Whatcha Stocking?

[Jeff V]

The wife has one of those carts. No way I'm ever using that thing.

Never say never. The day will come when that is the absolute best tool for the job.

[Jeff V]

The wife has one of those carts. No way I'm ever using that thing.

Never say never. The day will come when that is the absolute best tool for the job.

[Kraken]

The tp I still don't get.

I stumbled across a good explanation last night (on Facebook, so no link).

That story about the supply chains crossed my feed again today, so here's a link.

[ImLawBoy]

The plastic bag tax has been temporarily repealed since stores aren't letting people use their own bags any more. So it's back to 10-15 of those annoying little plastic bags to carry a grocery run up the stairs. I can usually carry them all in one go but when more than a 6-pack of beer is involved, it gets tricky.

But I refuse
to make
two trips.

I think my Mariano's is still letting people bring their own bags, but the store employees won't touch them. That meant that last week I had to bag an entire week's worth of groceries by myself. Today I didn't bring my own bags, but instead of going plastic, i went paper. I had forgotten the joys of loading paper bags into the trunk - they fit so nicely. Of course, you can't grab as many paper bags at once as you can plastic, so it required multiple trips from the garage to the house.

I did my shopping today wearing a homemade mask - a tea towel and rubberbands. It was uncomfortable, but not as bad as I feared.

[Isgrimnur]

Commissary kids know the joys of brown paper bags.

[Blackhawk]

Just got back from our weekly trip. We left the kids at home and just Michelle and I went. It made for a longer trip due to the much more convoluted list, but it was necessary. We took neck warmer/ski masks that pull up over the nose. Wal-Mart was counting people, limiting shoppers to 16 or older, had sneeze guards in front of the cashiers, had PA messages about distancing, and had markers on the floor in the checkout lanes to keep carts six feet apart. Probably half of the shoppers had masks. Stock was mostly normal - except for toilet paper. The only toilet paper was classic generic stuff with big black labels and white block text. I'm not that desperate yet.

The only one I question the value of was the plexiglass shields in front of the cashiers. The idea's fine, but they're about two feet wide and placed between the little shelf with the credit card machine and the cashier. The problem is that nobody stands there - you stand further down by the bag wheel in order to collect your stuff. That puts the cashier (who was not wearing a mask) face-to-face with shoppers at about three feet. I'm not sure there's a better solution that doesn't require elaborate engineering, though.

[Jeff V]

i was at Meijer the other day and made the same observation regarding the face shield.

[LawBeefaroni]

The only one I question the value of was the plexiglass shields in front of the cashiers. The idea's fine, but they're about two feet wide and placed between the little shelf with the credit card machine and the cashier. The problem is that nobody stands there - you stand further down by the bag wheel in order to collect your stuff. That puts the cashier (who was not wearing a mask) face-to-face with shoppers at about three feet. I'm not sure there's a better solution that doesn't require elaborate engineering, though.

Theater. Where I went, the cashier leans around it to hand you the receipt. It protects the store from liability more than the cashier from COVID.

[mori]

I have not been on a grocery run in over two weeks. I drive by my local supermarket on my way home from work and the parking lot still looks full. WTF are people still shopping for?

[Kraken]

Food? I can't answer for "people" but I like to pick up fresh food every week to 10 days to go with all the dried/frozen/canned stuff. Will probably make another run on Thurs or Fri.

[Jeff V]

I have not been on a grocery run in over two weeks. I drive by my local supermarket on my way home from work and the parking lot still looks full. WTF are people still shopping for?

Beer. And asswipes.

[Jeff V]

Food? I can't answer for "people" but I like to pick up fresh food every week to 10 days to go with all the dried/frozen/canned stuff. Will probably make another run on Thurs or Fri.

I stopped at the produce store today, expecting to pick up a loaf of Turano seasame bread but no lock. Usually they have plenty on Tuesdays.

I used up the super cheap tomatoes from last week, so restocked at 5x the cost. Got some other veggies that were on my wife's wish list, some large Asian pears that were on sale, some faux Yakult (1/3 the price of the brand name) and Activa with Fiber, a yogurt I've not found anywhere else.

I forgot the cucumber I wanted for my dinner salad tonight. I hope there's still some left from last week and that its not squishy yet.

[em2nought]

I have not been on a grocery run in over two weeks. I drive by my local supermarket on my way home from work and the parking lot still looks full. WTF are people still shopping for?

I'd be more than happy to not be sent out there, but you can't mess with old farts diets, they want what they want dammit. At least I'm wearing PPE(best for everybody as who knows) and using my shopping cart anti-germ handle. Aldi has now figured out that their carts are germ fests due to the coin slot and have now secured their carts and are providing a cart with a coin already in it with an attendant who is wiping down each cart.

some faux Yakult (1/3 the price of the brand name)

I get the Bio-Salud(think its' from Brazil) from Walmart, are there other brands out there? Bio-Salud tastes pretty close to the stuff in Thailand IMO.

[Jeff V]

I get the Bio-Salud(think its' from Brazil) from Walmart, are there other brands out there? Bio-Salud tastes pretty close to the stuff in Thailand IMO.

Ya-Cool. Have no idea where it's made, but it's popular in the Mexican markets. Have fed them the Bio Salud too.

[mori]

I have not been on a grocery run in over two weeks. I drive by my local supermarket on my way home from work and the parking lot still looks full. WTF are people still shopping for?

Beer. And asswipes.

You cannot buy beer, wine, or liquor in supermarkets here. When this thing is over, they will not be able to give shit tickets away.

[Scuzz]

I have not been on a grocery run in over two weeks. I drive by my local supermarket on my way home from work and the parking lot still looks full. WTF are people still shopping for?

Basically veggies (because it is hard to get them for longer than a weeks use) and then you seem to always run out of something. We have basically gone once a week with one store order being delivered. The veggies though with that order sucked.

[Kasey Chang]

Speaking of TP... My case of subscribe-and-save TP has arrived from Amazon. So I have like 50+ rolls.

[mori]

I have not been on a grocery run in over two weeks. I drive by my local supermarket on my way home from work and the parking lot still looks full. WTF are people still shopping for?

Basically veggies (because it is hard to get them for longer than a weeks use) and then you seem to always run out of something. We have basically gone once a week with one store order being delivered. The veggies though with that order sucked.

That accounts for normal shopping levels. It seems levels are still at 150% several weeks into this thing. Is everybody suddenly buying fresh fruit and vegetables? I guess that would also account for the increase TP demand.

[dbt1949]

I've never seen any shortages of fresh fruit and vegetables here locally.

[Kraken]

Potatoes and onions got a little sketchy for a couple of weeks, but were fine last time I went.

[ImLawBoy]

I apologized to the person behind me at the checkout yesterday, noting that this was just a typical week for us. She said I must have a huge family. It's just the 5 of us, but we go through a lot of produce. I typically buy 30 apples of different varieties per week. My wife eats a lot of apples.

I'm still at once a week to the grocery store, but I've changed it from Saturday morning to Monday afternoon. I've had to make a stop at the local 24 hour convenience mart each week too, but I typically do that at 10:00 pm or later to avoid crowds.

[Scuzz]

I've never seen any shortages of fresh fruit and vegetables here locally.

Not here for the last two weeks. Meat products are back to normal. The only things still missing are pasta and paper products. There is even tons of bottled water in the aisle. Dairy is back to normal.

[mori]

Went to the supermarket last night and it was not as frightening as I imagined. A little busier just before closing then it should be but nothing crazy. I only wanted to grab a few items so no cart or basket, just what I could carry in my hands. Saw the bread, pasta, and paper goods where cleaned out so I guess we are still doing that. Everything else seem back to normal. Odd passing things with the checkout girl through a little opening in a plexiglass shield in this small city. Reminded me of going to the 'hood and buying a pack of smokes at the gas station.

[LordMortis]

Haven't left the house in three weeks. I'm still good to though my shopping list will be immense when I finally do go out. Right now, it's not about what I'm stock but rather what's no longer good to eat. Fresh produce, milk, snacks, and cheese are long since gone. I'm about empty of frozens and the bread is hitting the end soon. No milk limits the boxes of things to made in to food. I think I'm at about two weeks coffee remaining.

I'm not used to running out of things. My fridge and cabinets are usually abundant and overfilled from sale shopping.

Right now, I'm to the point where I'm checking expiration dates and looking up what long expired "sell by" or "Best used by" dates mean. So it's not a matter of what I'm stocking, it's a matter of what I'm throwing away. I learned earlier today 1) soy sauce does not keep forever, no matter how much it seems like it's pure salt, 2) I haven't made fried rice since apparently before 2011, 3) you should refrigerate soy sauce to preserve it, and 4) soy sauce contains a warning that it contains soy.

Still not sure how long I have left but with the stay home order being extended to the 30th and WFH/Furloughs already extended to the 4th and beyond, I think I'll make the trip out sooner rather than later, maybe. Whatever I have it won't last through the 30th, much less the 4th.

If the grocer has stuff, I'll be like hoarder, I'm sure. Re-stocking the depleted freezer and pantry.

I'm still well over a month away from running out of TP but ally'all have scared me. If I see my brand, I'm buying more, sale shopping be damned.

I fully expect my normal $50-$100 of mostly on sale rotated goods shopping trip to be a $300 free for all on my next trip out if the grocer has stuff I want. I also expect when I go, I'll hit multiple grocers, starting with a Costco binge.

[Kasey Chang]

I am running out of Diet Coke. I thought I ordered two 24-can boxes, but turns out I only got 1 20-can box. And I'm half through it already, and I'm not able to get any Amazon Fresh stuff scheduled. ARGH. Been trying for days.

[Kraken]

I went out to get Diet Coke for Wife today. Seems I find some excuse to go out every other day. I did wear a mask and, for the first time, disposable gloves.

I haven't made a proper grocery run in 12 days. Ordinarily I buy grocs every Sunday like clockwork. The algorithm that tracks my life must think I died. I could go another week if I had to -- hell, I could last a month if I were content to live on stored food. But it's time to lay in enough fresh stuff for another couple of weeks. I don't want to go on the weekend so will wait until Monday or Tuesday.

In a sad footnote, one of the three restaurants where we've been getting takeout closed temporarily due to a staffer getting Covid. Hope they can reopen in a couple of weeks. In a happier footnote, the one that closed a couple of weeks ago for the same reason ought to be open again by now.

[Unagi]

and, for the first time, disposable gloves.

Honest question here:

What's the goal with the gloves. I honestly don't understand why people are using them.

Is it so you can take them off and feel like your hands are now clean enough to rub your face?

What's your routine with these gloves? I had a friend who used them, and when he described his routine - even he admitted it was totally pointless.

Hands are easy to clean.
Faces shouldn't be touched with the gloves on, clearly...
If you don't wash your hands after you take them off, I think you would be foolish.
If you do wash your hands after you take them off, what was the point again in wearing them?

[LawBeefaroni]

We finally ran out of toilet paper. Haven't bought any since this bullshit started. Jewel was out, except for Scott. I was happy to pick that up for myself but had to go across the street to Menard's for something the wife and kids would use. Menard's had bleach, TP, dish gloves, all the stuff that was out at Jewel across the street. Only needed TP though.

People really are sheep.

[Kraken]

and, for the first time, disposable gloves.

Honest question here:

What's the goal with the gloves. I honestly don't understand why people are using them.

Theater, mostly. Social expectation. The gloves signal to other people that you're aware and being careful.

The rule is supposed to be that you carefully remove and discard them whenever you would ordinarily wash your bare hands. Now you have clean hands to put on a new pair of gloves, which you'll discard again the next time you touch something nonsterile.

I'm not going to be doing that, and neither is anybody else. I do take a disinfectant wipe with me on my brief sorties, and I use it to clean my hands (gloved or not) after every encounter.

[Blackhawk]

The rule is supposed to be that you carefully remove and discard them whenever you would ordinarily wash your bare hands. Now you have clean hands to put on a new pair of gloves, which you'll discard again the next time you touch something nonsterile.

Except that the rule is actually that you treat every pair of gloves as if it has been compromised and wash your hands as soon as you take them off as if you hadn't been wearing them. They're hand condoms: An extra layer of protection which can fail, often without you knowing it until something is growing in someone's body.

[Defiant]

I used carnation evaporated milk (diluted back into milk) for the first time today, and it was fine in cereal. Nicely convenient, since it doesn't take space in the fridge until shortly before I'm ready to use it. I was inspired by old episodes of Burns and Allen, which is pretty successful product placement since it got them a sale seventy years later.

[Unagi]

I used carnation evaporated milk (diluted back into milk) for the first time today, and it was fine in cereal. Nicely convenient, since it doesn't take space in the fridge until shortly before I'm ready to use it. I was inspired by old episodes of Burns and Allen, which is pretty successful product placement since it got them a sale seventy years later.

See, and all this time I thought evaporated milk came from ethereal cows.

[Unagi]

But more seriously, isn’t evaporated milk cost prohibitive?
I’ve always seen it as a uncommon cooking ingredient.

[Kraken]

The rule is supposed to be that you carefully remove and discard them whenever you would ordinarily wash your bare hands. Now you have clean hands to put on a new pair of gloves, which you'll discard again the next time you touch something nonsterile.

Except that the rule is actually that you treat every pair of gloves as if it has been compromised and wash your hands as soon as you take them off as if you hadn't been wearing them. They're hand condoms: An extra layer of protection which can fail, often without you knowing it until something is growing in someone's body.

Which loops back to the original question: If you're already near a sink with soap and water, what's the point of the gloves? If you keep wearing them until you can get to a sink, what's the difference between having dirty gloves or dirty fingers? Preventing skin contact does nothing.

The gloves do remind you not to touch your face, so there's some value in that.

[Defiant]

But more seriously, isn’t evaporated milk cost prohibitive?
I’ve always seen it as a uncommon cooking ingredient.

It was a little more expensive than buying a quart of milk, but more convenient during these times.

[Blackhawk]

Which loops back to the original question: If you're already near a sink with soap and water, what's the point of the gloves? If you keep wearing them until you can get to a sink, what's the difference between having dirty gloves or dirty fingers? Preventing skin contact does nothing

Which is the reason that I don't wear gloves, despite having two boxes in my painting cabinet. Gloves have a purpose when dealing with unknowns or with pathogens for which skin contact is an issue, but COVID-19 isn't that.

But yeah, if they keep someone from touching their face there may be some value, as long as the gloves don't make them complacent (say, by them not washing their hands after taking them off, or by thinking the gloves make them invulnerable and thus less careful.)

[Max Peck]

Yeah, that's basically the public health guidance here. They suggest wearing a mask if you are doing something like grocery shopping, where maintaining proper physical distancing is iffy, but otherwise not wearing a mask and not wearing gloves because they can lead to complacency, and if you don't use them correctly, you can end up contaminating yourself. They are also clearly stating that when you do wear a mask, it is to protect other people from your own respiratory goo, not to protect yourself from the virus.

[Max Peck]

I checked Instacart this morning and discovered that they had open delivery slots stretching out to next week. I put together a test order from my current shopping list and received it early this afternoon. They are already back to having no delivery slots at all, so I guess the trick is to check either early in the day or early on Saturday if that's the day that they open up slots for the upcoming week.

While I got everything in my order (with a couple of reasonable substitutions for items that were not in stock), I also received a bag of condiments/seasoning/cooking sauces and a box of chicken legs that I didn't order, so I'm guessing someone else had a delivery come up short. I sent a note to the shopper through the Instacart messaging widget, as well as opening a support ticket to let them know they can come and pick up the extra items. For now, I just put the chicken in the freezer and set the bag of miscellaneous stuff aside until I hear back from them.

[Scuzz]

So the wife and daughter went to the store yesterday and they now had TP and cleaning supplies back in stock, with limited purchases per person. So that is cool.

We have also taken advantage of some shopping services. Some have been within hours and others have told us up to 4-5 days. But even that one delivered groceries to my daughter the same night on a separate order. The wife has been happy except the shoppers idea of good veggies differed from hers. Now that I write I may have mentioned that before.

[dbt1949]

When you get something delivered from the store you pay a delivery charge of course but do they expect a tip also?