Pandemic hoarding

[Tigerpine]

https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/reviewedcom/2020/11/17/where-buy-toilet-paper-still-stock-amazon-walmart-and-more/6329228002/

Apparently the great TP run of 2020 has begun again in places.

[Roadrunner53]

I'm soooo over this pandemic shopping "experience".

I ordered TP a couple days ago... now I get a notification that it is "back ordered" with a mid December estimated delivery date.  Paper towels are out of stock.  I haven't been able to buy lysol concentrate since January.  I usually buy one bottle of rubbing alcohol about once every 5 years, for minor cleaning of electronics.  Haven't been able to get that either.

who would have thought that a respiratory virus would cause people to have to shit their brains out repeatedly, to the tune of needing to clear the stores of toilet paper for an entire year.

You made me laugh but none of this is funny! I went to the Walmart website and see only one brand that they will ship. All the others you have to do a pick up. I also checked Costco and toilet paper has limited choices and none of their brand of paper towels. Here we go again!

[Cranky]

I think people had gotten back to buying tp in smaller quantities and now the are stocking up because who wants to go into the stores for the next weeks/months. Not me, for sure.

[Khaetra]

https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/reviewedcom/2020/11/17/where-buy-toilet-paper-still-stock-amazon-walmart-and-more/6329228002/

Apparently the great TP run of 2020 has begun again in places.

I had to make a run to Walmart and the entire aisle of paper products was bare.  No tp/paper towels/kleenex/napkins.  I didn't make it to the cleaning supplies but the shelf that usually has bleach was empty as well.  I have plenty of everything (I restocked early) but it does seem we're in for more shortages.

[SunnyDays]

@K_in_the_kitchen, you make me want to weep with your egg prices.  Here in Canada, I pay 3.29 for a dozen/8.50 for 30, and they are never on sale.  I'm curious what your Costco vanilla costs.  The last time I looked here, a few months ago, it was 30 some dollars for whatever the size was, maybe 1/2 litre.

[Roadrunner53]

I just bought 2 dozen jumbo eggs and they were $1.69 a dozen. A few week earlier, I bought 3 dozen Jumbo eggs at another store and they were $1.79 a dozen. The expiration dates vary on all the cartons so I will use the ones to expire earliest first and so on. Some are good till January. There are all different prices of eggs in the stores depending on name brands. These are regular grocery stores, not big box stores.

[RetiredAt63]

@K_in_the_kitchen, you make me want to weep with your egg prices.  Here in Canada, I pay 3.29 for a dozen/8.50 for 30, and they are never on sale.  I'm curious what your Costco vanilla costs.  The last time I looked here, a few months ago, it was 30 some dollars for whatever the size was, maybe 1/2 litre.

That looks pretty typical for Ontario egg prices too (not sure where in Canada you are).  Sometimes eggs are on sale, it is almost always the store brand. And almost never extra large or double yolk.

[K_in_the_kitchen]

K_in_the_kitchen, How much per lb. are you seeing the rib roasts costing? I have not seen any advertised yet. I did a curbside but then popped into another store for about 10 minutes but did not see any rib roasts displayed.

Over the last few months, as far as shelf stable things, I stocked up on various pasta's and jarred sauces. I had multiple jars break when I ordered them from Walmart or Target and had a major disaster thru Amazon. So, now that I do curb service, I will order 6 or 8 jars at a time and no breakage. Glass jars are totally bad news when ordering on line. I do not get why they don't take any caution on packing glass jars safely. I have had a box full of jars with little padding. The jars all smash into each other and half of them break. I have also ordered canned things and that is pretty much a horror show too. The cans are packed the same way and smash into each other. Then I get ugly dented cans that look like they were dug out of a bombed out grocery store.

They went on sale today for $4.99 per pound for choice grade.  I'v never bought one before, but my dad says it's the lowest price I'm likely to see.  He's been making one each Christmas for the past 13 years (before that it was turkey and we all prefer the switch to the beef roast).

I've had the same experience ordering food in jars and cans online.

[K_in_the_kitchen]

@K_in_the_kitchen, you make me want to weep with your egg prices.  Here in Canada, I pay 3.29 for a dozen/8.50 for 30, and they are never on sale.  I'm curious what your Costco vanilla costs.  The last time I looked here, a few months ago, it was 30 some dollars for whatever the size was, maybe 1/2 litre.

For the 10 dozen eggs at Costco I paid $1.68 USD per dozen.  I haven't seen 49¢ per dozen eggs since 2018, I think, although last year Aldi had eggs at 59¢ per dozen a couple of times.

The vanilla extract was $21.99 USD for 16 ounces.  A year ago it was $34.99, then we saw it drop to $29.99, and then $24.99 this summer.  I was telling my son that it was $6.99 and $8.99 5- 6 years ago.  In 2012 I paid $22.42 for half a pound of Madagascar bourbon vanilla beans.  Current price on those is $167, but a year ago it was over $200 for 1/4 pound.

[Roadrunner53]

K_in_the_kitchen, How much per lb. are you seeing the rib roasts costing? I have not seen any advertised yet. I did a curbside but then popped into another store for about 10 minutes but did not see any rib roasts displayed.

Over the last few months, as far as shelf stable things, I stocked up on various pasta's and jarred sauces. I had multiple jars break when I ordered them from Walmart or Target and had a major disaster thru Amazon. So, now that I do curb service, I will order 6 or 8 jars at a time and no breakage. Glass jars are totally bad news when ordering on line. I do not get why they don't take any caution on packing glass jars safely. I have had a box full of jars with little padding. The jars all smash into each other and half of them break. I have also ordered canned things and that is pretty much a horror show too. The cans are packed the same way and smash into each other. Then I get ugly dented cans that look like they were dug out of a bombed out grocery store.

They went on sale today for $4.99 per pound for choice grade.  I'v never bought one before, but my dad says it's the lowest price I'm likely to see.  He's been making one each Christmas for the past 13 years (before that it was turkey and we all prefer the switch to the beef roast).

I've had the same experience ordering food in jars and cans online.

Yes, $4.99 is the lowest price and is fantastic! You should pick up a few for the freezer! I am hoping for $5.99 or $6.99 a lb. If I find $4.99 I will do cartwheels!

Here is the recipe I use and it is a fool proof recipe every time and no matter what size roast I have it seems to work the same. I don't use the seasoning in the recipe. My Hub mixes up a coffee rub, lots of garlic and ties fresh rosemary to it. The cooking method is awesome!

https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a18012/paula-deens-famous-foolproof-rib-roast-recipe/

[Catbert]

Costco trip this morning.  This particular Costco recently started opening at 9:00 rather than 10:00 (not just for seniors).  I think people haven't figured this out so...no line to get in.  Easy parking.  Store not toocrowded.  Short line at checkout.  I didn't need any TP, papertowels or wipes so I don't know if they were in stock.  I was able to get yeast which I haven't seen there since the start of the pandemic. 

[Queen Frugal]

I did my grocery shopping today and the store seemed completely normal. Plenty of turkeys. Plenty of toilet paper. Plenty of everything. Our local hospital was featured in the paper today and they are planning on a 500% increase in hospitalizations between now and 12/1 - and they are already at 80% capacity. Cases are skyrocketing. But panic buying is not happening so far.

Since moving into a house with more storage space, and since living through the first round of panic buying, I settled on stocking up on 3 months worth of nonperishable staples that I normally use. I'm set if things get nasty - for 3 months anyway. Meanwhile, I'm planning on decreasing my weekly shopping trip to bi-weekly shopping until it feels safer. I'll miss out on some fresh fruits and veggies but I figure in the short run it's better for my health than catching COVID.

[MudPuppy]

Might not even miss too much! When I’m doing biweekly, I eat the quick spoil things like lettuce and banana the first week and plan for things like carrots, cabbage, apples, spaghetti squash that last longer the second week.

[Roadrunner53]

Carrots and cabbage seem a wise investment. I just found a cabbage steak recipe that you roast in the oven and brush it with olive oil salt, pepper, garlic. Roast in 400F oven for 20 minutes then turn and cook for another 20 minutes. I also made a nice chopped cabbage, onion, tomato casserole type thing cooked in a skillet and served with parmesan cheese. Another recipe with maple carrots roasted in the oven. Toss the cut carrot sticks in olive oil, salt, maple syrup, cayenne pepper. Roast in oven 400F around 20 minutes. Carrots and cabbage last a long time in the fridge as MudPuppy said. Good idea on eating fragile veggies first then eat the hardier veggies 2nd week.

[K_in_the_kitchen]

Yes, $4.99 is the lowest price and is fantastic! You should pick up a few for the freezer! I am hoping for $5.99 or $6.99 a lb. If I find $4.99 I will do cartwheels!

Here is the recipe I use and it is a fool proof recipe every time and no matter what size roast I have it seems to work the same. I don't use the seasoning in the recipe. My Hub mixes up a coffee rub, lots of garlic and ties fresh rosemary to it. The cooking method is awesome!

https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a18012/paula-deens-famous-foolproof-rib-roast-recipe/

Thanks for the recipe/cooking directions!  They look similar to what my dad gave me.

I was able to get 4 roasts in the 6 - 9# range.  Limit was supposed to be 25#, but I know from experience they are more about the spirit of the guidelines than any absolute rule.  If I'd tried to buy 8 5# roasts, they might have said something.  I think I ended up with 28# total.

I also bought 3 pork butt roasts because they were 99¢/#, which is the lowest I've seen in more than a year.  Sometimes we buy pastured pork, but in pandemic times I take what I can get, when I can get it (except for ground beef).  Once everything is in the freezer I'll see how much room I have left -- I may have to wait to make the ground beef order.

As for the store, they were stocked on most things except toiler paper, paper towels, disinfecting wipes, hand sanitizer, and Lysol.  What small amount of toilet paper and paper towels they had were limited to one per person.  They did have bleach.  I looked at the turkeys and didn't see anything smaller than 19#.  I bought the last on sale package of tri-tip -- I only wanted one for today.  It's a small one but fine for us.  They did have b/s chicken breast for 99¢/#, which again is the lowest I've seen in more than a year, but I didn't buy any because I don't think I have room -- I have about 30# out in the freezer.  But I'll reconsider once I have the roasts frozen, because we can eat chicken just as easily as we can eat beef.

[K_in_the_kitchen]

Carrots and cabbage seem a wise investment. I just found a cabbage steak recipe that you roast in the oven and brush it with olive oil salt, pepper, garlic. Roast in 400F oven for 20 minutes then turn and cook for another 20 minutes. I also made a nice chopped cabbage, onion, tomato casserole type thing cooked in a skillet and served with parmesan cheese. Another recipe with maple carrots roasted in the oven. Toss the cut carrot sticks in olive oil, salt, maple syrup, cayenne pepper. Roast in oven 400F around 20 minutes. Carrots and cabbage last a long time in the fridge as MudPuppy said. Good idea on eating fragile veggies first then eat the hardier veggies 2nd week.

The cabbage steak sounds yummy!

I also find that cabbage and carrots last a long time, and even broccoli does, especially if I prep it first and store it with paper towels to absorb any lingering moisture.  If we find really fresh romaine hearts they can last two weeks as well.  Overall most of my produce lasts longer if I prep it and store it well.  I also buy some produce purposely underripe, like pears and avocados, so they are good the second week.

[Roadrunner53]

K_in_the_kitchen, what part of the country are you in? I am on the east coast. I just looked at the store flyer for one store that is effective tomorrow and I see Rib Roasts at $7.99 a lb. There are a few more stores in my area and sales start tomorrow. I will have to see what their prices are.  You really got yourself some bargains and are very well stocked up! Good for you!

[K_in_the_kitchen]

K_in_the_kitchen, what part of the country are you in? I am on the east coast. I just looked at the store flyer for one store that is effective tomorrow and I see Rib Roasts at $7.99 a lb. There are a few more stores in my area and sales start tomorrow. I will have to see what their prices are.  You really got yourself some bargains and are very well stocked up! Good for you!

I'm on the west coast.  I was surprised by the good meat prices all around at this store, since usually they only have one really great sale item.  But they had the standing ribeye roasts, the pork butt, the b/s chicken breasts, Butterball turkeys at 99¢/# and Jennie-O turkeys at 49¢/# -- all were advertised as lowest prices of the year.  Another lowest price of the year was wild caught lobster tails at $6.99 each (5 oz.), which is good for our side of the country.  Flap meat at $3.99/#, unseasoned or marinated, is also listed at lowest price of the year, but it has been that price several times this year.  Not false advertising, but not as uncommon as the other prices.  Even the breakfast sausage links my kid likes were at their lowest in a very long time, at 99¢ for the 8 oz. package.  I didn't buy those, since he's old enough to have to buy his own treat foods and the rest of us don't eat them.

I have room to freeze more meat, so I have decide a) if I want to, and b) what to get.  The b/s chicken breast @ 99¢/# is probably a no-brainer.

[SunnyDays]

@K_in_the_kitchen, you make me want to weep with your egg prices.  Here in Canada, I pay 3.29 for a dozen/8.50 for 30, and they are never on sale.  I'm curious what your Costco vanilla costs.  The last time I looked here, a few months ago, it was 30 some dollars for whatever the size was, maybe 1/2 litre.

For the 10 dozen eggs at Costco I paid $1.68 USD per dozen.  I haven't seen 49¢ per dozen eggs since 2018, I think, although last year Aldi had eggs at 59¢ per dozen a couple of times.

The vanilla extract was $21.99 USD for 16 ounces.  A year ago it was $34.99, then we saw it drop to $29.99, and then $24.99 this summer.  I was telling my son that it was $6.99 and $8.99 5- 6 years ago.  In 2012 I paid $22.42 for half a pound of Madagascar bourbon vanilla beans.  Current price on those is $167, but a year ago it was over $200 for 1/4 pound.

I remember the 8.99 vanilla.  It lasted for years, then when I next needed it and saw the $30 price, my eyes almost popped out of my head.  Now I just use Mexican blend; it’s good enough.

[Tris Prior]

I'm soooo over this pandemic shopping "experience".

I ordered TP a couple days ago... now I get a notification that it is "back ordered" with a mid December estimated delivery date.  Paper towels are out of stock. 

I'm in Chicago too and was able to order a 24-pack of TP and a 6-pack of paper towels from Target. I was pretty surprised that they had it!

[Roadrunner53]

Vanilla seems to be something that depends on the crops. Years ago, when I worked in R&D, we used a certain vanilla flavor in a food product and the source was from Madagascar. There were some devastating storm damage to the crops so what was left was primo and the price skyrocketed. Food manufacturers try to use the best ingredients but the cheapest to keep product prices low. We scrambled for about a month or so to try to find a replacement that was similar to the flavor we were using.

[geekette]

@K_in_the_kitchen, you make me want to weep with your egg prices.  Here in Canada, I pay 3.29 for a dozen/8.50 for 30, and they are never on sale. 

For the 10 dozen eggs at Costco I paid $1.68 USD per dozen.  I haven't seen 49¢ per dozen eggs since 2018, I think, although last year Aldi had eggs at 59¢ per dozen a couple of times.

I just checked our local Wally World - eggs are .77 for 18.  That's kinda nuts. 

[K_in_the_kitchen]

Vanilla seems to be something that depends on the crops. Years ago, when I worked in R&D, we used a certain vanilla flavor in a food product and the source was from Madagascar. There were some devastating storm damage to the crops so what was left was primo and the price skyrocketed. Food manufacturers try to use the best ingredients but the cheapest to keep product prices low. We scrambled for about a month or so to try to find a replacement that was similar to the flavor we were using.

I read awhile ago that it was a combination of crops destroyed by storms and manufacturers switching from artificial vanilla to real vanilla because of consumer demand.  Plus the high demand had growers picking beans unripe to avoid theft, and I guess those beans then didn't reach high quality.  I think the crop damage was the most important factor, but I also don't see prices going back to where they were before because of consumer demand.

For decades, we would drive to apple country and buy heirloom varieties dirt cheap.  Our favorite was Arkansas Blacks, and each year we'd head up around Halloween and buy them for $15-$20 a bushel.  But heirlooms got popular, some of the apple sheds were profiled in the newspaper and on TV news, and next thing we knew they were selling Arkansas Blacks for $4 per pound minimum.

[K_in_the_kitchen]

I went to Aldi tonight, which should be my final foray into groceries stores until I'm vaccinated.  It was busy, but since I almost never go in the evening, I would assume it was pretty normal for 5:30 p.m.  It wasn't packed.  I didn't see any obvious shortages, although toilet paper and paper towels were limited to one per person. Any turkeys I could see were huge.  Certain canned items are still limited to 4 per person, but they've been that way since March.

My main reason for going was to pick out stocking candy.  I wanted to do it in person so I could see ingredients (I have a wheat and dairy allergic child and one with celiac disease).  I kind of went all out because it feels right for this year.  I also bought peanut butter applesauce, salsa, canned peaches, canned pineapple, milk, cookies for the Feast of Saint Nicholas, BBQ sauce, white wine vinegar, plain sparkling water, decorations for Christmas cookies, facial tissue, zipper bags for freezing meats, a few other things I can't recall, and I'll admit it -- a puffer coat and two holiday sweaters for one of my dogs.

I decided not to go back to the other grocery store to buy more meat.  We're fine with what we have, and I didn't have time.  I wanted to finish all my shopping today so I can get a Covid test in 14 days and feel clear about it.  Actually, I may get tested tomorrow when I get my flu shot, but it won't tell me anything definitive about my exposure in the past two weeks.  My county just really wants everyone to get tested regularly.

Covid tests in two weeks, isolate until we get results, and then we plan to visit MIL outside, socially distant, with masks on.  It won't be Thanksgiving, and it won't be Christmas, but we really want to see her and this seems the safest way.

[Roadrunner53]

Okay, one little glitch in my supplies. I have the shelf stable 8 ounce boxes of milk. I think I bought 3 cases of it at different times and now the first batch has only one week left. So, I am in the process of freezing them. I experimented with two of the boxes and  made the box top a 'tent' shape on top to give it some room for expansion. Then put the two boxes into a ziplock and froze them. They froze perfectly and did not explode out of the boxes. So, now I will freeze the others that have a short shelf life. When I plan to use them I will take them out of the freezer and refrigerate the night before and next day shake them to make sure they have not separated.

So, my friends, check some of your expiration dates on your food! Waste not, want not!

I am also not finding any decent prices on rib roasts! Prices are higher this year. I hope they go down soon!

[kite]

I can’t bring myself to stock up.  The “use it up, wear it out, make it do, do without” refrain along with Christianity was drilled into me.  Knowing that so many in my community are reliant on food banks just to make it through the week, I’d be deeply ashamed of myself if I had food on hand that we couldn’t possibly be eating for several weeks or even months when others need it now. As a Christian, I feel like this is precisely what Jesus was talking about when he lambasted those of us going around with more than one coat while we see people who have none.  Even for those who are
I don’t mean for this to come across as judging anyone else, it’s only my interpretation of what I’ve been taught.  My very dear friend is a Latter Day Saint and it was instilled into her the importance of maintaining a well stocked pantry.  And I respect what she was taught despite not agreeing or adhering to it myself.  Depending on where you live and your family & transportation situation, it might be entirely reasonable to buy a few months worth of beans or tuna or whatever.
As a mustachian, I again come down on the side of not keeping excesses on hand.  For one, physical inventory costs money to store and maintain and it doesn’t increase in value except on very rare occasions.  Consumables deteriorate. In my view, the money is better left in the market.  My personal experience living through hurricanes & other weather related extended power outages confirms this.
As a typical citizen of the world, dabbling in amateur epidemiology like everyone else, I’m also weighing the risk of exposure to others in the stores & such; mulling over whether the risk is worse right this minute versus how it will be two weeks or two months from now.  It’s really bad right this moment in my county, so I don’t want to set foot into any store unless it is essential. Is it essential to buy food today that we don’t yet need?  Again, it turns out, the answer is “no”.
 

[RetiredAt63]

I'm doing large infrequent shops.  My main grocery store is in a high density area so I use the priority hour (yes I'm eligible).  I went this morning at 7:15 and am good for 2 weeks plus.  I am fine with eating the most perishable vegetables and fruits first,  it's better to have a slightly boring menu than shop more often.  We are in the lull between Thanksgiving and Christmas, everything was in stock.   Yes, toilet paper, paper towel, and yeast were plentiful.

We are supposed to get 15 cm or so of snow today and tomorrow, I was surprised when the store wasn't busy at 8:30
when I finished my shopping.

[ixtap]

I can’t bring myself to stock up.  The “use it up, wear it out, make it do, do without” refrain along with Christianity was drilled into me.  Knowing that so many in my community are reliant on food banks just to make it through the week, I’d be deeply ashamed of myself if I had food on hand that we couldn’t possibly be eating for several weeks or even months when others need it now. As a Christian, I feel like this is precisely what Jesus was talking about when he lambasted those of us going around with more than one coat while we see people who have none.  Even for those who are
I don’t mean for this to come across as judging anyone else, it’s only my interpretation of what I’ve been taught.  My very dear friend is a Latter Day Saint and it was instilled into her the importance of maintaining a well stocked pantry.  And I respect what she was taught despite not agreeing or adhering to it myself.  Depending on where you live and your family & transportation situation, it might be entirely reasonable to buy a few months worth of beans or tuna or whatever.
As a mustachian, I again come down on the side of not keeping excesses on hand.  For one, physical inventory costs money to store and maintain and it doesn’t increase in value except on very rare occasions.  Consumables deteriorate. In my view, the money is better left in the market.  My personal experience living through hurricanes & other weather related extended power outages confirms this.
As a typical citizen of the world, dabbling in amateur epidemiology like everyone else, I’m also weighing the risk of exposure to others in the stores & such; mulling over whether the risk is worse right this minute versus how it will be two weeks or two months from now.  It’s really bad right this moment in my county, so I don’t want to set foot into any store unless it is essential. Is it essential to buy food today that we don’t yet need?  Again, it turns out, the answer is “no”.
 

I have given several months' worth of grocery bills to the local food bank.

On the other hand, my extra stores just mean if something happens at the end of two week restock and I can't get to the store, we can still eat *something*.

[Imma]

@kite obviously this is something you have thought about quite a bit so a random forum member isn't going to change your mind. But I don't think stocking up is not the Christian thing to do. There are several texts in the Bible that could be interpreted as supportive or non-supportive of stocking up. But there are a few things to keep in mind:

- unlike in the Biblical age, there is no actual shortage of food. There is still more food in the world than people can eat. Just not everyone can afford to buy it. The food in your pantry is not stolen from anyone's mouth. Of course it would be extremely unchristian to keep food in your pantry just for you when there's a food shortage. To make sure other people can have food, too, you can donate food or money to charities like foodbanks and churches that give out food parcels. I do and I'm sure many on this thread do.

- In my country, there's one grocery store for every 3500 people. Say half of them regularly shop. That means every store theoretically has 1750 customers. If they all turn up twice a week like many people did pre-pandemic, that means the traffic in the store is 3500/week. If everyone reduced that to one weekly shop, there'd be only 1750 people per week per store. If people only buy food once every two weeks, there'd be only 875 customers a week! When the store is filled to normal capacity, there's a fair chance of transmission of viruses. When the shops are filled to 25% of capacity, people have way more space to implement social distancing, staff (generally minimum wage workers from underpriviliged groups) can do their work while not coming too close to customers, and staff have more time to properly clean the shop and carts. So every time you don't set foot in the shop you're actually making a massive difference in reducing traffic to the store.

- Of course it makes no financial sense to keep a warehouse full of food. But I don't think most people on this thread keep such insane amounts of food. Personally, I live in an old small house (800 square ft) and it comes with a built-in pantry and that's filled, like it always is. I come from a rural background and was taught to always keep food on hand by my grandparents who lived through WWII. They didn't starve but lived through hard times and one grandparent was completely dependant on produce from a tiny garden and charity. They always kept a small stockpile of non-perishables like coffee, tea, salt and sugar. Part of my pantry is canned food that I grew myself. A reasonable stockpile of food doesn't actually take up that much space. I think my pantry is 20 square ft and at any point in time there's maybe €50-100 worth of food in there. And these days empty shelves aren't exactly unusual, a while back the whole produce, dairy and meat aisles were empty for days. During the first lockdown I was very happy with the flour and yeast in my pantry because they were unavailable for months.

I feel that exactly because I'm in the privileged position of working from home and having enough money, I shouldn't be a burden on society by venturing out more than I need to be. Every time I don't go to a shop, other people there are safer simply because there are fewer people there. Some people will have to go to the store frequently simply because they can't afford to do one big shop in one go, they may rely on that day's tips to get some reduced food at the end of the day. I have most of my groceries delivered and I have started to tip a higher amount than I used to do too. I'm in the vulnerable group as well, but I'd rather avoid the special opening hours. I'm 30 and I don't look disabled. I'm quite private about my health and I don't want to get into an argument in front of the grocery store at 7am.

[Michael in ABQ]

Due to current public health orders all stores are now limited to a max of 75 people, even a huge store like Costco. Multiple grocery store have been shut down if they have more than 4 employees test positive, which isn't that much if you're talking about a Walmart Supercenter with a few hundred employees. I got in line at Costco yesterday at 9:45 (they normally open at 10:00). I didn't get inside until  about 11:00 as there was probably 300-350 people in line. They also limited entry to one person per household so a couple shopping together wouldn't take up one of those 75 spots. I bought pretty much our normal every two weeks worth of stuff. We've got six kids so we buy the box of 15 dozen eggs, usually 6-8 gallons of milk, TP, diapers, baby wipes, produce, etc. It was actually quite nice having the store mostly empty. I normally go about twice as fast as everyone else in the grocery store and am usually slowed down by the crowds.

[Roadrunner53]

Due to current public health orders all stores are now limited to a max of 75 people, even a huge store like Costco. Multiple grocery store have been shut down if they have more than 4 employees test positive, which isn't that much if you're talking about a Walmart Supercenter with a few hundred employees. I got in line at Costco yesterday at 9:45 (they normally open at 10:00). I didn't get inside until  about 11:00 as there was probably 300-350 people in line. They also limited entry to one person per household so a couple shopping together wouldn't take up one of those 75 spots. I bought pretty much our normal every two weeks worth of stuff. We've got six kids so we buy the box of 15 dozen eggs, usually 6-8 gallons of milk, TP, diapers, baby wipes, produce, etc. It was actually quite nice having the store mostly empty. I normally go about twice as fast as everyone else in the grocery store and am usually slowed down by the crowds.

Michael ABQ what state are you in! Don't like what I hear but thank you for sharing the information! That is unbelievable to have this happen in our lifetimes!

[Cranky]

I believe that New Mexico is requiring stores to shut if they have a certain number of employees who test positive.

I feel like when we stay out of the store because we are stocked up we are leaving spots open for other people and we are lowering to risk of taking up hospital space. We donate to several food programs... it’s kind of our thing!

[RetiredAt63]

Due to current public health orders all stores are now limited to a max of 75 people, even a huge store like Costco. Multiple grocery store have been shut down if they have more than 4 employees test positive, which isn't that much if you're talking about a Walmart Supercenter with a few hundred employees. I got in line at Costco yesterday at 9:45 (they normally open at 10:00). I didn't get inside until  about 11:00 as there was probably 300-350 people in line. They also limited entry to one person per household so a couple shopping together wouldn't take up one of those 75 spots. I bought pretty much our normal every two weeks worth of stuff. We've got six kids so we buy the box of 15 dozen eggs, usually 6-8 gallons of milk, TP, diapers, baby wipes, produce, etc. It was actually quite nice having the store mostly empty. I normally go about twice as fast as everyone else in the grocery store and am usually slowed down by the crowds.

Michael ABQ what state are you in! Don't like what I hear but thank you for sharing the information! That is unbelievable to have this happen in our lifetimes!

Grocery stores here have maximums.  And lines if you go at a busy time.  Makes perfect sense to lower store density in response to an air-borne virus.  We are all masking.  Ottawa's case numbers are slowly coming down.  And winter is here (it's snowing right now, 15 cm expected).

No limits on anything when I shopped this morning, but right now nothing is sold out.  My one Costco shop this fall had a TP limit, but of course one Costco package is a huge amount of TP!

[Roadrunner53]

Well, I am glad I am stocked up with nearly everything and don't have to go out for a while!

I have a Misfits vegetable order coming on Tuesday.

When I do a curbside pick up I get enough for several weeks. I have been very pleased with the service.

[K_in_the_kitchen]

Well, I am glad I am stocked up with nearly everything and don't have to go out for a while!

I have a Misfits vegetable order coming on Tuesday.

When I do a curbside pick up I get enough for several weeks. I have been very pleased with the service.

I'm glad we're stocked and ready to go as well.  I don't plan to do curbside again until early December.  I wish we had more fruit and more lettuce, but we have what we have.  There's only enough lettuce for 3 salads, but we have plenty of tomatoes, avocados, carrots, and cucumber.  Salads don't have to have lettuce.  We have some apples and bananas, but the guys go through apples and bananas like there's no tomorrow.  Still, we have canned peaches, canned pineapple, and jarred applesauce, plus there is some frozen fruit.  We have fresh pears too, but they won't eat those (more for me and DH!).

I do wish I'd picked up a 25# bag of local oranges -- I think I'll send my son tomorrow.  It was decided that if any in person shopping needs to be done, he'll do it.  I'll call to make sure they have them available, and if they do I'll send him with exact change so he can be in and out in under 5 minutes.

[Roadrunner53]

I was just on the Costco website and looked to see what the situation was with the Kirkland toilet paper and there is a notice that there will be none available till December 31st and then January 1st they will reevaluate the situation. Seems it is being sold at the stores but is probably flying off the shelves. They also had no paper towels on rolls.

I looked at Walmart and very little toilet paper they will ship, mostly in store or pick up only purchases. Same with paper towels.

Here we go again!

[Michael in ABQ]

Due to current public health orders all stores are now limited to a max of 75 people, even a huge store like Costco. Multiple grocery store have been shut down if they have more than 4 employees test positive, which isn't that much if you're talking about a Walmart Supercenter with a few hundred employees. I got in line at Costco yesterday at 9:45 (they normally open at 10:00). I didn't get inside until  about 11:00 as there was probably 300-350 people in line. They also limited entry to one person per household so a couple shopping together wouldn't take up one of those 75 spots. I bought pretty much our normal every two weeks worth of stuff. We've got six kids so we buy the box of 15 dozen eggs, usually 6-8 gallons of milk, TP, diapers, baby wipes, produce, etc. It was actually quite nice having the store mostly empty. I normally go about twice as fast as everyone else in the grocery store and am usually slowed down by the crowds.

Michael ABQ what state are you in! Don't like what I hear but thank you for sharing the information! That is unbelievable to have this happen in our lifetimes!

New Mexico. ABQ = Albuquerque.

I didn't see the paper towels at Costco (my wife didn't see any the last time she went to a different one a week or two ago). However there was the normal supply of TP and everything else. No signs about any limits - though I imagine someone with a cart full of TP would probably be asked to put most of it back.

I went to a Walmart Neighborhood Market this morning. I had to wait for about 10 seconds before someone walked out of the store. It felt about as crowded as normal, maybe a bit less. But then again 75 people in a 40,000 SF store vs. 75 people in a Walmart Supercenter or Costco that are typically 150,000+ SF. There was a lot more restocking going on than normal it seemed, but plenty of everything on the shelves.

[K_in_the_kitchen]

Target still has some paper towel brands they'll ship -- I ordered some last month and again today.  We have an old house with finicky old pipes, and had to switch to rapid dissolving toilet paper, so getting what we need is harder, but we're good for awhile.  I actually use washable cloth wipes most of the time (urine only), which is no big deal to me since we used cloth diapers on my kids.  If for some reason I need to use paper tissue (again, urine only), I put the tissue in a ziplock bag (reused from food) and dispose of it every couple of days.  That's a habit I got into when we had a camper van with a tiny black waste holding tank, as keeping the tissue out let us go twice as long without dumping the black waste.  The cost to take care of these pipes is high (we had to hydro jet last time) and replacement will be costly, so the longer we can make them last, the better.

Kid got oranges and grapefruit yesterday -- $13.50 for 25# of Valencia oranges (too early for navels) and 8# of oro sweet grapefruit.  The oranges were $10 and that price is down from last year.  He said he was the only one in the little store and the cashier was behind huge amounts of plexiglass the entire time he was in there.  Oranges will likely be our go-to fruit for the next several months, since they're local, cheap, and keep longer than a lot of other fruits.

[Roadrunner53]

Got my first Misfits box yesterday. It came one day early and I am guessing due to the holiday. I ordered the large box and price is $35. All organic veggies. Shipping was $4.50. I added a few extras to the order called 'add ons' which were packages of mushroom. The veggies came nice and cold. Very fresh and as far as being misfits, I didn't really see much of a problem. This actually was not my first Misfits box. I used to subscribe but back then you had no choice in what you received. I am really thrilled with what I got. I have my account set up to receive a box every two weeks. I got so much, I am sure this will last about two weeks. I have to use up the fragile veggies first.

[Tigerpine]

We went to Costco yesterday, and it looked pretty much normal except for the TP.  All they had was the store brand, and it although there was plenty there, it wasn't as chocked full of the stuff as normal.  Everything else seemed to be fully stocked.

[kite]

@Imma 
Thanks for your thoughts.  You are right, I've thought a lot about this. 
The notion that if you buy 2x as much as normal and then have to shop only half as frequently, thus limiting everyone's exposure has some merit.  In reality, it happens a little differently. Perishables perish, so we still need to go out and buy (or get deliveries) week after week.  But the problem turns out to be human nature.
If a store gets 20 items of a given product, and a customer buys all 20, there are 19 customers who will do without. We all recognize the guy who bought 20 as a hoarder and we call him names.  he might even feel a little guilty. If a different store likewise gets 20 and five customers each buy 4, there are 15 customers who do without.  We don't instantly recognize the five as hoarders because the 'normal' amount to purchase was 4. None of the five feel any guilt.  But the net result is nearly the same.  The 19 and the 15 who couldn't get their product will go from store to store (exponentially increasing everyone's exposure) trying to find what they want. The more times they get to a store and don't find it, the more inclined they are to overbuy when they finally land on the thing they want. You can scale this up to understand how those of us who are wealthy manage to wreck the planet and hurt the poor often without realizing it.  Normative cues have reinforced in our minds that it's perfectly acceptable behavior.  We buy more stuff than we need.  We use our power to hoard it and leave the poor folks scrambling and fighting over what is left. A good chunk of our excess just gets wasted and goes in a landfill, all because we overbuy unnecessarily.  I think most of us are like the "five" in my hypothetical story. This is how humans managed to create a toilet paper shortage.  This is how we drove up the price of rubbing alcohol & sanitizing wipes.  None of which does anything to protect a person from Covid as it turns out.  Visiting multiple stores, however, most certainly increases exposure to the virus in our communities.   
Retailers try to stop people from buying all 20 or even buying merely 4, because they want happy customers.  So if 20 people can each buy 1, it's all good, right?  Partly.  Having seen that Costco limited a shopper to only 1 pack of toilet paper, some shoppers who did get their 1 package are going to come back day after day and buy again and again.  Others are going to buy 1 at Costco, and then hit ShopRite, Aldi, IGA & WallMart for more. They go on social media and share either their frustration or news of their 'score' and the frenzy just keeps going, getting amplified.
I'm not judging any one particular family for stockpiling.  Folks may live too far for weekly or bi-weekly shopping trips. They may genuinely be 'off grid' or some such thing.  But for someone like me who lives in a county with 375,000 people and at least a dozen stores, stocking up doesn't help, it hurts.  I'm still heading out to the store to buy milk & spinach and bananas next week and the week after and the week after.  So laying in a few months supply of non-perishables doesn't save me any trips.  It likely would require that someone else take multiple trips.  That someone else is almost certainly much poorer than me. 

[Cranky]

I think it takes better planning on your part, because you don’t actually have to buy perishables every week. The few things that will actually perish in a week can be used quickly, and then you can switch the perishables that have a longer life.

I haven’t been inside a grocery store since the last part of September and I do a grocery pickup every 10 days to 2 weeks. We continue to have fine supply of perishables - dairy products, eggs, fruits and vegetables. I do order larger sizes of things than I bought in the Before Times.

[mm1970]

At the beginning of the pandemic, we did a good job of shopping every 10 to 14 days.  I mentioned that basically, we run out of eggs and milk. What helps us is that we get produce delivery 2x a week.

Eventually things calmed down, and we got into the habit of once a week (Sunday morning), so less stocking up.  Once a month trips to Costco for a few things we only get there.

Now that we are back up there in cases, we are trying to go less often again.  I will have to go again on Sunday, though, because the produce boxes are on vacation this week.

You don't need to necessarily get perishables weekly.  Basically, even when we didn't get the boxes, we start the week eating the things that go bad first.  By the end of the 10 days to 2 weeks - sure, you are eating a lot of apples and oranges, carrots and celery, frozen green beans and broccoli, and lentil soups with onions and canned tomatoes.

[NotJen]

I can't get greens to last longer than about 9 days, so I go to the store every 9-10 days.

Sure, I could (and would) go without fresh greens for a while if something happened, but right now I'm choosing not to do that.  So, I don't stock up a lot either since I know I'll be going to the store in 9 days.  I am also only 1 person, so certain things last longer, and I can just do without if I find something out of stock - I eat a wide variety, but buy certain things out of habit (to make shopping and planning easier).

I have not noticed any food shortages at my local grocery lately (I haven't walked down the paper goods aisle in several months, so don't know about that).

[Roadrunner53]

Not everyone is going from store to store to scoop up all the toilet paper and other things in the store. I have been stocking up since March adding a few extras every week.  I now have a nice stockpile of things and do curbside every few weeks and just started getting Misfits vegetables/fruits thru subscription service. I order some food items on line too. We are in the age group that if we get the virus, we may not recover easily or at all. So, staying out of the stores as much as possible is my goal. I have also ordered meat from different places in bulk which is the way they sell it. That includes 12 lbs. of ground beef, 10 lbs. of meatloaf mix, 10 lbs. of hamburgers, 12 lbs. of pork burgers. These all went into the freezer among other things. Some of us plan ahead but are not swarming the stores for this stuff.

I now have a good dough recipe to make my own pizza dough, one less thing to buy, but make at home.

Here is something I do during the winter months when tomatoes are not so great. I buy jarred roasted red peppers and cut them up on the lettuce. It is tasty and nice red color. Doesn't taste like tomatoes but is flavorful and has eye appeal.

[Missy B]

@Imma 
Thanks for your thoughts.  You are right, I've thought a lot about this. 
The notion that if you buy 2x as much as normal and then have to shop only half as frequently, thus limiting everyone's exposure has some merit.  In reality, it happens a little differently. Perishables perish, so we still need to go out and buy (or get deliveries) week after week.  But the problem turns out to be human nature.
If a store gets 20 items of a given product, and a customer buys all 20, there are 19 customers who will do without. We all recognize the guy who bought 20 as a hoarder and we call him names.  he might even feel a little guilty. If a different store likewise gets 20 and five customers each buy 4, there are 15 customers who do without.  We don't instantly recognize the five as hoarders because the 'normal' amount to purchase was 4. None of the five feel any guilt.  But the net result is nearly the same. The 19 and the 15 who couldn't get their product will go from store to store (exponentially increasing everyone's exposure) trying to find what they want. The more times they get to a store and don't find it, the more inclined they are to overbuy when they finally land on the thing they want. You can scale this up to understand how those of us who are wealthy manage to wreck the planet and hurt the poor often without realizing it.  Normative cues have reinforced in our minds that it's perfectly acceptable behavior.  We buy more stuff than we need.  We use our power to hoard it and leave the poor folks scrambling and fighting over what is left. A good chunk of our excess just gets wasted and goes in a landfill, all because we overbuy unnecessarily.  I think most of us are like the "five" in my hypothetical story. This is how humans managed to create a toilet paper shortage.  This is how we drove up the price of rubbing alcohol & sanitizing wipes.  None of which does anything to protect a person from Covid as it turns out.  Visiting multiple stores, however, most certainly increases exposure to the virus in our communities.   

This. Although I'm less worried about the increased risk of virus exposure, (which is still minimal if you are following protocols) than the damage to people in the community who are less resourced. Basically, they are treated as if they aren't part of the community at all.

[birdie55]

I have done exactly what Roadrunner described. 

I have always kept a stocked pantry but I increased my stock in late February when I saw possible shutdowns coming.

When things got back to normal in the later spring and during the summer, I stocked up again.  Every time I went to Costco, I bought 3 or 4 different meats, cheeses, grains, pasta, canned foods etc. 

I am in my late 60s and live alone, so while I don't need a lot of food, I have plenty to wait out the current virus spike.  I don't plan on going into a store until after the New Year, and maybe later. 

When my fresh vegetables and fruits are gone, I can switch to frozen or canned. 

I do grow lettuce, chard and kale in the winter and many more vegetables in the summer.  I also have mandarins that I will be picking soon. 

It's really just planning ahead, not hoarding. 

[Roadrunner53]

Yes, birdie55 and I are doing many of the same things. We all heard early in the year that the virus was going to get worse in the fall. We all had plenty of time to stock up slowly. Right now Costco is not selling the toilet paper I normally order for about 6 weeks and that also includes the paper towels. I am stocked up. Who knows what else might be hard to come by. It doesn't hurt to stock up. I just tried to order my dogs prescription dog food from the normal pet supply company and they were out! I was able to get it elsewhere but who knows what will happen next time. I also needed to order a prescription for my dog and it seems to be unavailable at all the big pharmacies that sell pet medicines. I had to call the Vet today and have to get the drug made from a compound pharmacy in New Jersey. This drug is made by a large, well known company, but for whatever reason, they have stopped producing it for a period of time. It is a heart med. so not a good idea to just not give it to the dog.

So, we all have to do what makes us comfortable. If you are like me, you stock up. Some people are not worried and will shop 3 times a week if need be.

I also bought eleven 50# bags of driveway salt on top of the 9 bags we had here. I ordered it in late August. I didn't want to face a shortage of that either. Some winters we get a lot of ice, others not so much. Since I am not a psychic I just buy it to be on the safe side. Plus, prices are lower in August!

[GuitarStv]

Holy crap.

How long is your driveway that you need 550 lbs of salt?

[Cranky]

Yeah, I’ve already bought ice melt for the winter, too.