Posted on 03/14/2020 9:24:09 AM PDT by ConservativeInPA
Suburban Harrisburg, PA - March 14, 2020
I was somewhat dreading the weekly shopping trip due to all the news stories about shortages and hoarding. On the other hand I was curious to see what it was like. I wanted some fresh vegetables, meat and fish, so off I went shopping.
Traffic was unusually light for a Saturday morning. I was thinking shopping might not be too bad. However, as I turned into the local supermarket (Karns, for folks in South Central PA) the parking lot was jammed packed. Actually, that's not too unusual for a weekend shopping trip.
I get a cart and head towards the entrance. Exiting from the store was a woman with a cart full of toilet paper and bottled water. "So", I say to myself, "there's TP still in the store, but I don't get the water part, maybe that is normal for that woman. She must piss lot."
I go about my normal shopping. Everything is about normal, except a few more people. First stop, veggies. All is normal. Good sale on broccoli, cabbage and mushrooms - all on my list, this is going good. Next up, around the corner to the meat department. (No shrink wrapped meat at this store - all fresh cut/in case) Wow, there's a line! That's where all the people are. The line is almost the length of an aisle. It takes 20 minutes to get to the counter, everyone is friendly, just talking away and taking things in stride. Then a woman walks by. She's wearing an ear loop face mask and latex gloves. I wonder if she's sick. That type of mask doesn't stop the virus going into your lungs, but does protect others from your breath. Anyways, I get my chopped chuck, and score a deal on chicken - $1.09 for boneless/skinless thighs (5 lbs or more)
Onto more shopping ... Pasta aisle, shelves are pretty bare, but there's a 10 item for $10 sale. It must be the sale that has the shelves depleted. But, I get my $1 pasta that I need. Going to make chicken tetrazzini, among other chicken dishes this week.
I venture to the other side of the store to get dairy products and I pass the dreaded TP aisle. It is trashed. Along comes two palettes of TP rolling to the aisle. Hungry vultures await. It really is sort of frenzy. People anxiously waiting, but they take their turn and get what they need. Doesn't seem to be a limit on how much TP you can buy. Alas, I don't need TP. I got my normal amount last week and I'm good for a month.
The rest of the shopping trip is uneventful. Everything seems to be fully stocked. No one is going to go without. I get the feeling the grocer is loving this since there are so many people stocking up.
10:45AM Day one of social isolation. I have stocked up enough non-perishable food and supplies to last for months, and I can remain in isolation as long as this thing lasts.
11:15AM I’m at the supermarket because I wanted a Twix.
No one can explain why anyone needs a year’s worth of toilet paper for a respiratory virus
People have just gone bucking futs
Quote from another thread:
I your panic response is to buy TP, you suck at panicking.
That about says it.
I went yesterday and just got back today. No TP, pasta, water or boxed dinner items. Glad I’m stocked up already.
No one has accounted for all those hungry earwigs and sow bugs that will spoil the cache of TP of many of those hoarders months from now.
“11:15AM I’m at the supermarket because I wanted a Twix.”
ROTFLOL!
HaHaHa. That sound like me. I have enough stuff on hand that I have avoided stores up until now minus a couple of small items. I can go about another week with the exception of oranges and bananas.
However, last night a marshmallow egg sounded so good...
It’s crazy.
Insane shopping.
There’s no meat. None.
Pasta gone, rice gone.
All based on paranoia and hysteria.
Are we any better than China?
China got this epidemic so actual sick people went to the hospital, people who thought maybe they were sick and people who just wanted to be tested went.
So the hospitals where there were sick people,mbecause that where they go when sick, were jammed madhouses.
How many people got infected due to that idiotic hysteria?
So now here supermarkets are zoos. People jamming all the aisles.
Oh yeah, let’s all gather together in a big jammed together mass.
It’s a good thing there’s so few cases.
I was at the local Walmart this AM. There was a lot of inventory left, especially produce, and some sales, but the soup / pasta / bottled water / cereal aisles looked like a Venezuelan grocery store. Also yogurt was almost gone. A local grocery store had lots of cereal, produce, etc. I didn’t check the TP / water section.
Went to a couple of stores this morning (Walmart supercenter and and Aldi)
No toilet paper
No paper towels
No bleach
No soap except a large quantity of Irish Spring located a couple of aisles over from the empty soap aisles at Walmart.
No rubbing alcohol or hand sanitizer
almost no canned vegetables.
Frozen vegetables - limed selection, but some stock
Fresh meat and vegetables looked fine
Plenty of beer and wine
Little cereal at Walmart; less than usual at Aldi.
The staff at Walmart was running ragged pulling items for the folks at pickup who wouldn’t come into the stores. No wait for the self checkout when I got there.
Yeah whats with the TP vultures they think it’s being outlawed,some just think greed is good.
OTOH, the perishable stuff ... much of that is going to be wasted, so good for business!!
*If* you cannot find toilet paper and just need it like a normal person does, check the marine/camping departments of WalMart and also, RV/Marine dealers.
They will have the special biodegradable tp necessary for use in those vehicles.
I just checked the online stocks of the local Wallys and they are virtually sold out of tp...but there are 6 packs of RV tp back in that dark boat accessory corner that no one seems to know is there.
:)
I stocked up a couple of months ago. Not out of fear or panic but because of two reasons: possible mandated quarantine or needing food in a supermarket jammed with shoppers who may already be sick and just don’t know it.
Suburban Philly. Got to Whole Foods at 7:15am. The shelves were light, but they were stocking them like crazy. We got everything we needed. There were more people than expected, but it wasn’t crowded.
Liquor store was not crowded at all and no noticeable holes in the shelves. Apparently, yesterday everything was crowded.
Last night, ALL the chicken was gone from the market I frequent.
Hope those people have big freezers...and that the electric doesn’t go off, ever.
Don’t forget bread, milk & eggs.
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