And only about 40 people have died here in the US so far, most of them old enough to be in nursing homes.
Imagine if something like the illness in that movie Contagion were to start spreading.
You are right. I went to Safeway today and so many things were missing from the shelves! WTF???
shareI'm done hitting the grocery store unless there's something I absolutely cannot do without. Even then, I'll either go first thing in the morning or the last hour at night.
shareIf only I didn't need bread, I'd stay home. I dunno, there may not even be any left on the shelves when I go tonight, but I can try.
Saturdays are normally big shopping days, even without this.
Once nice thing I have to say is my local grocery store has ROCKED with its pricing on most items people are wanting the most. Most of it's on sale, a lot of it for prices lower than normal sale prices. It's helping to restore my faith in humanity ๐ค
I usually avoid shopping on the weekends if I can, since as you say, they're busy shopping days. I've found that it's best to go on a weekday during the day, or in the evenings around 6:00 or so. It seems that by six, the after-work rush has subsided and everyone's home eating dinner. The magic shopping hour...
shareThose are usually the times I shop too. But yesterday and the day before it was early afternoon and it was packed! Worse than right before the holidays kind of packed. Yesterday I turned around and came home after just looking at the parking lot.
Glad you managed to pick up some bread. Exactly, there are a lot of things you can make with it. Endless varieties of sandwiches, French toast, eggs on toast, bread pudding (not that I know how to made that or have ever tasted it, but still).
Eggs are another good buy. They store well and long, very nutritious, can make tons of stuff with them.
Eggs do stay good for quite a while in the fridge. If you have chickens or know someone local who sells yard eggs, they last for for at least twice as long as store bought.
shareActually I do know two places locally where they sell fresh eggs. One will probably be sold out but the other probably has some, and they also carry a small supply of farm fresh greens and fruit :). Not many people know about it so it's a good bet. Thanks for reminding me.
shareAnd yes, bread was one of the things I picked up yesterday since you can make quite a few meals from it. Sandwiches of various kinds, but also French toast and more that I probably haven't thought of.
shareIf you canโt find bread in the bread aisle look in the freezer for frozen dough. I still donโt understand why the panic buying began. Itโs not like weโre prepping for a hurricane. Thereโs nothing left on amazon.
sharePeople think everyone will die like a zombie movie and they will be in their house with "provisions" until society restarts.
They are retards.
Good idea ... although I don't have a stove to bake it in! It's that people are preparing to not shop for a few weeks. Some appear to be preparing for a year, because, panic!
shareHere ya go. There are more web sites on how to bake bread without an oven.
https://preparednessadvice.com/recipes/baking-bread-without-an-oven/
Aw shoot, but I don't have any of those things either! No dutch oven or heavy lidded pot, no yeast, flour, etc. Remember this is just temporary digs so I have the bare minimum with me -- a few plates, a few glasses and mugs, 1 frying pan, 1 cheap saucepan, and so on.
I have to say that loaf of bread looks delicious!
I'm making a store run tonight. Hopefully they'll have a loaf of bread. If not, this panic-driven store run is going to run its course soon and they're restocking the shelves every day. I can do without bread for a few days if I have to.
My daughter said the best time for 24 hour stores is 3 AM. Donโt forget drug stores as you know theyโve become mini-marts.
You mentioned a frying pan. I recall a neighbor used to buy the frozen dough, let it thaw to rise. She then would shape pieces of the dough into thin pancake size shapes. Brushed with melted butter, then pan fried it until browned. Afterwards she would spread more butter, fruit preserves, etc. It was so delicious. It was a time when we lived in very small trailers. I donโt think she had much more utensils than you do. Now Iโm hungry!
I just got back. Our store here turns into a pumpkin at midnight.
I am the proud owner of a loaf of semi-decent bread! The shelves were close to bare. This was the only loaf that would be good for sandwiches (my main need), and for putting a fried or poached egg on toast.
The pancake bread sounds lovely, and very doable with my meager utensils, but not good for making sammiches.
Amazingly they still had in stock a good supply of those living butter lettuces. They're great because they have roots so they last a long time as long as you remember to put some water in the little cup thingy. They've been completely sold out of these whenever I've gone since this madness started ๐
There was hardly anyone in the whole store! I'd say maybe 5-6 people, total. Even though a lot of things were sold out (this time there was little meat left), it felt calmer.
Well, finally I found someone who is aware of butter lettuce. Walmart has recently been stocking it. I wash it and keep it in its clam shell. The lettuce is so deliciously delicate and Iโm the only one who eats it so it lasts me for awhile. Savor that loaf of bread!
shareJust saw this. I love this butter lettuce. It's delicate and tasty, as you noted, and lasts quite a long time. Great for making BLTs (or any sandwich) because the leaves are nice and big.
Good thing I got that one loaf, because since then there's been almost no bread on the shelves. Once there was this weird bread I'd never seen before. Quite a few loaves of it. It was still frozen. Oh well, if I had no bread, I'd be happy enough to have even the weird frozen bread :)
So true! There is literally nothing on the shelves. Almost the toilet paper is gone, canned foods and bottled waters too...
shareStill normal here.
shareThe people who stocked up days ago thinking it would last weeks are already out.
People, especially in America consume insane amounts.
No conservation there.
I stopped in again today. Much less frantic than last week. They have limits on some things now - toilet paper/bottled water and peanut butter I noticed. Otherwise there was plenty of food. They have closed the bulk food section down which is a good idea. So I had to buy bagged nuts.
shareI just got back myself. Week over week, fewer people shopping, more mask wearers, less food and other important stuff available. A lot more makeshift masks too. People look like western outlaws.
shareIt wasn't too bad today at Walmart.
I think the hysteria is dying down.
Did I find hand sanitizers? No.
Was there milk and toilet paper? Yes.
Same here, far less frantic than the previous times I've been. I went yesterday. There were a good number of empty shelves, and this time the bagged and other greens were pretty much gone, but there was still a good amount of food. I even bought a rotisserie chicken, which I was happy to see them making again. They're delicious and good for a number of meals. They had the usual amount of them, so that was nice.
I don't know about the bulk foods being shut down. After all, produce is still right out there just like the bulk stuff. All anyone would have to do is either wait 4 days to make sure any virus that might have been on it is dead, or rinse in a weak bleach solution. Anyway, it was done, no point in discussing it.
The entire state of CA is on lockdown now, except for important errands (groceries, medications, bank). We can still have small gatherings, as in 2-9 people, and go out in nature. I imagine nature is getting more crowded than ever before as people are wanting to get out and entertain themselves, and their kids who are now at home 24/7 and probably bored spitless.
I bought a corned beef brisket for my friend and former neighbour yesterday so we'll get together for a visit later, with our dogs, at the required 6' distance.
My brother went to Target the day before yesterday and couldn't get the few staples he was looking for (ground beef, bread, milk, eggs). So he went to the local butcher for his meat, and got the bread, milk, and eggs at a convenience store. Kind of makes sense about the convenience store - most people are hitting the big grocery stores, probably forgetting about them.
I just talked to Mr Neighbor since he was outside repairing his garage door. He had to go out to get a part to fix the door, and on his way back he stopped at our nearby grocery store. This is a regular grocery store (small regional chain) with a pharmacy, an attached convenience store, and a separate but also attached liquor store. He saw one woman leaving the liquor store with two big carts heaped full of liquor - guess they must be hunkering down. ยฏ\_(ใ)_/ยฏ He said it was crazy busy, but it's hard to say if this was just the normal after-work rush, which is common here.
Good thinking on the part of your brother ๐
I'm surprised hardware stores are open and he could get the part for his door. Yikes, two big carts' worth of booze? ๐ฎ Well I guess they're going to be feeling no pain for a while. No pain except for the multitude of hangovers in their future.
Mr Neighbor headed to a big-box store (not Home Depot or Lowes, but a regional chain, Menards). He didn't say how busy they were, but they have a small grocery staples section and they sell cleaning and paper products along the usual hardware/building supplies, so...
I think it must be tricky to decide which businesses must close and which can remain open. If you've got a plumbing problem, you need to get supplies now if you're a do-it-yourselfer. Can you even get a plumber to come to your house today? I honestly don't know, although I suppose it depends on the status of one's location at the moment.
It makes sense to close bars, restaurants, etc. where people gather, but it's good that they can offer pick-up service so owners can make some money, at least.
Can you still get your car serviced? I honestly don't know. I'm sure there are other things besides groceries, medication, and fuel that are essential. Is alcohol essential? Some would say yes, others no.
I only know about Menards because it was mentioned on Making A Murderer. I had no idea it was a big box store. Interesting they have a small grocery section. Cleaning supplies makes sense.
I've wondered about that recently, both hardware stores and getting your car serviced. The toilet here broke and they called in someone they know. Turned out he didn't need to get any parts, but I wondered what would happen if he did. Were any hardware stores open? What about if your car goes kaput?
I suspect you can call in a plumber. Most of them are small private businesses anyway. True, for states like yours where liquor is sold only in liquor stores, that decision has to be made by someone.
While I feel for restaurant and bar owners, and their employees, that had to change at least until we get a good idea of how much it's spread and is spreading. It is great many restaurants are switching to takeout and delivery for the time being. On my Nextdoor, a lot of people are talking about how they can help out local businesses by patronising them like that. Lunch or dinner from a local restaurant. Getting a meal from a local caterer. Those kinds of things. I like this pulling together spirit :)
I stopped at my local Target this afternoon, first time I tried to shop since before Saturday. Absolutely no TP. I had hoped the frenzy was over and the hoarders were done, but not even close I guess. And at my Dollar Store all this bachelor wanted was 6 eggs, but none there either. I and my roommates have various things we would normally keep a lot of around, but it's a little frustrating people are taking so much.
Btw, I heard a woman on the radio crying because she went to four stores and couldn't find diapers. Said she can't afford to buy multiple large packs in the first place. Very sad.
You probably got there between restockings, or at the long end of the last one. I expected things to be restocked on the shelves fairly quickly and the panic buyers already being stocked up, so the shelves would be replenished by now.
But when I said pretty much this to one of the grocery store clerks I'm very friendly with, he told me the manufacturers were setting limits on how much they could order.
Do I remember correctly that you're 60+? If so, find out if those stores are allowing an early hour for seniors alone to get what they need. A lot of stores are doing this.
It is frustrating that some are being frighteningly piggy and selfish, at the expense of others. There are a few people I know that I'm now seeing with different eyes as a result, taking more than their share, and often for frivolous reasons at the *real* expense of others who truly need the items they're hoarding.
I can't even imagine what it must be like to have an infant or young children right now. No baby wipes, no diapers, worrying about food to feed your kids. Then with school being out, having to entertain and deal with your toddlers and older 24/7, without the relief of pre-school+ as a daily break.
But we have been through the Depression, and the polio scare. Not us specifically necessarily, but countries and a number of us. It sounds like it was awful. We have so many resources now than ever before, and can I just say THANK GOD FOR THE INTERWEBS!