Shopping For Groceries Is Like Hell Right Now (PT 4)

Previous thread:

It could be worse

I’m thinking about a bulk meat order, what are those of you in the northeast hearing about a possible meat shortage. Of course i wouldn’t pay any mind to trump & co.’s lies/propaganda that all is well.

What are you seeing inside your stores? Is it normal amounts or is it meager?

For those who were mentioning antacids were hard to find, they were hard to find before the quarantine too, it was driving me crazy. Ranitidine (Zantac) was taken off the shelves because of a slight chance it could cause cancer, and cimetidine (Tagamet) was hard to find as well for reasons I could never figure out. Finally managed to find some at a local Walgreens, but now I'm kicking myself for not getting Tums at the time, too, because now chewables are in short supply as well.

Amazon has amended my "Returns & Orders" section to let me know I can expect my Subscribe & Save delivery of their Presto! toilet paper next week. Yet the item remains "Currently Unavailable" when I click on it.

I'll see it, I'll believe it.

They sent us our Subscribe & Save Kleenex, R5, it was just 10 days late but we got it.

Costco in Phoenix had plenty of toilet paper and bottled water when I was there yesterday.

R3, I'm in northwest NJ (Morris County). My local Shop Rites are well stocked with beef, pork, chicken, and veal. However, chicken packages were limited-purchase, i.e., one full roaster or full chicken cut into pieces, no more than 2 packages per person of things like split breasts, legs, wings, thighs. I'm sure they have leftover hams and turkey breasts as people probably didn't pick them up for Easter if they couldn't invite family for their traditional dinners.

While the local Targets do sell some beef and pork, the sections are very small so they do tend to empty pretty quickly.

What I found odd is that the frozen chicken-tender type packages are WIPED OUT! I snagged the last bag of breaded chicken breast and vegetable tenders. Now I know why. They are very good.

egg claires is eclairs

My Instacart order from Western Beef was pretty complete, except they were still out of flour, yeast and ground turkey. The only other meat on my order was a package of split chicken breast and that was missing after I unpacked my order. Bummer. They're refunding me for it.

I got a lot of staples: sugar, fresh fruit and vegs, pancake mix, milk, bread, pasta, etc. Location: Brooklyn in the house!

R3 here heading out to grocery in a few minutes to buy some meat/eggs/milk today in suburban CT. Will report back

Finally got my Shipt order and the shopper didn't even ask me about substitutes, just said Out Of Stock for some of the items. I have always had great service from Shipt but the last 2 orders have been bad. I know they are super busy and they have us by the short hairs.

My last order they brought it to the wrong house.

I ordered for shipment (not Shipt delivery) from Target today and was able to get regular flour (still no bread flour) and some spray cleaners. Also some kinds of soup that were out of stock previously, lolive oil, cereal, and a few other items to get my order up to the $25 I need for free shipping.

If you rate a Shipt shopper 1 or 2 stars, you won’t get them again.

I usually shop in store, it is convenient having it delivered but it's more expensive and I hate the missing items.

Shipt has hired a lot of shitty shoppers lately who don’t ask about substitutions or even send you a message when they start shopping so you can contact them.

They charge a fortune, so this is horseshit.

I only use them now because I can’t get an Instacart slot.

I gave him 3 stars I should have rated him lower, he also shopped 3 hours earlier without notice but of course I was at home

You can go back in and change his rating, r18.

I have yet to receive my Lilt home permanent. I'm a wreck!

r20 I'm soaking in the Palmolive I ordered as we speak

If youre desperate enough for bread flour you can make your own by buying a bag of wheat gluten, which is still readily available.

I don't know where you're from, but no store around me carried bread flour, even long before the quarantine.

"The Yeast Supply Chain Can’t Just Activate Itself

There’s a reason the ingredient is still missing from stores."

Interesting article:

R22, word.

I've been reading my King Arthur baking cookbooks and 85% of the recipes call for all-purpose flour. Specifically, if it has 3-4g of protein per 1/4 cup, then it contains enough gluten. Even ALDI $1.19/4lb bags of all-purpose flour have that much.

Bread flour has just 1% more protein than AP flour. Make do, there's a fucking pandemic going on.

Today Coscto has a new sign: ONLY TWO PEOPLE PER MEMBERSHIP ALLOWED IN THE STORE.

Anti-kiddie whores can rejoice!

P.S. They're still out of toilet paper, disinfectant wipes, bleach, SoftSoap, etc.

[quote]I have yet to receive my Lilt home permanent. I'm a wreck!

But I'll bet your twin got her TONI!

r22 r24 Thanks for that information. I was going to try a recipe from Cook's Illustrated for white bread and it specifically called for bread flour. If I don't have the wheat gluten and just use AP flour, would I have to adjust anything else to make it work?

Google?

Isn’t it too late to stock up on meat? The meat in the stores might already be contaminated, right?

R21, I'm still receiving residual checks in heaven.

My Kroger had pretty much everything except baking soda. I guess that's from so many people baking right now. You know we live in crazy times when there's a run on baking soda.

^^Baking soda kills corona virus. Where have you been? Just one teaspoon in a glass of water every day and you can't get Covid19. It's all over the internet.

^^^ Maybe if you inhale it into your lungs, where the worst damage from 2019-nCoV occurs….

By any decent politician we're, especially if we're part of the vulnerable population, to stay in our homes. Yet getting food or things like Dawn antibacterial dish liquid, or disinfection wipes are impossible to get delivered. Either everything is out of stock or there are no delivery windows open for weeks at a time. I don't know if it's like this outside of NYC but that's the way it is here. Why doesn't the governor or mayor do something to get the stores out of stock items and more delivery people, like using the National Guard if they have to. How do you stay out of harm's way and get food and supplies at the same time? I've tried Amazon, Fresh Direct, Target, even Walmart and it's useless. Even my local food coop and local smaller markets like FoodTown hae almost a 3 week wait for a delivery.

Where are you R34?

Not looking forward to shopping for groceries next week.

MARY! r34

I ordered a 10 lb. bag of AP flour from Target this morning (for shipment, not delivery) and it's already been shipped. Only $2.99 (and it was part of a larger, over $25 order, so I got free shipping -- with my Red Card.)

I ordered the disinfectant wipes from Bed Bath and Beyond way back when the link was originally posted. They just got delivered today. I thought for sure the order was going to be cancelled.

We were getting perilously low on our liquor supply, but of course I wanted to avoid going to the liquor store to get more. My brother told me about a website called Drizly which delivers alcohol to your door. It was very easy to do and required no contact. The delivery guy wore gloves, put the order on my door mat, rang my doorbell, and then stepped more than six feet back to wait to make sure whoever opened the door was an adult. Then he left.. easy!

Depending on where you live, I think BevMo is offering delivery / curbside pick up for alcohol.

You don't need antibacterial dishwashing liquid. The regular kind is just as effective.

There's a magical little kosher deli by my house that always seems to have everything no one else can get. They have toilet paper, paper towels, and today I found boxes of gloves and hand sanitizer

R41 Yes, soap is soap.

R3/r11 reporting on my stop to the supermarket in CT. Plenty of everything except sanitizer tp paper towels, tons of meat of all kinds. 70% of the aholes shopping NOT wearing masks. There was no wait to get in but there were about 100 people in the store no one was following the directional aisle arrows nor really staying apart and only one central line for people to pay through at the end. The line to pay snaked through the freezer section with everyone standing on taped spaces. Not terrible but not ideal this was mid afternoon.

^And the thing I didn't know until recently is that soap *kills* corona viruses, it doesn't just make them slip off of your hands. The NYTimes had an article about a month ago about how washing with soap penetrates the virus's outer layer and punctures it and kills the poor little things...hand washing is more effective than alcohol-based hand-sanitizer at keeping you safe. Who knew?

Just got back from a big shoprite grocery here in north NJ . I am pleasantly surprised to see lots of tp, paper towels and even some hand sanitizers. they didnt have them last time i was there more than a week ago. there's also very few customers - no lines at the cashiers. either almost everybody got stocked up now. or people dont have money now to shop.

Sorry to hear that, R34. Many Los Angeles-area restaurants have stepped into the (limited) grocery-delivery business because it IS so difficult for people to get an Amazon Fresh or InstaCart slot (and they want to stay afloat). In addition to regular menu items, you can order basic grocery staples -- bread, eggs, milk, raw meat/chicken, rice, flour, produce, etc -- at fairly reasonable prices. (not an absurd markup, anyway) . Some even have toilet paper (restaurant/industrial brand), bleach, surface sanitizer & disposable gloves. Are any restaurants in NYC doing that?

R47 I posted a link in one of the earlier threads that people in states with Ruby Tuesdays should check online because they opened up ordering supplies on their website.

R34 what nationality are you?

Yes, they are, R40! Yes, they are....

Walmart has the lemon Lysol spray in stock right now at 3:06 AM PST:

Walmart also has some of the Lysol disinfectant mist in stock now, 3:08 AM PST:

[quote]soap penetrates the virus's outer layer and punctures it and kills the poor little things

Traitor!

I'm still livid that I live in one of the few states that won't allow Drizly deliveries. The state only just recently allowed curbside delivery at the stores but most in town won't do it, they said they get too many underage kids trying to pull a fast one, which I guess makes sense.

Man Who Bought $10,000 Worth of Toilet Paper and Hand Sanitizer Denied Refund

R54, isn't the liquor store checking IDs for curbside pickup? The Bottle Kings by me are asking for ID. I also have a Bottle King Discount Card. Pretty sure my age was requested on the application.

I hate how the media is making it seem like we're all turning into alcoholics because online sales are up. They need to take into account that people are now ordering for MORE than just a weekend's supply. If you're going to order, you might as well make it 6 bottles or a case instead of 1 or 2. Hell, I ordered a case of wine a week ago and there's 10 bottles still in the case. Tequila and vodka last me quite a while as well. Yes, some people may be over-imbibing but the majority of people aren't.

The Lysol products at Wal-Mart are both already out of stock.

Any of you have an opinion on the ideas in this article re: bread flour?

I can't believe there are people who didn't know you can easily use all-purpose in place of bread flour. 🙄

[quote]The Lysol products at Wal-Mart are both already out of stock.

Yeah, not surprising. The disinfectant mist actually stayed in stock for a few hours, which was amazing. Usually as soon as any of the currently sought-after products are shown as in stock, they're sold out within minutes.

r59 Of course you CAN substitute AP flour for bread flour, but the results won't be identical. If all substitutes were as good as the original, why wouldn't people use them all the time, especially since they're usually cheaper? You can substitute margarine for butter, but it usually won't taste as good. You can substitute regular milk plus some acid (lemon juice or vinegar) for buttermilk, but it won't be the same.

I did a step back when I saw a supermarket staff man handling rotisserie chicken and not wearing gloves. Even if we weren't in this pandemic I would still expect him to use gloves. I did not buy one.

Unless cooks change gloves between food items, there's no guarantee you're any safer than if they use their hands. And I've seen plenty not change gloves between orders / items.

R61 Margarine instead of butter when baking really doesn't work. The baked goods, say cookies, will come out soft and with a totally different texture. APF instead of bread flour works but the bread doesn't rise quite as high. I mean, technically, one should use 00 flour to make pizza dough for the best results but who actually does that (outside of pizzerias)?

My point was that the article makes it sound like there are people who had *no idea* you could use APF to bake bread, which is absurd. It's what most home bread-bakers used for centuries, long before specialized flours entered the marketplace.

[quote]I mean, technically, one should use 00 flour to make pizza dough for the best results but who actually does that (outside of pizzerias)?

I don't make bread, but I use 00 to make pasta.

The only product I can’t find is Clorox Wipes

I got toilet paper from Costco and paper towels from Amazon

I got up at 7 this morning and went to the grocery store. The first one had a line outside to get in, so I went to the other one in my neighborhood (which is actually closer to my apartment) and it was much better. Was able to walk right on in. They had no paper towels and no toilet paper but was able to get pretty much everything else I went in for, thank God.

I do not cook ( from scratch) and don't know the difference between flours.

[quote]I do not cook ( from scratch)

Well, start.

Probably the most common kinds of (wheat) flours would be all-purpose, whole wheat, bread, and cake. Then there are less common ones like white whole wheat. The King Arthur website has a lot of information about them. But don't try to buy any -- because they're ALL sold out.

I stopped at a corner convenience store this morning on my way back from the office and got two pints of Ben and Jerry's ice cream. they didn't have my preferred flavors.

Did they at least use your preferred pronouns?

yes. they said 'you' as in, do 'you' want a bag?

Okay, it's official: rescue-chick rules.

Jesus Christ.

I am not near an aldi's but the online flyer had flour listed for sale for 1.50!! They do not have an online store.

I was curious and I just went to the Instacart site to check out what stores are available to shop from and randomly picked one -- Key Food. Here's a head up for anyone in the NYC area - Key Food has PLENTY of delivery slots, a few today and a lot tomorrow.

I've checked the websites for both Kroger and Walmart groceries and everything I would have needed is available for online order and pickup without entering the building. A month ago when the initial panic hit the shelves were bare but why is this still a problem for people.

[quote]I am not near an aldi's but the online flyer had flour listed for sale for 1.50!! They do not have an online store.

You can order for delivery via Instacart if you're near one. You use the Aldi website. (I know you said you're not near one, but I wanted to make sure other people didn't think it meant you couldn't order online. You can't order online for SHIPMENT, but then I don't think any grocery store does that. Amazon, Target, and Walmart do it for non-perishables.)

My 10 lb. bag of flour from Target ($2.99) has already been shipped and will arrive tomorrow or Monday.

I'm fucking over this bread flour bitch's drama.

Yeah I don't understand why everyone and their mother are all of a sudden baking like there's no tomorrow. Wasn't everyone gluten allergic, dairy allergic and sugar free?

BTW, I've noticed a lot of the speciality upscale grocers here in L.A. have plenty of food stuffs in stock (including all the baking ingredients) available to on Mercado. I haven't checked for paper goods or sanitizing stuff because I've been stocking up since late Jan.

buy any flour available

In the olden days of DL, someone would've shamed us for not growing, threshing, and milling our own wheat into flour at home.

with the disruption in the supply chains, we may have to grow, harvest and thresh our own.

Do we really knead all this flour discussion?

We're just trying to get a rise out of you, R86.

beats the talk about toilet paper!!

I, too, am surprised at all of this apparent bread-baking going on. Are people unearthing their bread machines from the ‘90s? I can’t imagine that many people throwing flour on a board, kneading bread, letting it rest, punching it down, etc.

There’s no-knead bread, but that requires a pot that is oven-proof.

I sure wish I had a loaf of good sourdough bread right now. I would make a BLT with applewood smoked bacon.

Im like r68. I would never know about a flour shortage cause I don't cook.

I am on the East Coast, not NY. Stores still seem low on stock, nothing out completely, but things like aluminum foil and coffee are pretty thin on the shelf. There was beef and poultry, but not normal quantities, oddly there was a lot of pork - chops, etc. It just is not what I am used to seeing, with quantities somewhat sparce for 6 weeks or so. I am glad that there are bread, eggs and paper goods, do not get me wrong, but I do wonder about the supply chain. Anyone have intel about why coffee is low? Do I need to stock up?

I did not look for flour so cannot chime in on that one. There were lots of rotisserie chickens, the store is near a subway stop and used to have a lot of people run in on the way home. The only department that looked like I am used to was produce, that was full. My city requires a mask in stores, it gets hot pretty quickly.

I would not be at all surprised if meat prices go up in the next few months. Other than meds from China, any goods predicted to be in short supply in coming weeks?

R92, maybe over-the-counter laxative stuff. Also, hair care stuff. I was at both CVS & Walgreens yesterday (night time). Laxative shelves had a limit per customer. Hair care stuff was kind of wiped out.

Kind of random, but those were my observations.

Thanks, R93.

Yes R89, 1879.

I was at the local Kroger today. The entirety of the following is wiped out: Paper Towels, Toilet Paper, Butter. And Cheese is oddly well stocked, so too meat and produce. So you can take it in but just can't wipe later.

Then I was shouted at to check Amazon. $50 for toilet paper? Or $9 for a multi pack with shipping of $20. It is outrageous.

Why the hell doesn't Walmart deliver anything? Everything that's needed is only available for pick up. Fuck going anywhere near their disease-ridden stores.

Is there any actual proof that all these people are actually making any bread? I think most of them just bought the flour because they pictured the pioneer days when shit got real.

yeah, coffee shortages are predicted even as Starbucks makes plans to reopen some locations. Coffee and bacon shortages will send me into a pit of despair.

Baking essentials such as yeast and flour are in short supply, and Google searches for bread recipes are on the rise, so to speak.

Curiously, during this apocalyptic spring, the best thing since sliced bread turns out not to be sliced bread. The most coveted isolation loaves seem to be sourdough, a knobbly, rugged variety that requires patience, handmade fermentations and something like affection. “Working with sourdough is part art, part science,” said Karl De Smedt. “You don’t tell the dough when it’s time to be shaped. The dough tells you.”

[quote]Why the hell doesn't Walmart deliver anything? Everything that's needed is only available for pick up.

It's not just Walmart - CVS, Walgreens and Target are also doing the 'for in-store purchase only' thing on so many of the in-demand items like Lysol or rubbing alcohol. Yet when you go to the stores there's none on the shelves.

Walmart has this Lysol in stock.

[quote]I would never know about a flour shortage cause I don't cook

What worries me is a bacon shortage, and I admit sometimes I am lazy and buy the ready made in a box kind.

I do wonder about coffee. Yesterday there were very few on the shelves. This prompted me to buy the huge container of the store brand. think I will buy an extra whenever I am out.

Costco is shipping coffee, I bought 12 lbs last week with free shipping.

[quote] even as Starbucks makes plans to reopen some locations

They do? Thank god! I'm over making coffee at home.

In my neighborhood all of the Starbucks are closed but the one large Dunkin Donuts remains open, even though the Starbucks had a safer policy of only accepting online orders. The Dunkin "encourages" online orders, but still allows people to walk up to the counter and order.

People *are* making bread. Next door neighbor lady handed me a still-hot loaf last Friday; she said she had just made 3 of them. It was really tasty.

I bought coffee from Staples last week. Just because I didn't want to venture out to a store (and couldn't get an Instacart/Amazon Fresh slot). I bought four bags, to get free shipping. With a 15% coupon, it turned out to be about $1 more, per bag, than I would have paid at Ralphs (Kroger). Totally worth it! It arrived on my doorstep, the next day.

There is NOTHING like the smell of homemade bread baking. Not even freshly-baked cookies.

shoe mats are the next big thing!

Disinfecting shoe mats flying off shelves during coronavirus outbreak

COVID-19 has made some people mad about shoe.

With the Centers for Disease Control warning Americans that the deadly virus can live on the bottoms of our shoes, some are getting rich selling disinfecting shoe mats, TMZ reports.

One brand, SaniStride, said sales of their disinfecting mats had jumped by more than 500 percent. Another Oregon-based company told the tabloid they had sold thousands of their patented mats to nervous consumers at nursing homes, restaurants and other consumer-facing businesses.

So far the deadly pandemic has killed more than 37,000 in the United States and sickened 710,272.

[quote]Why the hell doesn't Walmart deliver anything? Everything that's needed is only available for pick up. Fuck going anywhere near their disease-ridden stores.

You don't have to go in the store for pickup at Walmart. They have dedicated parking spaces for grocery pickup. Someone brings your stuff out to your car and will load it in for you. You don't have to touch or get near anyone.

Starbucks plans to open the drivethru locations. I am Starbucks customer but I will not be shopping at Starbucks until this health crisis is way behind us, I'm too paranoid to eat out again.

I've been cooking all week and I'm over it, I will order take out today.

Enjoy, R113. You've earned it.

Well, I'm out of Clorox wipes now. Until I can get more, all I have are the Smart Wipes that were delivered last week from BB&B. Hope they are better at disinfecting than what we've been hearing about them. My kingdom for some Lysol spray!

What have you been hearing about the Smart Wipes R114?

R112 Drive-though locations have been open in my region, but I don't live anywhere near one. I found an article that addresses their reopening plans.

"Starbucks Corp. Chief Executive Kevin Johnson said in a letter to U.S. workers published on the company website that it will begin to gradually open a "significant" number of stores throughout May. Stores have been operating with drive-thru service. The company is using its experience in China as a template, and Johnson said in an accompanying video that he has been in touch with governors and other officials about changes to store service on a local basis. In China, 95% of Starbucks locations are open. The type of service offered will vary between mobile orders, drive-thru, pickup, and the company will start to offer to-go service at some locations. "More than 60% of our store formats in the U.S. include a drive-thru, and approximately 80% of all customer orders were placed 'on-the-go' even prior to COVID-19," the letter said. The company has tested different formats at more than 300 stores over recent weeks. In a separate letter, Rossann Williams, president of U.S. company-operated business and Canada, said Starbucks will continue to offer an additional $3 per hour pay to those who choose to work, as well as other expanded benefits through the end of May. Those who are unwilling to work will no longer receive catastrophe pay after May 3, though they can explore options through paid leave and other programs. Normal operations, pay and benefits are expected to be phased in in June."

what are you using the wipes for?

I never bought any wipes, I just wipe down with napkin and bleach. same thing! cheaper!

R114, the Smart Values wipes are Lonza wipes under another name - and the Lonza wipes are on the EPA's list.

Walmart has disposable masks on line now. $50 for a pack of 50. Delivers for free by end of month

The Seattle Times @seattletimes · 21m The coronavirus pandemic has resulted in a run on seeds as more people in the Seattle area have begun planting their own vegetable gardens, raising their own chickens and starting some pollination gardens.

R115, I'd read that they didn't make the list of what's considered to be effective disinfectant wipes but as R118 said, perhaps they are actually more effective than they're given credit for. Either way, I'm still happy to have them and they smell lovely.

R121 I think someone uncovered that they are in fact just re-branded wipes that are on the list and that BB&B probably didn't know or have the time to submit them for inclusion.

R122, that's good to know. Thank you!

Bacon freezes well, stock up. My local farmers market has amazing bacon, plan to hit it tomorrow.

Coffee is already expensive, ugh.

Is anyone concerned about the possibility of meat shortages with all the processing plants getting busted with sick workers coming down with Covid? I'm starting to wonder if it would be worth the expense of making a bulk meat purchase from one of the local livestock ranchers that offers meat at our farmer's market. Although our garage freezer isn't too big maybe we could go in on a purchase with some neighbors we are friendly with.

A tip: go to the store early Saturday morning. I did today, hardly anyone there and it was peaceful and quiet and easy to keep 6 ft apart from others.

R114 & R115, we had a poster on the previous thread who speculated that the Smart Wipes had lesser amounts of the relevant COVID-19-killing ingredients because the brand did not appear on the lists of approved products. I pointed out that on the listing for the wipes on the BBB website, there's a link to click for 'product ingredients disclosure information' or something like that that shows the wipes to actually be re-branded Lonza wipes, which are EPA-registered and do appear on the approved list. Companies have to submit a request for inclusion on the lists, and since the Smart Values brand appears to be a BBB-only brand probably hastily thrown together to meet the demand for such products right now, nobody from the company has done so.

R114, are you or someone in your household going out regularly? If not, maybe you don't need to use so many wipes and thus could make them last longer. I saw the article below posted somewhere at the DL - maybe in this thread, but it bears re-posting. It gives sound and reassuring advice about staying safe, disinfecting, etc. The main point: There are things you can do that will greatly reduce your risk. After that, it's all a bit random, and going overboard, especially in your own home (or "safe place", as the author calls it) increases stress levels and uses supplies with marginal return benefit.

I can help R23! I just won’t change my granny panties for two months!

whatever happened to protein powder?

Is it still around?

clarification: high protein substitute for wheat flour

When the Frauen who leap forward every time I reach for something because they're insane and can't stand anyone having something they may decide they want starting bugging me, I start couging. I lift my mask and cough in their direction, loudly. I try to spray.

Cunts.

R132 And, in many locations you can be arrested for that.

Regarding BBB's Smart Wipes, the active ingredients are quaternary ammonium compounds, which is considered by some to be the less effective of germacidal agents used in disinfectants.

SARS-CoV-2 is what's known as an enveloped virus. The virus has a protective lipid envelope-like coating that also luckily for us, is one of the easiest types of viruses to kill. Without this lipid coating the virus simply deactivates and dies. The process of determining which disinfectant agents would be effective in killing off enveloped viruses is quite easy. Scientists test agents on non-enveloped viruses which are in contrast, considered much harder to kill than enveloped viruses. If an agent shows efficacy in deactivating those viruses, then they are deemed to be effective against the less hardy, enveloped viruses. The mechanism of action is targeted towards destroying the rather fragile lip envelope-like coating on these viruses.

Alcohol-based agents work by disintegrating the lipid membrane coating, only thing it's not effective against are bacterial spores, and it's why alcohol-based cleaners are not used in the healthcare setting. Chlorine-based agents work by attacking the essential structure of the virus including protein and enzymes. Hydrogen peroxide deactivates pathogens by producing free radicals that destroy the lipid membrane, DNA, and other components necessary for survival and replication. Quarternary ammonium compounds are often used as disinfectants though there have been studies that tie these to hospital infections when improperly used; gram (-) bacteria can also grow in clothes/ porous surfaces despite its use. They work by disrupting and inactivating viral enzymes and membrane coating.

I have made my own cleaning solution with 12% hydrogen peroxide for cleaning hard surfaces. As for hands, I've been able to make my own sanitizing spray with 70% ethyl alcohol as active ingredient.

Thank you R134

So,

1. What is your opinion of the BBB wipes and

2. Can you share how you made your hydrogen peroxide solution.

Thanks!

I ordered some stuff from Walmart online. I added a cake mix and frosting because fuckit, everyone else is baking. they sent me 36 cans of frosting. THIRTY SIX! wtf do I do with it?

EAT is, silly at r136. With a spoon, natch. Whatever possessed you to order that much frosting?

Reminds me of when I was in jr high, and one of my friends would run into the local store to pick up a 'snack'. We'd get Doritos or a bag of chips; her treat: a can of coke and tub of Duncan Hines ready-to-spread vanilla frosting. Not kidding (no she didn't end up with diabetes or a weight problem).

R135 I think it's very likely fine as far as cidal activity against SARS-CoV-2 virus is concerned. But as of now it's still officially not on the EPA list. If it is Lonza brand (they have 4 cleaners of varying concentrations) then according to the surface dwell time it should be at least 10 minutes. According to the same list, a 5% hydrogen peroxide-based disinfectant also had a dwell time of 10 minutes.

I was able to order ethyl alcohol and hydrogen peroxide of varying concentrations on science/ lab online stores for home use and teachers. As for making them, you can just calculate the percentage based upon measurement using glass beaker measuring cups for baking or with kitchen scale. For hydrogen peroxide solution, easiest way is to buy the 12% hydrogen peroxide, or mix to that percentage by adding sterile water like I did since I had some 32% hydrogen peroxide on hand. If you can try to find hydrogen peroxide packaged in opaque containers, and really just 5-6% concentration should be fine too.

Alcohol hand spray: sterile water, glycerin, 99% ethyl alcohol or Isopropyl alcohol; you need to achieve at least 70% alcohol content in the final spray product so that's why you can't just use 70% alcohol in addition to water and glycerin (and essential oil if you wish). So if you start with 99% alcohol solution, you can add 29% of carrier ingredients like sterile water, glycerin, Aloe Vera gel, essential oil. Something like 75mL of 99% alcohol, 10mL sterile water or witch hazel, 15mL glycerin, 3-4 drops of essential oil (I use lavender).

I DIDN'T order it! I ordered one, lol! I don't even really like cake with frosting, I am going to make it mostly with cherries on top and a little bit of frosting. my friends don't want it. i prefer to get fat with salty goodness not sweet (except ice-cream)

R138, you reckon I can use parfum instead of essential oil?

R140 I don't see why not, it's alcohol based anyways.

Just got back from Whole Foods in northern Virginia. About 95% of shoppers were wearing masks. No paper goods at all. The frozen foods aisle is still only about 30% full. Their entire stock of ice cream is nearly wiped out. (It's not even warm outside.)

I walked across the street to CVS. Since it has no parking lot, you'd think it gets less traffic and might have better stock. Nope. No Lysol, no hand sanitizer, no anti-bacterial liquid soap.

Attention, NYC Instacart shoppers! They FINALLY have available times now -- I just booked a delivery for tomorrow afternoon. But they have added a $35 minimum for your order, so just know that going in.

I ended up spending damn near $90 for about 10 items but that did include my tip, so it's all good.

There's a coffee shortage or will be because of that dalgona craze fad.

Thank you R138!

People eat ice cream in cold weather, ya know

R132, you have serious issues. Watch yourself

R124...funny you should say that about Bacon. After a disheartening trip to the market in early March (meat section completely empty, except Bison products), I signed up for Butcher Box. Expensive, but fuck it! If I can stay out of grocery stores -- or even just reduce the amount of time spent in one -- it's worth it. They periodically have "member deals", offering larger quantities at a discounted price. Their bacon typically comes in 10 oz. packages, but on my last order, they were offering 1.5 lb packages at half the price. I immediately ordered two packages for my next box. And then I thought, "WTF are you doing? It's BACON!"....so I bumped my order to SIX packages. LOL.

It felt slightly (or totally) insane, at the time...NINE pounds of bacon in my freezer?? Now, I glad I did it!

r139 make Salted Caramel Chocolate Frosting Fudge!

I am going to post it on Craigslist I think once this mess is done. some daycare or something may have use for it.

I posted about my father's Costco Instacart experience in the last thread. I managed to snag another Instacart order for my local grocery store for Wednesday. Will let you know how it goes.

Tons o' food in Chicago. They do have signs limiting quantities, but it's not enforced.

R132, please stop hating on women. We are not your enemy.

R136 / R139 / R150 - you already have Beggar’s Night covered this Halloween.

haha, i considered that but I don't particularly like kids and have a vicious dog so no one comes to my door r154

Lysol spray on sale at Walmart NOW!!!

^^^. Thanks for the lead, R156. I missed buying it by seconds.

"This item was not added to your cart. This item has just gone out of stock."

R144, dalgona coffee is made with instant coffee.

R128, we've had this discussion a million times. Some of us still work -- my partner works at an essential business making supply lines, tubes, hoses, etc. for machinery and medical equipment -- and we need wipes and Lysol because he's out every day. Several others mentioned similar situations.

The "you don't need to use so much" advise is just scolding. People know how much disinfectant they need. Very few people are overdoing it out of unnecessary fear.

R150 if you have a next door or town neighbor Facebook board in your area barter your frosting for something you can use: a roll of TP, some rice, seedlings to plant, etc. otherwise the food bank or soup kitchen will take them and make a dessert w/them. Hope you didn’t have to pay for them?!

^^Or illegal drugs. All dope dealers crave sweets.

R150 since it’s shelf-stable, donate it’s to a food pantry.

donate it*

Well, Walmart just cancelled my pickup order AGAIN. This order started over a week and a half ago and was supposed to be picked up last Monday (and was cancelled.) I immediately reordered everything and today was the first pickup slot available. One hour before pickup time, "we're sorry, we had to cancel your order." It's getting ridiculous.

Remember the weird, bamboo-based toilet paper that I lucked into finding at 6:00am on Costco's site? Six days later, still hasn't even shipped. Good thing I found some regular old tp the next day at a grocery store.

R164 call and complain. Get some sort of credit for the hassle of it all.

Yes R164

If it were me, I would definitely demand to speak to the manager

R165, I’ve found toilet paper at Target in person. You have to go when they first open though, because it’s very little and I bet after a couple of hours it’s all gone. And that’s with a one pack limit. And six rolls in a pack.

You’re probably just going to have to bite the bullet and go in person. I wear an N95 mask and rubber gloves, change my gloves every time I go to the car, and put the dirty gloves in a ziplock plastic bag in the car after I use them. Then I wipe my hands down with a bleach wipe in the car between gloves.

Then I go home, put every stitch of clothing straight in the washer which is already open and has soap in it. Then I go straight in the shower, wash including my hair and use lots of soap. Soap kills the virus.

I leave everything that’s non perishable in my car for three days. I usually don’t buy anything perishable except for fruit and that can stay in the car for three days anyway.

So far this is working, but my god it is a pain in the ass.

Harris Teeter has lots of 24-pack toilet paper

What is the opposite of a Karen?

Would that be Debbie Doormat?

“Oh please, treat me like crap and take my money. Please give me awful service. I’ll take it gladly so that I am not shamed on social media. I will take absolute whatever slop you hand me.

I am meek and will not challenge authority. I am a mere slave waiting to receive whatever mistreatment, dishonesty or abuse that comes my way. I will thank you for the abuse. and never be seen nor heard complaining. I’m a lowly, non human presence that will unquestionably follow the demands of my lord and masters. I don’t think the WALTONS HAVE ENOUGH BILLIONS SO HERE, TAKE SOME OF MY TIME AND MONEY AND LET ME BOW DOWN AND WORSHIP AT YOUR FEET FOR THE PRIVILEGE!

I’d rather be a Karen, with a store credit in hand, than a debbie dormat slave non-person, wholly owned by the hedge funds like r167.

R167 is why everything sucks. It’s why America has slid into being a third world country. It’s why wages are paltry and why billionaires hedge funders have marginalized the working family to the brink. They are why companies get away with murder and politicians get way with treason.

I had trouble finding flour, rice, and Herdez Salsa in the large jugs. I was able to order 20 pounds of all-purpose flour (my artisan bread in 5 minutes a day recipe calls for all purpose) three 70 ounce jugs of Herdz salsa, and 10 pounds of Mahatma long grain rice from Walmart.com. The flour and salsa arrived in two days. The rice is supposed to be here by Friday.

Experts say it may be time for grocery stores to ban customers from coming inside.

CNN: Dozens of grocery store workers have died from the coronavirus, despite masks, temperature checks and capacity restrictions to keep them safe. So far, supermarkets have resisted the most draconian policy: banning customers from coming inside.

However, some worker experts, union leaders and small grocery owners believe it has become too dangerous to let customers browse aisles, coming into close range with workers. Grocery stores are still flooded with customers, and experts say it's time for large chains to go "dark" to the public and convert to curbside pickup and home delivery for food and other essential goods.

"Careless customers" are "probably the biggest threat" to workers right now, according to Marc Perrone, president of the United Food and Commercial Workers' union. The union said 85% of its grocery store member workers reported that customers are not practicing social distancing.

"Any store still allowing hundreds of members of the public to enter every day is taking a calculated risk on behalf of their front line staff," said Mike Houston, general manager of Takoma Park Silver Spring Co-op in Takoma Park, Maryland, who decided to close his grocery store to the public and switch to curbside pickup in late March. "That is highly irresponsible to me."

I was very surprised this did not happen sooner R174

And yet the CEOs and hedge fund that own these dumps are making a fortune. They pay scraps.

Tell you my experience: When this first started, around March 12 I went out and bought a lot of stuff. Toilet paper, cleaning solvents, etc. Now I'm in the replenish what you use phase. And the "if you see it buy it." For example, I do not need toilet paper. I have approximately a five month supply for a single person. But I saw my brand at Kroger and bought one package. I don't need eggs, but they're being rationed and the sell by date was May 10th so I bought a dozen. Canned tuna? Buy it. Bacon buy it and freeze it. Fish & Chicken? Buy it & freeze it. When you go to Costco and the supermarket get yourself some frozen fruit and vegetables. Store them and use fresh while they last. Why? Worker shortages i n food insutry.

[quote]Grocery stores are still flooded with customers, and experts say it's time for large chains to go "dark" to the public and convert to curbside pickup and home delivery for food and other essential goods.

My local Kroger offers curbside pickup, but you can't get in-demand items that way - you have to go inside if you want liquid hand soap, paper products, cleaning products; pasta, rice, etc. Curbside pickup is primarily good for fresh produce and things that are easy to keep in stock like potato chips, salad dressing, coffee filters, etc.

The store doesn't have special shopping hours or limited entry - anyone can go in whenever they want during regular store hours. I haven't been inside, but I did notice that the shopping cart collector was wearing a face mask, so hopefully all of their workers have them available. The curbside delivery staff did not wear face masks, however.

I can't help but wonder if Kroger really hates having to offer curbside pickup. That store always seems somewhat understaffed anyway, but now they lose some labor hours by having employees do curbside customers' shopping as well. Maybe that's why they make some items only possible to purchase inside the store.

The thing is, if they stop letting customers into the stores at all, what are they going to do? All of the grocery delivery services are totally overwhelmed, and it's not viable for everyone to use them anyway. Curbside pickup isn't much better. In order to fulfill the huge uptick in online/curbside ordering, they'd have to hire many more workers to shop for people, and then they'd have many more people in the stores at the same time, just instead of customers, they'd be workers. There are so many snags involved in removing the option of entering stores.

Just came from CostCo. First time I've been there in a month.

Aisles and aisles of tp, paper towels, meat, eggs, everything.

No liquid soap refills (very little cleaning products in general).

As noted upthread, they are enforcing a two person per membership entry and enforcing a one pack of tp, paper towels, etc. per cart so CostCo was basically kid free. It was heaven.

Have to admit R180. That is kind of genius. I wonder how much "stock" a Waffle House typically has. Better to sell it since they can't serve customers.

[quote]Just came from CostCo.

Costco, not CostCo, dear.

CostCo?

Dear = a different 4 letter word in this context.

My local grocery has less staff than customers, which I imagine is true for most. It seems a lot of the staff are stocking shelves. Why can't they do that when the store is closed for sales? Or does management refuse to pay the extra for those hours? I use self-checkout so I don't need a staff person to help me - except when something doesn't scan or the receipt doesn't print.

I just picked my first Kroger order. I got 2 boxes of brown rice for free! Yay me!

I feel guilty, though.

I will trade you 26 cans of cherry frosting for your rice r187

Throw in a Little Debbie anything and you got a deal, hun.

R178 & r179, I did my first Kroger pick up order this morning @ 2:30 a.m. and our was ready at 11 a.m. I was expecting to wait a couple days. It easy and fast. Plus, I didn't have to deal with the riff-raff who refuse to wear a mask in public. In definitely doing it again! (I forgot milk!)

I just learned my Betty Crocker frosting is made in Greece.

Which parts of Flyoverstan does Kroger have stores in?

Kroger has stores from sea to shining sea. All are not known as Kroger, however. Kroger also owns and operates, Dillons, Baker's Supermarkets, Gerbes Super Markets, Food 4 Less, Foods Co, Fred Meyer,Fry's Food and Drug, Harris Teeter, King Soopers, City Market, Owen's Market, Pay Less Super Markets, JayC Food Stores, Mariano's, QFC, Ralphs, Roundy's, Pick 'n Save, Copps, Metro Market, Ruler Foods, and Smith's Food and Drug.

CostCo?

? Cherry frosting does sound vile. No wonder they gave that stuff away.

Kroger owns Harris Teeter? How gauche!

Perkins Restaurants and Panera have also gotten into the grocery business. Check to see if one near you is participating. They're selling mostly basic staples (meat, bread, eggs, milk), limited produce, and paper products.

Plus Restaurant Depot, the big commercial restaurant supply chain, has opened their stores to the general public. Stop at the service desk to get a day pass, then you can shop. They have everything, though mostly in huge quantities. Still, you can't beat the price of fresh produce by the case. See if you can make a pooled shopping list with some neighbors or friends, so you can divide up the produce and fresh meats. They also carrying paper products and cleaning supplies. Foodies and gadget fiends will be in heaven once they get inside. Look to see if there's one by you. But wear a winter coat when you go - most of the building is a giant cooler/freezer.

a great idea! very creative solution.

I hope you cut and pasted that from Wikipedia R193

But thank you regardless

R199 Actually I wish I had. I ended up adding some from Wikipedia, But, at first I was typing them while looking at my Kroger prescription bag.

[quote]I will trade you 26 cans of cherry frosting for your rice

Honey, your cherry lost its frosting years ago.

Thought this was interesting R192/R193

I just got back in from having to go to the Post Office. Being a Sunday, I thought the place would be dead, but apparently everyone was out and about. No one was wearing a mask, no one had gloves on. Several people were gathered in the parking lot chatting away, barely standing a few feet apart from one another.

On my way to the Post Office, I pass by a popular hiking trail. Again, tons of people were there. The parking lot was completely full and you could see swarms of people on the trail, again, not wearing masks.

Whenever I go out, which I try not to do, I notice there are a lot of people out exercising and not wearing a mask. People might not think it's necessary, but I don't see how people can't err on the side of caution.

I drove passed someone delivering pizza and while the driver had gloves on, he did not have a mask on. With some people not wearing masks but wearing gloves, or the other way around, or xyz, this is one of the reasons I have yet to order take out/delivery.

*drove past

I don’t wear a mask either, although I truly to maintain distance

R151 here. My instacart order came early while I was in the shower. No update that it was coming sooner and no communication from the shopper about purchases. I was kind of pissed about it. Many of the substitutions were horrible and half the order was not filled. I won't shop at this particular grocery store again and I will be sending a complaint about them making this change on me at the last second.

It would be useful if you all said where you were and how bad things are where you live.

I would definitely email the manager R206!

Do they know who you are?

They will after you are finished with them.

R208 It's not Karen-ish to upset with a platform like Instacart changing the scheduled delivery date by three days and then not communicating with me about it. If they had given me a heads up, I could have tried to communicate with the shopper about substitutions and stuff like that. It's Instacart's fault, not the fault of the shopper. I gave them a decent tip.

The Karen thing is played.

Frau is forever.

Has anyone had trouble finding bread flour? I've found every other type of flour but bread flour.

Flatbush in the house! The Stop & Shop on Tilden is pretty stocked on everything but just be prepared for lines.

I also had an issue today with Instacart. I knew my shopper was in the store (he had contacted me several times regarding replacements) but after all of that, I then get a call from him saying that he couldn't buy the stuff because the store had "declined" my card. Excuse me?? I told him I had no idea how that could be possible. He said that he had already used the Apple card for three other buyers but the card was rejected when he tried to use it to pay for mine. He then said that I should contact my bank to find out the problem. Completely weirded out by this, I hung up from him, called my bank, which said my card was fine (as I knew it would be), so I then got online with Instacart, which also said that my card was declined, that it was too late to cancel the order, and that I should contact my bank. I told them I'd already done that, the bank said the card was fine, and that this must be some kind of mistake on their part and that I wanted it corrected right away (I had put a $30 tip on this order by the way).

Well, after doing some checking, Instacart comes back and tells me that the error was actually that of the shopper (a new hire according to the rep). They said that they give them all Apple cards to use to make the purchases and if the cards should run out of money, the shopper is supposed to call in to the office, not contact the customer. They apologized and said they would make it up to me by delivering my order first thing tomorrow morning.

HEB, a Texas grocery chain, has started a new system for online ordering of in-demand items, e.g., toilet paper and white rice. You can select the "best available" product in different sizes/volumes. I ordered white rice, 5 lbs. I could have ordered 14 oz-2 lb. I've encountered this when ordering paper towels and toilet paper. I'm in Houston. It'll be a week before I receive delivery. I'll post if there are big problems.

I found toilet paper, paper towels and hand sanitizer on the gopuff app....not sure if it’s been listed here yet. Delivery within 15 minutes for 1.99$

At no charge, correct r214?

The reason Silicon Valley can make a fortune is because they iron out all their kinks on the back of customers. Don’t take it lying down.

correction, R213

correction, R213

Correct, R218. Tomorrow's delivery will be free of charge.

Fuck Instacart. I finally got a delivery slot with them today for 3-5pm after waiting a week and a half. Well, it was for nothing because they moved my delivery window at least 6 times until finally they cancelled it for today and rescheduled it for another day. I just canceled my order at that point because who knows when they will be able to fulfill my order.

I've started shopping at Target in Jersey City since it is a Greatland Target and carries many items you would find in a grocery store with no lines and no waiting plus early in the morning it's not crowded. I wear my mask and disposable gloves and use the self checkout and am in and out of the store in 20 minutes. Bringing a list of items I need helps me focus and makes makes the shopping trip shorter.

Hey R221! We're neighbors. That's my Target also (ShopRite is a shitshow)!

R222 The selection is not as great as SR but you can find most of what you need .

R28: True and you avoid the long SR line with room to walk/social distance at Target. Forget SR (and BJ's next door] for now!

☝️That's for R223 of course!

Fresh Direct has been very good, no fuck-ups, no delays.

You can fill your cart until the day before your delivery and so on occasion they run out of things by Wednesday that you put in the cart on Saturday, but will offer you substitutions at checkout.

Advantage is it's from their warehouse, you're not sending a shopper to a store like Instacart and hoping for the best.

Downside is selection can be limited.

I went to Trader Joes and the line moved quickly (5-10 minutes). Everything is in stock except toilet paper and hand sanitizer.

The prices are higher and they will not allow you to shop without wearing a face mask.

If wearing a face mask in public was required for all of us back in January we may have quelled the infection rate and saved our freaking jobs.

I'm still avoiding going inside stores, and since Walmart has failed me TWICE by cancelling my pickup orders, I decided to try Target's pickup. Well, there are several issues: One, they only allow you to the pickup outside orders from their app on your phone--not their website. What's the logic in that? OK, well that's a surmountable issue, but the other problem is that you can't order anything except canned or packaged stuff--no refrigerated or frozen items, no bread or bakery products, no fresh vegetables, meat, or dairy. So it's kind of limited. That said, I was able to get some Diet Coke, soup, cereal, mayo, ginger ale. Gonna try another delivery with Aldi/Instacart tomorrow. So far they've been the most dependable/reliable of all the services I've tried. Of course they don't carry nearly as many items as Walmart or traditional supermarkets, but I can get pretty much everything I need from them.

I just go out to shop about once a week, usually to Ralphs and Target. I go in the evening after 8pm when there's almost nobody in the store. As of last week, inventory was near normal for most items, except of course TP (I don't need any yet) and some cleaning supplies (most notably "wipes" which I don't use anyway). I don't go through some elaborate sanitizing process when I get home...I just wash my hands thoroughly, put stuff away, then wash them again and go about my life. I do not feel the need to sanitize my entire body, bleach anything, or immediately change or launder clothes.

I had money saved and I get paid once a month, so I was able to stock up in my first outing back in early March. Now, my rule is twofold: If you see it buy it, (so I might pick up one package of TOilet paper) and #2 Replenish what you use. So no panic buying or hoarding now. If worse comes to worse I have enough staples and can last for 4-5 months. I will be careful, not wasteful, but I will be fine. Because right now I'm worried about the supply chain when the second wave hits us...and it will. . So grains, legumes, and canned foods are smart investments. I have canned tuna and pasta, lots of beans and oatmeal. Don't overlook your spices or cooking oil. And yes, toilet paper and cleaning products. You know, if push comes to shove you don't need paper towels or "wipes." But basics like cleanser, or good cleaning products and bath soap. are worth stocking up on. Also basic meds and vitamins.

Had the exact same experience with R178 with one of the local Krogers, too, and they have had several employees test positive in recent days. They're the only store that has. I won't go anymore, but unfortunately it's the only place with drive-thru prescription pickup, so I'll still have to go for that.

Target shoppers - if you plan to shop in the store, consider checking each item online first. The result will give the Aisle where your item can be found in the store you have selected.

This has saved me a lot of time when I want to get in and out fast.

I can plan my time in the store without searching for items.

[quote]Target shoppers - if you plan to shop in the store, consider checking each item online first. The result will give the Aisle where your item can be found in the store you have selected.

This has always been a useful feature of the website - but unfortunately, the site hasn't been able to accurately reflect each store's inventory for weeks. So even if they say it's in stock on aisle A15, you could very well have the right aisle, but it's full of empty shelves.

Needed one item to make tacos for dinner. At supermarket A, the aisle that had the item I wanted was roped off, closed for restocking. It was the only aisle in the whole store closed. Other aisles had people restocking them but the aisles were open for traffic.

Go to Store B. There is a line of about 30 people waiting to get in the store, none of whom were six feet apart. The store says its to protect employees, but what about protecting customers. Thanks for your faux concern, Wegmans.

Go to Store C. They have the item I need, but they now have a centralized access point to checkers, and you now have to wait in line for 20 minutes to get checked out, breathing in fetid, recirculated air.

The whole ordeal for ONE FUCKING ITEM took 2 hours. What a country. I can't imagine how much fun grocery shopping will be when the shit really starts hitting the fan later this year.

"Excuse me, sir, can you roll that jar of mild picante sauce over to me please?" -- Me at Store A, refusing to go to Store B or Store C for one item

Perhaps the universe was trying to tell you to have something other than tacos for dinner, R234.

^^Or, just go to the nearest carniceria and buy some salsa, no wait, no hassle.

My cousin and his wife live in California, and said they have a lot more luck with ethnic grocery stores.

Kroger's in Atlanta area have been doing pick up orders for a couple years now.

This morning's trip to the grocery store was less hellish than the last several trips (I go once a week or so). This time, less than five minutes in line to get in, and the entire round-trip was only about half an hour... about half what it has been. Nearly EVERYTHING was in stock. A full aisle of paper towels, toilet paper, rice, beans, pasta, sauces, soups, etc.

The only things out of stock were "anything with the word bleach on it". Strangely, that included Clorox 2, which has no bleach in it.

Anyway, I stocked up on the things I needed (except Clorox 2). It's not like things are getting back to normal or anything, but the STOCK is getting back to normal at least.

I had a curbside shoprite order yesterday less than half my order was filled even with the blessing to do substitutions, lesson learned it was a Monday Am pick up and I think they didn’t get restocked from the weekend. SO I bit the bullet & went to Aldi first time in 6+ weeks. Waited 10 minutes to get in and everyone social distanced. It was actually much better than I thought. Only 40 people allowed in the store at once, most people had masks they were very well stocked except for chicken, tp, disinfectant. Bought a shit ton of stuff so I don’t have to shop again for a few weeks. I’m in CT. Forgot to mention they had flour if you’re looking for it.

Stock may be getting back to normal because people are running out of money. THey can't buyy as much and stores are limiting the purchase of eggs, toilet paper and other stuff.

Are there bigger and smaller ALDIs or are they all the same size?

Running to 3 stores for one item at dinnertime. idiot.

I think the egg limitations are gone now. Farmers are having to dump eggs because of the steep drop in demand from restaurants. My local store's egg supply is over-flowing.

Funny but here in Arizona I am having problems with finding eggs. I haven't been to the store in over a week so maybe it is better now.

I was shocked to see a same day, 5 hour Wegmans delivery slot on Instacart today in Northern Virginia.

"I do not feel the need to sanitize my entire body, bleach anything, or immediately change or launder clothes."

R229 ^ will be dead in 3 weeks.

That was the Universe saying to you:

"Stop fucking going out for one item! Keep your ass inside!!!"

[quote]The whole ordeal for ONE FUCKING ITEM took 2 hours. What a country. I can't imagine how much fun grocery shopping will be when the shit really starts hitting the fan later this year.

So, you know something the rest of the world, including all the scientists, don't know?

R242 i toggle between two Aldi’s and both are very close in size sq footage-wise but differently laid out.

The eggs are back in stock. The cashier, a hard assed New Yorker barked over the intercom " 2 egg carton LIMIT per customer"! The cashier followed up by yelling if you did not wear a mask you would be asked to leave the store. No toilet paper, handsoap wipes or sanitizer, everything else is in stock including aluminum foil, bleach,paper towels, paper napkins and kleenex. My guess is foil was in short supply because everyone is trying to freeze foods in case of shortages!

Paranoid asshole alert @R247. Get mental health assistance soon.

Tomorrow I'll pick up my first groceries in six weeks. Curbside pickup and I'll be good for another month if necessary. By then the lockdowns should be over anyway.

R253: By 5/21? Doubt it. USA death rate went back up today (2500+)

2500?

R255: Yes, USA has a 2500+ death increase so far today.

Our family of 3 buys toilet paper and paper towels in bulk at BJs and we had coincidentally just bought both right before this hit, but now I am starting to worry that when it runs out its going to be an adventure trying to find more. Every time I go to a supermarket that section is always wiped out. I have to admit, if I happen to go somewhere and see either product I will hoard if they let me. Now i see how this happens! It's like a psychological thing.

Well, Aldi/Instacart came through for me again this morning. It was my third order (and I got free delivery for the first three, so I guess I'll be paying from now on) and they had nearly everything I ordered. They were out of New York Strip steaks and I said that Ribeye would be an acceptable substitution -- but I ended up with "thin cut ribeye steaks," which I've never heard of and have no idea what to do with. But other than that--no complaints at all. Still gonna try Walmart once more (I'm the one who got cancelled on TWICE) this Friday, but after that I give up. I was able to get some nonperishable stuff for pickup at Target, and some Amazon pantry stuff is coming tomorrow. As long as I don't need fresh fruits or vegetables, I could probably go for three or four weeks without shopping again.

[quote]Stock may be getting back to normal because people are running out of money. THey can't buyy as much and stores are limiting the purchase of eggs, toilet paper and other stuff.

Qu'ils mangent de la brioche. More for us.

R258 you must have a bougie Aldi’s I’ve never seen Ny strips at my Aldi.

Mar 20: no paper products at Whole Foods.

Apr 21: no paper products at Whole Foods.

I was in Walgreens today and they had plenty of paper towels, limit 2 per customer. Picked up a pack

Someone certainly got triggered!

I went to Costco the other day and we all had to wait in line around the parking lot, maybe half had masks and gloves, while a short little drill sargeant lady with a bull horn shouted "reminders" at us. I felt like a bew marine recruit rather than an older retired person trying to find some eggs, hamurger and butter. This was at about 10 am. Geez.. the new normal.☹

*new* ahhh

elderly customers are brought to the front of line at Trder Joes. I do NOT have problem with this. It would be helpful if the stores with giant lines can let customers know what products have sold out before we have to wait in long assed lines.

R266 I should have mentioned the "No Have Got List" was one of her frequent reminders, as she sauntered back and forth.

R266 I don't know if it is common, but my local Target has a whiteboard listing everything they are out of at the front door. It is great, so I don't have to walk all the way around the store to realize they don't have what I'm looking for.

I haven't been to whole foods lately...too many people, always a line outside waiting to get in (NYC).

I go early or close to closing time in other supermarkets. They were selling masks at the cashier today. They were individually wrapped in plastic, $3 for 3. I bought 3. Then I popped into CVS to buy some tissues, they had them. They were also selling masks (individually wrapped) at 1.99 for 1. I bought 2.

Of course, CVS just HAD to be higher. I swear they are THE greediest price-gouging assholes in town.

How can chain stores get masks but nurses can’t? Seems a bit backwards.

The flour fetishists seem to have inspired many

[quote]How can chain stores get masks but nurses can’t? Seems a bit backwards.

Because they aren't N95 masks. Just plain old surgical ones that are not in short supply.

The whiteboards in front of the stores listing all the sold out products are not necessarily accurate, especially in larger stores like Costco that restock throughout the day.

As for toilet paper and cleaning products, my motto as I said earlier, is If you see it, buy it. Don't be a hoarder, but make sure you have enough to stay indoors for two months if necessary. Yes. 8 weeks. In fact, 8-10 weeks worth. I gave up on looking for wipes. I have paper toweling so I saturate a few sheets with Lysol or Clorox spray cleaner, and put them in a plastic baggie. I wear gloves and I wear a mask when I'm at stores or other places where there are people. If you're in a situation at a supermarket, or other store, where you suddenly find yourself unable to social distance, duck your head, and turn your head away from people until you pass them.

Yesterday: Whole Foods here in suburban DC with shelves full of unsold, unwanted "gluten-free" pasta, while the "bad" pasta shelves were ransacked by Karens who somehow forgot their "gluten-allergies" once they were precoccupied by more pressing health concerns.

Ditto--peanut butter. LIttle Violet and Gage "grew out" of their nut allergies!

Fresh direct screwed up badly for me. So much so, they refunded an order of over $200.

Check your Kroger Ship and Pickup transactions carefully. These are fully pre-paid at time of order, but weeks later, no adjustments for items not received.

[quote]How can chain stores get masks but nurses can’t? Seems a bit backwards.

Don't health care providers use different masks?

I tried to organize an Instcart/ALDI order, all delivery times are taken. Instacart is no longer accepting new customers.

I tried to organize an Instcart/ALDI order, all delivery times are taken. Instacart is no longer accepting new customers.

Some of these hoarders have 6 month to a year's amount of TP, paper towels, wet wipes, sanitizer, etc. I've gone to ordering cleansers, plastic gloves, etc. online. Some products may take a month for delivery.

I'm in a Southeastern state whereby the Republican Governor is trying to prematurely open businesses up. My county has one of the highest rates of infections in the state. I observed in the grocery store, maybe 40 percent, are not properly socially distancing and don't wear any masks, gloves, etc. Many of them are late middle-aged or seniors. People who are "family" shopping are very annoying. They lack sufficient education or awareness, don't care, or view themselves as not being vulnerable.

I live in the Midwest and most of our recent cases have been middle-aged 55-60 year olds who didn't wear masks or social distance and picked up the virus from people they knew. And the grocery store I kept complaining about where they were supposed to enact social distancing procedures but didn't also has employees with the virus.

Opening up red states early is going to be a disaster. Get ready for a ton of deaths.

What did they do to screw up so badly, r277?

Just got back from a shopping marathon.

Near NW suburbs of Chicago.

1. 6:15AM ..."ZZZZZzzzzz". Mariano's (opens at 6AM - 8AM for seniors (yeah, I qualify) - got most on my list. Most (not all) wearing masks. Apparently, our suburb is planing to pass a "Everyone must wear masks" law.

2. Local grocery - They actually had some flour!!! A small bag but enough for me. Got a few other things.

3. Target - needed paper for my printer. Also got some things that were not around that last time I shopped. - mouthwash, aspirin, Tylenol, Method cleaners, large jumbo container of All laundry detergent.

4. Trader Joe's (Opens at 8AM for seniors & disabled) - got most on my list.

I was going to do #5 Walgreens but I pooped out.

General feeling - stores were better stocked but I got most of what I wanted at Mariano", including things that were not available last time.

Went to a Stop & Shop in NJ earlier this morning.

Absolutely no paper towels or toilet paper. (I didn't need either, but looked out of curiosity.)

It's funny what they have plenty of and what pretty sparse. For example, why is it that there are lots of frozen chopped spinach, but no frozen chopped broccoli?

When I went to a Shop Rite yesterday morning, they had almost no frozen vegetables in general and very little pasta (compared with a decent selection of pasta at the Stop & Shop.) And of course no paper towels & toilet paper. (Both store had plenty of tissues.)

One thing about NJ is that it's mandatory to enter a store wearing a mask, and each store had a police officer by the entrance/exit to I guess make sure people were complying. Also, as the day goes on when more people shop, only a certain number of people are allowed in stores at a time.

Another thing I've noticed in general is that some stores (like Stop & Shop & Kings) are set up to have one-way aisles that alternate.

I tried to organize an Instcart/ALDI order, all delivery times are taken. Instacart is no longer accepting new customers.

I don't shop at Trader Joes but this twitter account posts updates on line situation in brooklyn.

r288. That is hilarious. Useful too. We have nothing but time on our hands but I dislike having to wait on long assed lines. Social distancing or no, long lines filled with people increases the risk of spreading/contracting this fucking infection.

In Denver. In a high risk group so haven't been IN a store for a while.

Local Kroger store (called "King Soopers") - have had a few delivery orders and am getting about 80-90 percent of our order. Oddly, one consistent thing they don't have is ramen noodle soup. I even miraculously got 2 boxes of alcohol swabs.

Whole Foods delivery has been good and consistent. It can be ordered late morning-mid afternoon for a dinnertime delivery.

Instacart for another local store seems to only be running a day or two out.

Did Target for a few things for Drive Up, though they won't handle perishable foods, but they will do granola, bottled ice tea, soda, etc.

As with everyone else, just wish I could find a few disinfecting wipes and/or Lysol.

Just returned from collecting my first groceries in a month.

Pickup was scheduled for 10am. About three minutes after I left the driveway I got a call asking if they could reschedule me for noon because they were so backed up. Fine, no problem under the circumstances.

Arrived at noon and waited maybe 20 minutes when the young man came out with my stuff which he loaded into the trunk. A couple of small items were out of stock but nothing critical, but they did substitute two boxes of granola for my two jars of out of stock peanuts. Next time I'll know to specify no substitutions.

Painless process. Lots of credit to the supermarket workers keeping things moving.

Tyson Foods shutting largest pork plant over coronavirus outbreak

Tyson Foods suspended operations Wednesday at an Iowa plant that is critical to the nation’s pork supply but had been devastated by a growing coronavirus outbreak.

The company said that the indefinite closure of the Waterloo, Iowa, pork plant would deny a vital market to hog farmers and further disrupt the nation’s meat supply. Tyson had kept the facility, its largest pork plant, open in recent days over the objections of the mayor and local elected officials.

The plant can process about 19,500 hogs per day, accounting for nearly 4 percent of US pork-processing capacity, according to the National Pork Board.

More than 180 infections had been linked to the plant earlier this week and officials expect that number to dramatically rise. The company said that mass testing of its 2,800 workers would begin later this week.

In addition to those sick, hundreds of workers had stayed home from work out of fear of catching the virus. The plant had been running at reduced production levels as a result.

The announcement comes as employers have struggled to contain the virus in large meatpacking plants, where workers toil side by side on production lines and often share crowded locker rooms, cafeterias and rides to work.

Several other packing plants have temporarily closed across the country after large outbreaks, including a Smithfield Foods plant in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and a JBS USA plant in Worthington, Minnesota. Others have stayed open or resumed production after brief pauses for worker testing and cleaning.

“Despite our continued efforts to keep our people safe while fulfilling our critical role of feeding American families, the combination of worker absenteeism, COVID-19 cases and community concerns has resulted in our decision to stop production,” Tyson Fresh Meats President Steve Stouffer said in a statement.

He warned that the closure would have “significant ramifications beyond our company” since it’s part of a supply chain that includes farmers, truckers, distributors and grocers.

Tyson said that workers would be compensated while the plant is closed and the timing of its reopening would depend on several factors, including the outcome of COVID-19 testing of workers.

The suspension came one day after the Black Hawk County Board of Health called on the company or Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds to temporarily close the plant. The board warned that its continued operation would exacerbate the spread of the virus through the county, where confirmed cases and hospitalizations have skyrocketed in recent days.

Waterloo Mayor Quentin Hart and scores of local officials had also called for a temporary shutdown, saying that the company was putting its workforce in danger. Iowa’s worker safety agency said Tuesday that it had begun an investigation at the plant.

The plant employs many blacks, Latinos and refugees, populations that encompass a hugely disproportionate share of Iowa’s coronavirus cases.

The governor and the Iowa Department of Public Health had rejected calls for a closure and said they were working with Tyson to keep the plant open, even at partial capacity.

Reynolds argued Monday that the economic harm caused by meat plant closures would outweigh the health risks to workers, warning that farmers with no markets may have to euthanize their pigs.

She said Tuesday that “people are gonna get” the virus in large workplaces and that most will experience only mild or no symptoms.

Earlier this week, Tyson resumed operations at its pork-processing plant in Columbus Junction, Iowa. That plant had been shut down for two weeks due to an outbreak linked to hundreds of infections and the deaths of two workers.

These plants are doomed.

[quote] Next time I'll know to specify no substitutions.

I did that once I got the hook of it with deliveries.

One store lets me write a little note re: substitutions, so that's helpful if to say "Another size/flavor is OK but not X or Y."

Otherwise they get kinda creative and it's not always the same.

The pigs are delighted by this turns of events!!

Supermarket workers, delivery personnel, the people who pick and package these foods, all of these low skilled workers have proven to be more valuable in an incredibly stress filled time than previously. They are on the front lines of this health crisis just as healthcare workers and emergency services are, many have become ill from this infection and some have died. Will we remember any of this when "everything goes back to normal"? We have short memories. If we had longer memories we may very well have avoided this total fucking mess in the first place. We are not supposed to go back to being normal, normalcy has failed us.

A global health crisis AND a total economic collapse. and now? NO BACON!

Thanks Trump!

Porky tells it like it is.

[quote]Will we remember any of this when "everything goes back to normal"?

In my fantasy world, grocery store clerks and stockers, delivery drivers and first responders of any stripe see their pay double before this over. I realize it won't happen -- but this situation has made it clear that they are much more integral to our lives than any overpaid "marketing manager" or "brand strategist."

Veggie burger eater here. Those are in short supply at the moment. Damn meat starved carnivores!

You can get the most fabulous bacon made in America by mail order at Neuske's (a major restaurant supplier), if you're willing to pony up about $14 a pound for it. They process their own Wisconsin hogs. (The Big Ag giants are just shit).

r300, people went crazy hoarding, meat eaters and vegans alike.

[quote] Tyson Foods shutting largest pork plant over coronavirus outbreak

That won't last long. They'll scrub the plant down with disinfectants and institute stricter health precautions for the workers and be back in in a couple weeks. Same as Boeing which restarted their production lines today putting 27,000 back to work.

[quote]I tried to organize an Instcart/ALDI order, all delivery times are taken. Instacart is no longer accepting new customers.

You posted this three times. But never mentioned where you were, or if this is a local or national issue.

I'm in NYC and never used this service b4. You may have me confused with another poster? I hadn't mentioned this prior. I'm the poster ripping my hair out about predicted bacon shortages and preparing, yes, HOARDING bacon!

I ventured to the grocery store today which has an advertised opening time of 8 and was pleasantly surprised. I had observed previously that once the initial keenies went inside at 8 the line disappeared after about 10 minutes so I decided I would trial just sitting it out until then and not lining up. So I sat in a the park across the road for a while until my impatience got the better of me and I went there at 7.50. to see that the store was open and there was no line. I asked the staff girl at the entrance about it and she said they open at 7 for seniors - look at the sign on the wall. but the wall sign said they open at 8. Anyway at least I got in without fuss.

A couple of hours ago I went to Walmart in northern VA. About 97% of shoppers were wearing masks. Zero lysol, bleach, wipes, hand sanitizer, antibacterial hand soap. They did have toilet paper: six packs of Charmin (two varieties), and there were a couple of 36-packs that no one wanted. They were unloading a pallet full of bounty paper towels when I left.

r301, They can charge more and will get their asking price.

[quote]Earlier this week, Tyson resumed operations at its pork-processing plant in Columbus Junction, Iowa. That plant had been shut down for two weeks due to an outbreak linked to hundreds of infections and the deaths of two workers.

I really wish they would start these stories about plants closing with this part of the story instead of playing up the sensationalism of the "oh my god, we're never going to eat again!" bullshit. They shut it down, clean it, put up better barriers, and reopen.

r309, there are and will be shortages as production queues are stopped and restarted. Some of these workers have become ill and some have even died. Workers have to be tested to confirm they haven't been infected with covid. There will be lawsuits filed when workers are infected at work because testing was lax (nonexistent) and all safety measures were not observed in the workplace. The tests are not ready for the masses. We still have major shortages on basic toiletry needs two-three months out from this health crisis. Couple the hoarding with stoppages of production and we will see these shortages widen. Are we gonna starve? Not American fat asses, we are obese to begin with, but bare shelves sends that primitive brain of ours into panic mode.

It was a real coup this morning. Set out for my local ShopRite and arrived at the store @ 6:00A.M.(it opens @ 7:00A.M.) Lo and behold it was open, they'd changed their hours to accommodate seniors only first thing in the morning. Outside of paper products and flour, the store was packed out nicely. Employees couldn't have been nicer, I offered some of my homemade masks to thank them for keeping us going.

Got home, put stuff away and walked to my local Acme(where I used to work) Had a sturdy net shopping bag with me, intending to get just a few things. Wound up spending 80 bucks, needed to additional bags to get my purchases home. It was senior time there as well, so there place was almost empty of customers.

I grocery shop every 3 weeks, I always make a detailed list so I won't have to do any emergency buying. It was nice to talk with some of the old gang, they got some of my masks also.

My fears for the food supply chain just won't go away, I hope I am wrong and we will not have too many more disruptions like the last 2 months. Reports of farmers and dairymen plowing under or otherwise getting rid of food just breaks my heart. The government has left us so little, they MUST insure the reliability of the food supply. I'm sure there'll be plenty of "victory gardens" this year.

The good thing is that I wisely bought a pound of bacon at the grocery a week ago, last Thursday. So I have enough to last me for about 6 months, easily. [Huffing on fingernails]

I added a 5 pound sliced block of it to my webrestaurant dot com store order a few months back r312

I'm cracked up by the stuff put out by some stores. No sooner than March 21 rolled around, my local grocery store pulled dozens and dozens of boxes of firewood. Only issue is that this is California and the temperature hasn't dropped below 40 at night since February.

r309. they shut it down, clean it up, reopen, and get reinfected. Have you never seen a photo of the inside of a processing plant? It's lines of conveyor belts with workers standing shoulder to shoulder, each performing his or her specific task, all day long. When they take breaks, the line can't be disrupted by handfuls of workers walking away, so they all break together. Meaning they can't even get away from each other for a few minutes in the bathrooms and break rooms. Also meaning it's just a matter of time before another asymptomatic worker or three or twenty starts spreading it all over again.

The shutdowns are not one-time occurrences, and that's what's got the commercial food processors so concerned. Given how their plants work, they literally haven't got much room to reconfigure their workflows.

We've talked about how automation is going to be eliminating so many jobs in the future. The technology is already here for meat processing plants, it's just the high cost of buying it and retrofitting the plants that have caused the corporations to wait on implementation. Why bother investing that kind of money when the labor is so cheap? Well, the problems posed by the pandemic might motivate them to upgrade their plants (or build new ones) much sooner than they'd planned. But that will mean the loss of thousands of jobs.

r307, what was the cost of the 36 rolls?

Las Vegas. I went to the Costco Business Center, which caters to restaurants but is open to the general public. No toilet paper except those big commercial bathroom rolls. Limit of one I think. Lots of Kirkland paper towels. No regular sized cans of chopped tomatoes, only large restaurant size. Normally they would have both. No Kirkland canned Tuna which is very popular, but they have canned chicken, salmon and sardines. I don’t think they had canned beef either. No celery but lots of carrots. Lots of eggs and water. Nitrile gloves only in XL and small. They had a less durable type in L. They had Kleenex with lotion in it. I think the number of boxes in the packages were smaller than normal, but I don’t usually buy it so I’m not sure.

They did have yeast (active, not instant), red and black dry beans are back. I got Listerine and it was packaged with two bottles. I think it normally might be three bottles.

They have lots of laundry soap and Dawn dish soap there. I filled up my car tank for about $25. That was weird. About 2/3 of the customers had masks. There was a huge long plexiglas sheet covering the whole conveyor belt and cashier. A small hole cut out for the ATM card payment. The cashier taped my receipt to the front of the shopping cart so the person at the door didn’t have to touch it and I didn’t have to hand it to him.

Went to Winco next. The employees did not have masks or gloves, although there was some plexiglas. Not as much as Costco. They still have some shortages on the shelves. Mostly canned goods. No elastic hair bands (they’re all being chopped in half and used for masks as earpieces), a lot of empty spots in the canned goods. Very little cleaning solutions. They had a type of Lysol spray meant for stone and granite only. Limit of one. They had some 12 rolls of Northern toilet paper. Limit of one. They didn’t have a lot. All the paper towels were packaged as individual rolls of one each. If you need paper towels, go to Costco business center instead, they are big packs. They open at 7am too. Water seems back at Winco. Some brands of soap are missing, also Epsom salts for some reason. The frozen food section of Winco is full.

The best NYC grocery delivery services for Covid-19:

Here is a picture of my first attempt at making challah yesterday.

Made with bleached ALL PURPOSE flour. Not my first choice but all I could get, and look, it was fucking fabulous.

All purpose flour is OK.

That does it. I am going to make some challah! Flour, milk eggs, yeast. I can do this. It's been 20 years since I've done it but I keep seeing pictures of challah! I've been hibernating since March 15. That 3-pack of yeast in the fridge has been winking at me, saying, "C'mon, you know you want to."

Lovely brown crust

Use a beer for yeast.

I'm heading to Costco this morning, troops. If I don't return you can have my stuff.

Got a weird grocery delivery order today where they didn't even try to find substitutes for meat and dairy items. I logged right on and did another order with detailed suggestions in the notes of what they could substitute for products if they're out, so we'll see what happens. Their website says they have every single thing they told me they were out of.

Grocery store chains in Massachusetts are pressuring the Governor to ban all in store shoppers.

I can’t get an amazon fresh delivery. Wtf

It is crazy that grocery store checkout clerk has suddenly become one of the most dangerous jobs in America.

The Costco in Homestead, Pittsburgh was fully stocked with everything, including enormous quantities of toilet paper. The only things it didn't have were Clorox wipes, and shoppers with any sense of spatial awareness whatso-fucking-ever. Auuugh! Thank god all of the lumbering zombies were masked.

Banning all shoppers from stores is not feasible. The delivery services are all totally overwhelmed as it is, and curbside pickup still requires an employee to be in the store gathering the items. With all of the new customers that would be kicked over to those systems, there would be a ton of employees in the stores shopping for others all day every day. So they would still be at risk. What IS feasible would be not allowing customers in the stores unless they're wearing gloves and masks, banning groups of shoppers/children/anyone who's not paying or assisting someone who's old or disabled, and then policing social distancing throughout the store.

I'm in NY and the supermarket chain Shop-rite just aired a TV commercial saying that they're hiring right now and gave the info onscreen on how to contact them. That's a good sign

R331 I noticed lots more available curbside pick up slots this week at my local shoprite so they must be ramping up.

Grubhub said the delivery foods Americans are ordering more during lockdown are burritos, chile con quest, donuts, Nashville hot chicken sandwich, mac and cheese.

R331, Are they hiring to replace the employees who quit?

[quote]Their website says they have every single thing they told me they were out of.

Websites have never been great at updating as in-store items sell, especially not during high volume, high speed purchasing. Target's website is so notorious for this that they briefly added a choice on their customer service phone number specifically for people wanting to see if something is in the store.

There is also stocking going on all day and it is rarely inventoried at the exact moment it hits the shelves. Sometimes, item counts are added before boxes are unpacked and shelved, then customers ask the stocker for an item, further reducing the number reported as available.

I assume Shop-Rite is trying to keep up with the increased demand for service and wants to get more people on hand to take care of their business.

^^^Or replacing their dead and infected employees

I know, R335, but when they don't substitute a loaf of bread and yet have literally 126 choices of sandwich bread showing as available on their website, it's hard to believe they're out of all of it.

Went to Walmart (So Cal) earlier this morning. Got in line right as they were opening. I was maybe the 20th person in line.

Most people wearing masks, only half wearing gloves.

Bitch behind me wasn't maintaining social distancing, despite the marks on the floor which indicate 6 feet. She was literally right on me. I asked her to back up. She apologized, but then went on to tell the person behind her:

"When are they going to stop all of this and realize it's all so unnecessary."

I got in the store and was able to grab one of the six hand sanitizers left.

As a note for those looking, be sure to check the very top shelves and very bottom shelves, and look deep in to the back. That's how I've been able to find items like Lysol and Hand Sanitizer.

The Shop Rites by me in Morris County, NJ employe a LOT of senior citizens during the day. I suspect many of them don't want to expose themselves. I've also noticed that, more often than not, more registers are open to get shoppers in an out more quickly. This might account for the hiring. I can't imagine them going to online shopping/curbside pick up.

I try to keep my shopping minimal so that I can use the self-checkout. The line of people waiting for a cashier is outrageous! Why wait 1/2 around the store when you've only go 8 items in your cart? There is sometimes an issue with coupons as the self-scan registers but there are usually 2 assistants who can help.

R340 you can't use the self-checkout if your 8 times are booze!

*items not times

my items were clearly booze.

Lucky to have a friend who's a firefighter. He has all the right PPE and he takes orders and picks up groceries for my mother and her neighbors. (So I piggy back on her orders. ) he's a lovely guy and we have started giving him a small stipend for his good works. You know if you and a very small group of neighbors or friends and family, and when I say small I mean under ten people, get together and find someone willing to do it, you can get your own shopping and delivery set up and not deal with the shortcomings of these other commercial enterprises. Yes. I'm saying do it on your own.

I will also add that if you do find someone who is willing to be your soper, pay them! Maybe not a lot but give them something for the time, trouble and risk.

[quote]The Shop Rites by me in Morris County, NJ employe a LOT of senior citizens during the day. I suspect many of them don't want to expose themselves.

I don't really want to see any senior citizens exposing themselves, do you?

[quote]Lucky to have a friend who's a firefighter. He has all the right PPE and he takes orders and picks up groceries for my mother and her neighbors. (So I piggy back on her orders. ) he's a lovely guy and we have started giving him a small stipend for his good works.

That's all well and good, R343, but you forgot the most important detail: is he hot?

[quote]I can’t get an amazon fresh delivery. Wtf

I live in a densely populated area in the largest county in the United States and Amazon Fresh has never even been available here.

R341/R342, in NJ, you can't buy liquor in the food part of the store. Most Shop Rites have a separate liquor store.

My local Bottle King Liquor Store is only offering online order and curbside pick-up. The Shop Rite Liquor stores, and other smaller liquor stores, are open for shopping but limiting the number of people admitted at any one time.

Are PA state-run liquor stores still closed? I heard this wasn't a good idea as residents are now driving to other states to buy liquor.

R345, absolutely understand senior citizens not wanting to expose themselves to COVID-19. I'm 57; I understand.

My comment was in response to the person saying they think Shop Rite is ramping up hiring so they can close and offer online ordering and curbside pick-up only. I think it has more to do with replacing those who can't/won't come to work.

Hearing about curbside liquor pickup/delivery blows my mind. I live in Brooklyn and my neighborhood has the dinky liquor stores where there is bulletproof glass between you and the clerk. You tell them what you want and they pass your purchase through a slot. These places don't sell beer. The alternative is what's known as a "distributor" store, which is where you can buy cases of soda and beer, like if you're having a party and need a lot of beverage, but these places don't sell the hard stuff. Your third choice is the larger supermarkets that sell beer and low alcohol stuff like those beer/margarita hybrid drinks and Mike's Hard Lemonade and maybe a few bottles of no-name wine and no high proof booze. It's confusing.

If you go to the classier sections of the borough, you may find a store with open shelves where you can touch/pick up your purchase yourself, and walk among selections of wine, rum, scotch, etc. and the higher priced stuff behind a counter. No such thing as call-ahead pickup or delivery. All that to say it doesn't affect me as I don't drink but it's interesting to hear how other communities are set up.

We only just got a special dispensation for curbside liquor pickup because of the virus, R350. No delivery though, still forbidden in our state.

Our grocery stores sell the low-alcohol things you mention and sometimes will have "wine" which is probably just light beer. One brand was called "Le Wine," I'm still kicking myself for not getting it just for giggles.

Shopping like everything else, in our lives is going to be a different experience. Internet searches, mapping out routes, scheduling it, making lists, going to multiple retail outlets, etc. ust like R285. I shop once or twice a month and it takes for ever. Then I get home and have to spray and clean everything.I have damaged lungs and I'm over 50 so I'm terrified.

Everyone is still playing catchup, this is a problem and will extend the quarantine and further damage the economy. Example? Long after the infection caught hold, stores mandated the face covering while in store. This should have been done right away to prevent asymptotic persons from spreading the infection. Another example? People hoarding toilet paper, hand soap and hand sanitizer. Most stores did not have a maximum purchase policy until the shortages were too deep to counteract. Stores have not reconfigured their layout to accommodate the demand of these specific items to reduce the time we have to be around each other. They know people are shopping ( hoarding) toilet paper and sanitizer. Why not put the toilet paper, hand sanitizer and soap in the entrance of the store and alert customers of shortages in advance to minimize the amount of time we are in the stores or waiting in line for products that are sold out? Long lines are a problem in reducing the infection rates.

The delivery services provide an invaluable service for those who can afford it, but they're problematic too. I do not use such a service, I have to shop in person. Each time I have shopped, there are aisles that I can not get to because professional shoppers have carts lined up blatantly disregarding social distancing recommendations. The pros have to search for substitutes for items that have sold out, this causes the time that they are in the store to be extended. This in turn causes the wait times for in store shoppers to be extended and potentially widen our exposure to this infection.

What is Nashville hot chicken sandwich?

R355 It's basically just a deep-friend chicken breast sandwich like you'd get at Chik fil-A, but the breading is exceedingly salty and spicy.

I cannot find fresh heads of garlic. I had to buy the expensive, pre-packaged and pre-peeled kind.

Much of our garlic, which used to come from Gilroy, CA, is now imported (like everything else) from ... CHINA.

R358, Gilroy is also where they had that awful shooting last year as well, too. They can't catch a break.

R356 That isn't the difference. Properly prepared Nashville Hot chicken, is a deep fried piece of chicken, the breading itself is not usually spicy, the spiciness comes from a sauce poured on top of it. The sauce is a hot sauce made with a lard base. I don't care for it, because I can't stand lard.

My local market has a chalkboard in front of the door that says “out of stock” and “limited” for items like Lysol, toilet paper and paper towels. If they’re out you can read the sign and not even go in. That’s a good idea but the sign should be farther from the door, like on the curb facing towards the street so you don’t even have to go in, or ideally even get out of the car.

The highlight of my week: seeing what items Kroger gave me by mistake. Tonight I got a huge pack of cheddar cheese slices instead of a $1.49 package of shredded lettuce. I was planning on getting cheese next week! This fat whore is rejoicing!

Sprouts, which I think of as sort of a middle ground between Trader Joe's and Whole Foods (they're mostly in the west and south), was almost fully stocked this morning. That was a pleasant surprise, and I dropped $100 in a whirlwind 20 minutes. The exception was some paper goods and most cleaning products.

Negatives: food prices are up a bit on some items. Their COVID-19 plexiglass is not very protective. Two employees were coughing through homemade masks.

This is probably my last in-person shopping for awhile. Improved stock in my local stores makes curbside pickup and delivery more practical, and I don't feel especially lucky, even in a mask.

Made a trip to Target here in NorCal last night that was a pleasant surprise - no Lysol or wipes, but I ended up finding several items that I haven't seen on the shelves here since this whole thing started. As soon as I hit the store I headed for the paper products - still no TP, but they actually had some Bounty paper towels (the packages of 6 mega-rolls), and then I found one package of the four larger boxes of ultra-soft Kleenex (the only tissues I've seen around here for a while have been the smaller square boxes, which I hate). I then snagged the lone bottle of Lysol laundry sanitizer, as well as the equally lonely bottle of Clorox's new rival product, Clorox Fabric Odor Remover, which I had a coupon for. Score! Then I actually spotted some disposable nitrile gloves on the rack, which have been MIA forever - one box of 80 and a smaller box of 30. I'm the one distributing the gloves in this house for myself and three other people, so this was a welcome development. Also came across a single sack of flour tucked in a corner - I had already been down the flour aisle once and didn't see it, but something told me to go again and there it was. More people were wearing masks this time but still not keeping their distance, and way too many people were just there taking up space and not actually participating in the shopping. The cashier had a homemade mask but no gloves, which made me wonder why the store has gloves for sale, but none for the employees. But overall it was one of my more pleasant outings, because of those products which haven't been seen in so long finally making a return - even if in most cases I bought the last one.

A neighbor who has worked at a well known local restaurant for years said that we're fools if we believe the workers are taking good safety precautions with all this take out and curb side pick ups. They "do their best" most of the time, but when things get busy everyone just works like hell and safety be damned. The owners are keeping things open to survive. Buying take out will not keep you safe, unless you receive it with your gloves and masks on, transfer the food to microwaveable containers, nuke it for at least 30 seconds, and removing your gloves wash you hands. Never order anything that is cold. No salads, etc. Order only hot foods you can re-warm. And throw the containers away safely.

Bump

Hit the jackpot at a Safeway today. Hand sanitizer and cleaning wipes. I just went in to get whipping cream for quiche.

Well Clorox and Lysol smoothies be available soon in the red states?

[quote]Use a beer for yeast.

I hope that's a joke.

R365 must be a scientist to know so much

An interesting thing about Lysol, is that for decades it was marketed to be put in the body, as a vaginal douche. Of course, it was later determined that was not a very good idea.

On the subject of Lysol, is Lysol the only disinfectant spray manufactured?

I never thought about it before but I don't think I've ever seen (or noticed) any other brand of disinfectant spray?

R372 There is a new Microban spray. Luckily, I found a few cans of it, when I couldn't find Lysol. But, now I can't find it either. There are also store brand disinfectant spray.

Interesting, R373. I've never seen store brand / generic disinfectant spray. I don't think I've even seen any as OOS on Target or Walmart from their store brand.

Target has a store brand Up&Up wipes but they're not as good as the Clorox wipes since they don't claim to kill viruses.

R374 I know Walmart has a store brand Great Value disinfectant, but just like Lysol it is hard to find at this time.

I have some Target store brand disinfectant spray (bought before the recent trouble), and Dollar General has store brand disinfectant spray too. There are also other brands sold for janitorial/institutional use that you don't find in regular retail stores.

R367, good for you. It's a nice surprise to actually lay hands on the coveted stuff these days.

I visited Whole Foods again and everything is in stock including toilet paper, paper towels and a small selection of hand sanitizer. A small clip on hand sanitizing gel is sold for 3 dollars pus tax. Everything is in stock but the prices are sky high. 4 rolls of toilet paper is 5 dollars. The store is filled with dozens and dozens of prime workers filling orders. The aisle with the flour ( all types of flour is in stock at WF) is always jammed with order fulfillment staff making it hard to get to items you need.

R350 in FL we even have liquor stores with a drive-thru! They’ve existed before the pandemic hit so they got the jump on that and I doubt their business has suffered much. Bunch of drunks here so it’s not surprising.

My guess is they don’t make Lysol the way they did decades ago when cleaning solutions generally were less toxic. People now want everything to work immediately without scrubbing. Lysol back then was probably vinegar and a few other things.

Every time I see those old ads, I think, some dummy is going to think they still use the same ingredients as in 1940 and burn out their cooter.

The Daily Beast @thedailybeast · 16m The meat processing company Smithfield Foods has closed a fourth plant due to coronavirus infections, this time in Illinois

Who’s behind the Chinese takeover of world’s biggest pork producer?

Smithfield Foods, the world’s largest pork producer, was acquired by a Chinese firm in 2013 for nearly $5 billion -- more than the company’s market value. The surprising purchase caused some lawmakers to wonder if there might be a hidden player. As part of the series Food for 9 Billion, Nathan Halverson of the Center for Investigative Reporting examines how the Chinese government is involved.

After a solid month of nothing, some Amazon Fresh slots opened today, for delivery tomorrow. I hopped on it and got a lot of basic stuff. Still no AP flour but I still have about 2 cups left. The only brand of toilet paper they had available was Quilted Northern, and only the 12 or 24 roll packs. I have no room for those and will have to scrounge around the local stores for TP when the need arises.

Two things that were out stock that I found odd was aluminum foil and plastic wrap. I guess everyone is needing those items to wrap their leftovers or stocking their freezers.

Forgot to add that some things I put in my cart were flagged as "no longer available" by the time I got to the screen to pay for my purchases. They took off: Nathan's hot dogs, Amazon brand butter, bagged fresh spinach and Shady Brook ground turkey. Dangit.

A woman was busted for allegedly spitting on a fellow shopper during a squabble over social distancing at a high-end Italian market in Philadelphia, according to a new report.

Since we have people from all over the country on here, can we get some reading on where toilet paper is and isn't to be found?

Illinois: Nope

I went to the Costco Business Center this morning to get some bulk meat for myself and some family members. They had very little beef, and what they had was more expensive per pound than what it cost a week ago. They had very, very little chicken. They had no pork whatsoever.

I went next to the Restaurant Depot, the big restaurant wholesaler, figuring they'd have the meat. Same story there. Very little beef and chicken, signs limiting chicken purchase. The only pork they had was two slabs of ribs, that's it.

The food supply chains are starting to see the impact of the meat processing plants shutting down.

So - I just bought three pigs.

There's a farmer about a hundred miles south of here who has a thousand pigs. Problem is, now there's no processing plant that can take them. They're already heavier than market weight, since he's spent the last couple weeks trying to find a place that can take them. He's given up. He's now selling them to the public for $150 each, with a butcher shop in a nearby town that'll slaughter and process your pig for another $350. Whatever he can't sell, he's going to have to kill and bury.

We'll be splitting up the meat from the three pigs among six families, so we'll each end up with 75-100 lbs of various pork cuts. Good thing I just bought a gigantic freezer for this very purpose.

About 70 miles outside Atlanta: I went to a chain grocery at the 7 a.m. "senior hour" on Tuesday, almost 2 weeks ago, and there were some 6-packs of toilet paper on the shelf. First I had seen at all in 4 weeks. Across the aisle, they had about 1/3 of the normal quantity of rolls of paper towels, ditto, first I had seen for sale in 4 weeks. I also spotted a lady in the self-check who was ringing up 2 large canisters of Clorox wipes, first I had seen of these in 6 weeks. So it appears that these things are "coming back". Although once people start getting sick again, on the heels of all the "re-opening", it will all collapse again, wanna bet?

Why wouldn't you just stash the Quilted Northern in a hallway or under the bed R383?

I guess we're forgetting about the Koch boycott since we're desperate.

I was in Target in Jersey City today plenty of TP, paper towels and tissues but no disinfectant wipes of any kind.

Well, after two consecutive cancellations, finally got a pickup order at Walmart today. Of course, still missing some stuff (green onions and parsley? Why?) but I got most things. The bad part was that they are seriously understaffed. I followed the instructions for checking in and notifying them of my arrival. Meanwhile an employee came out TWICE to check on who was who, and after THIRTY MINUTES of waiting in my car in 100-degree weather (in an unshaded area), I finally had to turn the AC on. Then the guy comes out with my stuff and goes to three other cars to see if it's theirs -- after he'd already asked me my name and said my order was next.

Well, as long as I don't care about fresh fruits or vegetables, I'm probably good for 4-6 weeks, so I'm not going to bother with any more grocery shopping.

[quote] I guess we're forgetting about the Koch boycott since we're desperate.

Now is not the time for boycotts. It is hard to find any TP. If your choice is between your hand or Quilted Northern, people will choose QN, regardless of the owners and their politics.

[quote] I guess we're forgetting about the Koch boycott since we're desperate.

Now is not the time for boycotts. It is hard to find any TP. If your choice is between your hand or Quilted Northern, people will choose QN, regardless of the owners and their politics.

Though they are my parents and would eat anything I fed them, they loved the quiche. Consider it DL's.

I purchased seventh generation from whole foods, 4 roll package , 2 ply 240 sheets per roll for 5 bucks. I am furious about this cost.

Hey, to the degree you see stuff pick it up. Don't wait for the second ...and the third waves to hit and complain about not having anything. As far as I'm concerned, I will be buying toilet paper and a few other staples whenever I can. Anti bacterial soaps cleaning products paper toweling.

[quote]2 ply 240 sheets per roll

Geez. That's like a day's worth if you're a woman who, ya know, pees at all. Maybe pull those plies apart?

I don't know what the heck is going on with my Clorox wipes. I ordered them from Walmart, had to wait about 2 weeks before they could be delivered (which was fine, no problem) but I still haven't received them yet and I don't know why. Following the tracking number, it says that both yesterday and again today it was on the UPS truck "out for delivery," yet never arrived, then at the end of the day they update the tracking info with "This delivery couldn't be made for reasons beyond UPS's control." Huh?? If they have the item physically in their hands and it's on the truck, why the fuck can't they deliver it? Two days in a row this has happened. Makes no sense.

Jesus r392. Make sure you complain and get a credit. Poor guy probably wasn’t trained so that they could save a buck.

R399 I'm noticing a lot of issues with Walmart deliveries. I'm still waiting on an item I ordered almost two months ago. It was "shipped," and "scheduled for delivery by end of business today, (this was last week)" and then just said , "delayed," and now the status is, "check back for further updates."

I honestly think Walmart has imaginary stock. This has always been a problem with them but now it's amplified.

I went to a Target in the valley on Thursday, and they had the largest selection of toilet paper that I've seen in a while. This was at the Burbank location on Empire Ave.

Of course I live 'over the hill' but I've had shit luck locally, from Hollywood to Century City, Miracle Mile and beyond. For some reason when I go to the valley area, I always find stuff I need.

& not that this matters too much, but fuel is cheaper over that way as well.

[quote]I've never seen store brand / generic disinfectant spray.

Walmart has "Great Value" spray, Walgreen's has "Nice!" brand, and Target has "Up & Up" brand. I think Kroger has a "Home Sense" brand but I haven't seen it in a while. They're all basically Lysol but cheaper.

Walmart and Walgreen's both are taking forever to ship things out, but I was pleased to see the Lysol I managed to score at Walmart a couple weeks ago just shipped. The weird thing is the Walgreen's order is just hydrocortisone and mouthwash and such, nothing that you'd expect to be out of stock.

R405, do you think you are the only person who is ordering hydrocortisone and mouthwash and such? If you needed it, so did a couple million other people. What I've learned through this is that the on-demand supply chains that corporations set up in order to maximize their profits and employ as few people as possible stop working really quickly but this is America so maximize those profits and fuck preparing for even a blip in their magical thinking.

Went out for the first time since Mar. 14th to our local supermarket in rural PA. I went at 8 pm. There were only 2 other shoppers in the store. Sign on the door that you were required to wear a mask. Some empty spots on the shelves but not sure what had been there. Ice cream was all gone again. Had everything I wanted and some of the items were the last ones on the shelf so I was lucky. Made it to checkout and I was the only one so didn't have to wait. There was the male cashier and two female workers just hanging around behind me at a safe distance. As I got ready to walk out I thought that was pretty painless and I didn't have to worry but when I started to walk away the two females said to each other, He doesn't feel well meaning the cashier. I turned around and said is he sick????? They said noooo it's, it's anxiety. Just anxiety. I thought great, I got thru the whole thing and the person that touched every one of my grocery items doesn't feel well. you can't win. Fortunately there are only 7 people in the county testing positive but who knows how many that haven't been tested and it only takes one.

forgot to add that I got 4 packages of my favorite bacon and it was on sale for $2.99 for a lb. It was also the best cut I've seen with little fat. There were only about 10 packages left.

Just went to a Kroger near Atlanta, Saturday a.m., around 8:30. Wasn't too crowded. About half the people inside had on no gloves, no masks at all. All the employees who were wearing them had them parked down, well underneath their noses, so they were totally useless. There were large packs of toilet paper available, like 6- or 8-packs; I saw no paper towels. The only rice they had in abundance was Jasmine rice; and some par-boiled stuff. I saw a couple of one-pound bags of plain white rice, needed some and bought one of them. Did not check on the Clorox wipes because I've got plenty. Did not consider Lysol, have never used it, think it's useless, and am not surprised that Donny Trump thinks it's a miracle panacea. Everything else seemed to be available, more or less. Since I hadn't been in a restaurant in about 6 weeks, I decided to treat myself with a couple of frozen pizzas, and that area was pretty worked over. I realized that the lady stuffing the brown paper bags with them, on a big cart, was prepping pick-up orders, so it's obvious they're mighty popular right now. No crowds, no real problems.

[quote]I guess we're forgetting about the Koch boycott since we're desperate.

Weirdly, Northern and Brawny are all I've seen on rare occasions, and I have a 6 pack of the handsome guy's towels right now.

When things get back to normal some day: the Kroger house brands are made by a little non-Koch company.

"As I got ready to walk out I thought that was pretty painless and I didn't have to worry but when I started to walk away the two females said to each other, He doesn't feel well meaning the cashier. I turned around and said is he sick?????"

I can see you doing the turn in slow motion.

lol I did do it in slow motion

[quote]Did not consider Lysol, have never used it, think it's useless

"Useless"... 🙄🤦‍♂️

[quote] Did not consider Lysol, have never used it, think it's useless,

You are, therefore, ignorant.

Follow the suggestion, if you see it, buy it.

It's gonna stay bad for awhile.

[quote]I went to a Target in the valley on Thursday, and they had the largest selection of toilet paper that I've seen in a while. This was at the Burbank location on Empire Ave.

You lucked out and went on a good day.

Burbank has had massive shortages, including TP, Soap, up until at least a week ago. Meanwhile, some surrounding communities just 10 mins away were fully stocked.

Ralphs in Granada Hills (CA) gets regular shipments of Kroger 1-ply, if anyone is interested. The packages are the 24 roll size and it was on sale last week for $12.99.

r400 I'd never complain in this environment ... I'm just happy to be able to get anything.

I take that back -- I would have complained if they'd cancelled my order for the third consecutive time. I think that would have been beyond the pale.

[quote] "This delivery couldn't be made for reasons beyond UPS's control."

This happened to me around christmas in my area when there were too many parcels for too few delivery people. Their "excuse" means they're understaffed. They'll deliver eventually.

Reporting back on my Amazon 3rd-party masks order. Ordered on 04/09/20. The promised delivery date was 05/29/20 – 06/19/20. My masks (the blue ones, "non-woven") arrived on 04/24/20.

Shipped from China (you get a China Post tracking #). Looks like it went to Compton, CA, at some point.

Anyway, fingers crossed that we won't have to wear masks much longer. But I'm happy and, if there's a 2nd wave, I am prepared.

I went to buy beer today and waked past many stores. Most of the supermarkets had lines outside and the home depot had the longest line I've ever seen, it was down the fucking block. It was a very warm and nice day in NYC, everyone was outside, sidewalks were busy with people, most of them wearing masks. a a few joggers were not wearing masks.

many cyclists just doing whatever the fuck they want. I hate them...running red lights, riding wrong way etc.

I'll never understand how shipping routes work. I had an item sent to a friend. It was ordered two weeks ago and finally sent out earlier in the week, with an expected delivery date of Friday. When I checked where it was on Friday, it said that it had arrived early Friday morning at the Fedex location a town over from where my lives. I checked the status again later in the evening and the delivery date changed to end of today today (Saturday). Fine.

The strange thing though was that last night, the package went from being in the town over from my friend to being sent to some location in the next state over, then sent back to a Fedex location in a different town over from my friend, and then finally being delivered to him.

I'm sure it makes sense to them but I don't see how.

The weather is breaking and spring is here. There is no way this quarantine will work when the weather is so nice.

It went from unseasonably cool to unseasonably hot within the space of a few days in LA. It was in the 60s not long ago; yesterday it hit 100. There are stories about how it's going to be hard to keep people away from the beaches. I wonder about all of those "cooling centers" they used to set up for seniors and other people who had no AC during heat waves. All of them were in places like libraries and senior centers that are shut down.

R422, I suspect the shipping routes are even more convoluted now. FedEx, USPS, and UPS contract with passenger airlines companies. E.g., United Airlines contracts with FedEx. Besides carrying passengers, UA also carries FedEx mail and parcels (on the same passenger flight). Less passenger flights ---> maybe more convoluted routes.

Anyone tried shopping in some of the areas of Brooklyn NY? I've been in my apartment for 6 weeks but finally got some masks and gloves and I'm thinking of going out. I'm in the vulnerable group, old with preexisting conditions, so I don't want any place that's very crowded.

Also, what's the opinion here or if anyone's read anything from medical professionals about taking car services? Do you think it's safe to be in a car that god knows how many other people have been in? The governor said the virus can linger, actually hang in the air for some time and last on materials for maybe 3 days. I have no other way of getting around. I'm disabled and can't do buses or subway and wouldn't anyway these days.

Do most of you think I'm better off staying home and waiting for delivery slots to open. Eventually they do but that's so iffy.

R426: I wouldn't risk a car service like Uber/Lyft at this time. Do you know any neighbors who could shop for you for a fee? I know some vulnerable people who are paying their neighbors to shop for them with a list when they go. Otherwise, shop in walking distance or wait for a slot to open. Only take an Uber/Lyft if you absolutely must and opt for the larger vehicle so there is more space between you and the driver with the window open.

I would never get into an Uber or Lyft during something like this unless it was my last option. And even then I would insist they spray the interior with Lysol and wipe everything down with A wipe before picking me up. And a vacuum job.

R 426, this group will shop for you and bring it to your door for free.

from their website:

Invisible Hands is a group of engaged volunteers from communities at the least risk for severe COVID-19 reactions working to bring groceries and supplies to those in high-risk demographics. We’re focused most prominently on the elderly, disabled, and immunocompromised, but are available to help anyone in need.

Here’s how you get a delivery through Invisible Hands:

1.Fill out the Request a Delivery form. We’ll search through our pool of volunteers and match you with an available volunteer who lives near you.

2.Wait for a phone call from the volunteer in your neighborhood who’ll be completing your delivery, so you can confirm with them exactly what you need and where you need it from. We want to make sure we get it right!

3.Coordinate your grocery payment in one of three ways:

- Call the store in advance to place your order, and pay with your credit card over the phone (be sure to let them know someone else will be picking it up on your behalf!);

-Provide your volunteer with cash before they complete the order;

- Reimburse your volunteer (via app, cash or check) after they pick up your items.

4. Listen for your doorbell to ring as your volunteer drops off your food and steps at least 6 feet away from your door! Your receipt will be in the bag. Voilà!

R426, I forgot to mention, that group is in NYC.

r426 stay home it isn't worth the risk. My relative in Brooklyn had it and it was awful. He didn't have any underlying conditions and he is only 58. His fever is gone and most other symptoms are gone but he is still coughing. He got it about 3½ weeks ago.

Thank you all so much for the advice. It was stupid of me to even think of going into a car service. I surely won't do that. I appreciate the kindness of everyone here with your suggestions and R429 I'm going to contact the Invisible Hands. I checked and they work in my zip code. I never heard of that service. Thank you SO much! I can't believe they do that. So many kind people in this world.

Above is R426

R432, you're most welcome, I saw a news report on that group from NY1.

A heads up for anyone looking for 70% rubbing alcohol: Target has begun carrying Swan brand alcohol on their website (previously they only carried their own Up & Up brand, which has been out of stock for weeks) . Although it was in and out of stock throughout the day yesterday, I was able to place an order for a couple of 32 oz. bottles, which are now on the way. Right now the page says they're temporarily out of stock, but you can sign up to be notified when they have more. You can only buy it with a $25 or more order, so have your cart filled with enough items to meet the minimum price in order to check out quickly before it's sold out again.

Invisible Hands...that's that nice Jewish boy someone started a thread about six weeks ago, right? Liam? Goes to Yale?

Were they the "protect your breathing" masks? I've seen those on Amazon and have thought about them but decided against it. Got some homemade cloth masks on Etsy instead.

And if for some reason Invisible Hands won't take you R426, you can use TaskRabbit

If might cost what seems like an outrageous sum, but I'd easily spend $50 to ensure my health.

This is so hilarious and true.

I hope the Dollarar Store Pound Cake queen stocked up.

[quote] I hope the Dollarar Store Pound Cake queen stocked up.

Oh, dearer.

Dollar Tree pound cake is history, R440. They stopped selling the full-sized cakes more than a year ago, and instead started pushing "slices" that were maybe a quarter of the size of the original cakes. Dollar slices which, I don't think, anyone was buying.

Was DTPC the summer before last? I bought one back then and thought it okay for a dollar, but I thought it would be better soaked in limoncello, so I bought another one after going to the liquor store and getting a lemon liquer shooter for $1.19. Once home, I poured the liquer on the DTPC and dug in, but the lemon was so overpowering that it immediately brought back memories of my bipolar mom crying and scrubbing the kitchen floor on her hands and knees with Lemon Fresh Lysol when I was helpless little kid.

For $2.69 you can get really good liqueur poundcake from Germany at Aldi so I thought I would aspire to be one of those people who skrimps and saves for the finer things in life and I never looked back at Dollar Tree Poundcake.

Rhum Baba

Went for the seniors hour today and was the only one there when the store opened. Maybe because it was raining? Or has the hysteria finally ended?? Also used the automatic hand sanitiser dispenser. It's magical.

Instacart is so fucking expensive but I really don't want to go to the store for a couple more weeks at least.

For those of you leaving tips for the actual shopper when they drop something off, how are you letting them know about it? Are you just leaving it or handing it to them? Do they usually call or text you when they are there with your stuff? I feel like some kind of elitist ass making someone buy and deliver my shit.

R439 - funny but too long

I'm never going to see another disinfectant wipe in my lifetime, am I?

Instacart has plenty of open days now.

The last two weekends I've gone shopping R445, it has been fine. Everything in stock. I think people are calming down.

[quote]I'm never going to see another disinfectant wipe in my lifetime, am I?

I got some from Walmart.com last week. Haven't seen any in the stores for six weeks, but they're not entirely out of reach.

For R446 - I've used Instacart twice in the last 8 weeks. My first order went smoothly - the shopper kept in contact and I was alerted when the shopping was done he was on his way to my place. I could even go on the app and follow his progress on the trip. He rang the bell and came in. On the second order, I was informed that the order was complete and didn't hear anything else until suddenly someone was knocking at my door - he hadn't bothered to ring the outside bell and I wasn't updated that he was en route or even close.

You can add a tip on the app in when paying for your order. I did this, but I also handed the guy some cash in an envelope.

I went to Walmart and had only one choice of margarine! Imperial!

* faints *

R452, I had the exact same experience, first order went far smoother than the second. It seems to depend on who you get as a shopper.

Just be careful out here. Shopping, going for walks, etc. Because the Anti quarantine folks are getting aggressive. We went out walking yesterday (Georgia) and I was shocked how many people were not wearing masks, and how many were. We live in an affluent area, and there were several times when the middle-aged white folks with no masks seemed to deliberately try to crowd us and ignore social distancing . it was very odd. We were out for about an hour, and saw young families, every little kid wore a mask, and old farts with beer-bellies and no masks looking around as if they were patroling. I've heard of incidents at supermarkets too.

Don't know where else to put this, but if you're one of the lucky 30% of Americans who can work from home and you're financially able, please keep paying your cleaning lady and your lawn service. And if someone is shopping for you, give them a tip in cash if you can.

R455: Very true and they are looking for a fight if you say something.

R455, yeah those people are begging for some kind of confrontation to show you that they're tough and you're a "Libtard," for wearing a mask.

Went again this morning. Still no Clorox 2. And NO MIKE'S HARD LEMONADE goddammit.

Everything else was well stocked, including rice, beans, soup, eggs, toilet paper, paper towels, etc.

Please give your location when sharing your shopping experiences.

The idea of cash tips is nice but remember that money is full of germs so neither you nor the shopper should really be handling it.

Saw this on Twitter, it is in DC. Anyone see National Guard stationed at supermarkets in your area?

It's the 17th and Corcoran Safeway, r462, near Dupont Circle. It's where I shopped when I lived in DC.

Yeah, so you seeing National Guard at supermarkets where you live now, R463?

No, I'm in Pittsburgh, now. I did see one woman Karenize another for not wearing a mask at WFM last week, but the Guard had not been called in as of Saturday night. As for the Giant Eagle, our Safeway equivalent, I haven't been there since SD began. I think I'd've heard about it on the news, though, if it were happening.

A DC friend says there have been Guard members stationed at federal parks to prevent a jogger from sitting on a bench, I suppose, for the past few weeks. Standing outside grocery stores seems new. Per the comments they were not doing much besides flirting with the girls. Patrons were not stopped for going in the store without a mask, etc. They are just standing around at this point, wonder if that will change somehow. Curious where else this is happening, the Guard has been widely activated, nationwide.

R466: That is very disconcerting.

Trader Joes regularly closes a few locations for cleaning,FYI. What was I looking for? Lemons and cheesecake.

I tip in the app on Instacart. The 'carters prefer cash but then I would have to go to an ATM ten minutes away to tip them for shopping at a store five minutes away. I tip 25% or $20, whichever is higher. Take it or leave it, I guess. I know that people who tip cash will message their shoppers in the app that their tip will be in an envelope under the mat or taped to the door or whatever. I think there is a text box for special instructions, and you can also just send them in a text message within the IC app once the shopping has started.

Boxed online warehouse has toilet paper and paper towels available right now.

^^^for R446, regarding tips.

I tried to order wipes from boxed , when I went to check out the item was already unavailable/sold out.

Yay! Cleaned my bathroom cabinets and found Lysol spray, Wet Ones anitbacterial and Purell! They were buried behind a lot of other toiletries because *I didn't need or use them*. Jackpot!

And the USA just crossed the 1 Million CV cases mark😔

I've used Instacart three times with Aldi. Excellent service all three times. The shopper let me know immediately via text when an item was either refunded (because of out of stock) or substituted (based on my pre-selected option.) I had given delivery instructions when I placed the order -- leave everything at the front door and ring the doorbell -- and all three times that's exactly what they did. In addition to leaving a large tip in the app, I left an envelope with the shopper's name on it containing an additional $10 in cash under the doormat.

My Sister went to Trader Joe's in Atlanta, Thursday at an off peak hour, around 1:30 PM, and she said shopping was a pleasure. They are limiting how many go in, they are wiping stuff and wearing masks and everything was so civilized and she got the produce and a few frozen items and left.

I forgot to mention, this morning was the first time in a month there was no line to get in.

Shipt shows no butter or margarine in stock. WTF?

R477, maybe it's related to the Great Flour Shortage. People are making cookies (with butter and flour). That's my conclusion. I don't believe so many people actually know how to make their own bread (thus creating the Great Flour Shortage).

Time to start planting wheat in your container garden!

Going on week 7-8 of no toilet paper in any stores when I go. Even waited until toilet paper was available at Costco and put it in my cart and checked out, only to find that the people delivering just didn’t find any and replaced it with a bunch of toilet-clogging wipes without even checking with me to make sure it was okay (no, it wasn’t). Where is the toilet paper in California?

I went to the Costco Business Center today and they seemed to have plenty of everything except gloves, only one size and style (M). No canned beef. Kirkland has their own in-house brand of canned beef which is pretty good. I haven’t seen it two weeks in a row. I wonder who the supplier was. Maybe they shut down. They have canned chicken, salmon and sardines. They had toilet paper, two kinds. One was Marathon, which comes in a 48 pack of what looks like individually wrapped rolls. The other was a 30 pack of some toilet paper they usually carry. They also had Kirkland paper towels. A lot.

I went to Sam’s Club and they seemed to have more shortages. No toilet paper, only a few boxes of Kleenex with moisturizer. Some of the refrigerated coolers were empty. No bag ice.

Has anyone ever tried Marathon toilet paper? The rolls in the package looked small. That’s a commercial brand. Is it scratchy?

I can't believe how much food I eat being at home 24/7.

I also went to Winco. None of the employees wear gloves or masks and they either have no plexiglas or a very small piece about 2 feet across that only covers the area immediately around the ATM. I saw one employee who looked like they weighed about 300 pounds and was not wearing gloves or a mask. How can they do that? It seems an unreasonable risk.

Winco has a big sign on the outside of every store that says “employee owned.” So why aren’t they paying for gloves and masks? I’ve been to two different Wincos that don’t have them. Not even handmade masks from home. Nothing. I wonder if they were told not to wear them, because no one has them.

The employees at Costco have gloves and masks, and they have a sheet of plexiglas that starts at one end of the conveyor belt and goes all the way to the other end. The only exposure to the cashier is the tiny hole cut out for the debit card machine. They scan the code on the back of your card with a handheld scanner instead of touching it. I haven’t seen anyone with plexiglas as large as Costco. Good for them.

R472, be sure to check the expiration date on that hand sanitizer (yes, it has one). If it's past its expiration date, then it's no longer at peak efficacy, and hiw effective it will be us anyone's guess. Also, Wet Ones dodges the question of whether they're effective for COVID-19 on their website, so be careful.

R480, I'm in NorCal and toilet paper has begun making an appearance up here again - not at Target, which is still TP-less, but at a small regional chain, where Angel Soft and Quilted Northern were plentiful over the weekend. Maybe time to look at stores other than the ones where you've been shopping.

Agree, R467. Hope they do not stick around much longer.

R481, is this the Kirkland canned beef that you mentioned? What do you make with the Kirkland canned beef? I'm thinking sandwiches.

Sorry, never tried Marathon toilet paper. I just use the Costco TP (since Charmin shrunk the size of their sheets).

Was in Home Depot this morning in manhattan, they had bleach, I went to buy toilet cleaner. no problem. They had lots of bounty paper towels and also blue shop towels.

Then I went to whole foods in midtown manhattan and they had flour. I went to buy produce but saw the flour ( i didn't buy since I don't bake) while waiting in line to pay. I went close to closing time so it was not crowded.

I hate to say this but you may want to try Baby wipes. I found some off brand wipes for a baby's ass at Target and I bught them. I have toilet paper right now. But in an emergency I have the wipes. I haven't opened them because they are moistened and I don't want them to dry out. But depending on how large one wipe is, I may cut them in half if necessary.

R480 I don't know where you live in CA but you may have to gas up, and take a drive out of state. Serious. Go to Nevada or Arizona, or WTF ever and even if you have to go to several stores, just load up your trunkk. Don't have a car? Rent one.

R488 in an emergency why not just use your shower?

I ordered toilet paper and paper towels just fine on Boxed an hour ago.

(I also have a bidet, so I never panicked!)

Toilet paper at Vitacost.com right now! Singles and a big pack.

R486, breakfast burritos. Scrambled egg, black beans, cheese and onion, maybe tomato or avocado if I have some. Valentina’s hot sauce. Pretty good. Tortillas freeze well also.

R480, I’ve noticed that stores like Costco and Sams Club get toilet paper last. That’s because they’re selling it in 30 roll packs, while regular supermarkets are selling packs of very small quantities.

Locally, Winco has toilet paper usually, but they only have about 20-40 packs at the store at any given time. I went to the store about a week ago and the only paper towels they had were packs consisting of one roll (!). Toilet paper was about 6 rolls. So if you go somewhere like Winco or Safeway or Vons, you have to go the minute they open and go straight to the t.p. And expect to get a very small pack. Buy it anyway. It adds up.

Another place I’ve had luck at is Target, who also has a few small packs at a time. Go at opening time.

Also, try the Costco Business Center in your area. A lot of businesses that patronize them are closed now, and the stores themselves tend to be in industrial areas where most people don’t know of them. I’ve had better luck there than regular Costco. You might have to buy those commercial mega rolls if your local Costco has nothing else, but it’s better than nothing. Go first thing and check the hours. The Business Center stores have different hours. My local one opens at 7 am, which makes it much less crowded.

In February, when I was buying stuff, I went online and looked up every single Sams Club and Costco in my town. I went to the ones on the outskirts of town. They were better stocked and I had better success. If there are supermarkets in the far reaches of town, try those too.

Also look for markets in industrial areas or commercial areas. Those are likely to be having slower traffic because industrial areas are laid off now. I had good luck doing that too.

Another place I’ve heard locally is well stocked are Mexican markets. Here it’s Cardenas and another one. Look on yelp for local ethnic markets you’ve never tried. Mexican markets might be better supplied. I understand the produce is really good there too.

R480, another thing that might work is sign up for the Nextdoor app. On my local Nextdoor, they have a running commentary on where they’ve recently found t.p. and other supplies, and they keep it updated. You can always ask too.

R488, don't flush the baby wipes, even if you cut them in half. They will not disintegrate in the pipes.

I just got back from the stores and it was fucking awful. People literally act insane.

I did a big shopping trip several weeks ago and I help two different neighbors do their shopping and I also stocked them up pretty good, so hoped I wouldn't have to go out for a few more weeks. Both of these neighbors are older and have health conditions and have children who are worthless and won't help them.

I got a call from one of them asking if I might be going to the store because they could use a bunch of items. I said I could go if need be but inquired about the items I got them a few weeks back. This neighbor hesitated but told me that her fucking worthless son, who can't be bothered to do shit for her, found out she had a bunch of stuff, stopped by and took it all, telling her she could ask me to go get her some more.

Normally I wouldn't give two shits what she does but I basically buy both neighbor's items and don't ask for the full amount. So basically I've just helped and paid for her asshole son to stock up on shit for his family. I know, my fault. I agreed to go for her but told her I'd keep the stuff with me and drop them off as she needed it.

Sorry for that rant. But it's partially what put me in a mood where I see how awful everyone is.

I went early to Walmart, stood in line for about 5 minutes with about 20 other people. Right before the store, some fucking moron in front of me, takes her mask off and proceeds to sneeze multiple times, out in to the air, of course without covering her mouth. It was like the parting of the seas behind her.

This store had re-stocked on a limited amount of wipes and Lysol. When I went to that aisle it was packed with people. One woman, her husband, and her children were grabbing all the Lysol. Someone pointed out that it was 1 per person. The bitch shouted at everyone she had 7 people with her so she was in the right.

She tried to move on to the wipes but someone, after seeing her do what she did, made it to them first and grabbed the entire cardboard box of them, which had 12. The bitch tried to grab one out of the case as he put it in his cart but he snatched it back. She had the nerve to tell him, "It's 1 per customer," and he smiled at her and said, "Yeah and I have friends with me so I'm taking them all."

He then motioned to everyone around her and said, "Come on Friends, I'll give you yours in the aisle over."

I thought she was going to start a fight or have her husband start one, but he is obviously a beaten down wimp, and nothing happened.

try to shop when the weather is bad,less people and less wait time. Find out which days your stores restocks their shelves.

try to shop when the weather is bad,less people and less wait time. Find out which days your stores restocks their shelves.

As far as what the stores had:

Walmart was completely out of Soap and large bottles of hand sanitizer. They had small bottles of sanitizer in the travel section. The shelves with masks and gloves were completely wiped clean. They had the few cans of Lysol and Wipes, no other abrasive cleaners, but were stocked up on bleach and most everything else, as far as I could tell. I did notice that their fabric section was completely wiped clean of fabric and thread.

I then made a trip to Sam's Club. They seemed out of everything which I was surprised at. No dish soap, paper towels, and very little bottled water. They had toilet paper, but only the Scott brand, which no one seemed interested in. They also had in stock the Scott Blue Shop Towels.

They had back in stock Ramen noodles, which I think they've been out of for a long time. They had two different sizes, the 48 count, which is the one they normally carry, and a 24 count. They set a 1 per limit on those. There was no flour, rice or salt to be found.

I was most surprised that their produce section was completely wiped clean. The only thing they had were bananas, plums, broccoli and green beans. Everything else was gone. They had plenty of bread and baked goods.

Meat was scarce. When I went a few weeks ago the limit was 3 total of meat, chicken, or pork. Not 3 of each of those, 3 total. Today it was set to a limit of 1. They seemed to have various cuts of beef, pork was only chops, and there was absolutely no chicken left.

The freezer section was also dire. There was only one bag of frozen chicken wings. Otherwise the entire case was empty. They seemed fully stocked on seafood though.

They were overstocked with eggs. What's interesting is they more than doubled the price for eggs a few weeks back when there was a shortage. Although they now have too many eggs, they have not gone back down in price.

They were completely out of butter and heavy cream.

This is in So Cal.

R497 what you need to do to the Elder with the shitty son is tell her that this will be the last time you go to the store for them. Tell her up front. Tell her that you were trying to be helpful, but you will not be able to keep doing this if her son continues to take advantage. Tell her if she needs things she should call on her family. Tough love. It's not heartless. It is rational. My sister has a friend who lives around the corner. He stops by or calls her to see if she needs stuff when he goes to the store. She told me that she can have him get stuff for me too, but I said no. Becausee it would be taking advantage of him...plus we don't live close so I'd have to go to her house to pick up or have him come to me and I can't do that to him. He is financially strapped. I guess I could see if she pays him or if this is a hustle for him, because if so, I'd help him.

Good for that person at the market, R497, they had balls.

About the old lady, I’m mad with you. I know someone in a similar situation and it makes me mad too. Kids would step over them if they were dying in the street.

I also have an elderly neighbor and her local church group has gotten involved with helping her by doing all her errands for her. She doesn’t have to leave the house. Find out if that old lady goes to church and contact her pastor. Tell them her son is stealing her supplies and then telling her to get you to buy more, and tell him you can’t afford to supply both the young son and his family and the old lady.

Clergy usually are acquainted with police, CPS and social services and maybe they can do something about the son. Maybe they know him.

If not, try contacting a nearby church on her behalf, see if they’ll get somebody to check on her. Junior may not be so willing to steal if he knows somebody is checking up on her. That’s elder abuse. You could also try Adult Protective Services although I don’t know if they’re doing much now. You could also try calling a battered women’s shelter or social services and find out If there’s somebody that is checking on old people now. Your best bet might be a private organization, but call around.

If that bastard is stealing your stuff, who knows what else he’s doing. Probably taking all her money and leaving her with nothing, guilting her about hungry grandchildren and telling her if he doesn’t steal everything she has, their misfortune is on her.

Old people get intimidated by their kids sometimes and are terrified to tell them no, because they’re afraid they’ll be abandoned. She could be sitting there with nothing. No food and no money. She’s probably getting Social Security and he could be taking all her money around the first.

Another thing you could do, R497, is find out the son’s name and do a criminal check on him. If he’s on parole, contact his parole officer. He sounds like a scumbag so he may be.

R501, I did. Before I told her I would keep the stuff at my place and just bring it over as she needed it, I told her that I can't keep going to the store for her if her son is just going to come and take it. He only came over because she accidentally mentioned she had something and that lead to finding out how she's been getting groceries. Yeah, otherwise, the piece of shit hasn't given two thoughts about how is mother has been feeding herself for 6 weeks.

She's terrified of him because she's afraid he'll have her put in a home.

I don't know about helping certain others in this situation. I am reminded how no good dead goes unpunished.

no good deed!

In my hunt for "Clorox 2 Free & Clear", I searched the web this morning... not available at amazon, target, my local grocery chain, or even most Walmarts (a place I try to avoid shopping at, but I looked anyway). I'm glad I did though, because there were "2 bottles in stock" at the WalMart nearest me (and ONLY that one), so I went out at lunchtime hoping they'd still be there... and they were! So I bought one.

I'm now set for a couple of months there. Whew!

R504, you can call Adult Protective Services about that. If she called Adult Protective Services on him herself, they would put a stop to him real quick, but she won’t.

I can tell you it is extremely difficult to put someone in a home against their will. If they’re mentally competent it’s almost impossible. And “mentally competent” is an extremely lax term which basically means they know their name, the date, where they are and who the President is. That’s about it. Her son cannot just arbitrarily decide to throw her in a home out of nowhere. If she’s not diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, he would have to get a lawyer and fight like hell, and if he can’t afford to buy his own food he’s not doing that.

My mother was extremely mentally incompetent and I tried to have her put in a home to no avail. It turned out after her death she had brain damage from an illness and she eventually died from it. But she had been unable to clean her house, shower, brush her teeth, clean the cat box or do anything to maintain her house and I still couldn’t have her committed, because she knew where she was. Judges are not anxious to commit people against their will. One thing he could do is get a conservatorship over her by going to court (which costs money he doesn’t have), IF he could prove she could not care for herself, but she could simply say she doesn’t want him as the conservator and explain his behavior, and the court would appoint somebody else to do it.

It’s also very unlikely they would give anyone a conservatorship over her if she appeared in court and acted competent, and if she said he was stealing her things, they would never give it to HIM. Ever.

I know one lady whose son was given a conservatorship over her. She was not paying any bills and giving all her money to her scumbag daughter and had no food to eat and no electricity. Her son became her conservator. He has to report regularly to the court and can’t spend her money on large purchases without their permission. She agreed voluntarily to this for her own protection so he didn’t have to fight for it.

Believe me when I say there is no such thing as throwing people in a home. That lady is wrong.

R508, I'm aware of that. However, you can't change the irrational thoughts of someone who is scared of something.

What’s with the long frau posts about adult protective services?

Get fucked and mind your own business.

[quote]I don't know where you live in CA but you may have to gas up, and take a drive out of state. Serious. Go to Nevada or Arizona, or WTF ever and even if you have to go to several stores, just load up your trunkk. Don't have a car? Rent one.

The vast majority of Californians don't live within three hours of any border (other than the Mexican one.)

R509, if you call Adult Protective Services or Social Services they will pay a call on her and explain it. They will tell her nobody is throwing her in a home. If they make a report on her son he will never get a conservatorship over her. If she ever needs one they’ll get somebody else. There’s no point in her sitting there terrified when five minutes with somebody would clear it up.

If you don’t want to get involved I don’t blame you, although you can do it anonymously. But if you see her again, which you probably will, and she says her son is pulling some shit, you can tell about conservatorships at least and that a judge is involved. That might calm her down. Remind her the son is broke and can’t pay a lawyer. It’s expensive and the judge supervises it for years, it’s not a one time deal. I doubt the son wants to spend decades with a judge all up in his business. And paying a lawyer for the privilege for years. That’s what’s happening with the guy I know.

It’s pretty inevitable you’re going to hear about the son again even if you don’t buy her any more stuff. I‘ve known a couple people like this and it never ends. It turns into, “Help me!” “Did you call Adult Protective Services like I told you?” Well, no, but...help me!” Years of this.

If it keeps getting worse, and you keep getting dragged into it, sooner or later you’re probably better off in the long run getting APS involved. At least they’ll all leave you alone after that.

As far as R510 goes, why get so worked up over something that’s not hurting anyone. Just scroll past.

Just shut up, r512.

You’re ruining the thread.

R513 = the son.

Again, a lot of times you can't tell someone something rationl when they have an irrational fear.

And the son is not broke, far from it.

And calling APS isn't going to do anything but further scare the shit out of her.

[quote]I'm never going to see another disinfectant wipe in my lifetime, am I?

A reporter on the Today show this morning was saying that disinfectant products should return to the shelves this July. According to the companies that make them, a lot of their materials/ingredients come from China, so that's why they've been so behind replenishing their stock.

^Those boats can be VERY slow, from what I hear...

Weekly delivery service order just came today.

It really feels like the plane from the mainland just arrived.

R510, go fuck yourself. Every time somebody on DL shows signs of basic human decency, idiots like you pile on and start throwing 'frau' around. It's tired as hell.

Here is that Today show segment I was talking about:

Everything we need and desire is made overseas. This is problematic.

We need to ramp up manufacturing in the United States. Even when we do recover from this, there’s no way of knowing if it will come back, or whether other countries are going to have it come back, or whether they may lower production standards as a result of this, or pass laws saying not to export and keep products for themselves.

Some countries are keeping medical equipment or PPE for themselves and not exporting them. Which is fair, but we have to make our own.

Including, R521, the materials needed to test for the virus.

Funny, how that worked out, isn't it?

It is being said these tests just like all the other cheap crap made over there DO NOT WORK.

It is being said these tests just like all the other cheap crap made over there DO NOT WORK.

If that woman is of sound mind, she can decide who she wants to have limited power of attorney in specific circumstances, and she can make a will and name someone to be her representative or guardian. No one can "pit her away" against her will. He is being abusive. She needs to go to court and get a restraining order against him. Can she emancipate herself? Legally? Like divorce his ass?

The "protestors," are bought and paid for shills the billionaires who don't care who dies so they make more billions. They are as real as the "Tea Party was, also paid for by the billionaires like the Koch Bros. My guess is the remaining Koch Bro is one of the billionaires behind this. It worked for them with the Tea Party so here they go again. No real people are lining up to die. These protestors are being well paid and transported from place to place.

the venn diagram of people protesting for salons and restaurants to be reopened and people who don't tip servers, hairdressers, or nail technicians because "it's not my responsibility to pay their wage" is a circle

Having not been shopping for a week, I thought maybe things were leveling out and getting restocked almost back to normal, but in reading these accounts, I guess not.

I have been more and more eating and using fewer products, maybe to feel safe from running out or to not feel like I'm taking something that others need more. I think a lot of people acted this way back during The Depression too.

R529, I’m trying to figure out what I really eat and what’s really not worth buying again.

I follow a woman on twitter who said she’s been trying to eat everything she makes and not let anything go to waste or be spoiled. We’re going to end up like our grandparents or great grandparents in the Great Depression. They saved every rubber band and piece of string and piece of foil. People are going to get in that habit just because it’s so hard to go out and buy more, or they can’t afford to.

I went out yesterday and I was kind of surprised about some of the continuing shortages. I don’t think the toilet paper thing is some kind of accident or coincidence. Some large buyer, like FEMA, probably bought it for government use. It doesn’t take three months to make a batch of toilet paper.

Or Trump sold it to China. I read Chinese people here were buying it and sending it to China because they didn’t have any. So I can see Trump selling it on the side at a hefty commission. When Trump is gone, we’re going to find out a bunch of crooked things he did that were hushed up at the time. It’s not like any of those crooks he hired are going to say anything.

Dollar General* is okay but shopping at a standard grocery store where I am is sheer pandemonium and full of unemployed daytime shoppers waddling around in confusion.

* The local Dollar General isn't really a dollar store, but more of a convenience grocery stop.

R530 According to Georgia-Pacific, regular (non-commercial cheese wheels) toilet paper use is up 40% with so many people and children at home. They said fewer commercial sites are using as much, but they can’t mass produce more cheese wheel types because that’s not the kind that consumers want or use. So apparently that’s why we can’t get any toilet paper these days. I’ve now had to ask a family member to ship some to me because I’m still unable to find any locallly going on week 8 I think. Family member doesn’t live in a major metro area and has an easier time getting it, I guess.

If that’s true, R532, then people aren’t hoarding, they’re just using the toilet at home instead of out. Same with food. People are now eating all meals at home, and in many cases cooking more than they ever have before. So buying more eggs or whatever shouldn’t surprise anyone.

Went to two different Safeways on Monday and Tuesday. Both were completely sold out of toilet paper, but they did have paper towels. At the larger store, I was able to get an anti-bacterial liquid Dial soap. Still no Lysol spray, hand sanitizer or anti-bacterial wipes.

Paper towels seem to be becoming more available. You might as well get some, since if you’re wiping down items that might be contaminated, it’s probably better to throw them away.

Toilet paper and any kind of disinfectant are still the Holy Grail. No place I go has disinfectant. Some places are still short even on bar soap. Body wash seems pretty stocked though, you could use that to wash hands in a pinch.

Also, check your dishwashing liquid section. Palmolive makes an anti-bacterial dishwashing liquid (orange colored), and Safeway has an equivalent house brand product (also orange). The active ingredient is cloroxylenol instead of alcohol. I don't think it's as strong as handsoap with 60% alcohol, but it's better than nothing. (There's some ongoing debate about its strength in fighting coronavirus.

I was able to find the house brand in Safeway last week and the Palmolive brand in Safeway this week.

R532, I've heard the same thing, except I don't believe that people won't buy or use the large wheels of toilet paper, even as cheap and crappy (no pun intended) as it is. If you need TP and can't get anything else, you'll buy the industrial kind.

Instead, I think the problem was explained somewhere earlier on the thread: The companies that make industrial-style toilet paper don't have contracts with retail stores, nor do they have the distribution links to get them to the supermarket warehouses ... and nobody's forcing them to develop these relationships.

On a different note - and this is so obvious I'm embarrassed to say it - don't forget to look way in the back of the cabinets under your sinks. I was looking in the vanity under a bathroom sink for something else today and found a full can of Lysol foaming bathroom disinfectant that I had bought months ago and forgotten about. I also found a bottle of Tilex, which is basically bleach in a spray bottle. I did a little dance of joy as if I'd found a $100 bill in the sofa cushions.

Toilet paper and paper towels are available on Vitacost.com. As are many pantry items. And even non chlorine bleach, aka hydrogen peroxide or Clorox 2. People on this thread are gluttons for punishment for continuing to go out to the hellish stores for things that can now be ordered online and delivered. Things are back in stock at many online retailers. You are part of the problem if you are constantly running out for a bottle of this or that. Order that shit online, it is there. Great hot tip above about ordering rubbing alcohol at Target. Some good advice on making things less hellish gets lost in these threads because people seem to get off on complaining about the same damn things and doing nothing to change their daily routine, waiting for things to go back to “normal.” Stop going to a bunch of different stores. Order your shit online and wait.

[quote]I've heard the same thing, except I don't believe that people won't buy or use the large wheels of toilet paper, even as cheap and crappy (no pun intended) as it is. If you need TP and can't get anything else, you'll buy the industrial kind.

I've bought it. You can buy the industrial kind on Amazon. You just have to keep checking and if you can do it at 3am that might help.

Also, it would be helpful if those of you commenting on what you are and aren't finding would continue to give a general location as to where you are.

Please get to 600 so we can kill this thread!

I don't know how viable that is anymore, R538. For a while I was able to order online as long as I checked in multiple times a day, and it would take a few days but eventually I'd find toilet paper, Borax, Lysol, hand sanitizer, tissues, paper towels and bleach when they were briefly available on Amazon or Walmart. I haven't found anything like that in over two weeks though, and Amazon canceled my backordered Borax and Kleenex.

Vitacost right now has no toilet paper except Seventh Generation and there's a minimum purchase of 4, and not the greatest reviews.

Heading out for my Shoprite curbside pick up this am, hopefully I have most of my order. Last time I only had about half my items in the order even though I told them they could sub stuff. I m a y Stop in at Aldi if it doesn’t look crowded to pick up some fruit and dairy. Will report back.

Where are you people who still don't have toilet paper? The last time I went out here in western PA (about 10 days ago), both Costco and the local grocery monopoly had abundant toilet paper.

[quote] People on this thread are gluttons for punishment for continuing to go out to the hellish stores for things that can now be ordered online and delivered. Things are back in stock at many online retailers. You are part of the problem if you are constantly running out for a bottle of this or that. Order that shit online, it is there. Great hot tip above about ordering rubbing alcohol at Target.

I'm the one who shared the Target rubbing alcohol tip. I hope it helped some people here. Mine arrives tomorrow.

With that said - it sounds like a lot of people here have the money to order everything online or have things delivered, and I don't think some of you realize how unfeasible that can be for others. Getting things delivered can add all kinds of money to an otherwise manageable bill. I've been lucky to catch some coveted things online, but it's taken frequent checking of sites, going through the hassle of placing orders for things that go out of stock by the time I've finished the payment process, stalking sites at odd hours, and overspending to meet the minimum order requirement to get the coveted thing (like the aforementioned rubbing alcohol at Target). Plenty of people are out of work right now and have no clear view of when money will be coming in again. They CAN'T have everything delivered or their costs will soar way beyond what they can handle. And I've found things in the stores that are either price gouged to absurdity online or just not available. No doubt some people on the thread could be staying home and getting things just as easily as going out, and for not much more money, but that's certainly not the case across the board. We don't know everybody's circumstances. Those inclined to scold on this thread need to trust that individuals here are for the most part doing what's best for them.

Target has a ton of toilet paper and paper towels, but no Lysol, Clorox or hand sanitizer.

CVS does not have anything except tissues.

NYCTechie I was there this morning hoping they would have disinfectant wipes but there was none, not even their house brand Up & Up was in stock. I did get al the other items I needed from groceries.

R542 here picked up shoprite order more or less intact, but they are doing what I suspected they would. They have started subbing in the organic chicken and veg when I'm pretty sure there were regular options available. Make sure on your notes to write “ok to sub at comparable cost to ordered item”. Those subs added an extra $12 to my order.

I popped into Aldi east haven because there was no line and they had TP and disinfectant wipes in stock. Almost no meat in the case though. Tons of nice looking produce as well. I’m set through may 12.

97% of people using masks unsure why those w/o are allowed in the store since the governor said everyone in public places must wear a mask. Many towns around here are distributing them for free.

R546: Same here. I tried to replace the hand santizer I found in my cabinet (expired in 2019😔), but no luck. However, I am still very happy with Target for most things on my list!

*sanitizer😉

On May 1, Whole Foods, Amazon, Instacart & Target workers will join in one big strike. The organizers of these strikes are the face of the country’s new & resurgent labor movement: non-union, underemployed, precarious, workers.

Well, fuck, I'm gonna need food on Friday.

Just got back from the local ACME supermarket here in SE Pennsylvania. I notice the prices of most of things I bought have slowly been creeping up. Hmmmm. No paper towels, toilet paper or hand sanitizer, but meat section was very well-stocked. The idiots breathing down people's neck in the checkout lines despite the 400 signs reminding people to keep two carts apart remain a problem. And I had to remind myself to take a deep breath and be patient when I need to get something off a shelf that was blocked by another shopper because you just can't get in people's space and reach around or over them to quickly grab an item. And finally, people don't seem to get the concept of the directional arrows on the floor.

Thanks for the heads-up R550!

Costco is changing its policies effective 5/4:

Face Mask policy for members and guests

Different hours for members ages 60 and older and people with disabilities

Return to normal operating hours for most warehouses and gas stations

(DL won't let me post a link to the page with this info.)

[quote]On May 1, Whole Foods, Amazon, Instacart & Target workers will join in one big strike. The organizers of these strikes are the face of the country’s new & resurgent labor movement: non-union, underemployed, precarious, workers.

It will be interesting to see what develops. This hasn't been reported by any mainstream media yet so I don't know how much traction it's going to have. All of these places are very anti-union, and with all of the unemployed people out there, I wonder if strikers will just be replaced.

Walmart.com has toilet paper in stock right now! I just ordered some Charmin with free shipping.

Walmart.com has toilet paper in stock right now! I just ordered some Charmin with free shipping.

A crisis is not a great time to strike, especially in an important industry. The AFL and CIO understood this during WWII, when they pledged no strikes. If they want to lose public support, this is the way to do it.

R548 the hand sanitizer that expired is still usable.. it'll just at this point be under 90% efficacy. Still, better than nothing.

R547, the shopper was probably doing that on purpose to drive up the bill. Why not? He has no allegiance to you or the company since it’s a freelance chop shop.

I would never get groceries from company that takes no ownership of the sanitation, quality, price or handling of your food.

R559: Great! Thanks! I was afraid it wouldn't be effective anymore.

I read that many of the lumber mills in Canada had to shut down to do sheltering in place orders and such... and it's the sawdust from those mills that is used to make toilet paper and paper towels, so the raw materials are actually going to be in short supply soon.

All over, supply chains are getting disrupted. We might see some areas get 'close to normal' in some ways, but I fear that's the calm before the real storm that is still barreling towards us over the horizon.

Can someone tell me where I can find creme fraiche?

Curiously, the rather substandard "Seventh Generation" recycled "green" paper products that used to dominate the shelves at my local WF (and haven't been there for 6 weeks or more) are readily available (for a price) at Vitacost.com.

Make your own creme fraiche with whole milk yogurt, a little sour cream, and a tiny bit of refined sugar. Easy peasy.

Trader Joe's has it at a good price, R563. This is my favorite recipe using creme fraiche:

I think Martha Stewart’s work-around for creme fraiche was light cream with a little buttermilk added….

I just got back from Greenwise here in Florida and won’t shop there during peak hours again. It’s heaven in the mornings, but I wanted their chipotle chicken from the hot area so had to go later. Maybe 20% of the shoppers had on masks and were respecting distancing. I mentally vowed to kick every last one of them in the cunt.

Publix was a lot better today. People were kinder and more responsible.

Little TP and absolutely no wipes. Plenty of paper towels and some disinfectants, though not a lot. Disinfectant wipes are a severe problem—not even our hospital has many canisters left.

R562, I bought some 25 pound paper bags of beans, and the bags were made in Vancouver and Washington state. They were really heavy brown paper and nice quality.

I’m presuming if they’re making heavy brown paper bags in Washington state, they still have lumber mills there too? I wonder what the situation is there.

Wait, I have a ton (hyperbole) of saw dust in my basement. How do I turn that into toilet paper?

My smoke detectors all expired this weekend so I have to go pick up an order of smoke detectors at Walmart this afternoon. I already bought them, I guess I just go to customer service to pick them up. I haven't been inside any building besides my home since March 9!

Before anyone says anything, the smoke detectors were all installed the same day seven years ago. So one by one, the all started beeping this weekend. I Googled it and apparently they had a seven year lifespan, and after that they beep incessantly until you take them down. I could have ordered them on Amazon for $250, but I found some on Walmart.com for $85. But I have to go into the store to get them.

I've never heard of smoke detectors that expire. Don't you just change the batteries?

[quote] I think Martha Stewart’s work-around for creme fraiche was light cream with a little buttermilk added….

I've seen "light cream" or "table cream" in lots of recipes, but I don't think I've seen it in a store more than once or twice in my lifetime. Usually just half-and-half and heavy whipping cream. (And it's not always easy to find buttermilk. I've been unsuccessful in ordering it with my last four Walmart grocery orders.)

R572, that’s actually common.

It happened to me one Sunday before Costco opened. Every smoke alarm in the house went off and wouldn’t stop, within a few minutes of each other. And changing the batteries wasn’t good enough, they were wired in and had battery backup, so I had to rip them out of the ceiling. Believe me, you don’t care when the whole house is screaming.

I ordered some surgical masks from Walmart on the 18th, supposed to deliver tomorrow. I got a note from them this morning that the order was cancelled because I changed my mind? WTF? It was sent by a vendor called EPC, so I sent them a note. Any place else to get decent masks?

R572, I didn't know either until the one started beeping at 6:25am Saturday. Got out the ladder, changed the battery and it still kept beeping. Took the whole thing down and ordered fresh batteries from Amazon. Then an hour later the other one started beeping. Then the other one.

Then I looked up my smoke detectors, and sure enough. Once they pass seven years from the day they power up, they expire. These were Kidde smoke detectors.

For creme fraiche, I think you have to use heavy cream. A spoonful of full-fat buttermilk will do the job, or the same amount of full-fat yogurt. Put a kitchen towel or better, a coffee filter on the top, with a rubber band, and leave it in a fairly warm place for about 24 hours. (Inside the oven should work). Kroger allegedly sells creme fraiche, I tried to find it for sale about 6 months ago, and was looked at like I had lost my marbles when I went to the cust service desk to ask where they kept it. ( I am pretty sure that Alouette does sell it in stores, but I don't know where).

You can use sour cream if you can't find crème fraîche the flavor will be slightly more sour.

I finally was able to purchase my beloved Scott 1,000 sheets toilet paper this morning here in Massachusetts after not having seen any since February.

The hell with the double and triple ply toilet paper I've been using. It's like wiping your ass with carpeting and it makes my toilet clog.

[quote] Any place else to get decent masks?

Etsy.com

R579, that's so interesting that you haven't been able to find Scott's.

I was at Sam's the other day and they had no other TP but Scott's and no one would take it.

I prefer 1-ply Scott's for a more, shall we say, "intimate" wiping experience.

I have two hard-wired combo smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. I assume those have the same issue with expiration dates?

My husband ripped all of our smoke detectors and CO detectors out of the walls & ceilings when they all went off one day & wouldn't stop. Never replaced them. If we ever have to move, we’ll hire an electrician.

My husband ripped all of our smoke detectors and CO detectors out of the walls & ceilings when they all went off one day & wouldn't stop. Never replaced them. If we ever have to move, we’ll hire an electrician.

[quote] On May 1, Whole Foods, Amazon, Instacart & Target workers will join in one big strike. The organizers of these strikes are the face of the country’s new & resurgent labor movement: non-union, underemployed, precarious, workers.

I saw that on some crazy Intercept-related, almost comically “socialist”:website.

Doubt it.

I've been making masks with 3 layers of material that block up to 95% of particles and includes a pocket where I also slip in a Tool Box Shop Towel. Probably overkill, but I'd rather have more layers than not. Wish there was a way to get some out to some of you who need them!

R582, Marry me?

When this thread maxes out here's the new therad:

I know this is a shopping thread, but I just gotta add my recent smoke alarm issue too. Last Saturday, I woke to my alarm going off -- five quick beeps every 30 seconds, which was not the usual alarm sequence. Since I saw no smoke, I figured it was a carbon monoxide leak. My heart started racing as I listened to hear if other alarms were going off in nearby apartments as I wondered if the whole building was affected, should I call the fire department, how long had the leak been going on, trying to determine if I felt any CO exposure symptoms, should I think about going to the ER?

After calming myself down, I went to the First Alert website to see what those beeps meant. Like others, it said that my alarm had about a 10 year lifespan and mine was stamped 2011 on the back. Those beeps are the signal to replace the alarm. I felt like a dang fool.

R587, what are you using for material for your masks? I have some quilting (Kona) cotton and I’m going to give it a shot this weekend.

For folks who frequent butcher shops rather than supermarkets/large retailers like Costco and Walmart, what's the skinny on the meat inventory there? Are they better stocked than those large places or are they hurting for product? How about fish markets? I'm in Brooklyn - there's a small meat store/butcher shop a few blocks down and I wonder if it makes any sense to even go there.

R587

[quote]I've been making masks with 3 layers of material that block up to 95% of particles

What materials are you using for your 3 layers?

What style of mask?

r593, the tighter the weave, the better the filtration, so a fabric with a high thread count is desirable. Probably sheets with a high thread count. Cotton for warm weather, microfiber for cooler weather.

all smoke alarms expire. I think it has to do with not being bale to detect the heat or smoke after a certain period of time.

r593 if you can get some non woven interfacing ( sewing stuff) you only need one piece to insert into the opening. Fabric stores carry it.

Also I just learned today that if you can blow out a candle with your mask on, it isn't protecting you.

Again, the masks worn by the general public when they go out are not to protect you. They are to protect other people from your droplets by keeping your droplets from spewing all over the place if you cough, sneeze, yell, old man spittle spew, etc.

I had to stand in line and wait to enter the supermarket today. A certain number of people are allowed in the store at the same time so as one exits the store, one is allowed in. They have a "watcher" who makes sure no one cheats.

I am lucky enough to have 2 places that sell just meat. One raises their cows and slaughters them and the other one used to but the place burned down and they didn't want to rebuild everything so they get the animals from auctions now and then butcher them. They are both within a few miles of each other. Then a few more miles out there is a farm that raises chicken, pigs and turkeys and are going to raise cows and they butcher their own animals. They said the meat is going out as fast as it comes in but I was able to get about 60 lbs. of meat and it was everything that I wanted. None of it has to go thru the meat packing places. The animals had just come in so everything I got was fresh. I feel bad for those of you that don't have this luxury available......Rural PA

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