout line where I was able to still use my own bag (brought mine in out of habit and this was the first time I saw the signs for no re-usable bags).

With everything going on, I suppose they aren't charging for these paper bags for now.

Went shopping for the first time in 10 days here in central Ohio Saturday morning. Kroger had many things fully stocked again, unlike last time. I even scored some discounted bananas for freezing. I saw a section of empty shelves and struggled to remember what was there before - ramen. Oh well. The paper product shelves were bare. I didn't look for hand sanitizer. One row of the freezer section was empty cases and the signs were even taken down. Frozen vegetables were all stocked, which is all I cared about in that section. Went to Target and they still had no TP but there were Sparkle paper towels and no other kind.

Oh, yeah, HEB was out of all Haagen Dazs ice cream. Blue Bell half gallons were available in the less popular flavors.

Waiting in the deli counter on Thursday and the guy in front of me just kept adding things to his order and it was driving me up the wall. But I let it go. Don’t wanna end up on Fox News at ten. It would be just my luck.

Don't you fucking hate that r25? Do these people who order every damn thing at the deli counter live in a house with 25 other people?

Right r26... know what you want before you go up there to place an order! Even the guy working the counter was rolling his eyes.

Some bakeries here in SF are also open. I was able to still get freshly baked sourdough bread and other baked goods either in-store, delivery, or takeout. Trying to also support the local restaurants and bakeries that are hurting financially right now.

All the supermarkets have their bakery goods wrapped now which is how I think they always should have been. Shoprite wraps them in the clear plastic clam shells 4 items to a pack.

Why would anyone want a stranger standing over your deli meat breathing on it? Buy pre-packaged.

[quote]All the supermarkets have their bakery goods wrapped now which is how I think they always should have been.

Noooooooooo. On things like cake and Danish, you get pastry sweat.

[quote]Why would anyone want a stranger standing over your deli meat breathing on it? Buy pre-packaged.

It's never as good. Cut too thick, for starters.

Been doing good for years now but my Agoraphobia is going to kick in big time.

At Whole Foods today, at the bakery counter, a customer picked up a wrapped loaf of bread to look at, and a bakery employee yelled at him not to touch the bread. (It was wrapped!) He put it down, and then the employee yelled at him to get back behind the line of blue tape on the floor. He hadn't noticed it; it was six feet from the counter.

Pre-packaged r30? You mean that Oscar Mayer shit that white trash people buy?

Thank you, R34. I didn't want to come right out and say "white trash," but yeah, that's what I meant.

Look. Take some sheets of paper toweling and spray it with Lysol or Clorox disinfectant spray. Saturate them, then put them in a sandwich bag and seal it. Put it in your car for when you're out, which should be rarely...

My advice is be frugal. Right now, while you can, eat fresh vegetables and fruits, and what ever protein you get:meat fish chicken, etc. I have a strong feeling we are going to run very low on the fresh stuff. Buy produce that lasts. You want broccoli, brussel sprouts, and carrots, not eggplant or zucchini. Buy onions,potatoes and celery. Fresh garlic is harder to find. Have broth on hand and canned tuna. Plan what you eat. So you eat stuff that will go bad first. Fresh stuff. save the other stuff for when you might need it. I have a three month supply of toilet paper. Not from hoarding. Just buying one package each time I shopped over a three week period. That's 24 rolls. Same with paper towels and cleaning products. The shortages will happen because the supply chains will be affected for everything. Including prescription drugs. If you can get your doctor to write a prescription for a 90 day supply even if you have enough right now, then do it.

I found some Lysol wipes online, will get them by Wednesday.

The prescription drug advice is a good idea. I have older relatives who take heart pills and they're very nervous about the supply chain.

r18

Yes, there were Clorox wipes but I didn't look for sanitizer, since I have enough of that.

r39

I also should add the stores have limits, like one or two.

My friends crazy granny has been driving around to different stores, buying one or two of everything

The real problem you will see in the future is not food, but specific foods.

For example, Mexicans who apply for six month visas to pick fruit and veggies have dried up. In Monterey the consulate is usually swamped by now, but they are reporting days go by with no one applying.

This in the coming months will work it's way up the supply chain but it only means you won't have the variety of food. Other "bland and boring" food stuffs will be available

Wear a mask and adopt an audible wheeze. People will give you plenty of space.

I finally managed to get a delivery slot for groceries a week from now! And just in time, too, because they're the only store in town that doesn't use Instacart, and their employees are going on strike.

[quote]Paper towels and gallons of water seem a bit easier to get now. Everyone agree? But of course not Purell, toilet paper, wipes or Lysol spray, right?

I feel like I'll never see another can of Lysol in my lifetime. I hope if we can't get any it means hospitals are getting some.

Maybe I've been lucky but I've been able to get paper towels online as long as I keep checking in on Amazon and Walmart a few times a day until finally they restock. The stores haven't had any, though.

I did find bleach at a Kwik Shop, strangely enough.

[quote]I feel like I'll never see another can of Lysol in my lifetime. I hope if we can't get any it means hospitals are getting some.

No, it means fat hoarding housecows have 25 cans under their sinks, and they're still going out to get more. Fucking cunts.

I've been doing my grocery shopping as early as possible, and it's been worth it. Getting to Costco a half an hour before opening or grocery stores right after they open as well.

After waiting for three days without getting a "delivery window," I went to Whole Foods today. They had everything I wanted (I bought the last two pounds of unsalted butter). They did the social distancing thing up right, with relatively quickly moving lines out the door, which they had the cutest male employee supervising. It only got crowded around the meat. I had to buy Kosher Valley ground chicken instead of Bell & Evans.

If I end up dying because I went grocery shopping—oh, well, I'm old and I'm going to die sometime anyway, so I don't give a fuck.

So Italy can keep the shelves stocked, and the shoppers remain calm and don't hoard, why can't the rest of the Western world?

[quote]Pre-packaged [R30]? You mean that Oscar Mayer shit that white trash people buy?

You think Boar's Head and other brands aren't full of the same nitrates and shit as the pre-packaged? Bitch please, at least some old lady hasn't spent the last five minutes breathing on it.

Nitrates in food, bad.

Amyl nitrate inhaled, good.

Got it!

... bakery employee yelled at him not to touch the bread. (It was wrapped!) He put it down, and then the employee yelled at him to get back behind the line of blue tape on the floor. He hadn't noticed it; it was six feet from the counter.

So how are you supposed to buy it?

Agree with the poster who suggested that frau cunts are dragging their fucking brats to the supermarket just to get around the item limits. I saw a couple and their two kids check out items individually at the self-checkout and they had each picked out items there were limits on. Hoarding bitches.

Haven't been out in 2 weeks but could use a few things. I checked out Shipt delivery but I would have to wait a day and they aren't listing paper products, wipes, soap, etc. that some people have been able to find in store. So I guess I will go to the store myself this week.

[quote]I have a three month supply of toilet paper. Not from hoarding. Just buying one package each time I shopped over a three week period.

Where exactly is the boundary of “hoarding,” anyway?

From the previous thread regarding Peapod delivery:

[quote] The problem is that you have no idea what will be available on April 10 - nor do they.

That is very true. Nor do I know what I'll need or crave in two weeks but, I have up until 4:00 the day before my delivery date to change my order. I have six packages of chicken on my order, which I do not want or need, but I needed $60 in my cart to place the order and secure the delivery time.

r48 Italy has been hoarding since Jan. It was why I warned everyone in Jan./Feb to start stocking up because I knew if they were panicking everyone would panic. They ran out of toilet paper long before we did.

R56 I did stock up on pantry stuff starting Jan 20, I looked in my Amazon order history out of curiosity. Not sure why people were so blindsided, as soon as cases spread to Europe and the US from China it was inevitable to go through the whole of the US. My partner, pups and I are in decent shape to stay put for a month w/o leaving the house. My area is a hotspot about to implode this week so best to not venture out.

r57 sometimes people just think this will never happen to us. we have been a largely protected country for a very long time. 9 /11 was a shock because those things only happened in other places, never here. I guess a lot of people still didn't get that we are as vulnerable as anyone else to anything. I also think Trump supporters believed that Trump could/would stop it.

R36 I would add that if one is making wipes then sandwich bags are not the best way for storing them. I've been making my own too with hydrogen peroxide, alcohol, and glycerin. Exposure to light renders the hydrogen peroxide and other active ingredients ineffective as a germicide, so the key is to store them in opaque containers. So if storing in sandwich bag you need to put the bag inside impenetrable by light. Something like a plastic sandwich container would work.

[quote] If I end up dying because I went grocery shopping—oh, well, I'm old and I'm going to die sometime anyway, so I don't give a fuck.

I would agree with you if dying from Covid wasn't so miserable. I'm afraid of suffering from it but not so much of being dead.

6 weeks ago I stocked up on soup, tuna, pasta, mostly stuff that would last in my pantry. But I wish I would have known then to buy Lysol wipes and toilet paper, I never thought we would have a shortage and just figured I could pick up more TP when I needed it. 2 1/2 weeks later I still haven't found it in a store.

Where are you located R61?

Michigan r62

I still do not get the shortage on TP. Lysol spray, disinfectant wipes, hand sanitizer, fine, but toilet paper? Even if there are 5 people in your household, you don't need to buy 5 packs of toilet paper (at 4 rolls per pack) to quarantine for two weeks. You're just hoarding and being an asshole.

My local shoprite is now letting you have 4 packages of chicken. Before it was only 2.

Picked up my fourth Walmart grocery order this morning and I was FINALLY able to get eggs (but only in an 18-pack) and cottage cheese, two things I was unsuccessful with the previous three times. Still can't get regular butter, canned chili, or English muffins.

R63 and others having a tough time finding items. My tip would be, if you have the ability to, go shop in a neighboring town and see if they have what you need.ive noticed that supplies vary from place to place

For instance, my town which is a little more suburban, has TP replenished but my friend in the town over, which is more urban, can't find TP anywhere. Same friend has found yeast in every store they've been to in his area but all stores by me have been wiped out and not restocked.

Might be worth a try.

I am glad that my local Meijer where I do my shopping is not accepting returns until after April 16 so the hoarders can't bring their stuff back.

Why would it be bad for hoarders to return toilet paper? Someone who needs it could buy it.

My mom (I don't live with her) said she is going to shop early on Tuesday when they open it up to Seniors and if she finds TP will share with me. Who knew we would be excited to be able to split TP.

I knew this was going to go south a couple of weeks before the Palm Springs shutdown which happened before the state, so I am somewhat ok. What bothers me is that the stores are too fucking lazy to do some simple things. One, would be to have a color flag system to tell people that the staples, say eggs, butter, milk and bread are in or out. they could put color cards in the window to be each one. How hard would that be? No, they want you to go in, then walk all over the store looking. This would save a lot of people heartache deciding to go in or not. They will not tell you over the phone.

I agree r71. The TP is literally on the back wall of the store so you have to walk all the way back there to check for it and the Lysol wipes are the next row over.

I haven’t seen Lysol anywhere

R45 What those hoarding cunts don't know is that antiseptic wipes have a shelf life. So if they can't use them before the expiration dates then those precious commodities are fucking useless.

I ventured out. The grocery store had everything I needed, except no eggs. A bakery up the block was selling eggs, milk and other basics, so I fully checked the list and got my eggs there. Lots of people were wearing gloves and a few masks.

The employees did seem to have gloves and masks. There were spaces on the shelves but still lots of sale items and subs available, for example there was a big empty space in the coffee aisle but other brands and sizes were available. Same with things like nut butters. I did not look for paper goods but noted that there was a lot of bread. There were a LOT of empty frozen food freezers. My neighborhood has a fair number of retirees and very young people, they might not be the most able/comfortable with cooking.

In China, ephedra was shown to be very effective as a treatment, they combined Western and Chinese medicines. I was able to pick up Bronkaid at CVS along with Sudaphed, you need to ask the pharmacist, they are behind the counter. Primatene tablets are the same thing. Call ahead to see if the pharmacy has the tablets in stock, get the 60 count size if you are able. CVS had zinc, C and D on sale, storebrands were 2/1. They also had quite a bit of green tea, the supermarket has been low. All of those things are quite good for the lungs, as an asthmatic, I am always a bit concerned during flu and heavy pollen seasons.

What area are you in R75?

Mid-Atlantic

I did my first line up for the supermarket before it opened early this morning. Civilized with people keeping their distance but for one nut job who was handing out Christian pamphlets for Easter. I was waiting for someone to say get the hell away from me but no one did. However when the store opened some got vocal when others tried to jump the line.

Picture it: Philadelphia suburb, PA side of the river, March 29, 2020.

I braved a trip to a supermarket because I wanted milk, bread and fruit and figured I could pick up a few other things while I was there. It’s a smaller store, an older branch of the Giant chain.

The store was fairly busy but less so than a typical Sunday afternoon. People were generally polite and keeping their distance. There was one woman with 4 (!) kids in tow, but I couldn’t get too mad because she was trying very hard to keep the little monsters under control. She apologized when one them got a little too close to me.

The store was well-stocked. The frozen entrees were picked over, but there were quite a few still on the shelf. There was no fresh beef; there was plenty of chicken and pork. The produce section was fully stocked, as far as I could tell. Plenty of milk in all sizes. Eggs, OK supply but not a wide selection. Plenty of bread, although they were low on Arnold and Pep Farm.

Paper products: three lonely single rolls of Scott toilet paper. I have sufficient, so I left them alone. A few rolls of store-brand cheap paper towels. I took one. When I got to the checkout stand, the cashier offered me a second. It seems there’s a limit of 2 per order, and the couple in front of me had taken 3. She confiscated the extra one and later offered it to me. I felt this was a sign, so I accepted it.

Cleaning products: Very low on laundry detergent. Are people using it for cleaning or just doing a lot of laundry? Some non-disinfectant products like Windex. No regular disinfectants. BUT - and I found this hilarious – there was plenty of Lysol and Clorox disinfecting toilet bowl cleaner. WTF is wrong with people? It disinfects. Who cares if it’s meant for your toilet bowl and comes out in a stream instead of a spray?

Overall, it was a successful trip. Perhaps the hoarding and shortages are nearing an end.

My local grocery store in Ohio was wiped out of shredded cheese!!

What the fuck?

R79, I think there's a difference between lysol spray and lysol toilet boil cleaner. You can spray the aerosol lysol on porous surfaces like money, clothing, furniture, carpet, etc.

r80 I think what happens is that someone will buy a lot of one product. A few people witness this and think oh no that might be the net shortage so they stock up. A while later people notice there is a big hole and think I better get that while it's here because it is disappearing. That creates the start of a shortage.

I think to find the things we need we may have to venture out of our comfort zones and think strategically. In some neighborhoods, people with less income would not be able to hoard and buy too much. Buying what they really need is about all they can handle. Also going to stores in heavily residential areas your more likely to face a lot of empty shelves. OTOH, going to wealthier neighborhoods may benefit you . So use your imagination to see what works for you. And if there are markets or Walgreens, CVS, etc. Target in commercial areas which are shuttered right now, you may get lucky. the big shopping mall near my house is closed. but across the street the Target is open. I went there this morning and found every thing I needed and there were hardly any customers.

The Harris Teeter website said that the house brand of disinfectant wipes is in stock. (The store is closed right now.) I placed an order for two packages, and I went to schedule my time for pick-up (not delivery). My order will be ready for me to pick up on Sunday, April 5, one week from today. Damn. They will probably sell out again by then.

R83 where are you?

If you guys wouldn't mind where you areas you guys are in when posting your experiences in that would be great. I find it supe rhelpful.

I'm not R83. I live in Northern VA. Over the last two weeks, every time I go to Walmart, CVS, Whole Foods, Safeway, or CVS, all paper products are sold out. I have managed to find toilet paper, though, at the dollar stores. Some of these are chain stores; some are independent stores; all of them were in immigrant neighborhoods.

I live in Toronto and my apartment building has a Facebook group where we discuss things about the building. During this pandemic, we've been telling people about line-ups at grocery stores, items in stock, etc. I wrote that our local Walmart had tons of toilet paper on Friday. I hadn't seen any in any store for two weeks. Some cunt replied "toilet paper is replenished. But Lysol wipes and sanitizer - let us know." Why are people so fucking ungrateful? Just say thanks and move on or don't say anything at all. On this forum, I've read countless posts of people saying they can't find toilet paper anywhere.

People are not practicing social distancing here in Toronto. Which doesn't surprise me since Toronto is The City of Cunts. I was walking on the street alone and some woman and her friend were talking. One woman was standing in the middle of the sidewalk and wouldn't move, while another couple was walking south towards me. Other people tailgating, and lots of packs of people together. Toronto is fucked.

The are pluses and minuses to living anywhere. I live in Nowhere, and the grocery is full of milk, tp, eggs, meat, cheese, juice, frozen, canned, everything.

I found some disinfecting wipes on Bed, Bath, and Beyond website, for delivery only. They still have some right now if anyone needs some, it's a limit of 2.

R89, thank you so much! I just ordered two!

[quote]I would agree with you if dying from Covid wasn't so miserable. I'm afraid of suffering from it but not so much of being dead.

R60, maybe so. But it wouldn't go on forever, the way you might linger after a stroke.

So UPS and FedEx are now the main conduits to spreading coronavirus.

When my package of wipes arrives, I will spray the box with Lysol. Then after opening the box, I will spray the wipes canister with Lysol.

Thanks, r89.

That was really solid of you.

I'm trying Instacart for the first time. I could only get a delivery date for one grocery store in my area and it's for this Friday. All the other ones and the other services (Peapod and Fresh Direct) are completely sold out on delivery dates. I know the workers are striking (informally), but I really don't want to have to go out again unless I absolutely have to. I'll post an update on this or the next part of this thread with my review of the service.

Fucking Peapod just stopped servicing the entire Midwest region about a month ago to concentrate on their Northeast business. Fuckers.

Try Shipt throughout the day. Often at night they will have a next day slot open.

Lysol Wipes: Please try this even once: 10-20 paper towels (pick a size) separated. Used box of pop-up towels (just the box) Hydrogen Peroxide ( plain old 3%), maybe 1/4 cup. Baggie (regular sandwich-type) ------------- Place paper towels in baggie. Pour HP on paper towels till saturated. Close baggie. Put baggie in pop-up box. Repeat as needed. Use for THINGS, not skin, generally. __________ This will save you money. Keep one in you car, too. You're welcome.😉

Staples has some Clorox wipes available on their site (the ones called "Scentiva") for anyone who's interested. I just bought two.

R95 here with an update. Just snagged a delivery date for Peapod for two Sundays from now (the 12th). I'll see how it compares with Instacart.

Thanks to everyone for sharing their finds and giving others a heads up as to where they can get some items. It's heartwarming.

R99 that price seems kind of high. Is Staples normally more expensive or are they increasing the prices due to demand?

Check hardware stores for toilet paper.

R99, you must have bought the last two. I ordered 1 to be shipped to me. I put in my address and credit card info, and a message popped up "Not available for shipping." I was then prompted to select a store where I could pick up the item on April 1. I chose the store nearest me. Again I put in my address and credit card info. I got a new pop-up: "Not available for pick-up." Try selecting a different store. I selected the second closest store. AGAIN I had to enter in my credit card info and address. AGAIN I got the message "Not available for pick-up." Ugh.

Houston HEB online ordering (Heights): no dishwasher detergent, no Cottonelle wipes or substitutes, no liquid chlorine bleach, no Swiffer refills (but did have store brand). They had four varieties of toilet paper. I didn't check paper towels.

R101, I'm not sure if Staples is jacking up the price on some items (especially now), though I guess it wouldn't surprise me. And R103, you're not alone in your frustration -- even though my order went through on the site, I just received an email from Staples saying it's been canceled due to the item being out of stock. Those bastards!

By the way, folks, I also just ordered toilet paper from Walmart's website in case anyone else would like to try. Hopefully they won't cancel it in 5 minutes!

R105, it just seemed pretty expensive for those wipes. I think it was $8 for 75 wipes. I think most other stores sell it for $3.99. I think Staples is generally more expensive though.

I think Walmart tends to be pretty good about shipping what they actually allow to go through.

I had a situation the other day where I found Hand Sanitizer on Walmart. I needed another $5 to get free shipping and in the minute it took me to add something, someone else must have checked out with the Sanitizer as it was OOS when I checked out.

Remember, one of the major paper product makers is the evil Trump-loving Koch brother(s; one is dead, thank goodness).

You'd think a billionaire would be generous and lower prices or push distribution. You'd be wrong.

Honest question here: what are you people using all these "wipes" for? I have never bought them.

TP is annoying AF. I have not seen a single roll on the shelf of any store since 3/10. From what I hear many stores are restocking frequently but people are waiting in lines outside an hour before they open and immediately hoarding every single fucking roll. I actually WORK during the day and can't get to the store until after 7pm. Where are people storing all this TP? Are they renting new storage units to store all their hoarded items?

R109 I use wipes to wipe down door knobs, items before bringing them into my home, other surfaces.

Ok thanks R110. I don't do any of that. I just wash my hands. I've never cleaned a door knob in my house in my life. Is that bad? I have never worried about any of that and still don't. If I'm dead in 14 days I guess that's why.

R111 it's more important if you're actually having to go out still. You said you're still working, which means you're going out and touching a lot of stuff at your work place that may or may not be cleaned regularly. Especially door knobs where they aren't cleaned between people using them. If you can get some wipes and use them, start.

[quote]Where are people storing all this TP? Are they renting new storage units to store all their hoarded items?

I've wondered this too. There are people who must have hundreds and hundreds of rolls of tp by now. Are they piled up all over the house? The hallways lined with 8ft high walls of tp? I can only imagine.

Same, r103

I store almost 160 rolls of TP i bought online in 2 large, soft sided suitcases I keep in my closet. Each roll comes individually wrapped in that tissue paper wrapper, but I dont think that matters.

People hoarding TP have lots of storage space in the McMansions they insist on living in that they can't afford... much like the dozens of packages of TP they're buying up.

I live in a small condo, r116.

Shame on those hoarding TP. Like, is your ass that big??? What the fuck are you eating that makes you pump out so much shit?

I do like to keep a good stock of toilet paper, but that's usually max of 2 packs of 12 rolls. I saw a man with two packs of 30 rolls of toilet paper. Insane.

Also, I love how everybody now calls toilet paper "TP'. When someone types "TP" now, we know exactly what they mean.

[quote]One, would be to have a color flag system to tell people that the staples, say eggs, butter, milk and bread are in or out.

Our local Costco is doing something like this - they have a board outside saying they do have toilet paper and whatever else in stock, but not pinto beans or paper towels, for example. It saves everyone some time and effort.

I work within a membership warehouse store in the Washington DC Metro area. It has been a month with not one delivery of hand sanitizer. How is USA so woefully unable to increase manufacturing hand sanitizer? This store, at the money grubbing beginning, let people buy unlimited amounts of everything. Flatbeds full of those gigantic packs of TP, paper towels, when they should of immediately implemented limits. Guess they were happy with the sales, but this created this now total depletion of these prescious items. Limits started be set weeks later, which then made people annoyed.

However, folks, one of my biggest pet peeves, from working in years of retail, are those people that just leave an item they decided not to get on a random shelf or aisle, just anywhere. Personally, I always felt this was rude and lazy not to put an item back that you no longer wanted. Now, it's worse, because you are leaving items that do have these limits, that potentially someone else could of purchased. At this store, I have found expensive bags of frozen shrimp, fresh chicken, steaks and various cold storage items on random shelves, or left in almost full carts abandoned throughout the store. Because the store doesn't know how long these items have been there, they have to 'damage' these items from inventory. Who do you think pays for this? We do, in higher prices. Put things back!

Oh, and will it kill you to bring a cart from the parking lot cart return when you come into a store? On the busy days, cart collection for the inside can't keep up with demand. I am so shocked to see people who have walked by almost full cart returns in the parking lot, walk into the front entrance and the bay depleted. They will stand there with hands on hips, looking exasperated. Stores don't devote an army of cart retreivers. There is that one haggard person with the yellow vest on. Personally, I think these stores should implement the Aldi's method. The quarter could become popular again. Like when we needed them to view the porn in a porn shop. Even they everyday changed to tokens. Change is good.

I use disinfectant wipes to clean the bathroom counters and that's about it, so when I buy a package of 2 or 3 cans it will last forever. They work really well at picking up the dust that accumulates and the little bit of mildew around the faucets. Lately I've used one to wipe the doorknob when I come in after carrying in groceries but otherwise I'm not using them much at all.

Lysol though is really doing a lot of heavy lifting for me, I spray my groceries with it (except for the stuff in open bags like tomatoes or oranges) and my partner sprays his work coat and bag with it when he comes home, since his job is considered essential services.

If you have a car and are striking out with delivery Options consider curbside pick up of groceries. I use Shoprite.. You pay online and they just roll a bagged cart at you out at your card. They haven’t messed up any of my orders. I keep lidded bins in my car for the groceries and drive right home after. Gloves on, sanitize my steering wheel etc.

Instacart and pea pod are delivering to the wrong homes in my area Which is a debacle because they can’t take the food back and nearly impossible to get a slot in. I have a curbside order ready for 9:00 am pick up this week and that’s it for me for Another two weeks.

[quote]People hoarding TP have lots of storage space in the McMansions they insist on living in that they can't afford... much like the dozens of packages of TP they're buying up.

Don't forget they have four bathrooms to supply too.

Why aren't the toilet paper manufacturers making single rolls instead of these giant packs and then having stores set a six roll limit per person or something? You fill a truck with 200 24 packs and that's only good for a very limited number of people. Fill a truck with thousands of single rolls and a lot more people can get at least a couple rolls with that one single delivery. There's a reason this is the only fucking product that isn't getting replenished properly.

I am curious as to how long a roll of TP will last for you. I'm one person and I usually buy a 9 pack of the double rolls which will last about 6-8 months.

My local non-chain Brooklyn supermarket posted a sign saying NO RETURNS OR EXCHANGED ALLOWED AT THIS TIME.

It actually makes a lot of sense and I was happy to see it!

[quote]A bakery up the block was selling eggs, milk and other basics, so I fully checked the list and got my eggs there.

We also have a bakery here that's doing this, selling the ingredients they would normally be using to make their food directly to the public. A couple of local restaurants are selling uncooked seafood, beef, chicken, etc in the same way. I guess it's a way for them to make some money even if they aren't actually serving meals, and help fill in the gaps in the supply chain.

[quote] when they should of immediately implemented limits.

Oh, dear!

[quote]someone else could of purchased.

Oh, DEAR!!

I urge all of you, don't be on a fool's errand or spending money where you don't have to. Just convert your paper toweling to wipes for steering wheels, seats, doorknobs and handles. Spray the sheets of toweling with lysol cleaning spray, or clorox cleaning spray or clorox bleach or Hydrogen peroxide or WTF ever and put them in a sandwich bag, leave a bag in your glove box in your car and just have your spray bottle and a roll of pt on the counter or table near your door. Last night, after shopping I sprayed down my personal little shopping cart with lysol and let it air dry over night. And when you go to the store wear gloves. You don't need to be overly generous with the spray. A nice quick mist will do it.

As for face masks, I've been saying all along we ought to be wearing them. All of us. But because the Orange Asswipe sent all our stockpiles to China in early February, the resulting shortage meant only healthcare workers ought to have them. But face masks are for everyone. Yes. So fashion something,a scarf, or WTF ever into a face mask. Cotton works best. Look for some old T-shirt or dress shirt or work shirt you can spare and cut it up and sew it or get someone else to sew it for you. it isn't difficult.

R16, I’m in Boystown. Halsted Street Chicago -r15

For the people giving the well-meaning advice about how to make your own disinfectant wipes - the problem is that paper towels, Lysol, hydrogen peroxide and bleach are in the same short supply (at least around here in my area of CA) as the Lysol or Clorox wipes themselves. The stuff is simply not available.

R131, I get that, but improvising may still be an option. I found a couple of bottle of hydrogen peroxide at my Krogers. No alcohol anywhere for weeks. I got paper toweling at Home Depot. Home Depot also has cleaning supplies. So you may find things that work under a different name but with similar ingredients. As my Depression era Granny used to say, "we'll have to 'make do' and just do the best we can."

wear gloves when you go out. Any kind of damned gloves. Wear gloves. Don't touch anything in public places.

"Don't touch anything in public places."

Especially, your face. Even with gloves.

I wonder if my Instacart delivery (scheduled for 11AM) will show up. Do they let you know if your order's been processed and on the way?

How many of you Lysol obsessives were Lysol obsessives before Coronavirus?

People call it TP because toilet is a disgusting, trashy word.

The Mexicans call it "papel higiénico," or 'hygienic paper.'

I used to work for the IRS, and we used 'TP' to mean 'taxpayer.'

Toilet = non-U

Gloves give people a false sense of security especially if you touch your face while wearing them anyway. On a related note, just got back from the store here outside Philly:

1) discarded plastic gloves all over the parking lot...aren't people nice? 2) slob behind me in the checkout line was right up my butt, and not in a good way 3) they are trying to make the aisles one-way, but people don't seem to get the concept and are ignoring the arrows.

I've always been a Lysol obsessive, R136. For years, every time someone comes in my apartment, after they leave, I spray Lysol on the doorknob and on the furniture. In the bathroom, I spray Lysol on the doorknob (both sides of the door), the light switch, the toilet seat, the toilet flusher, the sink handle, and the soap dispenser pump.

I had plenty enough Lysol can spray and Lysol bathroom cleaner (one full bottle of each) before this crisis started.

I have the latex gloves, thin ones used in examining rooms. I wear them more than once. First, wearing gloves reminds me not to touch my face. I don't touch my face when I have them on. Second, you can get more than one wearing out of them. I wear them to the store, and driving home, and to unload my purchases. Then when I get home and into my apartment, I go straight to the sink and wash my hands thoroughly with anti bacterial soap and warm water. I rinse, then carefully remove the wet gloves so they can air dry. Then I wash my hands again, get my spray disinfectant, and some toweling and wipe off my door knobs, steering wheel, and any other surface I touched I've been doing it for almost a month. I had the gloves left over from when the care workers were coming in to take care of my mother. She died two years ago, and I found them.

R141 is Julianne Moore, seriously.

Would it have killed you to have posted a picture OP? Would it? What's wrong with you?

I found toilet paper today in-store at both Dollar General and Target. Both had a limit of 1 package per customer.

R124 I assume one of the reasons they don't make that many single rolls is because the extra time and cost in having to wrap them in tissue paper. Stores probably also don't want to carry them because of the time it would take to get them on the shelves.

Just got a text from my Instacart shopper saying she's started, so I guess there was no strike.

I looked on the Target website and found one about 15 miles away that had TP. I got there about 20 minutes before they opened on a Sunday morning. There were about 20 of us waiting for them to open. When they did, we all went to the paper aisle. A clerk was just stocking the TP. They had a limit of 1 pack per person. The pack has 8 rolls in it. I also bought some paper towels.

Back on 3/14, I ordered TP from Amazon. Didn't realize it was coming from China! It arrived last week via DHL and is in my garage until I need it.

A Shop Rite about 10 miles away was full of chicken on Saturday. The deli section was back to offering pre-sliced cold cuts so that was helpful. Yes, the meat or cheese may be sliced thicker or thinner than you want but it beats waiting in the line.

r147 there kind of is a strike. They are asking everyone Not to use instacart today to help them.

I saw someone outside an OKC CVS with TP in their cart today. I didn't go in, I just went through the drive-thru to pick up a 90 prescription for blood pressure meds. They are also selling cold meds and ibuprofen type meds at the drive-thru so you don't have to go inside.

[quote] I saw someone outside an OKC CVS with TP

TP in CVS in OKC?

AOK!

r149 I scheduled today's delivery a WEEK ago - it was the earliest available time. I ain't giving that up!

BTW, the process is kind of cool. You can get an ongoing update of what's been picked, what's been substituted, replaced or out of stock.

The bodega on the corner of my block is open and the staff are wearing rubber gloves and face masked. We aren’t allowed to open or close the door - they do it. The cashier also wears gloves to protect her from germs on the money.

I tipped when I placed my Instacart order, but I'm gonna leave an extra $5 outside for when they deliver.

It looks like it could be fun to be an Instacart shopper. I kind of like shopping ... so when this is all over, I'd consider doing it. But I don't need the money and I wouldn't want to take a job away from someone who needs it.

I was at Lowes which had bleach and Lysol in the first week of March, but went a week ago and it was all gone. There was a sign that said "Limit of 5 of the same cleaning products per person." 5 ?! Fortunately I had previously bought some, but I did not hoard so who knows how long my supply will last. But 5 of the same cleaning product?! What kind of limitation is that?

I saw a woman last week at Target with several packs of six roll toilet paper in her cart. I hope that they made her put it back.

Over the weekend, a local liquor store chain switched to online ordering and curbside pick up only. I suspect a worker or customer is waiting on results to see if they contracted the virus. Just checked the 3 locations near me and it's the same there as well.

You order online, they send a confirmation number, and then call you when your order is ready.

R157 Issue has been addressed.

My local Sam's has a ton of Scott's 36 pack 1-ply TP available...

No one's grabbing them so apparently people around me aren't THAT desperate.

All liquor stores and garden center shops curbside service here in CT. Liquor store has a great app you order from and make payment and they meet you in the parking lit.

Agway hooked me up with seedling supplies and bird seed over the phone and then I drove up and they put it in the trunk.

Happy to be able to access goods w/o encountering people right now.

R154 How fucking generous of you! While they have to go back and be around all those other employees to get your shit together so you can social distance. Not to mention all the people responsible to get your shit to the store, like the truck driver etc. Nothing like a sense of entitlement.

Local stores are still completely stocked here, no shortages at all. Vancouver Island.

r148, thats the problem. is there a reason the us can not manufacture our own toilet paper?

I read we do manufacture our own TP. Was that wrong?

South Florida, Super Walmart this morning. Store was well stocked EXCEPT for TP and paper products. Had no problem getting everything I wanted except for napkins. Not many shoppers, downright empty actually. About half of people wore protective gear, other half nada. (Mostly families with kids! Eeek) I was in full survivor mode, even though it's 90 degrees had on pants long sleeves, gloves. Scored some anti bacterial hand soap and some dish washing gloves.

Went to Greenwise and found my napkins. No TP but some really fancy pants Paper towels for 4 bucks a roll. No thanks.

Dropped by my local deli mart, plenty of TP! Single roll off brand, but enough to shit your brains out for the next month.

ALSO ALSO ALSO!!! Spent the afternoon talking with all of my creditors, Mortage, car loan, a couple of CCs. All of them have a 3 month deferral plan in place. All you gotta do is ask.

r162 What exactly is your issue? I tipped $15 total. Do you somehow think that's insufficient?

I'm ok for TP, bought a large pack back in February. But really... when preparing for sex, I don't use TP, I use soap/water, dry with a wash cloth to avoid any pieces of TP. Since I'm stuck at home, if I run out of TP, I'll just keep an old milk jug in the bathroom for warm water.

I just ordered a thirty-pack of TP from Costco and am LIVING for that delivery.

Fingers crossed it doesn't get cancelled, R169. I've been having a lot of problems with Costco accepting the order and then cancelling the item as OOS.

R169, that’s never going to arrive. You better start hunting around in-stores now.

Another DIY wipe recipe: get some baby wipes, put in a plastic container (preferably and empty Clorox wipe container or something similar) and add liquid bleach. I can't find Lysol anywhere or disinfectant wipes so this is it for me. Also, if you have some aloe gel, mix with alcohol for a DIY hand sanitizer.

They’re discussing on CNN right now that the virus may come back again in the fall.

When the immediate spread is over, and supplies become more available again, remember this and stock up on toilet paper and other essentials because that Coronavirus bout will probably last all winter, and who knows if we will have to quarantine all over again. At least people have months to get ready for that.

We won’t have to quarantine again. A lot of people who were exposed now will have immunity and the spread will be FAR less.

R173, so many people will have had it by then that there won't be another massive quarantine. People will get sick but it won't overwhelm the hospitals and there will most likely be a treatment of some sort.

The main people at risk this time are older people and people with pre-existing conditions, obesity and diabetes. None of those things are going to change between now and then.

Unless you think everybody who’s old and sick is going to get it (and maybe die) before summer, we may have at least some version of quarantine again. If they have the antibody test available by then, younger people at least will be more likely to have had it and survived. But if older people have stayed home and not gotten it, there’s still the issue of not wanting to infect them. A lot of young people live with their parents.

And unless older people just get locked up for the next year, we’re going to have to wait for the vaccine, or an effective treatment being manufactured in large quantities, to really get it under control. And we’ll be competing with countries around the world to get that treatment, everyone will want it. A lot of pharmaceuticals are manufactured in India and China, they’ll want to hold a lot back for themselves.

I hope the end result of all this is more manufacturing in the United States, especially of drugs and PPE. If we make these items long term, it will create jobs and help the economy a little.

At least by then masks and ventilators will probably be widely available. That should help a lot.

R174. There is no immunity to Covid19. You can get reinfected and then you die. It happened to young doctors in Wuhan.

R177, are you sure? I thought I heard that you can't catch it again. (Hence, the research for a vaccine.)

[quote]You can get reinfected and then you die. It happened to young doctors in Wuhan.

There is a great deal of doubt about that, as there should be with any information coming from China, whether from the government or individual citizens.

[quote]There is no immunity to Covid19. You can get reinfected and then you die. It happened to young doctors in Wuhan.

It was theorized that those people hadn’t recovered yet from their initial infection, or perhaps got flu or something else in addition.

Even if you can get reinfected, they won’t tell us that to prevent mass panic.

[quote]Oh, and will it kill you to bring a cart from the parking lot cart return when you come into a store?

No, R120, it wouldn’t kill me. It just wouldn’t occur to me unless someone told me. Instead of complaining about it online as though everyone were as familiar with the supermarket business as you are, why don’t you suggest that the store put up signs at the cart returns and a few locations around the parking lot? I don’t think anyone would mind if they knew to pick up a cart after they parked. On the other hand, they might very well mind if they had walked across a ¼-mile wide parking lot only to discover no carts at the entrance.

R155, investigate carefully. The Instacart shoppers I (used to) see at my supermarket looked very frazzled and raced obnoxiously up and down the aisles with considerable impatience. From this, I assume they are under time pressure that would eliminate the innate pleasure of shopping, at least for me.

I have to go grocery shopping tomorrow. Wish me luck navigating through the onslaught of Karens and their crotchfruit!

Mornings are best. Try to get your shopping done before 10:30 during the week. Earlier the better. And avoid weekends if you can. Now if you ust shop on the weekend go very early be at the door when they open. Look, IMO, the whole shopping experience has changed. YOu need to go to more than one store. So don't overlook places like Home Depot and Lowes or Bed Bath Beyond, or Target. AndI hate to say this, but Walmart and Walgreens have no made my list of stops. Only I'm real careful. Because the shoppers are no joke.They will hurt you.

Thanks r185. I'm getting to the grocery store as soon as they open at 8am. I just want to get it over with as quickly, and as early, as possible. I'm going to try to get everything I need (depending on availablity) so I don't have to go back for at least two weeks.

In my very rural area, when our Walmart came in it pretty much wiped out all our stores. Our first case of 19 was confirmed yesterday. Our entire county has a population of 51,000. Today it is rumored that 2 more people have it and the first confirmed one was a worker in Walmart. we won't have Anywhere to shop.

How much longer will it last?

2-3 months

[quote]YOu need to go to more than one store. So don't overlook places like Home Depot and Lowes or Bed Bath Beyond, or Target.

I think people need to figure out what the word 'need' means. Going all over town to get your stupid wipes or whatever is spreading shit. Get the basics you really NEED. Make do with what you can. And stay the fuck home as much as possible instead of driving around like some wannabe typhoid Mary.

My state is on lockdown until June 10 at the earliest.

Why would you not say the state, R191? R191 is in Virginia! Tell everyone!

I, myself, am in Virginia.

We always talk about other shoppers buying out everything but has anyone ever considered that the store employees themselves may also be hoarding some of this stuff? After all, they need toilet paper, too, just like everybody else. I wonder if sometimes they take half the shipment that comes in and then leaves the other half for the shoppers to fight over.

hell if ever there was an incentive to work at a supermarket this is it...assuming you don't get sick and die.

Last week my closest supermarket changed their opening hour from 7AM to 11AM. This was after a week where they had the seniors and pensioners only hour from 7AM. Today they switched to a 9AM opening. I had gone to their competitor who open at 7AM but went back to this store when I saw their revised hours online. Got there at 8:30 and the security guard was telling anyone he could that the store was opening at 9AM. I asked was the change due to the store's realization of loss of customers but he said no - it was more an attempt to help out those most in need despite the fact that opening earlier meant they would lose money. I know he wouldn't be telling anything that made them look bad but I still believe the loss of money line thus the revision. No store is deliberately going to trade to lose money.

Is is all just psychological when a store closes temporarily when it is discovered an employee tested positive? I mean, isn't it like a 100% likely that someone who has visited that store is carrying the virus too?

I was at Shop Rite at 7:30 am there was a line to get in fortunately I'm a senior so I was permitted to go in without waiting. It was a good shopping experience with few people in the store and stocked shelves. I wore my N-95 face mask, I noticed at least half the shoppers wore masks there were big clear plastic panels protecting the cashiers. Lots of water, TP, paper towels and tissues so no shortages plus limits on the amount you can buy,

Yes, R197.

That is the point.

We want to reduce the number of people carrying the virus.

I think the thrill is gone. Stuff is back in stock and the urge to prep has faded.

I went to the store early this morning around 7, thankfully there was almost no one in there, but they didn't have a lot of what I was looking for (no TP but they did have plenty of paper towels). I found a few things, though, including my favorite cookies (yay!), so it was worth it. After taking that home, I decided to try the other store in my neighborhood and -- hallelujah! -- they had a few packages of TP left, so I got one (Charmin, too, not an off-brand) plus a couple small bottles of my favorite bathroom soap. Neither store had any Lysol or Clorox products, though -- all of that was totally gone.

After that, I thought I'd make a quick run to the Duane Reade two blocks away but it was closed. There are signs all over the door saying they changed their hours to 8AM-9AM for seniors and then I think 9AM-9PM for the pharmacy. But that was okay, I'll try them again later.

If any of you live near a Runt Tuesday they just sent this out:

We know it can be challenging to get the grocery items you need right now. That’s why we’ve created Ruby’s Pantry from Ruby Tuesday.

Now you can stock up on the items you need, like toilet paper, bread, burgers, milk, and more, on your next trip to Ruby Tuesday.

Add groceries to your online order, pick up or get it delivered, and ENJOY! It’s as simple as that.

Items available while supplies last. Price and participation will vary by location.

Ruby Tuesday, not Runt... Ha.

The hoarders who bought too much food are now forced to watch that food rot away or they’re now eating it. That and the supplies ordered after initial onslaught have arrived is why the shelves are stocked for the most part.

R170 R171 loaded on truck and out for delivery this morning

I hope this is all over by summer because I only eat salads from June to September. It's too hot to turn on the oven where I live and I need meals that require minimum heat to prepare. Of course, that means frequent trips to the grocery store since salad ingredients don't keep for very long.

Onething to be aware of. Most people have a limited amount of money. The first of the month is tomorrow. So there will be a lot of people, pensioners,etc who will be shopping. If you can wait, then wait.

I live in California and have not been able to get a hold of TP in a month. There’s no “calm down” yet so I’m wondering when TP will be on the shelves again after 7 am. Also out: any cleaning products at all (including dishwasher detergent), rice, dry beans, flour, eggs, frozen fruit, frozen veggies, frozen pizza. Produce is still around but has doubled in cost.

What part of CA are you in, R208?

R206, buy an Instant Pot. Even a rice cooker can do a lot of work. You can cook stuff like red beans and rice and it doesn’t heat up the kitchen much, and you can leave.

Same with a slow cooker. But if you use a slow cooker, only use already defrosted meat, because it cooks at relatively low temperatures.

R209 Bay Area, outer suburbs-ish.

R89, thanks again for the tip. My two canisters of wipes arrived today. (I chose express delivery.) I was going to recommend the product to another person, but it's already out of stock online again. I'm glad you posted the lead when you did!

r207 I would think that is only true in places where most people don't have credit cards.

R211 sorry you're not finding what you need to.

Down in the LA area things are mostly available until about 10 AM, although I haven't seen wipes or bleach.

My mother was able to get a next day delivery from Target today. She got some essentials, like toilet paper and distilled water. It seems a lot of these businesses are doing this now. She highly recommends it if any of you want a quick delivery to your door during this pandemic.

I went to five stores to find some Tylenol today, the shelves were empty.

a few shortages noted including eggs,toilet paper ( none), hand soap and hand sanitizer (none). everything else including lots of fresh produce and meats was on the shelf, milk too but I do not consume milk anymore., bread section looked a bit light but still there. bleach is available and bar soap,paper towels,napkins and Kleenex. Tylenol is available but the generic form is sold out. the prices are higher.

I noticed that at the deli of my local Publix store. They weren't doing the six foot thing. I tried to keep as much distance as I could.

r202, great service! great idea! I won't be eating out for awhile but I do understand why people need to grab takeout.

Someone stole a jar of yeast out of my shopping cart yesterday. It was the last one on the shelf.

711 delivers on Doordash or through their own app (also by Doordash).

$12-15 minimum purchase to get free delivery. They always have milk and ice, so that’s where I’ve been getting mine.

So few people in the supermarkets keep distant when standing in line for the store or the registers....so what is the point of limiting the number of people in the store.

I would rather have more people in the store but more space in the lines.

R216, Walgreens has some Tylenol available (regular strength) with free shipping.

I tried ordering online, everything is backed up.

I saw tylenol in harmons. plenty of it but they are sold out of the generic version. They also had hand soap for sale with a 2 per customer limit, the bottles are small and expensive.

Lady about to stand up on me in line at the store (tons of room for 6 feet btw). I told her to back up! WTF?

R226 a lot of morons out there are not practicing social distancing and act like they've never heard of it. When I had to stand in line last week, nobody was more than 2 feet away from one another and the person behind me kept crowding me and got pissed when I stepped out of line to give myself distance.

A friend of mine was lined up at a store and they had someone coming out telling people to maintain 6 feet of distance. There was a guy behind her that shouted back to the guy, "Not gonna happen, bro." He kept crowding my friend and she asked him to step back. He got aggressive toward her, started standing closer and told her she was a moron because this was all overblown and "just a flu." A bigger guy behind him told him to back up away from her and he finally did.

People are fucking morons.

R224 did you try the link at R223? I just tried it and was able to get up to the checkout point.

r227

The "just a flu" people are annoying AF. I have a few of them on my Facebook feed who think Covid-19 is a fake crisis and everybody is just overreacting. Idiots.

R227's experience is why I refuse to go into any stores.

If you go on Target's website they'll tell you if certain products such as tp are available in stores in/ close to your zip code. You just have to input the information. It's been pretty accurate in my experience so far.

Bed Bath and Beyond stores in NJ at least are closed. Did they close them all? I wonder what they are doing with their inventory. They sell cleaning supplies and aspirin.

Another thanks to R89. I’m ok on wipes for the moment, but I passed along the link to my elderly grandparents who ended up buying some. We appreciate it!

R233 all their stores are closed, but I think some stores are doing order online and pick up curbside.

Thanks, R235. Looks like the Harmon Stores are still open . . for the moment

[quote] thanks again for the tip. My two canisters of wipes arrived today. (I chose express delivery.) I was going to recommend the product to another person, but it's already out of stock online again. I'm glad you posted the lead when you did!

Mine are still "In processing" which I think is code for shit out of luck.

You know you may want to try less populated areas. Are there CVS or Walgreens or Targets near office complexes that are now closed? I feel for some of you that are having problems finding toilet paper and aspirin.Here's a thought. Take Aspirin. Let's say you get sick with a fever. You'd take what? 4-6 aspirin a day? And maybe you need it for 8-10 days. So if you have family or friends who are willing to share, maybe you can put together 40-60 aspirins from multiple sources. Same with toilet paper. Let's start being reasonable. If you have a bottle of 100 aspirin and live alone, you can spare a few.

I walked by someone who had scored a few canisters of chlorox wipes from Home Depot. I do not know if the wipes are still available in stores but the stores are open with VERY LIMITED HOURS.

r225, you don't need hand soap. You can use a bar of soap and it works just as well, if not better. You don't even need anti bacterial soap.

I have always preferred bar soap to liquid in my showers anyway. So I have a huge stock of bar soaps and more on the way. Bar soap is not out anywhere because people are not thinking of it.

Ordered yesterday, delivered today...

This royal blue package arrived at 1:58pm Pacific Standard time. Coming in hot at a robust 30 rolls, with two layers of softness and absorbency, I'm actually looking forward to my next and future dumps. I'd like to thank the health care workers, grocery store clerks, mail carriers, utility employees and lastly, Costco, for being there during these uncertain times. We will prevail through this pandemic, and come out the other side the wiser.

r240, I agree. I grew up using it. Bar soap is inexpensive and has less plastic stuff that ends up in the landfill or water sources. I pickup the handsoap for the office, when and if we get back to work.

R241, looks like it all came out ok....or it will...the next time you go to the bathroom.

I never knew that "hand soap" was not a type of "bar soap"

Are all of you on the NextDoor app?

Today, someone posted that they had just seen hand sanitizer at a nearby Ace Hardware store. I threw down my snack, grabbed my bike, and peddled the three blocks to that Ace store as quickly as I could. I got a large bottle (7.8 oz). It was an overpriced ($11.99), unfamiliar brand (New Life), but I wasn't in the position to be choosy.

Last week, people were posting about toilet paper sightings.

Hand soap is sold in plastic bottles. Wasteful and largely sold out. Bar soap is widely available and CHEAP.

The grocery stores may be stocked up, and that's good, but most of our states aren't even near peaking yet.I have one more order that will be delivered Sunday, then after that, I won't be doing any more shopping for awhile.

When the states start to peak, and even a lot of Instacart shoppers get too spooked, or get sick, then what? Sure, there will always be people willing to go out there, but there won't be as many then, and deliveries are already booked a week out right now. Think of the things you're waiting 5-7 days for right now, (and you don't even know how much of that you're actually going to get until they're in the store) because you didn't/couldn't secure a cart any sooner than that. I don't want to be waiting three or four weeks. I don't really even want to be handling 'outside' stuff in 2-4 weeks when shit starts hitting the fan here in Texas. One more delivery (hopefully I get my bread flour, but if not, too bad), then I'm going to batten down the hatches!

Ewww, r246. Who wants to reek of Irish Spring?

*then, not even.

At least I think I meant 'then.' I can't figure out what word I meant to use there.

How long does virus live on a bar of soap?

Watch out for these

A virus cannot live on a bar of soap.

Nothing can live on a bar of Irish Spring.

r250, that's why handsoap is largely sold out and why stores have restrictions of how many you can purchase at one time. COOTIES! r248, it's cheap for a reason, I pick up whatever is available when I see it, 3 bars for one dollar!

R252, yes it can. Don't just say shit without knowing what you are talking about. They aren't quite sure how long viruses survive on a bar of soap because most of the studies have been done on bacteria. It's probably fine but I wouldn't want to share one with an infected person.

I believe I got scabies from sharing a bar of soap. I [italic]knew[/italic] it wasn't from sex.

Bar soap cannot transmit a virus.

Another article.

We are gonna use whatever the hell is available considering all of these crazy shortages and no income!

The first week shopping for groceries was like Hell. Now it's not so bad. I thank the staff for working. My boyfriend and I do grocery shopping once a week and sometimes we shop for our elderly condominium neighbors. We get extra points on our loyalty rewards cards and our neighbors think we're the nicest, most thoughtful men. We invite them over once a week for either pizza or home made dinner. And they bring us wine, whiskey or homemade cake.

You should not be inviting anyone to your condo right now, R260, especially the elderly.

R247, I don't know what's going to happen when the epidemic hits its peak, but I know what should happen: The government (Federal or state or both in cooperation) needs to take over distribution of food and supplies and handle deliveries.

I'm not talking about taking over the stores themselves or the purchases and payments; I mean just getting supplies and food to the stores and then supplementing whatever delivery personnel are available to get it to people's homes.

Here's another thought: Allow people to work in supermarket distribution, sales and delivery while they're collecting unemployment. Instead of penalizing them by reducing or eliminating their benefit. Let people on unemployment keep 100% of their benefit and 100% of what they earn in these vital, low-skill services. I'll bet if you did that, you'd have a lot of unemployed waiters, salesclerks and the like "double-dipping". And, by the way, people working in dangerous front-line jobs like delivery should be paid at least $20/hour plus tips. On top of unemployment, that's probably more than they were earning before. That's quite an inducement for a younger person who may, correctly, believe themselves to be at low risk of fatal illness.

R261, I think you might be correct. But they seem very lonely and disconnected and we try to stay six feet apart.

Soap and water is way more effective at killing viruses, otherwise surgeons would just gel up and glove before surgeries. Just make sure to wash with soap and water for 20 seconds. Gel hand sanitizers are also worse than hand wipes, also alcohol free gel sanitizers are pretty much useless.

I stock up on Ivory soap the original type, it's a good multi-use cleaner, you can even shave it into bits to use as laundry detergent either by itself or with other detergents. Someone I know who works in the fashion industry told me Ivory soap is gentle enough to wash wool clothing (just don't machine dry it) as well as silk.

I went out with gloves on today. It was a complete waste. My gloves moved from store products to my personal bag or car or pockets and so forth. It was just impossible, assuming the cooties could be transferred from one object to another.

R265: True, they just remind me to not touch my face.

R265, Pierre, get a gallon zip lock bag for the dirty gloves. When you’re done with the store, take the dirty gloves off and put them straight in the zip lock bag. Then wash your hands with sanitizer and wipe down the steering wheel and door handle.

It’s a production to go to the store now. You have to think of every step and not make a mistake.

I just assume my hands are dirty and wash them when I get home, then put the groceries away, then wash my hands again, then clean the phone with alcohol. Any virus on the steering wheel of the car will be dead in a few days so by the time I use the car again the risk is near zero.

R268, you make it sound like a nerd’s Thunderdome.

R260 has an inconsistent social distancing practice.

I can't tell if R263 is trolling or just incredibly stupid. I hope it's the former.

[quote] you can even shave it into bits to use as laundry detergent

What a great a tip.

For hand-washing (and showering), I've been using Aveeno body wash (pump bottle). The bottle is #2 plastic and can be recycled.

Anyway, I have dry skin and this Aveeno wash does not dry out my skin.

No toilet paper to be found, so instead I got a box of Kleenex with aloe and my asshole feels silky smooth and wonderful. It's a good alternative to tp.

Shoprite had a whole aisle of store brand toilet paper, tissues and paper towels (I climbed the shelf and grabbed 1 of the remaining 4 packs of Scotts - all the way back). Up to 18 rolls. That should be enough for April and May. No hand sanitizer though. Bought soap instead.

hand sanitizer is for use when we can not wash our hands with soap and water, there is no substitute to washing our hands (and faces) with soap and water.

Still no Beluga.

R275 If you steer clear of Chipotle and Taco Bell, you should be set well into the summer.

[quote]hand sanitizer is for use when we can not wash our hands with soap and water

I don't really have a lot of use for hand sanitizer right now. My entire company is working from home until further notice, which means I don't go out anymore unless it's to do something important (e.g., grocery shopping, laundry). I haven't been on the train since the day they sent us home (March 12), so all I need now is soap and water to wash my hands after I get home from having been out for something quick. I still have small travel-size bottles of sanitizer in my work bag but other than that there's no other in the apartment.

[quote]It’s a production to go to the store now. You have to think of every step and not make a mistake.

This is true as fuck and I was thinking the exact same thing today when I ventured out for the first time in a few days for groceries. It's better and easier to just stay in if you can.

Today was my lucky TP day. I found a pack in the store this morning, then Instacart brought me an order they delivered to the wrong address last week, which had a pack of TP amongst the other items. It's an off-brand I never heard of ("Fiona?") but at times like these you can't be picky.

This pandemic will probably be a windfall for these off-brand companies since people will be snatching up more of their product since all of the well-known ones are nearly all sold out.

Sorry, let me be clearer on that: Instacart took my order to the wrong address last week, but instead of canceling it and getting a refund, I told them they could just re-deliver it to me this week (they just couldn't tell me which day and it ended up being today). I didn't want my post to give the impression that I received someone else's order by mistake.

BUBONIC PLAGUE IS HERE

Antibiotic resistant strain found in Delhi.

r274 You shouldn't flush Kleenex ... it's not made to break down like toilet paper is.

I fear this is a plague against mankind because we can be such assholes and GOD is fed-up with our shit! It is the modern era's Great Flood from Noah. Also, Trump and Cuomo are like Pharaoh and Moses with the plague (Covid-19) and "Let My People Go!" is now "Let the Ventilators Go!"

I know MARY! and atheists will strongly disagree. That's fine! I am just a drunk former Catholic school gay watching this crazy shit unfold!

When I come home from the store, I leave all non-perishables in the garage, or in another room, and don't touch them for 3 days. After 3 days, everything should be safe. I find that method much easier than wiping everything down with Clorox wipes, which can take forever. I only wipe down perishables like dairy products and frozen items and put those away promptly.

It's the same procedure with everything. If you don't touch your wallet, keys, steering wheel, etc. for 3 days, then you don't need to wipe them down. Same thing with clothes. Just take them off and hang them up away from your other clothes and leave them alone for 3-4 days.

Hey, genius at R283, antibiotics only work on bacteria. This is a virus.

R285, brush your teeth and go to sleep right now.

r284 I have brand new pipes in my house, haven't had a problem flushing Kleenex. I don't use that much of it anyway.

R289 , just because you don't have problems flushing Kleenex doesn't mean all is well. After you flush your toilet, all that literal crap needs to go somewhere, be treated, then pumped back out somewhere into the environment.

Sewage gets treated and then pumped out to sea or wherever. If you like to swim in the ocean or you care about marine life, there's your reason to care.

Toilet paper is made to break down more quickly than Kleenex. Better for the sewage (which doesn't just magically disappear).

R286: I throw my bandana and gloves in the washing machine on the hot cycle. Wash all groceries and put them in 3 day quarantine (same with packages and mail). Wash my hands and face. Wash keys, wipe credit cards, locks, handles etc with bleach wipes. It is a whole fucking ordeal. And I am always afraid I missed a spot!

Today, this guy in my building coughed before I walked by him. Although I had a bandana over my nose/mouth and wear glasses, I held my breath and rinsed my mouth, flushed my nose, washed my face, drank 2 Emergen-C and 3 green teas immediately! Now, I am in for the next few weeks!! I used to be way more chill before this Covid-19 shit!

Any plumbers on here? What if you used kleenex and then let them dissolve a bit in the toilet for a couple hours before flushing. Would that break them down enough to flush? Or, are people using wads and wads of it?

R290, you don't even know what the problem with flushing kleenex is. It's not environmental, it's clogged pipes.

I can't imagine being like r291 and r286. I guess I'm going to die.

Oh, well. I've lived long enough.

r290 I have a septic tank. And Kleenex is basically the same thing as two-ply tp. It's not a big deal.

OK, I guess I was thinking about other stuff, like condoms and dental floss, being flushed down toilets. Things that don't disintegrate at all. Yes, I've seen someone put dental floss in a toilet.

R290

Dollar General stores, Phoenix AZ: The stores get their TP shipments on Sunday morning. My local store opens at 8AM on Sunday - the first hour is reserved for seniors, disabled, etc. Last week, after the first hour passed, the store still had several multi-packs of store-brand, 2-ply TP, which looks like Quilted Northern. They also had anti-bacterial Dawn - it does not dry out my skin like anti-bacterial hand soap - and plenty of "DG Health" acetaminophen. Also shelves full of off-brand canned goods, such as tuna, chili, and soup.

Shipt is really price gouging, but they’re the only ones available now that Instacart is always booked solid.

I bought a Kinsa thermometer about 5 weeks ago when I had what was most likely H1N1, and the battery is already low. I haven't been using it that much, I think it was just a piece of shit. Now I need to pick up a battery for it at Target. I hate ordering from Amazon when it's the only thing I need.

I decided to get a mask, a few, if possible, for my neighbors. Two Walgreens? Nope. One employee suggested 9am when shipments arrive for hand sanitizer. Four Duane Reades after grocery shopping (lower Manhattan); nope, no masks or hand san. (I'm set for TP).

Finally, I went to my neighborhood Ace Hardware and got a fancy face mask, which all the employees were wearing. It's quite chic and black is slimming, after all. I'll be ready for my Mad Max costume on Halloween, if we're not all dead by then.

R286, Just wiped down your non-perishables or take them out of their outer packaging and discard boxes and wrappers.

Shit, you're going to get hantavirus and/or leptospirosis from the rodents that get into your garage-quarantined Fruity Pebbles!

The constant hand washing dries out my hands...wish that there was an anti bacterial lotion too.

R301: Aveeno lotion is great for that. I know!

R272 I used to buy an imported Italian brand of laundry detergent that smelled quite fabulous, it smelled of citronella. But then Whole Foods keep jacking up the price and finally I just couldn't justify the cost. But then I remembered Ivory soap and its famous citronella scent was very similar to the citronella smell of the Italian luxury detergent. Little did I know until I did an online search that there were people who make their own laundry detergent using shredded Ivory soap. It's actually cheap and simple with only 3 ingredients. Instead of shaving the soap with a grater, you can actually just put Ivory soap inside the microwave, it'll puff up and then you can easily crumble it into powdery bits to use with your other detergent or to make your own. All other soap will melt in the microwave except for Ivory soap.

I get Arm and Hammer laundry detergent when it's on sale at Stop and Shop for $1.99.

You can just use baking soda to do laundry if necessary.

Put the bar of Ivory soap in the microwave for 30 seconds. when it comes out crumble by hand or put it into a food processor or blender until powdery. Use it on its own for hand washing wool or silk clothing, or with unscented detergent for machine wash. If making own detergent then use 1-2 bars of Ivory soap, add two cups borax and two cups washing soda. mix well.

^^^meant to say baking soda

R287, bubonic plague is caused by a bacteria. It is treated with antibiotics.

When did you buy a face mask at ACE?

Do you think if I wear my Gorn Captain mask anyone will mind?

I check Amazon for toilet paper every so often. Yesterday they had Cottonelle but it was a 34-pack size (equivalent of 128 rolls or some nonsense) so I didn't buy it. These huge packs of toilet paper are insane, until the quarantine I had no idea they even came in packs that large.

Borax has been impossible to find, R306. Some fuckheads on eBay are selling baggies of 1 tablespoon of Borax.

I was lucky enough to get one box on backorder from Amazon a few days ago, hopefully it'll arrive in time. I use it for ants (we have a huge ant problem) and also in the laundry for my partner's clothes, he works in a factory and it takes detergent, oxi clean AND Borax to get his clothes clean.

Switzerland has a new scheme to get out groceries. Supermarkets put their top 100 nonrefrigerated products, covering different categories so its interesting, online to shop by the post office - who know how to do this. Within 2 days. They can't seem to manage their own delivery services - can't scale them up fast enough. Weeks to get a delivery, so people just go to the store. At least with this new scheme you can get TP and soap and basic food.

[quote]Hey, genius at R283, antibiotics only work on bacteria. This is a virus.

R283 was very specifically talking about the Bubonic plague, which is BACTERIAL, for god's sake.

R312, spray Windex around the ant points of entry and where they make their trails. Windex is ammonia.

A pest control guy told me scout ants leave a trail other ants can follow. That’s why they all walk in a line. They’re following the trail the first ants left. Windex obliterates the scent of the trail. It won’t kill them, but it might discourage them from coming in.

Ironically, I have an N95 mask. After 9/11, one of my sisters bought me some kind of survival kit. It had a first aid kit, whistle, and N95 mask. I had been using the mask only when I empty the Dyson since the dust makes me wheeze. If we need to start wearing masks in public, I may be fine. I think I have another 2 pack somewhere in the house.

[quote]For hand-washing (and showering), I've been using Aveeno body wash (pump bottle).

The description says that this product is "soap free" -- is it really effective against viruses?

R298, the "L" on digital thermometers does not mean low, if that's what you're referring to. The L indicates whwn to put it in your mouth.

R301, antibacterial lotion would be mostly useless against viruses. However, any lotion will keep your hands from cracking and creating more places for pathogens to hang out. Coconut oil supposedly has antiviral and antibacterial properties, if you're able to tolerate it.

R317, the most important thing is the friction and a slick surfectant makes it easier to maintain that. The alkalinity of most skin cleansers dislodge more of the pathogens as you scrub. Most body washes contain some form of sodium laurel sulfate or one of its derivatives, which are the same base in liquid soaps.

Please excuse all my subject/verb errors. I was trying to get all that typed in before my break ends. I'll do my own Oh,dear!

Have any of you been to one of the Central Market grocery stores in the past 2 weeks? Do they still have a good selection of things?

Alright, which one of you Texas DLer tried to pull a suicide run on the TP truck?

A listicle none of you need, but which you can share with stupid people elsewhere on the interwebs:

I'm using Instacart for the first time - I placed my order on Saturday and all delivery slots were filled until Thursday. So, after waiting about a week for my order I'm reading that Instacart workers are talking about going on strike!

In addition, the site said that I can add to my order up until delivery day, but when I click on the button to do that, I just keep getting the message "results not found" for items like milk, bread, eggs, etc. That sucks because I left off quite a few things, thinking I could add to my cart later. Is this a normal problem with Instacart or are they limiting customers during these times?

When I placed my first Instacart order last week (Aldi), it was almost a week until available delivery times. I just checked this morning, and they have delivery available TODAY. And for the next five days. Things must be getting better or Instacart has hired more people.

I had to go to two stores this morning to get everything I needed and it was quiet for a change. One store had tape on the floor near the checkout area that said stay six tiles back. The other store had signs that said stay two carts apart. I also went to the post office and the workers were behind a plastic wall.

Thanks r302...but doesn’t applying lotion ruin the effectiveness of the hand sanitizers and/or soap?

Make sure you're properly protected while shopping.

Not R302 But yes applying lotion after gel sanitizer isn't the best idea. Soap and water is best followed by wipes then gel sanitizer. Gel sanitizer will need to be reapplied and after each time it loses some effectiveness or so we've been told. Something about the film keeps adding up and that's why we're told to wash our hands after applying hand sanitizer 4-5 times between patients. I'm more of a hand washing and glove person myself, have a reputation for being a germaphobe among my colleagues.

Isn't hand sanitizer's purpose to kill germs that are already on your hands and not to act as a preventive measure for things you might touch after you've applied it?

Yes R329 it’s not preventative but even as germicide its effectiveness is impaired by multiple applications without hand washing.

I prefer bar soap but sadly it ends up clogging my bathroom sink up after a while. Liquid soap it is.

[quote]Thanks [R302]...but doesn’t applying lotion ruin the effectiveness of the hand sanitizers and/or soap?

Good question. I don't know anyone who puts lotion on after using sanitzer, but I would assume it may impair effectiveness if applied immediately after sanitizer. Most of my coworkers wash their hands with soap and then apply lotion later, so I'm not qualified to give sanitizer advice.

Soap is not a magical barrier- it merely removes pathogens but new ones make their way onto your hands not long after washing. Antibacterial soaps are supposedly only preventative for 20 minutes, so if you wait until after then to apply lotion, you'll probably be ok.

Oops, got confused. I'm not r302. I commented about lotion further up. Sorry, 302.

[quote]I prefer bar soap but sadly it ends up clogging my bathroom sink up after a while. Liquid soap it is.

Boil a pot of water and slowly pour it down the drain, should melt it.

Wow, lots of helpful household tips on thus thread. Thanks, R334.

Regarding medication that's controlled, your doctor can't get you more than 30 days max but you can get your pharmacist to order a few months of the medication to have in stock. Pharmacies can only stock what they know patients are being prescribed, but if you've been using the same medication and the same pharmacy you can ask they get more than a months supply in their inventory for easy refills, and most pharmacists are knowledgeable about the risk of seizure or other complications that would lead to unnecessary exposure seeking healthcare when daily regimens are disrupted.

Speaking of controlled prescriptions, the pharmacies cannot deliver them. They are making all the old people who take pain pills, etc., go to the pharmacies to sign their names on their disease-ridden screens. This needs to end.

r337 They could have someone else pick it up for them. I used to pick up my mom's pain pills that she needed due to cancer and it was never a problem (they did ask to see my ID).

The Lysol disinfectant wipes are okay but the Clorox ones are much better. Just sayin'.

If people get too close to me in the store, I just start fake coughing a little. That makes 'em move along.

I got quarts of 70 percent isopropyl alcohol and threw a spray/mist bottle attachment in it. I spray everything down that comes into my house and leave it alone for as long as possible before I unpack/put it away. it seems safer than trying to wipe stuff down.

R341 , what kind of spray bottle do you use? Could you please post a photo? That's a good idea. TIA.

Kroger (Fry's) in Arizona does A 10% off senior day the first Wednesday of the month, and they're now opening with an hour of senior only shopping most days from 6-7AM. I slapped on an old N95 paint mask and showed up right at 6. The line was nearly half way round the store.

Not hellish, exactly, but sad. The store itself has new doors on refrigerated items, plexiglass between checkers and customers, and no sign of the deli buffet. I managed to get the only bottle of isopropyl alcohol in the store and some made-in-Mexico Foca, the only detergent. No hand soap, no bleach, no paper towels, no toilet tissue, or facial tissue. Very limited coffee, cleaners, frozen food, bread and bakery items, and canned food. Normal looking produce aisle. Very long lines at checkouts.

Senior days freak me out a little sometimes because of the large numbers of frail and marginal elderly folks. Today, I couldn't help but think that many of my fellow shoppers might not be around in a few months.

Oh, sorry, R343, that does sound sad. Arizona is one of the states that's doing worse than others. Maybe focus on yourself and your own health. Sounds selfish, but sometimes that's all you can control.

[quote]Speaking of controlled prescriptions, the pharmacies cannot deliver them. They are making all the old people who take pain pills, etc., go to the pharmacies to sign their names on their disease-ridden screens. This needs to end.

CVS delivered my housemate's prescriptions on Monday. I'm wondering if they're using Uber drovers or another service. I'd be afraid that my meds would disappear, and that the driver would claim they were delivered, just like with my food orders on DoorDash.

Well maybe Bezos was on to something when he was testing drone delivery...

r343, that kind of scene is right out of a 3rd world country.

CVS uses Shipt to deliver scripts.

Thanks, r348.

R342, you can use a sprayer from a standard spray bottle, like the empty kind you'd get at the dollar store.

But there's a huge caveat to this idea. Isopropyl alcohol fumes are somewhat poisonous and you shouldn't be spraying that shit unless you can liberally air out the space you're using it.

Costco shoppers, take note: The retail giant says starting Friday it will only allow up to two people inside stores on each membership card, USA Today reports. The company—which has seen huge lineups amid waves of panic buying—announced Wednesday that the "temporary change is for your safety and the safety of our employees and other members, and to further assist with our social distancing efforts." Costco also pared back its weekday hours earlier this week due to the coronavirus, saying stores will close Monday through Friday at 6:30pm.

They should limit people per card ALL THE TIME!! Make it permanent! Too many people bring their whole fucking family with five kids screaming and grandma who can hardly walk holding on to the buggy and wander around slowly like it's their personal store. I just want to run over one of kids by "accident" sometime, Oooops, little Carley Ann fall down go boom with a bloody nose!

Costco USED to be 2 people per card at any given time. And yes, they should go back to this permanently.

[quote]Costco also pared back its weekday hours earlier this week due to the coronavirus, saying stores will close Monday through Friday at 6:30pm.

Why would they do that? Closing early just means that people will be more concentrated throughout the day. And, a lot of people are still working. When the fuck are they supposed to shop? Are they all going to go on the weekend at the same time now? I understand stores closing at 8pm or so to leave time for extra cleaning and stocking but 6:30 is ridiculous.

I think closing early gives the Costco store employees time to restock the shelves, etc.

Not only does it give them time to restock, it gives them time to sanitize the stores.

FYI, Amazon has Clorox bleach crystals, the kind you add to water to make bleach. They're supposedly out of stock until May, but nearly everything I get on backorder from Amazon gets updated a few days later and arrives earlier than previously advertised.

I got some not so much for cleaning but laundry, though I'm sure you could add some to regular water and make yourself some bleach if you're in a pinch.

As for spraying isopropol alcohol, I just got one of the cheap spray bottles on Amazon with an order a while back, they're usually listed under "frosted assorted colors." Got some for my plants but I have one set aside for spraying alcohol if it comes to that. Hopefully Lysol will eventually be in stock again instead.

I’m heading Out for my grocery pick up this am. Pray for me, today will be my first time in a mask.

I have the N-95 mask and wearing it is annoying if you wear glasses it steams up your glasses when you exhale. I wear it whenever I need to go into any store, now I see at least 50% of the shoppers wearing a mask.

If that’s the case, r359, you’re not wearing it correctly and it will do no good presenting invisible droplets from getting in.

If it steams up your glasses it’s because when you exhale the air is directed upward towards them. It should be coming out of the little ventilator near your mouth.

Presenting = preventing

R360 You're right I had both straps in the same position I tried it on again and put the upper strap above my ears and that made a difference, no steamy glasses. Thanks.

[quote]It should be coming out of the little ventilator near your mouth.

The cheaper ones people grabbed during the fires don't have ventilators. Any tips for not steaming up glasses with those? My friend can't get a good fit no matter how he moves his around.

R358 reporting back. Since i last went out a week ago to my local shoprite TONS more people wearing masks. They were out of chicken today but had everything else.

Our local ACE Hardware has TP just a heads up, i would have never expected that So check at your local in case you are in need.

still no flour

I discovered the reason for the glut of yummy veggies (!!!) like avocados int he markets. restaurants aren't buying in bulk as much, so the grocers have a LOT more of these things (which don't keep as long) on the shelves and bins

[quote]My friend can't get a good fit no matter how he moves his around.

It’s probably the wrong size.

They only come in 1 size, r366.

I’d rather pick up my own medication. But now my back is killing me. But I must get my hypertension meds. And maybe pick up a few things for the kitchen.

No they come in at least two sizes. Medical professionals are fitted for the correct size.

We get fitted with choice of proper size of N95 mask. We put individual hoods on while wearing the mask, then we get sprayed a bitter mixture inside the hood If we can taste bitterness while reading out aloud a few paragraphs from a form they give us, then we fail the fit test.

[quote]No they come in at least two sizes. Medical professionals are fitted for the correct size.

The N95s sold to us at Target and Home Depot and also given out by LAUSD were one standard size. There aren't any others available now, even if there were sizes sold to the general public.

[quote]The N95s sold to us at Target and Home Depot and also given out by LAUSD were one standard size. There aren't any others available now, even if there were sizes sold to the general public.

Right, and the one standard isn’t the correct size for many people. And if it doesn’t fit properly, it’s not providing any protection. That’s why the general public shouldn’t be wearing these, and they should be reserved for the medical professionals who actually need them and are properly fitted for them.

Forgot to thank you, R366. Although we can't do anything about the size of his mask, you did answer the question.

We have those masks because the school district was instructed to give them to students the day before schools were closed, and because we buy them every year for the fires here. My friend is on antibiotics every year for respiratory issues, so he was told not to donate his masks.

Forgot to thank you, R366. Although we can't do anything about the size of his mask, you did answer the question.

We have those masks because the school district was instructed to give them to students the day before schools were closed, and because we buy them every year for the fires here. My friend is on antibiotics every year for respiratory issues, so he was told not to donate his masks.

Toilet paper hoarder caught on camera!

Cover me, I'm going in! (heading to the grocery store this morning... ugh)

I was at Target at 8:45 this morning not many shoppers and they had everything but were low on disinfectant wipes which were limited to 1 per customer. I wore my N95 mask, there were a lot more people swearing masks including the store employees.

wearing^^

R375 Thanks for the laugh.

Good luck, R376. I've got to go to Target later in the afternoon and I'm dreading it. According to their website my local stores (NorCal) have had toilet paper and disinfectant wipes in stock all week, after being out for the past three. Fingers crossed that they still have some by the time I get there.

And thanks to R89 for his tip about wipes from Bed Bath & Beyond.

Just crossed my street. Walked a block to my corner shop. I was the only one in there. Went and stocked up on canned fruit and vegetables. Bread. Butter. Went next door to butcher bought chicken breast and steak. All at 8am. Took me 30 minutes. Physically interacted with 3 people all wearing gloves. I'm lucky to be near local stores. Realize most are doomed to the mega mobs at Walmart, Costco,Sams Club.

Looks like R89's wipes are back! The page no longer says "out of stock". However, according to the page, 11834 people have that item in their cart.

They also have a three pack in stock. Only 1194 people have that item in their cart.

I'm about to head to the store for the first time in almost a week. I have a mask. (I bought a pack of them two years ago when I had to clean up some mouse droppings I discovered.) I also have some latex gloves.

Wish me luck!

I'm back. Stocks of most things are recovering. Still no laundry detergent for me (I need the unscented "high efficiency" kind). They had SOME kinds, but they were mostly the really smelly kind for top-loaders.

Still, what used to take me 15 minutes total (including travel time) took an hour. Most of it spent waiting in line to get INTO the store. This isn't a mega-mart it's just a local grocery store.

The line to checkout was huge, but no waiting for the self-service. They let you slip in even if you're slightly over 10 items. I had 16 items I think. If I had had to wait in that bit checkout line, I would have added an extra 20 minutes to my trip I think.

Still waiting for my Bed Bath Beyond wipes, got an email saying they are working on it.

I thought BBB had closed for good.

My experience is that Target’s website in-store availability on items are now lagging thus not reliable. However I have found that Walgreens’ update is very reliable, it tells you which store has what quantity of items you’re looking to buy. I went to my neighborhood Walgreens yesterday for toilet paper because the website said still 10 rolls available. Limited to to each, and it was Walgreens own brand of Scott 1000 brand of tp Sure enough I got there and they were still there.

Well, I'm back. I arrived at the store, and I realized that I had forgotten my credit card (and my drivers license). I'm going to ride my bike back to the store. It's so nice out.

Baking powder has been all but impossible to find. I got the last can at my local market. Fortunately, I have flour because all of that was gone as well. Is everyone staying in and baking or what? All of the cake mixes....weird.

People staying home baking are likely those who have kids they have to entertain. Bratty kids who demand junk food and snacks that the parents no longer have in the pantry or can’t afford to buy

[quote]My experience is that Target’s website in-store availability on items are now lagging thus not reliable.

That seems to be the case now - stuff they've been claiming was in stock all week is now listed as 'no longer being sold' at the two stores in my town.

Sigh.

I went to a large grocery at 7 a.m. yesterday morning, near Atlanta, about 70 miles away. Mask, homemade, and gloves. No problems. No toilet paper or paper towels of any kind. They had no beans of any kind, no rice. Good thing I stocked up a month or so ago. They did have the chlorine sanitizing wipes, that have been gone for 3 weeks now. The mask was kind of fidgety, there were about 30 or 40 shoppers in the whole huge store, and I saw quite a few struggling with their bandanas. Check-out was do-it-yourself for me, the only kind I like, and it was a little clunky, wearing a mask and gloves, AND I was buying enough stuff for a solid 2 weeks. It was the most money I've ever spent at one time at a grocery store unless I was buying for a party. All in all, it was a breeze and I'm glad I don't have to do it again for a while. No problems.

I put in an order from Instacart for the supermarket chain Ideal Food Basket. There's one about half a mile from me and another one about 2 miles, and I assumed that the shopper would be local and visit a store in my neighborhood. When I got the notice that the shopper was on their way to me, the map showed that he was coming from Queens, and I'm in Brooklyn. What a waste of time and resources - I figured the task would be doled out to someone closer to me.

I was disappointed that about 19 of my items were not available (flour, pancake mix, ground turkey, potatoes, eggs, corn flakes...) but pleased that they were able to get other produce (lettuce, tomato, oranges, grapes), a whole chicken and a pack of thighs, pork chops, breakfast sausage, bread, other things. I expected one delivery person but a dude and a woman came in, carrying my 6 bags. I felt bad because I tipped online plus I put a tenner in an envelope (expecting one shopper guy). The dude took the envelope, the woman had already turned away, and I wonder if he even split that with his partner.

Everyone is whinging about no TP, but I wonder if parents of infants are having to deal with any shortages of formula. Now THAT is a serious problem.

I'm sure if there were parents (middle and upper class) of infants with formula shortage, we'd all be hearing about it. Now is the perfect time to breast-feed.

I just went to Shoprite (only because all the wine stores are closed in downtown Jersey City) and I know Buyrite has the wine I like. There was an insane line to BJs with everyone standing 3 inches away from each other. Also, people were not practicing social distancing in the store. I had to snap at several people to move the fuck over in the aisles. I bought 4 bottles of my favorite wine and got the hell out of dodge! That should last me for a month. Hopefully, wine delivery is available next month.

R396, you risked your life for wine? Really? Maybe you should look for an online AA program or something.

R397: Wine is needed at a times like these and since I was already out...And 2-3 glasses 1x week does not make me a alcoholic :) But nice try.

[quote]I had to snap at several people to move the fuck over in the aisles.

That's really cunty, you could've just asked them politely.

Nyc techie 4 bottles is super restrained, I have cases.

Depends on what size bottle you’re talking about.

R394 I’m the parent of two infants— three week old twins. I didn’t know if I’d be able to produce enough milk for both so I bought some formula as a back up. No problems there. My pediatrician did say she wasn’t giving out the normal free samples of formula they normally give out to new parents. She is saving them for parents who need them if things get even worse. R395 is right; it’s the perfect time to breastfeed, especially with no place to go!

Baby wipes were sold out on amazon for two weeks, but they are back now. Diapers have been in stock and it seems like amazon is giving them priority shipping. I ordered a bunch of other stuff and it was delayed, but the diapers got to my house in two days. Thanks to everyone on DL. I was able to stockpile what I would need back in February because of the heads up I got from everyone here.

Awww! R402. Best of luck to you and your babies!

[quote]That's really cunty, you could've just asked them politely.

NOBODY SHOULD HAVE TO ASK

One grocery store near me has kept it's 9am-9pm hours; another, larger store had the same but has reduced evening shopping by two hours to reduce stress on staff.

The number of shoppers inside the store is controlled and for most of the day it's a one goes out, one comes in system. People queue (at most a few time and a few minutes wait) outside behind tape lines and a clerk directs traffic, giving to each incoming shopper a pair of gloves and a paper towel with disinfectant to wipe down a shopping cart (though usually a clerk brings one to you and swabs it down for you).

It's easy to maneuver around the stores with few people. Everyone is respectful and tries to stay out of the path of others and not to block aisle ends, etc. The stores are fully stocked but for a few things. One store closed it's fresh-squeezed orange juice machine, the other reopened theirs. For 10-days or some things were in sporadic short supply, offering one kind of potato chips as the only crispy snack I noticed, or certain brands and products were cleared out. These instances where few and now back to normal, more or less. The selection of fruits and vegetables is a little off, though most people by these from the fruit markets that are everywhere.

Check out lines are efficient, taped markers to space shoppers apart and now the cashiers attend to one customer at a time. When all is bagged and paid for and done, they call the next in line to move forward. There might be one or at most two customers in line ahead of you. Cashiers have big lucite panels brought in to give them a buffer of protection and distance. Everyone is courteous, customers and staff.

It's not ideal, it's a bit strange, it's best to be a bit strategic about when you go, but given the circumstances it's more civilized than might be expected and not unpleasant, in large part because the staff have been kind and patient about things that must be stressful for them.

R95 here. I got my Instacart order today. The service was ok. The shopper was communicative and worked with me to substitute things the store didn't have. He didn't totally follow my instructions, specifically since he got meat from the butcher, which I specifically asked him not to, but otherwise it was fine. He delivered the groceries right to my door, so I was pretty happy with that. The only other thing that bothered me was that the Instacart app on my phone did not send push alerts for when the shopper was sending me a message. If I hadn't been on my phone actively watching the chat, then I would have missed his messages, which would have been a big problem. Overall, though, I would use the service again, but I'm looking to see how Peapod is first, as I mentioned in R100, to see if I like it better. Hope this information was helpful.

[quote]He didn't totally follow my instructions, specifically since he got meat from the butcher, which I specifically asked him not to

Why did you not want meat from the butcher, r406?

R407, I'm guessing he didn't want the butcher touching/packing his meats. (Yes, I realize that workers in meatpacking factories touch the meats.)

BTW, just had a phone appointment with my doctor today (not for Corona). Maybe it's a no-brainer, but I asked her whether I should avoid the bulk bins at the stores. She said yes, avoid those for a while. (Random people touching the bins, the scoopers, etc.)

The bulk bins at all the stores around me are not in use right now. All the rolls and breads are pre-packaged in plastic bags, too.

I haven't bathed in over a week, but I need to go to the store tomorrow. Should I take a shower before I go, to wash off the stank, or wait until I get home, to wash off the 'Rona?

Both. And you should bathe more often. The last thing you need is to get an infection. How would you like to go to the doctor now?

I had to go out today and I felt like those guys suiting up in the series Chernobyl. I kept thinking I would come back in the door dying of Coronavirus.

And brush your teeth every day. You don’t need dental problems now.

I'm still having trouble finding Dippity Do.

I think the stank will encourage people to socially distance from me.

How can people not shower every day? That is disgusting.

R412, after you put up your hair, just spray it all with Stylac. You'll be amazed at the hold!

I'm just about out of Lysol spray. Damn, I wish I'd bought another one back before all this craziness began.

It was sheer luck that I bought a 2-pack of Lysol just before this all began, but both cans are about half full already. What ever happened to the store brand versions of Lysol? I used to get that all the time and only switched to brand name because they came in bigger sizes, but now I can't find store brand anywhere, it's like they don't even make it anymore. No off brands, either.

[quote] It’s a production to go to the store now. You have to think of every step and not make a mistake.

Do you launder your money? Do you know how many thousand other people handled your money before it made it into your pocket?

Nobody with a brain is using cash anymore, Ethel.

I can't get a Shipt delivery time and every time I refresh I lose something out of my cart because it gets Sold Out

R380 here. Went to Target this evening - what a nightmare. No paper products of any kind. Nothing that disinfects. Not much on the way of laundry products. Found some frozen vegetables, which have been in short supply around here. Not a very productive trip.

The whole experience was depressing as hell, because people are STILL behaving as stupidly as they possibly can. Few people practicing social distancing despite all the signs and helpful circles on the floor for the dimwitted. Way too many people in the store period, dragging their kids and every extended family member along with them. At the cashier next to me there was a guy, late teens, with about five or six friends - I'd seen them all over the store as I was shopping, but at the checkout line it was apparent that he was the only one buying anything. The rest were just there taking up space, breathing air, and needlessly putting everyone else and themselves at risk. I really think it's time for stores to only allow the person who's going to pay inside - if an older person needs a helper that's fine, but using the store as a family outing has got to stop.

And this is California. I don't even want to imagine what it 's like in other places.

R418, not only do I not carry money, I quit wearing a jacket or carrying a bag. I leave my phone in the car. I carry a wallet and my keys and that’s it. And I wear black rubber boots that I hose down when I get home, and my clothes go straight in the washer. The boots stay in the garage for a few days after.

I had a low fever and a sore throat a few days ago. It freaked me out, but it’s probably allergies, there’s heavy yellow pollen everywhere. Every time I go out I take Emergency-C and zinc for a few days after.

I just came back from ShopRite I got there just before they opened at 7 am there was a line to get in that stretched around the block. We all got in I'm glad I went the items that they didn't have were cleaning supplies and disinfectant sprays.

I'm learning how to shop for 2 weeks now and have never had so much food in my kitchen cabinets and fridge at one time.

Instacart seems to have plenty of delivery times open now, at least in NYC.

At the Sprouts in WeHo, they pre-bagged and tagged most of the bulk bin items, which is quite handy.

[quote]And this is California. I don't even want to imagine what it 's like in other places.

No offense, but California has plenty of morons. And everyone being stoned 24/7 doesn’t help either.

r414 The vast majority of people in the world do not bathe every day.

[quote]I'm guessing he didn't want the butcher touching/packing his meats. (Yes, I realize that workers in meatpacking factories touch the meats.)

I'd give anything to find a butcher to touch my meat right now.

[quote]The vast majority of people in the world do not bathe every day.

I remember seeing a dermatologist give an interview on TV many years ago who actually warned against people bathing every day. She said the bath oils we use are full of chemicals and pouring them on our skin every single day (and sometimes twice a day if you bathe in the morning and at night) is not wise.

I’m seeing something similar to that now, r429, just by washing my hands much more frequently than ever. My hands are getting dried and raw.

Just do a whore's bath: wash your pits and the front and back "down there". Good to go!

[quote]The vast majority of people in the world do not bathe every day.

They also live in their own filth and eat garbage. Does that make it okay? If you live in a first world country and have a bathroom with a shower ten paces away from your fat lazy ass there is no excuse for not being clean and hygenic.

[quote]No offense, but California has plenty of morons. And everyone being stoned 24/7 doesn’t help either.

Of course we do. What I meant was that this state was the first to adopt a stay at home order, and has been pushing social distancing and the other guidelines harder and for a bit longer than others, while some states are still dragging their feet about it. There's no excuse for people here to act this way at this point, no matter how moronic they are.

And 'everyone' here is not stoned. Plenty of people don't partake, including myself.

R433 I'm surprised you felt the need to answer to the ridiculousness of the second part of that person's post.

[quote] I remember seeing a dermatologist give an interview on TV many years ago who actually warned against people bathing every day. She said the bath oils we use are full of chemicals...

Did she say this in 1955? Most people take a shower, not bathe, let alone use "bath oils".

[quote]Did she say this in 1955? Most people take a shower, not bathe, let alone use "bath oils".

You have to remember the demographics here. It still *IS* 1955 for many Dlers.

You have to remember the demographic for R436: idiot twinks who didn't vote in 2016.

r437 not everything is about Trump.

R435, I don’t think she was talking about bath oils like some sort of heiress bathing in luxurious bubbles.

She meant the products we use, as opposed to good old-fashioned soap nowadays. Body sprays, shit like that.

[quote]some sort of heiress bathing in luxurious bubbles.

Again, you've just described a sizable portion of Datalounge's demographic. It's 1955 and they're CZ Guest.

[quote]Did she say this in 1955? Most people take a shower, not bathe, let alone use "bath oils".

It was back in the '80s as I recall. She was on one of the network morning shows, "Good Morning America" if I'm remembering correctly.

[quote]She meant the products we use, as opposed to good old-fashioned soap nowadays. Body sprays, shit like that.

Thank you, R439. That is it exactly.

I would say, at least jump in the shower, wash your face. Soap up your armpits and genitalia / ass areas. If you have a handheld shower, shoot down your feet. Done.

R407 it's what R408 said.

R424 I can't a Costco delivery date, though, That's what I really need right now.

R442... so you're recommending people take... showers?

Yes, R445, that's my recommendation, I guess. IMO, your morale will fall apart if you stop doing these basic things, like showers.

Yeah, R446 it just sounded like a funny thing to essentially suggest a shower to people saying they don't want to shower.

Why do people want to smell their own funk around the house, though? I have a sensitive sniffer and the last thing I want assaulting my nostrils is my own stench.

Most people can't smell their own funk.

Bullshit, R449. They just like it! Pigs.

How has Amazon been about fulfilling orders for now rare items once you actually manage to get something in the cart without it disappearing and get your order confirmation with delivery date? Are people getting 'cancelled' notifications like a week or two later or once you have it actually ordered, have they been pretty good about fulfilling it?

I’m in the metro-Denver area and stores are pretty well stocked. Even Target has toilet paper, but you’re only allowed one package

Doing curbside pickup around Cleveland has become increasingly impossible (using Giant Eagle, Walmart, Instacart). I now have to go close to Akron (almost an hour away) just to pick up groceries that I ordered 6 days ago. But I refuse to go into a grocery store myself.

There were a couple of items I was looking for that Amazon says it has in stock but you can't get them unless you become a member of Prime, which I'm not. I looked up the benefits and don't mind the $12.99/month price but don't want to sign up only to find that, while we're in the midst of a pandemic, that it really won't get you much anyway.

Wrong, R450.

It's a scientific fact. Like most things, people can get so accustomed to something they no longer notice what everyone else does who isn't exposed to it routinely.

R451 I haven't had that experience but a friend of mine was able to get TP in her Amazon a few weeks ago. The original delivery date was around 4/10, and it keeps getting pushed back. Her new estimated date is in late May.

For TP just go to Walgreens for those of you who have them in your area. They're pretty good at updating how many items are in stock in real time. Also they have their own brands of tp that are still on the shelves though limited to 2 rolls per person per day.

Another place to check if you live near any Amish: their markets and general stores. My sister lives near Mansfield, OH and just mailed me 3 packages of toilet paper and some disinfecting foam, whatever that is.

Yes, go to Walgreens when they open in the morning. You should be able to find tp there.

Instead of senior hours, why don't stores have family hours? I understand that there are some people who really can't shop alone for whatever reason. Give them a few hours a day. Hell, give them the first few hours of the day. I don't care when they shop, just keep them out of the store for most of the day.

What I don't need is a "senior hour". What is the point of that, now that shortages are easing? Old people are just as contagious as young people if they're sick, and if they're not sick there's no reason for them not to shop with other individual shoppers. What nobody needs is a free-for-all where Mom brings her 3 kids, a gang of college friends decide to shop together, and disabled people with their caregivers all crowd the aisles all day, except for the super-convenient 6-7 a.m. slot.

Senior hours aren't because Seniors are more contagious.

It's to protect them from being around all the other people who may be contagious. It provides them an opportunity to shop, get the items they need before families hoard everything, and allows them to do so in a freshly sterilized store.

[quote]I haven't had that experience but a friend of mine was able to get TP in her Amazon a few weeks ago. The original delivery date was around 4/10, and it keeps getting pushed back. Her new estimated date is in late May.

Hey, toilet paper doesn't grow on trees, you know.

[quote]—Why does this need to be explained?

Because it makes less sense than providing a time - a generous, convenient time slot, not a single hour when normal people are sound asleep - for people of any age to shop alone. I am a senior, and the biggest risk to me is other people. I don't care if the other people are 26 or 76. If there are lot of them, it's risky for me. Children are especially problematic because they have no self-control. Fewer people, all of them grownups = less risk. Stores should be doing everything they can to keep the number of shoppers per order to 1.

Why does that need to be explained?

R463 you've just explained exactly why they have the Senior Hour.

Most Senior Hours are at 7am. Most people are not sound asleep at that time. Providing that hour allows Seniors to be around LESS people, and definitely away from younger people and children.. There are not hundreds of Seniors trying to get in at the same time. And once again, it allows Seniors to be in there while the store is at its cleanest.

Further, some stores are offering curb side, "concierge," service for Seniors and those at risk where you show up, sit in your car, and they do your shopping for you.

R463, IMO, the senior time slot (first hour of the morning) is the best time slot. The stores are freshly-opened at that time.

[quote]Instead of senior hours, why don't stores have family hours?

They're also thinking of providing special shopping privileges to first responders here in NY as a way to help them avoid long lines after working long hours. It would be for police, firemen, healthcare workers, etc. A few stores have already signed on to the idea and one is also going to provide them with $100,000 in gift cards (at $25 apiece) as another way of expediting their shopping experience.

R464, it depends on where you live. Senior days are freakshows around here in AZ. Tons of people. At WinCo, they start lining up at 4:30 for the 6 am opening. They let in 50 ppl every 15 minutes, and my neighbor said she was in the 3rd group to be let in, and she got in line at 5 am. Sounds terrible.

I went to Target today and WinCo yesterday, and almost nobody is wearing a mask, even though it was re-recommended to us the other day. Maybe there aren't any. I have a box and I'm rationing and re-using them, spraying them with disinfectant between uses. People look askance at the mask-wearers, as if they are the problem.

If you only need toiletries and household cleaners (if you can find them) forget places like Target or WalMart and just go to CVS or Walgreens, or whatever equivalent you have in your area. I had to get some soap and deodorant today, but didn't want to wait in the lines at the big box stores and just popped into Walgreens instead.

Shhh, R468.

r468, that doesn't work in NYC because CVS, Walgreens and Rite Aid have a significantly higher price than Target. I was just in Rite Aid this evening and a large tube of toothpaste was $11.

Yeah, they're more expensive than the box stores, but if you don't want to wait in a long line to get into one of those stores, I was just throwing it out there. Personally, I'd rather just pay a little more for grooming products or cleaning supplies temporarily, instead of dealing with waiting in those lines.

[quote]Personally, I'd rather just pay a little more

Well, smell you, Ritchie Rich. When you get our stimulus check, you can send it on to me.

The paper madness seems to have calmed down in Seattle (though, to be fair, we are about a month ahead of much of the rest of the country when it comes to "Coronavirus" quarantining and hoarding). I'm seeing TP, paper towels and Kleenix in stock (though very picked over).

Cleaning stuff is tough to find: bleach and disinfectants and alcohol and wipes and the like.

Food is mostly available though sometimes picked over, especially rice/pasta. Flour is still hard to find right now; apparently everyone is baking.

r472 it's only a slight increase in price, it's not a fortune. And really if you live in NYC you should be used to paying out the ass for everything.

I agree it’s worth paying more to avoid the hoards.

What’s a few dollars compared to getting sick?

Yes, I would prefer shopping at a Walgreens compared to a Target or Walmart.

There is plenty of soap toothpaste, and some cleaners at the dollar stores. Pine Sol and small bottles of bleach too. Bleach comes and goes. I see it then I don't. I want quaternary disinfectants, and everybody's out.

[quote]Food is mostly available though sometimes picked over, especially rice/pasta.

Rice and pasta re the cheapest way to fee spawn and crotch fruit empty calories so there you have it. Parenting at it's best.

I think we're all going to run out of hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes, Lysol spray, etc. very soon. It's like they just aren't making any of it anymore. You will either have to try to create your own or find a substitute (like Pine Sol) to navigate this time until we get back to normal.

Order it now R479, it will come a month from now, plan ahead, not that complicated.

I went out at 7 am to Dollar General to buy some toilet paper. All the grocery stores are out. They didn't have any on the shelf. I asked a stock clerk when they were getting their next shipment in. He told me to ask up front. I went up the cashier and asked when they would be getting toilet paper in stock and she said, "we have some, it's behind the counter". She would only let me buy one

They have to keep it behind the counter because some people went in last week and took a bunch of packages of toilet paper out of the wrapper and put them on brooms (over the handles) and ran out of the store and jumped into the back of a truck and took off. We're about an 40 minutes outside of Atlanta

R480, how can you "order it now" when so many sites have "out of stock" plastered over the product and nothing to click on to order ahead of time? Get fucking real.

An Amazon Fresh delivery guy just delivered all of the items I haven't been able to get in stores.

[quote]For TP just go to Walgreens for those of you who have them in your area. They're pretty good at updating how many items are in stock in real time. Also they have their own brands of tp that are still on the shelves though limited to 2 rolls per person per day.

I actually did this today, on your advice, after checking their website Friday evening. The website claimed they had toilet paper, paper towels AND their Nice! brand disinfectant wipes, 'between 6-10' packages on the shelves, and it still said so by mid-morning today. When I got there, they had none of those things, of any brand. So, nobody get too excited about their website, it's as out of date as everyone else's at this point. The drugstores, at least where I am, are just as wiped clean of all the things people are looking for (toilet paper, paper towels, disinfectant spray and wipes, alcohol, etc etc) as Target, Walmart and the grocery and hardware stores.

[quote]I went to Target today and WinCo yesterday, and almost nobody is wearing a mask, even though it was re-recommended to us the other day. Maybe there aren't any.

There aren't. I would like to see more people wearing them too, but there aren't any out there to buy, and most people aren't going to attempt to make their own. The whole mask shortage is an epic mess.

[quote]I think we're all going to run out of hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes, Lysol spray, etc. very soon. It's like they just aren't making any of it anymore.

It's been close to a month since I've seen any of these sorts of items on the shelves, or even in stock on store websites where it turns out they actually have them in stock to sell. I was one of the people who ordered some wipes from the BBB website, and I'm still waiting for them to ship - I have a bad feeling we're going to get told they can't fulfill the order. Of all the shortages, these are the ones that worry me the most - because when it becomes harder to disinfect things and people are left on their on to make homemade sanitizing stuff, most people will just disinfect less.

[quote]I'm learning how to shop for 2 weeks now and have never had so much food in my kitchen cabinets and fridge at one time.

I'm having a tough time finding where to store everything, to be honest. I cleared out a cabinet in the laundry room and it's now full of noodles, soup, cornbread mix and potatoes.

There's got to be some reason everyone is out of every kind of disinfectant spray, even the brands that aren't Lysol. It's not like people occasionally find some, it's just been completely out for a good 3-4 weeks. Maybe they're only making hospital grade product.

My closest supermarket that had last changed their opening time from 11 to 9am is now changing to 8am. Maybe because Easter is this weekend? No matter it saves me from the long travel to the next closest which opens at 7.

It was announced that some of our local markets will now be opening an hour earlier to allow first responders to shop early, the hour before the senior hour...so maybe that's what's going on at your supermarket, R487?

That’s a dumb idea, r488.

You let first responders in first, who are most at risk of contracting it because they’re dealing with people who have it, THEN let in the more vulnerable population of elderly? Before you have a chance to disinfect the store?

Oh boy.

R465, I was the third customer allowed into a suburban Boston Stop & Shop at 6:00 AM Saturday morning and the shelves were more stocked than they've been in weeks.

A fair amount of previously unavailable items, toilet paper, paper towels, pasta, pasta sauce, etc., all brand names.

Friends and relatives tell me I should be using home delivery at age 68, but the stores are not crowded at 6:00 AM and I use the self-checkout registers.

Making a mask is easy: fold a bandana or other rectangular cloth into a triangle. Fold up a cloth table napkin into a square that will cover your nose and mouth. I also inserted a coffee filter into the middle of mine. Put it in the middle of your bandana and tie it tightly behind your head. If it isn't tight, it will slip down off of your nose pretty quickly as you move around. It works well, is hard to talk and breathe through, and it gets hot in there pretty quickly. You can wear it into a store, take it off when you get home or get back into your car; leave it outside (in the sun), and then wash it in the machine with hot water and lots of soap, maybe a little bleach. Simple. I would not do this just to walk around outside, but I sure have been doing it when I've had to go inside into any public space lately.

Thank you, R491.

So we supposed to go out and buy cloth napkins, filters, elastics and whatever else we need to make a mask?

I guess we can get filters at the grocery, but where do you get long elastic bands and cloth napkins?

Come on, you can figure this out. You could make a respectable mask out of a couple of t-shirts. If you don't have coffee filters, what about folded up napkins? A cloth washcloth? You have no cloth napkins? None? You could use a wool winter scarf to secure some of these filtering things up around your nose and mouth. It is doable if you want to figure it out.

This "government task force" needs to shut the fuck up. We do not need another run on food and toilet paper. There is plenty of food in the stores right now, IF people do not start running out and hoarding again.

There is no need to disinfect reusable cloth masks with bleach if you just wash them with soap and water. I’d be hesitant to recommend bleach wash for cloth masks for a couple of reasons. Soap and water kill viruses just fine. There will invariably be people who go overboard on bleach wash, all of us know people who think more is better.

If I’m wearing mask close to my face, I wouldn’t want the smell of chlorine gas from bleach. There can be cumulative effects of it lingering in fabric too. That’ll get you a headache and perhaps even damage the lungs, sensitive and reactive airways for those who are vulnerable. Vulnerable being those with conditions like asthma. Bleach and water solution is great for cleaning non-porous, hard surfaces.

Studies show that hydrogen peroxide kills a host of pathogens including RSV which is a pesky virus that we see a lot during flu season. RSV is much more difficult to kill than the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which fortunately is an easy virus to kill. Panicky stories about the virus being found 2 weeks on cruise ships are not true. They found RNA fragments not live virus capable of being infectious. Hydrogen peroxide kills RSV which is way harder to kill than SARS-CoV-2. Benefit being hydrogen peroxide degrades into water and oxygen gas and not noxious chlorine gas. 3% hydrogen peroxide is adequate enough and it’s what I will be using to disinfect my cloth masks for work and for going outside (I’m a DNP).

Here is a concise laymen’s article which lists a few options.

Just did another Walmart grocery pickup order for tomorrow. (I refuse to go into stores.) This is my fifth order -- and they STILL do not have butter. Finally able to get ground beef (it shows in stock now; who knows what will happen tomorrow when they pick the order.) No refrigerated dough products (e.g., biscuits.) Fortunately I don't need TP or paper towels. I have to keep adding stuff I don't really need in order to get to the $35 minimum.

r493 I bought these a few weeks ago in case my N95 mask gets lost

[quote]I guess we can get filters at the grocery, but where do you get long elastic bands and cloth napkins?

Holly Lobby!

Has anyone done fast food or restaurant pick up? Yeah I know they claim to be careful but I can't stop thinking about some asymptomatic 16 year breathing all over the bag or box.

R500: Exactly. I feel the same about Instacart shoppers. One more possible layer of contamination...Also afraid to let strangers into my building. Which means going outside to meet them anyway.

I get Doordash, Shipt, Postmates, Grubhub, and regular shipping to deliver absolutely everything for me.

The only thing I do drive thru for are controlled prescriptions at CVS.

I've been to two drive-thrus since this whole thing started. Both times the cashier was wearing gloves and taking pains to be careful, and I saw sanitizing supplies. Whereas yesterday when I went to Walgreens, the cashier wore no gloves or mask and I saw no sanitizing supplies anywhere near. It was like any other day. So I don't think you're at a particularly greater risk from takeout.

R502, CVS delivers too

^^ but not controlled substance prescriptions, opiates, etc.

I do no contact delivery with everything, including Shipt and Instacart.

I wash my hands after putting the groceries away.

I’m not going to go crazy with disinfecting each item.

[quote]Has anyone done fast food or restaurant pick up?

Yes, but I know it's Russian roulette. As the number of contaminated people increases, it's like having more bullets in the cylinder. I need to resist going out since my freezer is full.

You’re afraid to let strangers into your building, r501 ??

That’s retarded. You’re exposing yourself needlessly, and that’s on you and your ridiculous neuroses.

I’ve recently glanced my Doordash people as they’ve walked away- both were wearing a mask and gloves, for what it’s worth.

Tender Greens are doing fruit, vegetable, pantry, breakfast and mixed produce boxes to deliver. That's what I miss the most- fresh produce and dairy. I'm lucky enough to have a porch where deliveries can be left on it.

I much prefer the limited viral load of contactless delivery to repeated trips to a grocery around hacking crowds of cunts.

[quote]I’ve recently glanced my Doordash people as they’ve walked away- both were wearing a mask and gloves

As long as they are wearing magic gloves that the virus doesn't adhere to, then it's okay.

Stuff that doesn't need refrigeration, I just set the bags in one place, out of the way, and let em sit for 3 days to a week - you get to be a slob and you don't have to worry about cooties adhering to your canned goods. Simple.

Just to reiterate, this virus is mainly transmitted by droplets or aerosolized droplets. You can touch contaminated surface then touch your face so that you breathe in the virus, but that is not the main route of transmission. As long as you wash your hand before you touch your face, you’re pretty much covered. That is if you take precautions to wear masks when going outside as an extra layer of risk reduction. Let’s try not to get carried away with fear here, the actual situation is bad enough without freaking out.

I saw a woman with her kids out shopping last week, and bitch was screaming at an elderly man who had a mask on. Apparently one of her kids had wandered too close to the man, not his fault she couldn’t control her brats. A case of people freaking out unnecessarily.

^^^ And the bitch who was screaming was doing more to spread respiratory droplets around than anyone else in the store.

R515. Exactly, dumb bitch.

A rando on the internet explained the cleanser and sanitizer shortages. These things were made in batches, or ordered from China in batches, maybe quarterly. There isn't a continual stream of just-in-time production and distribution. The shit sat in warehouses until it was ordered by distributors, wholesalers, and retailers. It snaked through the supply chain in a relatively steady flow.

Suddenly the next 6 months' worth of distribution got bought up, the warehouses are empty, and the manufacturers will have to prioritize making new shit. Due to production limitations, not everything will re-appear in the stores. Because many companies contract and don't own their factories, there will be price competition for the contract production of some items, and you can expect some of this shit to cost more $$ when it returns.

[quote]I saw a woman with her kids out shopping last week

Im astounded that people are still shopping as families during a fucking pandemic. Leave your fucking kids and partners at home! In Italy only one person per home is allowed to shop at a time, and it should be the same here.

If that man wasn't masked he could have potentially spread the virus to her whole family. Or even worse one of her brats is a silent carrier spreading that shit all over the store.

[quote]As long as they are wearing magic gloves that the virus doesn't adhere to, then it's okay.

Exactly. Everything they've touched is on those gloves. They are a barrier for only the hands inside, not a barrier to transmitting on other surfaces.

R84, here. After a week of waiting for my pick-up date (today) to arrive, Harris Teeter called me at 9:30 this morning and told me not to come pick up my order because they can't fulfill it. The product isn't in stock.

[quote]Has anyone done fast food or restaurant pick up? Yeah I know they claim to be careful but I can't stop thinking about some asymptomatic 16 year breathing all over the bag or box.

How about the people cooking and putting it into the containers? If you think every food handler is correctly wearing an effective mask, or even any mask, as they lean over their grill, think again.

[quote]3% hydrogen peroxide is adequate enough and it’s what I will be using to disinfect my cloth masks for work and for going outside (I’m a DNP).

Even 3% hp can be corrosive to skin and airways during prolonged contact. Might want to either rinse your masks after leaving the peroxide on for at least 20 minutes or put another layer of cloth between the peroxided layer and your mouth.

I recommended 20 minutes because it takes 10 minutes for 6% peroxide to disinfect surfaces (as per CDC website), so the smaller percentage probably takes at least double the time.

I've eaten from McDonald's, last time was about a week ago. But I'm now wary. Also, I noticed that the drive-through lines are not long in my McD's-loving neighborhood.

I think the restaurant industry will be done in after this. Who wants to eat out again after such a major health crisis? I don't!

I think the restaurant industry will be done in after this. Who wants to eat out again after such a major health crisis? I don't!

I made the mistake of shopping today, the line situation is bad under normal circumstances on the weekend and it's nuttier than ever now. I stupidly went to trader joes and stood in a long ass line snaking down the entire block when Fairway up the street has NO FREAKING LINE! I'll know better next time than to shop on the weekend or wait in a long ass line like sheep being led to slaughter. Trader joes has everything everything in stock including handsoap, plants, flowers, ( all luxuries) but NO TOILET PAPER.

R500, I went to McDonald's for coffee two weeks ago and the lady at the window coughed a couple times. She seemed fine and coughed into her shoulder, but I was still a bit freaked. God home, wiped the coffees down and washed my hands, poured the coffee in other cups and microwaved them, but still haven't gotten food from delivery or carryout since.

Similar viruses to COVID-19 die at 149F so there shouldn't be a problem with getting your food, putting it on your own trays or in casseroles or whatever, and heating it up in the oven until it's well over 149F, but I'm not quite desperate enough to do that yet.

I’ve been heating take out to 175 degrees before eating if. Not a big deal but it makes me feel better. Its mainly pasta and pizza so not like I’m ruining a gourmet effort.

People who normally buy lots of their food from restaurants (like me) are now having to buy nearly all they eat at the grocery, so yea, grocery stores are mobbed with business now. I hunt for the small places that middle-Americans would never even notice, the rare IGA, or carnicerias, Korean markets, health food boutiques - most of these places have just recently started requiring you to order ahead (around Atlanta anyway), but I'm sure as hell not going someplace where I have to stand in line for an hour to get in or to check out, I don't care how many feet apart I am from the others waiting. Get up and be with the first ones there when the doors open: no lines, no waiting to check out...

[quote]Get up and be with the first ones there when the doors open: no lines, no waiting to check out...

Unless you're a senior you will have to wait!

[quote] People who normally buy lots of their food from restaurants (like me) are now having to buy nearly all they eat at the grocery, so yea, grocery stores are mobbed with business now.

R529, can you get takeout where you live? What kinds of restaurants did you used to frequent? TIA.

^^ Yes, you can get take-out where I am, but I am not going to do it for the time being. I'm a good cook, just lazy. I always bought lunch from a restaurant (and usually breakfast too, being honest), when I was working at my office, but I'm far from there now, in another town and working remotely. I bought enough food for 2 weeks last Thursday morning, although I've now realized there are about 5 things I'm going to be out of by about Tuesday...I've got some respiratory problems and I'll be damned if I'm going to catch this bug right now. I'll talk to people walking by, from the porch where I'm staying, but that's it for human contact for a while, for me.

[quote] Yes, you can get take-out where I am, but I am not going to do it for the time being. I'm a good cook, just lazy.

Thanks, R532. I have a friend who eats mostly take-out & restaurant food. Terrible cook and probably lazy as far as cooking goes. I hadn't thought about all the people who eat mostly restaurant (sit-in) food now shopping for groceries. It makes more sense that the grocery stores are out of stock (plus the hoarding).

I would have to be starving to death to eat McDonalds.

Don't try to go to supermarkets on Friday or the weekends. I've noticed that the lines are longer starting from midday Friday. But on Tuesdays and Wednesdays the lines are shorter yet the shelves are more stocked. At least that's the case here in SF based upon the past 3 weeks of observation from going to stores trying to find supplies and food items I usually buy.

I'm still seeing some kids out shopping with parent, maybe it's because people are afraid to leave kids home these days even if it's just a run to the supermarket. I was a latchkey kid from 5th grade on so I'll never get this coddling rationale. It's time to ban kids in stores especially kids who are too unruly to control.

I know many people who eat out or do takeout virtually every day of the work week. But now that the economic situations are less certain even for high wage earners who are able to work from home, restaurants here are hurting bad. I still do delivery from Postmates 3-4 times a week, get everything from sourdough bread and sandwiches to pizza and Thai food. In fact I just got some fresh bagels this morning. Many delivery people are new because they've been laid off due to business closures, so be patient.

Regarding McDonald's, I was surprised they have a pretty decent garden salad. Aside from that I'd probably get the hash brown, my guilty pleasure fast food.

Yes, R535, I stopped going to restaurants for meals (and even coffee) around March 17th, and I can't believe how little money I am spending for all that I eat now. $66 at a grocery store lasted me 10 days, easily, and I bought whatever I wanted at the store. That's *all* I spent on anything in 10 days (don't need gas - one tank of gas could easily last me a month like this). It's been a real eye-opener about how much money I waste on crap like coffee, pastries, deli sandwiches, etc. My only splurge has been one loaf of good bread a week from a good bakery.

r536 it really does add up. I've noticed how much $$ I'm saving by not buying food and beverages on the go.

R497, how are you getting pickup times? None of my local shopping services offer any pickup or delivery times. Peapod, Instacart, Walmart - all say “sorry – check again later”. This is suburban Philadelphia.

I can go to the store, and in some ways would rather do that because even in the best of times Instacart gets my delivery wrong, but it’s ridiculous that nothing is available anywhere all the way out to April 17. Are others finding this, too? Is the problem a shortage of shoppers? I thought there were millions of people thrown out of work by the quarantine who needed jobs.

R500, yes, I do restaurant delivery a couple of times a week. Getting the sort of food I ate pre-COVID is a taste (NPI) of normal life that’s really helpful to my mood.

I wear gloves to take the food from the delivery guys (who are all wearing masks nowadays around here). I spray Clorox disinfectant on a paper towel and wipe the containers with it. Food is low risk anyway, so after that I don’t worry about it. You can only do so much.

For those of you who are really worried: order pizza. Preheat the oven to 450F. When you take delivery, immediately move the pizza onto a baking sheet or foil and discard the box. Wash up, etc. When you’re ready to eat (have a cocktail or glass of wine first to relax), but the baking sheet or foil in the oven. Heat the pizza until it’s sizzling. Problem solved.

(The best thing for this purpose is a pizza stone. If you have one but never bothered to use it, now’s the time. Preheat it in the oven and move the pizza onto it to put back in the oven when you’re ready to heat and eat. It crisps up the crust nicely.)

Can you use old cloth from towels or socks?

I am in Eastern Pennsylvania. It is difficult to find bread, milk, fresh fruit, vegetables, and paper products including toilet paper.

R540 I use old shirts and rags for cleaning.

I get what I want from Walmart and a local supermarket by ordering online and going there for a pickup. I never step out of my car. I bring the bags home, wear plastic gloves and wipe everything down with a Clorox wipe.

How does curbside pickup work? Do you text them when you arrive and they come out with your stuff?

"Can you use old cloth from towels or socks? "

You mean to make a mask? If that's all I had, I sure as hell would use it, and I did last week, to go to the store. You want fabric that is not so porous, but double it up, stick a coffee filter inside, or double up some paper towels. tie it onto your face with a bandana.

A tip for those looking for masks or filters for their masks... fine some polypropylene fabric. It's the same stuff N95 masks are made from and it's a non-woven material that is water resistant and that blocks up to 95% of particles. It's pretty easy to find and you might even already have some of it at home if you have any of those little totes that are often given away by companies (linked a photo below so you can get an idea).

Also, a recent study found that some of those blue shop towels made from hydroknit fibers also blocks out something like 95% of particles. The ones recommended were by Toolbox. The ones from Scott were not recommended.

Either of these materials can be fashioned in to a good mask or cut up and used as a good filter for inside a mask.

Hope this info helps.

*find some

R538, for Instacart, you got to keep checking each day for open times. Saturday, there were lost of days open for the week, even same day delivery. Day before and day after (today), there was nothing. This is in NYC. For Peapod, it's always full 2 weeks out, so you got to go on after Midnight when a new day opens up at the end of the 2 weeks.

the kids should stay home. this is not the time to make shopping a family outing.

I am really wary of fast food now. Wearing gloves isn't enough since this virus is so easily transferred by air. The workers breathe on the food when they're standing over the food to prepare it. There's no way to prevent that. I've worked in a tiny, hot area behind a fast food counter, and wearing a mask would probably be torture.

Even after the "pandemic" is over, this virus is still going to be floating around; there will just be much fewer cases. We will still have to be vigilant. I think there will be updated standards for food handling.

[quote]How does curbside pickup work? Do you text them when you arrive and they come out with your stuff?

Walmart doesn't have curbside pickup -- they have a designated area where you park. You check in on the app when you leave your house, and then your GPS knows when you've arrived. You enter your parking space number and the color of your car and they wheel everything out to you in a wagon and load your car. (If you don't use the app, you can call them when you get there and tell them what space you're in. There are signs with the phone number posted in front of each pickup parking space.)

I was shocked to find mini packs of Chlorox wipes and hand sanitizer at a Dollar Tree on Saturday. I’ve been on the lookout for these for weeks.

I still need Lysol spray. This is an item that’s been off my radar since I was a kid, back when mom would spray it in a smelly bathroom or a room my dad had smoked in. It seems like a midcentury relic. I want some to spray my shoes now.

R549 I am avoiding all take out/restaurants until this is over. Stock up on riced, canned fruit, and eggs and bread if you can find it.

I read about a kerfluffle at the Trader Joe on NextDoor. Apparently one or more boomers arrived 15 minutes before the end of seniors hour and got pissy when they were not promptly escorted into the store, and were expected to wait in line like those young people who should get off their lawns. The boomers were quite rude to the store employees. Of course they were.

Anyway, TJ employees said that the best time to shop was between noon and 4pm, Monday through Thursday.

Cross posting this- it's about vacuum bag masks.

The thing about vacuum masks is that you have to be careful because a lot of them contain fiberglass.

The US is in a steep and rapid decline.

R556, the Dark Ages came before the Renaissance. That's how I get through things some days.

On my local news they are warning this is going to be a bad week for the virus so I don't want to go to the store. I keep refreshing my Shipt account because right now I can't get an order time scheduled.

[quote]I am in Eastern Pennsylvania. It is difficult to find bread, milk, fresh fruit, vegetables

Anyone who lives in an area with substantial agriculture should check out local fruit/vegetable stands, facility stores operated by dairies, ranch and feed stores that often carry farm-fresh eggs, etc. for those sorts of items. If you've got small local butcher shops, some of them also carry basics like that. Many are open for business and because they have a lot less traffic than the big corporate stores, it can actually be safer to shop there. A poster mentioned here that a bakery near him was selling staples like bread and eggs along with their baked goods right now, so that could be a possibility. A lot of people aren't thinking of places like these because they're so focused on big box stores and chain supermarkets.

I got a Shipt order in but it gave me a 5 hour time frame for tomorrow. I know I am not doing anything but I still don't like having such a wide time frame I have to wait around but I took what I could get.

Just got back in Central Pa, everyone shopping had masks, some employees did. Got Anti-B wipes and they had TP and tissues. People really want their free bonus Easter Hams.

I don't even have a mask, haven't been to the grocery store in 3 weeks now I wish I would have gone sooner

What ticks me off with food delivery is when after placing your order then earlier times open up. I know I sound like a whiner but it sucks that people who order after you get their delivery first.

I have my last curbside grocery pick up scheduled for tomorrow am, then i am not leaving the house for 2-3 weeks. Crossing fingers most of my items are in stock because there is no way I am going inside stores right now. It’s peaking this week where I am. Good luck everyone.

Considering misfit produce box for a month or two if we still have mail service, has anyone tried it?

You think it's peaking this week?

Wait until next week.

I ventured out today, after about a week and a half of staying home, to get some basics (eggs, milk, bread, fresh vegetables...). All the lettuces and salad mixes are already wilting on the shelves. The last time I bought lettuce, tomatoes, and a cucumber, they all went bad within like 2 days.

The only mildly amusing thing is that I live in a relatively upper-middle class neighborhood, and it's rather funny seeing all these senior citizens coming in with bandannas over their mouths, like they're in a gang in south compton.

I ventured out today, after about a week and a half of staying home, to get some basics (eggs, milk, bread, fresh vegetables...). All the lettuces and salad mixes are already wilting on the shelves. The last time I bought lettuce, tomatoes, and a cucumber, they all went bad within like 2 days.

The only mildly amusing thing is that I live in a relatively upper-middle class neighborhood, and it's rather funny seeing all these senior citizens coming in with bandannas over their mouths, like they're in a gang in south compton.

R565 I have pantry staples for a month so I’d rather put in for fruit, produce, dairy now before the Easter shoppers this weekend. Then I’ll stay in during peak weeks ( Is that like sweeps week for the virus?)

r564, I considered mentioning Misfits market as an option but people on here seem to be VERY picky with being able to pick out their own, perfect produce and only exactly what they are looking for.

Misfits market sends what's in season that is not ok for big stores- ie, maybe it's bigger, smaller, a little bit off color. you don't get to pick and choose, they send what they send. Sometimes if you sign up for regular delivery you can add stuff but not for one offs. I enjoy them because I am realistic about what is in season and having the opportunity to try things I may not normally think to try (ie, celery root. which I hated btw). If you think of it as a grab bag, you will likely be happier with it.

I tried to contact Shipt, I have been on hold since 9:56 AM and it is now 11:22 AM at this point I want to see if they actually answer

If you place an order on Instacart and a sooner time opens up, just hit the delivery times button, and you can pick whichever new sooner time is showing up - often same day delivery.

I used Instacart for 2 years before figuring this out.

I ventured out today, after about a week and a half of staying home, to get some basics (eggs, milk, bread, fresh vegetables...). All the lettuces and salad mixes are already wilting on the shelves. The last time I bought lettuce, tomatoes, and a cucumber, they all went bad within like 2 days.

The only mildly amusing thing is that I live in a relatively upper-middle class neighborhood, and it's rather funny seeing all these senior citizens coming in with bandannas over their mouths, like they're in a gang in south compton.

Thanks for telling us, r555. I wouldn't have postrd the link had I known that.

I ventured out today, after about a week and a half of staying home, to get some basics (eggs, milk, bread, fresh vegetables...). All the lettuces and salad mixes are already wilting on the shelves. The last time I bought lettuce, tomatoes, and a cucumber, they all went bad within like 2 days.

The only mildly amusing thing is that I live in a relatively upper-middle class neighborhood, and it's rather funny seeing all these senior citizens coming in with bandannas over their mouths, like they're in a gang in south compton.

It’s Nearly Impossible to Get Big Box Grocery Delivery in NYC Right Now:

I just went through picking out my Instacart order. Took a while.

At checkout I got a notice they can't deliver today and to check back another day.

Why couldn't they at least tell when the next delivery day was? Website sucks.

Fuck you Instacart! I'm going to the grocery store and sneeze over everything!

I recommend this homemade mask video. Option of 1 piece of rectangular fabric or 2 square-cut pieces of fabric. All you need are a ruler or measuring tape, scissors, sewing machine, elastic, pins, and thread. The pleated mask has a pocket for insertion of filter. No complicated measurements and instructions, you just watch the video as you go. I made 3 masks in under 2 hours on a cheap sewing machine I got at Target 10 years ago that sat unused in my closet. For filter I cut out pieces of sew-in non-woven medium-heavy interfacing I ordered from Joann fabric.

Those are quick and easy masks and would be really effective if you lined it with the poly material mentioned above.

If you want further protection, make one of the masks that have the nose cut out as they are a little more effective.

Also, use a pipe cleaner on any mask design at the top of the mask to get a good seal around your nose so it fits properly.

"All you need are a ruler or measuring tape, scissors, sewing machine, elastic, pins, and thread. "

And of course everyone has all of those things sitting around.

It is such a nice day to move around if you have to. The beauty of this day stands in contrast to the deadly pandemic, no job or income situation we are enduring! Toilet paper is still hard to find, as is hand (liquid) soap, hand sanitizer, paper towels, lysol, bleach, hydrogen peroxide. I can still find kleenex, napkins and bar soap. The line situation is still fucked. This all reminds me of that footage we used to see of Russians lining up for supplies, it does not look like America anymore.

r333, we are all on edge. it is better to stay in for that reason alone.

Report from the center of civilization, Boca!

Went to Super Walmart at about 1pm. Glad to see that they were controlling the entrances now and wiping down the carts before handing them off. No wait to get in, store was pretty empty. Everything in stock except TP, paper towels and and sanitizers or wipes. Plenty of pasta! Most everyone in the store had mask and gloves.

Went to a gourmet Jewish deli mart just to see what kind of interesting foods they may have. Everything way too expensive, people way too close too each other, blocking aisles, so I left.

Greenwise - Scored an 8 pack of TP and a 3 pack of paper towels. Got some frozen foods and one of their faboo paninis for lunch. Store practically empty, most everyone in masks and gloves.

Greenwise has been a dream compared to the other grocery stores. It’s helped me immensely with my paper goods deficit. They’re my usual brand, too.

Dollar Tree has also provided well.

Dollar Trees are so filthy and nobody is doing the overnight cleaning so there is days or weeks worth of germs and filth in there.

To risky to go into the dumpy stores at this moment.

R579 Many people have sewing kits laying around, plus thread and pins can be purchased at places like Walgreens. So it’s another option. As for sewing machine there are hand-held portable ones that would be sufficient for the purpose, they cost between $10-20. Or there’s also mini versions of regular sewing machine that people use for hemming, those would work well too and they sell for around $25-40. The link below from Walmart retails for under $30 and they have other similar models.

I just got back from my main grocery store and they had toilet paper for the first time in about 3 weeks.

The t.p. only filled up about 1/3 of the shelves, but still. That's progress, I guess.

The military base where I work has its first confirmed case today. Our office building is shut down until they do a thorough deep cleaning.

[quote]Dollar Trees are so filthy and nobody is doing the overnight cleaning so there is days or weeks worth of germs and filth in there.

You can't say that. I went past one just this morning at 6:00am and there were people in the store working and they didn't open until 8:00am.

r588, did you see TP at the DT?

r588, did you see TP at the DT?

Continue your horror stories here when this thread maxes out:

[quote]Continue your horror stories here

Trump is still president!

Dollar Trees definitely have wildly varied environmental standards. Go to the ones that are better run (and wear gloves).

[quote] did you see TP at the DT?

Sorry just walked by, the TP is in the back of the store but I'd say if they do go as early as you can.

My grocery store has two entrances and starting today you can only go in one and exit the other side so people aren't interacting coming and going. Said is a state rule.

R585 have you ever used that sewing machine?

You spend more hours threading it and rethreading it than you will ever making anything on it.

R594 Are you in California? I noticed this going on at one of the Ralph's, but not at other stores like Pavilion's, etc.

Do none of you have a needle and thread? There are lots of videos (and patterns) showing you how to make a mask.

Cut out the fabric and hand sew the pieces together.

Heck, there are plenty of videos and sites that show you how to make a mask WITHOUT sewing, which I admit I sure as hell don't know how to do.

I use hair bands instead of rubber bands (don't ask) and they all function the same.

However, I don't know if wearing a navy or red bandana as a mask in L.A. is acceptable, even during this time.

Finally got my wipes from the first Bed Bath & Beyond tip here (Thanks!) but sent some to my friend too in Jersey and Fed Ex has had them all over Jersey since Saturday. You can drive thru jersey in a hour.

Done!