Author Topic: Grocery shopping  (Read 110678 times)

Rural

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Re: Grocery shopping
« Reply #800 on: June 03, 2020, 12:03:59 PM »
Got a pickup order for the same day today. Don't know how much of my order they'll fill; already know there's not going to be any thread (Walmart grocery pickup will bring small items from other departments here.)

wenchsenior

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Re: Grocery shopping
« Reply #801 on: June 03, 2020, 01:10:15 PM »
Little bottles of rubbing alcohol at the grocery store for the first time in 3 months!!!  Also, bread flour.  It's been at least 2 months since I've seen that.

BZB

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Re: Grocery shopping
« Reply #802 on: June 03, 2020, 04:41:39 PM »
Yuck, I haven't been to the grocery store in a few weeks and I'm out of fresh produce, milk and eggs so I need to go soon. I never used to dread grocery shopping before. I caught myself checking my freezer stash, thinking how long I could go without going to the store. I'll hit Aldi and HEB.

EvenSteven

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Re: Grocery shopping
« Reply #803 on: June 03, 2020, 07:28:20 PM »
Possibly interesting webinar for people posting in this thread with people discussing the food supply chain in response to COVID:

https://www.agtechnext.org/

Cranky

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Re: Grocery shopping
« Reply #804 on: June 04, 2020, 09:55:22 AM »
This morning Aldi had bottles of bleach but not a single bag of any frozen vegetable.

OtherJen

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Re: Grocery shopping
« Reply #805 on: June 04, 2020, 12:38:38 PM »
The local Aldi had plenty of eggs, dairy, meat, all-purpose flour, frozen foods, and produce. I spotted a couple dozen containers of baking powder but no yeast (not an emergency as I only use it for pizza crust). Everyone wore masks and one of the employees was sanitizing carts. I hadn't been there in a couple of months because it's smaller than most of the other local grocery stores, but it was a very low-stress experience.

Retire-Canada

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Re: Grocery shopping
« Reply #806 on: June 04, 2020, 12:44:27 PM »
Went shopping today and store is back to normal stock on everything I buy. Lots of good sales as well, which is nice. It's actually been a while since I went to buy anything and it wasn't in stock.

BZB

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Re: Grocery shopping
« Reply #807 on: June 04, 2020, 09:17:39 PM »
HEB was well stocked. They had multiple types of toilet paper and 2 types of hand sanitizer, some was brands I had not seen before. There were some household spray cleansers on the shelf, but nothing that said disinfectant. No disinfecting wipes.
There were not many limits on how many of each item you could get. About 25% of shoppers were not wearing masks at all, and few people were keeping distance from each other. All employees had masks, but I noticed a few had them pulled down under their chins. Somewhere I saw a meme that summed it up well, "When I see how people wear masks, I understand why contraception fails".

TheWifeHalf

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Re: Grocery shopping
« Reply #808 on: June 06, 2020, 09:15:44 AM »
The store we usually go to increased their hours to 6 AM, so when all this started we started shopping at 6.

We assume that EVERYTHING in the store has the virus on it, so are very careful when we get home - we even clean the inside of the truck each time!  I live in a county that has 4 COVID 19 deaths, the store we usually go to is on the edge of a county that has 250 deaths.

Sometimes we go in our county, it's just not nearly as easy.
We feel comfortable because there are about 20 people there when we go early

Cranky

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Re: Grocery shopping
« Reply #809 on: June 06, 2020, 01:51:36 PM »
Evidently, if you let the car sit in the sun for half an hour or so it gets hot enough to disinfect it pretty well. We were wiping down the door handles when it was cold, but we're letting nature do some disinfecting now.

People seem to have lost interest in the whole thing here. There's a big garage sale down the street.

wenchsenior

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Re: Grocery shopping
« Reply #810 on: June 06, 2020, 02:03:06 PM »
Evidently, if you let the car sit in the sun for half an hour or so it gets hot enough to disinfect it pretty well. We were wiping down the door handles when it was cold, but we're letting nature do some disinfecting now.

People seem to have lost interest in the whole thing here. There's a big garage sale down the street.

Yeah, in the past week everyone seems to have completely given up wearing masks in stores our city (not me, but the majority of people).  Probably not coincidentally, after about 10 days of a big reduction in cases, new case numbers quadrupled over the past few days.

Yesterday at the grocery store I got stuck behind a woman on one of those disability carts, who had no mask (neither did most anyone else shopping in the store).  This woman proceeded to stop her cart right at a choke point where everyone had to walk through and had a MASSIVE and extended coughing fit in the middle of the grocery store, without exhibiting any concern about it. 

People.  Ugh. 

mountain mustache

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Re: Grocery shopping
« Reply #811 on: June 06, 2020, 02:48:05 PM »
Where I live people have also completely given up on caring about Covid. In the regular stores almost no one is wearing a mask, except employees. At the Co-op/health food store almost everyone is still wearing a mask, but no one is following social distancing rules anymore. A lot of restaurants here are open for dine in service again, and are completely packed every night.

I don't clean my car, mostly because it's 105-107 degrees here, so I expect the heat to take care of it for me.

RetiredAt63

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Re: Grocery shopping
« Reply #812 on: June 06, 2020, 04:11:25 PM »
Evidently, if you let the car sit in the sun for half an hour or so it gets hot enough to disinfect it pretty well. We were wiping down the door handles when it was cold, but we're letting nature do some disinfecting now.

People seem to have lost interest in the whole thing here. There's a big garage sale down the street.

Yeah, in the past week everyone seems to have completely given up wearing masks in stores our city (not me, but the majority of people).  Probably not coincidentally, after about 10 days of a big reduction in cases, new case numbers quadrupled over the past few days.

Yesterday at the grocery store I got stuck behind a woman on one of those disability carts, who had no mask (neither did most anyone else shopping in the store).  This woman proceeded to stop her cart right at a choke point where everyone had to walk through and had a MASSIVE and extended coughing fit in the middle of the grocery store, without exhibiting any concern about it. 

People.  Ugh.

Playing devil's advocate here. She may have a respiratory condition that is responsible for both the coughing and the use of the disability scooter, and has long since given up showing concern.  Of course where she stopped is not great.

wenchsenior

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Re: Grocery shopping
« Reply #813 on: June 06, 2020, 05:27:26 PM »
Evidently, if you let the car sit in the sun for half an hour or so it gets hot enough to disinfect it pretty well. We were wiping down the door handles when it was cold, but we're letting nature do some disinfecting now.

People seem to have lost interest in the whole thing here. There's a big garage sale down the street.

Yeah, in the past week everyone seems to have completely given up wearing masks in stores our city (not me, but the majority of people).  Probably not coincidentally, after about 10 days of a big reduction in cases, new case numbers quadrupled over the past few days.

Yesterday at the grocery store I got stuck behind a woman on one of those disability carts, who had no mask (neither did most anyone else shopping in the store).  This woman proceeded to stop her cart right at a choke point where everyone had to walk through and had a MASSIVE and extended coughing fit in the middle of the grocery store, without exhibiting any concern about it. 

People.  Ugh.

Playing devil's advocate here. She may have a respiratory condition that is responsible for both the coughing and the use of the disability scooter, and has long since given up showing concern.  Of course where she stopped is not great.

Yeah, I thought of that. But if so, shouldn't she for SURE be one of the people wearing a mask for protection of herself, if nothing else? Meh, I was pissy b/c I was on a post-workout endorphin high when I went in there, and then, as often happens, just being around people brings me down.  Maybe there was a good reason for her behavior.   

Retire-Canada

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Re: Grocery shopping
« Reply #814 on: June 06, 2020, 05:56:14 PM »
Yeah, I thought of that. But if so, shouldn't she for SURE be one of the people wearing a mask for protection of herself, if nothing else?

Unless you are wearing a sealed medical mask [ie. N95] the mask is to protect other people from you not you from other people. Some folks with respiratory problems can't wear masks of any kind because they already have trouble breathing and they can't afford to make it more difficult. Without being that person's doctor there is no way to know what is going and judge them accurately so it's probably not worth being judgmental about them at all.

wenchsenior

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Re: Grocery shopping
« Reply #815 on: June 06, 2020, 05:56:44 PM »
Yeah, I thought of that. But if so, shouldn't she for SURE be one of the people wearing a mask for protection of herself, if nothing else?

Unless you are wearing a sealed medical mask [ie. N95] the mask is to protect other people from you not you from other people. Some folks with respiratory problems can't wear masks of any kind because they already have trouble breathing and they can't afford to make it more difficult. Without being that person's doctor there is no way to know what is going and judge them accurately so it's probably not worth being judgmental about them at all.


I know how the masks work. Based on how she was bellowing down the aisles, I doubt she was short of breath.  But you might be right...maybe she couldn't wear one.  ETA: I have an idea.  I will work on just transferring my irritation to all the other people in the store.  Almost none of whom were wearing masks.  And one assumes they don't all have medical conditions that prevent them from wearing them. 
« Last Edit: June 06, 2020, 05:59:55 PM by wenchsenior »

RetiredAt63

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Re: Grocery shopping
« Reply #816 on: June 06, 2020, 06:48:01 PM »
Yeah, I thought of that. But if so, shouldn't she for SURE be one of the people wearing a mask for protection of herself, if nothing else?

Unless you are wearing a sealed medical mask [ie. N95] the mask is to protect other people from you not you from other people. Some folks with respiratory problems can't wear masks of any kind because they already have trouble breathing and they can't afford to make it more difficult. Without being that person's doctor there is no way to know what is going and judge them accurately so it's probably not worth being judgmental about them at all.


I know how the masks work. Based on how she was bellowing down the aisles, I doubt she was short of breath.  But you might be right...maybe she couldn't wear one.  ETA: I have an idea.  I will work on just transferring my irritation to all the other people in the store.  Almost none of whom were wearing masks.  And one assumes they don't all have medical conditions that prevent them from wearing them.

I was being generous because of the scooter.  Everyone bopping around without a mask, get a clue.  I wear my N95 instead of a cloth mask because of them.

Grocery shopping story: I needed some things and stopped at the Metro near my community garden and got almost all the nonperishables I needed.  Close to closing, I was the only shopper in the store.  3 people left just before I went in and 2 arrived as I  left.  My most stress free shop so far.

K_in_the_kitchen

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Re: Grocery shopping
« Reply #817 on: June 07, 2020, 11:27:13 AM »
We went to Sprouts yesterday -- this is our third time in a store since early March.  We went because we wanted to buy steak to make a birthday meal, and because they carry slave free chocolate (Tony's Chocolonely).  Since we were going I made a small list of other items to get, like bananas and tomatoes.

Meat prices looked really high, but the cases were full.  The bulk bins were filled with pre-bagged items -- you couldn't scoop anything yourself.  Self-service bars like olives, etc. were empty.  They were out of odd things, like romaine hearts and red cabbage.  Overall, I could see prices were higher on a lot of the produce as well.

There were signs not to put your items on the conveyor belt until the employee cleaned it after each customer, but the cleaning wasn't happening.  Cart handles were being wiped by employees.  One set of doors for entrance, one for exit, but aisles were both ways.  Staying physically distant was impossible.  Not everyone was wearing masks, including our cashier.

So far Aldi has been the best shopping experience.

K_in_the_kitchen

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Re: Grocery shopping
« Reply #818 on: June 12, 2020, 02:36:09 PM »
By the drop off in posts on this thread, I surmise most people are able to buy what they need when they need it.  As confirmation to my hunch that store traffic might be down, I received a $10 of $40 coupon for Aldi, good through June 30th.  I doubt they would be sending out high value coupons if people were mobbing the store.  Yet they are still limiting canned items such as peaches and beans, which I find frustrating.  I'd rather buy a case at a time than have to go back more often -- hmm, maybe the limits are less about shortages and more about bringing in foot traffic?!?!?

bluebelle

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Re: Grocery shopping
« Reply #819 on: June 12, 2020, 02:52:58 PM »
By the drop off in posts on this thread, I surmise most people are able to buy what they need when they need it.  As confirmation to my hunch that store traffic might be down, I received a $10 of $40 coupon for Aldi, good through June 30th.  I doubt they would be sending out high value coupons if people were mobbing the store.  Yet they are still limiting canned items such as peaches and beans, which I find frustrating.  I'd rather buy a case at a time than have to go back more often -- hmm, maybe the limits are less about shortages and more about bringing in foot traffic?!?!?
I'm just numb to it now....there are line ups to get in to the store and line ups to get out, the baking aisle has slightly more stock, but still pretty bare.   Not seeing good sales still.   Stores are doing their best to enforce physical distancing, but most people have forgotten that and will run you over if you don't get out of their way.

Cranky

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Re: Grocery shopping
« Reply #820 on: June 12, 2020, 03:54:41 PM »
I’m going to the store once/week now mostly because I think this is the eye of the storm.

I see things still out of stock or limited.

mm1970

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Re: Grocery shopping
« Reply #821 on: June 12, 2020, 04:08:22 PM »
We've eased up on our "every 2 weeks" (which was more like 12 days) restrictions.  Last 3 weeks, it seems to be weekly.
4/1/2020   Vons
4/2/2020   Costco
4/14/2020   Vons
4/27/2020   Costco
5/7/2020   Trader Joe's
5/20/2020   Vons
5/29/2020   Costco
5/30/2020   Vons (Costco eggs left in the car overnight...needed eggs)
6/8/2020   Vons
6/12/2020 Costco (only because we need to refill a prescription, but might as well get milk and eggs)

(This list does not include produce delivery, Amazon, etc.)

However, we are still trying to go during non-busy times.  9-9:30 am mid-week.  Or early afternoon, like 2 pm, also mid-week.

K_in_the_kitchen

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Re: Grocery shopping
« Reply #822 on: June 12, 2020, 05:49:29 PM »
I'm just numb to it now....there are line ups to get in to the store and line ups to get out, the baking aisle has slightly more stock, but still pretty bare.   Not seeing good sales still.   Stores are doing their best to enforce physical distancing, but most people have forgotten that and will run you over if you don't get out of their way.

As much as it pains me to miss out on some of the produce sales at other stores, I think we're going to stick with Aldi.  They just aren't as busy -- and they weren't even before Covid-19.  We were happy to see this store being built in our city because we like Aldi, but overall our city is more affluent than the surrounding cities, and they all already had Aldi.  They handle social distancing better, their employees wear masks, and if we go during non-busy times, as mm1970 mentioned, there will be even fewer customers.

We do plan to go to Costco once a month, probably on a T/W/Th around 1:30 - 2:00PM.  That means we might go to Aldi 1-2 times a month.  I'm doing what I can to limit how often we go.  Last week I bought onions, celery, and carrots, and Tuesday I chopped everything and cooked them together as mirepoix.  I was able to freeze 8 bags with 2 cups cooked mirepoix in each, which is great for soup starters.  Last month I cooked together onions and colored bell peppers, enough for 4 batches of chili -- I used one that day and froze the rest.  I buy a lot of carrots and cabbage, since they keep well.  We eat the salad greens and such the first week.

Cranky

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Re: Grocery shopping
« Reply #823 on: June 12, 2020, 06:57:04 PM »
Today Giant Eagle attempted to substitute regular sausage for the Tofurkey Italian sausage I had ordered, and the nice guy who was reading me the substitution list stopped and said, “No, that can’t be right!” We had a good chuckle and he went and found some other kind of vegetarian sausage.

I’m going to brave Sams next week. Really.

OtherJen

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Re: Grocery shopping
« Reply #824 on: June 12, 2020, 07:56:33 PM »
Today Giant Eagle attempted to substitute regular sausage for the Tofurkey Italian sausage I had ordered, and the nice guy who was reading me the substitution list stopped and said, “No, that can’t be right!” We had a good chuckle and he went and found some other kind of vegetarian sausage.

I’m going to brave Sams next week. Really.

Sam's may be better than you expect. Warehouse clubs have been my calmest, sanest shopping experiences in the last 3 months. I know that Walmart was an early adopter of safety measures, so Sam's Club is probably decent. Go on a weekday morning if you can.

SailingOnASmallSailboat

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Re: Grocery shopping
« Reply #825 on: June 13, 2020, 05:23:43 AM »
We're still going very infrequently (I had to go last week, 3 weeks in, to stock up for my kid who was heading somewhere she needed to take 2 weeks of groceries with her due to quarantine on that end). We shoot for 4-5 weeks between trips. I was thrilled to see King Arthur bread flour back in stock with no limits. Yeast was $4.99 for one small package (!!!!). Limits on tomato products which is frustrating. The only thing I had on the list that was not there was farfalle noodles. Not any brand had farfalle. Weird.

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Re: Grocery shopping
« Reply #826 on: June 13, 2020, 06:06:49 AM »

As much as it pains me to miss out on some of the produce sales at other stores, I think we're going to stick with Aldi.  They just aren't as busy -- and they weren't even before Covid-19. 

I wish Aldi were my best option.  They closed one for remodeling, so now my nearest one is mobbed with all the people who can no longer shop at the closed one.  The next nearest Aldi to me was always much busier than the larger chain grocery store.  And the people shopping at the large chain are, in my experience, much better about social distancing (everyone is required to wear masks).  So, I go to Aldi sometimes to stock up on the things they have much cheaper than the chain store, but I am not comfortable with it.

Cranky

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Re: Grocery shopping
« Reply #827 on: June 13, 2020, 11:36:39 AM »
Today Giant Eagle attempted to substitute regular sausage for the Tofurkey Italian sausage I had ordered, and the nice guy who was reading me the substitution list stopped and said, “No, that can’t be right!” We had a good chuckle and he went and found some other kind of vegetarian sausage.

I’m going to brave Sams next week. Really.

Sam's may be better than you expect. Warehouse clubs have been my calmest, sanest shopping experiences in the last 3 months. I know that Walmart was an early adopter of safety measures, so Sam's Club is probably decent. Go on a weekday morning if you can.

Im definitely going in the morning next week - now that dh is home that’s feasible. We need to stick up on coffee.

I see that if you have a plus membership wou can get free curbside pickup, so I’m going to upgrade and be able to use that this fall.

sui generis

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Re: Grocery shopping
« Reply #828 on: June 13, 2020, 12:12:18 PM »
All the grocery stores are so crowded here, even when there are lines to get in. I generally try to be respectful and stand back when someone is selecting something from a shelf right next to something I want, but people are constantly passing each other, so I'm regularly within inches of someone. More often than not in fact.  But at least it's passing, not standing. 

But seriously, the stores would have to have like 2 hour or more lines in order to have few enough people in them for the shoppers to be able to maintain 6' distance.  Luckily, we have super high compliance rate with masks.  I don't see anyone without one, and no one's murdering anyone over being asked to wear one so that's good.

Stock is pretty good.  When I went yesterday there was not a shallot to be found, but everything else on my list was there.

hops

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Re: Grocery shopping
« Reply #829 on: June 14, 2020, 08:38:29 PM »
I’m going to the store once/week now mostly because I think this is the eye of the storm.

I see things still out of stock or limited.

That's also how we feel, and now that more stores in our area are starting to lift limits we're thinking of venturing beyond Aldi to grab some things they don't carry. Neighbors are reporting that at most of the stores closer to us, people are generally not distancing properly and many (including cashiers) don't wear masks at all or wear them improperly. We're hearing better things from friends who shop in an area about a half-hour away, so we'll try our luck there instead.

Cranky

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Re: Grocery shopping
« Reply #830 on: June 16, 2020, 11:13:33 AM »
I went to Sams this morning and it was surprisingly okay! Not really crowded and all employees had on masks and the great majority of the customers too. I did call to see if they still had Senior Hours and the recording didn’t have anything about it, but it turns out that they do so I could have gone earlier.

No tp or disinfecting wipes. No bread flour. No yeast. The price of meat has sure gone up but I did get 2 rotisserie chickens to cut up and freeze.

slappy

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Re: Grocery shopping
« Reply #831 on: June 17, 2020, 08:58:40 AM »
Today Giant Eagle attempted to substitute regular sausage for the Tofurkey Italian sausage I had ordered, and the nice guy who was reading me the substitution list stopped and said, “No, that can’t be right!” We had a good chuckle and he went and found some other kind of vegetarian sausage.

I’m going to brave Sams next week. Really.

Sam's may be better than you expect. Warehouse clubs have been my calmest, sanest shopping experiences in the last 3 months. I know that Walmart was an early adopter of safety measures, so Sam's Club is probably decent. Go on a weekday morning if you can.

Im definitely going in the morning next week - now that dh is home that’s feasible. We need to stick up on coffee.

I see that if you have a plus membership wou can get free curbside pickup, so I’m going to upgrade and be able to use that this fall.

Is curb side pick up new for Sams? That is my biggest complaint with them. I can do online ordering and pick up but I have to go inside the store and all the way around to the pick up area in order to do it. They have a garage door in the pick up area, so it makes no sense that they can't/won't do curbside. It's a decent drive from us, so I always have to wake up a sleeping child when I get there. :(


Cranky

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Re: Grocery shopping
« Reply #832 on: June 17, 2020, 09:36:59 AM »
Today Giant Eagle attempted to substitute regular sausage for the Tofurkey Italian sausage I had ordered, and the nice guy who was reading me the substitution list stopped and said, “No, that can’t be right!” We had a good chuckle and he went and found some other kind of vegetarian sausage.

I’m going to brave Sams next week. Really.

Sam's may be better than you expect. Warehouse clubs have been my calmest, sanest shopping experiences in the last 3 months. I know that Walmart was an early adopter of safety measures, so Sam's Club is probably decent. Go on a weekday morning if you can.

Im definitely going in the morning next week - now that dh is home that’s feasible. We need to stick up on coffee.

I see that if you have a plus membership wou can get free curbside pickup, so I’m going to upgrade and be able to use that this fall.

Is curb side pick up new for Sams? That is my biggest complaint with them. I can do online ordering and pick up but I have to go inside the store and all the way around to the pick up area in order to do it. They have a garage door in the pick up area, so it makes no sense that they can't/won't do curbside. It's a decent drive from us, so I always have to wake up a sleeping child when I get there. :(

I think they tried it out during the  recent Unpleasantness? It was only at certain locations, I think, and now they are extending it to all the stores.

K_in_the_kitchen

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Re: Grocery shopping
« Reply #833 on: June 17, 2020, 05:32:09 PM »
Oldest son and I went to the large regional supermarket chain today.  Because they've finished their remodel and moved things around, we went up and down every aisle.  We were surprised to see certain shelves somewhat bare, but in weird ways.  There were plenty of canned tomato products (which I buy at Aldi because they are cheaper), but had bare shelves for anything Hunt's brand.  The frozen pizza pickings were slim (I never buy them), and really throughout the prepared frozen foods there seemed to be less of everything, even if there weren't bare shelves.  No disinfecting wipes, no disinfecting cleaners, no hand sanitizer, but they did have some Lysol spray way up on a high shelf, at the back.  A customer was trying to get to one with a mop, then asked my tall DS to get it for her.  No concerns about him touching it.  As a weird thing, I searched and searched for oven cleaner (regular, not fume free), and finally found where it should have been, completely empty, with one can of the fume free available.  DS said maybe everyone is cleaning their ovens since they're baking more.  Maybe, but I need it to clean a cast iron skillet I want to strip and reseason, and I wouldn't be surprised if other people are doing the same, or cleaning their BBQ grates.  I suppose I should just get some straight drain cleaner and make a lye bath.

This is the first store I've been in where I could see employees actively disinfecting inside the store -- mostly the handles of fridge and freezer cases, but also along the edges of the shelves in the cases.  Carts were wiped down as they were returned.  No sanitizing at the cashier lanes.  Unlike other stores, the plexiglass doesn't really protect the cashier all that well, since it ends before the credit card reader.

Produce, dairy, and meat departments were all well stocked.

We went to this store because I needed to get a gift card for my dad for Father's Day (he disdains cash as a gift, but loves gift cards).  They had a promotion where I could get an instant $10 off if I bought $50 in gift cards and at least $10 in groceries.  I know he's been going to Lowe's a lot lately, (he's fixing his house up to sell), so we got him a Lowe's card.  Oh, another odd thing -- the Father's Day cards were completely sold out!  I rarely buy cards but this week has been stressful and I was going to treat myself to the B2G1F offer rather than having to print free cards from online, but I guess everyone else beat me to it.

As an aside, someone diabolical must have planned the new layout.  They placed the candy and the breakfast cereal across from each other down the same aisle, so any parent with kids who needs to buy cereal will be unable to avoid the candy placement.  And also, they did weird things -- cookies and crackers now face the open produce area.  Nothing about it made any sense.  I'm not likely to go back unless I need something I can't get at Aldi or Costco.


the_fixer

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Re: Grocery shopping
« Reply #834 on: June 17, 2020, 09:52:20 PM »
Placed a Walmart curbside order today. Normally we only buy a few things at Walmart but they have been rock solid during the pandemic and my go to place.

About half the stuff we ordered was out of stock, the rest was mostly substituted.

It was basic stuff that has been in plentiful supply so kind of odd and a bummer.

But we had multiple options for TP including our favorite fancy pants brand :)


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OtherJen

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Re: Grocery shopping
« Reply #835 on: June 18, 2020, 09:42:47 AM »
The local BJ's Wholesale seems to have been restocked on everything that was missing over the last few months. I don't need 2 lbs of Fleischmann's baking yeast, but they had plenty of packs for those who do. The meat, dairy, and paper products were fully stocked. The only things not available were Old Bay seasoning and the store-brand trail mix with M&Ms (one of husband's preferred work snacks). Somehow, I think we'll survive.

I spotted only one shopper not wearing a mask. All employees were fully masked.

Cranky

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Re: Grocery shopping
« Reply #836 on: June 18, 2020, 11:46:21 AM »
I went to my neighborhood IGA for the first time since March. I really wanted sweet corn and fresh green beans, and they had neither. Indeed all the produce is packaged up and they have a lot of large signs reminding you that Produce Must Always Be Washed.

There was no disinfecting wipes or disinfectant, but they did have small bottles of hand sanitizer for sale at the customer service desk.

There wasn’t much can’t soup and most of the flavored noodle and rice packets were gone.

I did buy some meat, which was expensive.
All the employees and most shoppers were wearing masks.

There were no canning jar lids, and those seem to be scares and very expensive on Amazon, too.

K_in_the_kitchen

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Re: Grocery shopping
« Reply #837 on: June 18, 2020, 12:06:22 PM »
Placed a Walmart curbside order today. Normally we only buy a few things at Walmart but they have been rock solid during the pandemic and my go to place.

About half the stuff we ordered was out of stock, the rest was mostly substituted.

It was basic stuff that has been in plentiful supply so kind of odd and a bummer.

But we had multiple options for TP including our favorite fancy pants brand :)


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Can I ask if you had any issues with the order in terms of something you were charged not being in the bags?

We tried Target curbside two weeks ago, and it was a disaster.  We parked in the designated area.  An employee came out with our order, scanned the code through the window, and then asked if she should put the groceries in the trunk.  All seemed fine.  I double checked the contents while she delivered an order to another car, and we were missing half our order.  She looked at my invoice and said she would be back.  When she returned, I checked, and we were still missing an item.  She went back in, and we waited.  And waited. And waited.  15 minutes later a supervisor came out.  She told us the item was out of stock (we'd ordered 5 bags of chocolate chips and only got 4), said the item would be refunded, and gave us a $10 gift card for our trouble.

I had to engage in close contact (masked) with these two employees, far more than any store I've been to during Covid.  And they never credited the missing chocolate chips, but I have no way to prove I didn't receive them, and I don't want to deal with Target customer service inside the store.  I figure I still came out ahead.  But I'm very wary of trying curbside again, if I can't trust an order to be correct and am going to have to inventory in the parking lot.

the_fixer

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Re: Grocery shopping
« Reply #838 on: June 18, 2020, 02:48:34 PM »
Placed a Walmart curbside order today. Normally we only buy a few things at Walmart but they have been rock solid during the pandemic and my go to place.

About half the stuff we ordered was out of stock, the rest was mostly substituted.

It was basic stuff that has been in plentiful supply so kind of odd and a bummer.

But we had multiple options for TP including our favorite fancy pants brand :)


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Can I ask if you had any issues with the order in terms of something you were charged not being in the bags?

We tried Target curbside two weeks ago, and it was a disaster.  We parked in the designated area.  An employee came out with our order, scanned the code through the window, and then asked if she should put the groceries in the trunk.  All seemed fine.  I double checked the contents while she delivered an order to another car, and we were missing half our order.  She looked at my invoice and said she would be back.  When she returned, I checked, and we were still missing an item.  She went back in, and we waited.  And waited. And waited.  15 minutes later a supervisor came out.  She told us the item was out of stock (we'd ordered 5 bags of chocolate chips and only got 4), said the item would be refunded, and gave us a $10 gift card for our trouble.

I had to engage in close contact (masked) with these two employees, far more than any store I've been to during Covid.  And they never credited the missing chocolate chips, but I have no way to prove I didn't receive them, and I don't want to deal with Target customer service inside the store.  I figure I still came out ahead.  But I'm very wary of trying curbside again, if I can't trust an order to be correct and am going to have to inventory in the parking lot.
I have never had an item missing at Walmart they send you a txt and email ahead of time letting you know if something it out of stock.

Prior to this trip they alway had what I needed other than disinfectant wipes but no one in our area that’s them.

The cool thing is when the substitute something it is larger of of better quality but they charge you the lower amount.

You find a post above where I mention so if the substitutions that I received in each instance I was pleased.

I hope this last trip was an exception.


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Cgbg

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Re: Grocery shopping
« Reply #839 on: June 18, 2020, 02:58:15 PM »
There were no canning jar lids, and those seem to be scares and very expensive on Amazon, too.

Oddly, I’ve been buying extra boxes of canning jar lids for a couple of years. Anytime I’ve gone down that aisle I’ve grabbed a box or two of each type. I won’t run out for three or more years. It’s interesting to see what items run out/get too expensive to buy during this pandemic.

After this is all over, we may all have some weird buying patterns. (Though I’d argue that my buying lots of canning jar lids was odd, despite my canning habit!)

frugalnacho

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Re: Grocery shopping
« Reply #840 on: June 22, 2020, 09:12:16 AM »
Almost everything seems to be in the stock the last couple of trips.  The price of meat seems to be skyrocketing though.  The cheapest ground beef kroger sells (in the prepacked tubes) is now $5/lb.  Meijer was even more expensive last time I was there.  Costco is still selling ground beef at $3.69/lb, so not much increase there, but it seems to be selling out a lot.  Costco has increased the cost of their pork chops from $1.99/lb up to $3.99/lb though. 

It's kind of odd that kroger is jacking up the price of ground beef, but still going forward with their sales on steaks.  Good quality T-bone steaks selling for $7.99/lb, but the cheap fatty ground beef is selling for $5/lb, and the more lean ground beef is selling for $6-8/lb.  For those price differences I will be switching out some burger nights for steak nights I guess. 

SunnyDays

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Re: Grocery shopping
« Reply #841 on: June 22, 2020, 11:27:05 AM »
^^^^^^
Buy a meat grinder and make your own hamburger if steaks are cheaper.

K_in_the_kitchen

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Re: Grocery shopping
« Reply #842 on: June 22, 2020, 11:36:00 AM »
Almost everything seems to be in the stock the last couple of trips.  The price of meat seems to be skyrocketing though.  The cheapest ground beef kroger sells (in the prepacked tubes) is now $5/lb.  Meijer was even more expensive last time I was there.  Costco is still selling ground beef at $3.69/lb, so not much increase there, but it seems to be selling out a lot.  Costco has increased the cost of their pork chops from $1.99/lb up to $3.99/lb though. 

It's kind of odd that kroger is jacking up the price of ground beef, but still going forward with their sales on steaks.  Good quality T-bone steaks selling for $7.99/lb, but the cheap fatty ground beef is selling for $5/lb, and the more lean ground beef is selling for $6-8/lb.  For those price differences I will be switching out some burger nights for steak nights I guess.

We ran out of ground beef in April, so I ordered grass-fed ground beef from an in-state rancher I've being buying from for 10+ years.  I paid $7 per pound, free shipping.  Lately I've seen sales on some bone-in steak cuts, but not on roasts (which I would grind if I found a good price).  But as you mention, all beef prices have gone up considerably.  I'll pay $7 per pound for grass-fed beef, grown in my state, and knowing the profits go to a family, but I won't pay that kind of price for CAFO meat at the super market.

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Re: Grocery shopping
« Reply #843 on: June 23, 2020, 06:37:13 AM »
Has anyone been able to find Clorox Wipes yet?  Metro Detroit.  None yet.

Cranky

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Re: Grocery shopping
« Reply #844 on: June 23, 2020, 06:53:02 AM »
There is a local FB group called "Supply Chain" and Chlorox Wipes turn up intermittently and disappear fast. Walmart evidently has them occasionally, but they are gone as soon as they hit the shelf. I'm guessing businesses are buying them? But if you really, really want them, there's probably a local group like that.

I went to the fabric store (JoAnn's) yesterday, and it was pretty good in terms of their procedures. Everyone work masks. However, the stock was pretty picked over and there were zero packages of bias tape in any color at all.

I continue to be fascinated by these supply chain glitches.

Dicey

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Re: Grocery shopping
« Reply #845 on: June 23, 2020, 07:08:02 AM »
Has anyone been able to find Clorox Wipes yet?  Metro Detroit.  None yet.
I scored the last box of Kirkland Disenfecting Wipes at Costco last week. My Costco brother, who's a merchandiser, says his warehouse hasn't had them since mid-March. I hope that means the supply is returning.

I went to the fabric store (JoAnn's) yesterday, and it was pretty good in terms of their procedures. Everyone work masks. However, the stock was pretty picked over and there were zero packages of bias tape in any color at all.

I continue to be fascinated by these supply chain glitches.
Cranky, I have made hundreds of feet of bias tape since April. I found a tutorial on YT. The only equipment it calls for are three or four long sewing needles threaded into your ironing board cover, plus an iron. It's pretty easy once you get the hang of it. If you're interested, I'll dig up the link for you.

JoJo

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Re: Grocery shopping
« Reply #846 on: June 23, 2020, 08:54:22 AM »
I found a whole pallet of Clorox wipes (5 canisters per pack) in Billings, MT Costco about a month ago so I snagged one.    Haven't seen since, but haven't been looking. 

K_in_the_kitchen

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Re: Grocery shopping
« Reply #847 on: June 23, 2020, 10:13:42 AM »
Aldi was a disappointment yesterday.  They are no longer disinfecting the carts, instead they have wipes again for customer use.  The employees are in masks, which is good, but not all customers were.  There is no enforcement of the one way aisles.  But most disconcerting is they've gone back to the old method of using the previous cart for the next customer, without disinfecting.  I know droplets are far more of a concern than touching items, but I really don't want my hands on a cart that only a few minutes prior had someone else's hands on it.  Oh, and the foam hand sanitizer was out by the time we finished shopping and wanted to disinfect after touching that cart.  Good thing I carry some with me.

They didn't have obvious shortages of anything -- I even spotted yeast, which I haven't been looking for because I don't need any. I would say the only thing I know for certain they didn't have was disinfecting wipes, but I'm not sure I've ever seen those at Aldi.  Paper towels, toilet paper, and hand sanitizer (for sale) were in stock.  There are still limits on many of the canned goods, which is frustrating.

I hadn't even planned to go to Aldi, but my son does most of my shopping with me and his schedule was free, plus we needed eggs.  I had planned Costco for our next shop, but the new sales don't start until 6/24 and I want to buy All Free & Clear detergent.

mm1970

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Re: Grocery shopping
« Reply #848 on: June 23, 2020, 10:22:41 AM »
Almost everything seems to be in the stock the last couple of trips.  The price of meat seems to be skyrocketing though.  The cheapest ground beef kroger sells (in the prepacked tubes) is now $5/lb.  Meijer was even more expensive last time I was there.  Costco is still selling ground beef at $3.69/lb, so not much increase there, but it seems to be selling out a lot.  Costco has increased the cost of their pork chops from $1.99/lb up to $3.99/lb though. 

It's kind of odd that kroger is jacking up the price of ground beef, but still going forward with their sales on steaks.  Good quality T-bone steaks selling for $7.99/lb, but the cheap fatty ground beef is selling for $5/lb, and the more lean ground beef is selling for $6-8/lb.  For those price differences I will be switching out some burger nights for steak nights I guess.

We ran out of ground beef in April, so I ordered grass-fed ground beef from an in-state rancher I've being buying from for 10+ years.  I paid $7 per pound, free shipping.  Lately I've seen sales on some bone-in steak cuts, but not on roasts (which I would grind if I found a good price).  But as you mention, all beef prices have gone up considerably.  I'll pay $7 per pound for grass-fed beef, grown in my state, and knowing the profits go to a family, but I won't pay that kind of price for CAFO meat at the super market.
I might have to do the same...

mm1970

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Re: Grocery shopping
« Reply #849 on: June 23, 2020, 10:25:00 AM »
I went to Trader Joe's this weekend for the first time since March. I missed it so much!  It's my regular store.  It wasn't busy. They were disinfecting the carts.  They have a system where you wait 6' from the cashier until they are ready for you (I learned that!)

I didn't find everything there...I was wanting frozen naan and dolmades...they were out.