Grocery shopping tips during Coronavirus quarantine #2

[Warwick1991]

I've been wiping groceries, packages, mail, etc. with Clorox wipes instead of spraying Lysol. We have a good supply of wipes, and I feel that they do a better job of disinfecting surfaces instead of the spray that goes everywhere and quickly evaporates. When I spray Lysol in bathrooms, the droplets end up on the floor and have to be wiped dry.

I prefer the disinfectant wipes too, but I ran out last month. I also like the Clorox wipes as well. So far, none available to purchase that I can find.

 

[MimosaMornings]

No paper products - entire aisle is empty.
No TP, PT, napkins, paper plates.
Has been that way for weeks at three grocery stores.

Same with cleaning supplies - some Windex/glass cleaner. One lone bottle of PineSol was on the shelf.
Relatives in SC reported similar experience.

 

[LadyL]

Pre-covid no but now I’ve had friends say they were charged a different amount and certainly with Instcart they are marked up then you pay the service fee and tip - all adds up IMO

oh ours are the same price as on the website - they've even waived the pickup fee

 

[BUF]

My experience with the ArtNaturals brand hand sanitizer is that the product was not properly formulated and has questionable ingredients. I am throwing out what I got from them due to smell of kerosene.

Thanks. I’ll let him know.

 

[BUF]

I went to Publix today. They had plenty of meat at the one I went to, and no limits were posted, but prices surely went up. Not one sheet of TP though, but had about three packages of paper towels and a few boxes of Kleenex. Although shelves weren’t stocked high, they were stocked enough.

Our county has started some reopening. There were many more cars in the strip center. Some stores were open but others like Ross & TJ Max weren’t. I had heard music when I got out of the store so I drove the shopping center. There was a young man playing an accordion...he was pretty good. Some stopped to give him money which he seemed happy to receive. Maybe he is one of our unemployed in Fl who has yet to receive UI ? If I had some cash on me, I would have done the same.

 

[oviedo]

I went to Publix today. They had plenty of meat at the one I went to, and no limits were posted, but prices surely went up. Not one sheet of TP though, but had about three packages of paper towels and a few boxes of Kleenex. Although shelves weren’t stocked high, they were stocked enough.

Our county has started some reopening. There were many more cars in the strip center. Some stores were open but others like Ross & TJ Max weren’t. I had heard music when I got out of the store so I drove the shopping center. There was a young man playing an accordion...he was pretty good. Some stopped to give him money which he seemed happy to receive. Maybe he is one of our unemployed in Fl who has yet to receive UI ? If I had some cash on me, I would have done the same.

@BUF I did a quick trip at lunch because again - widespread meat shortages are being reported. I found a nice chuck roast (about $1.50/lb more than usual) 2 top sirloins - about the same as non-sale price, hot italian sausage - I make Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscano soup from scratch - and a package of 30 eggs, plus more herbs for my kitchen herb garden (in the house) and a lot of kale. No TP, no cleaning products, no Lime Juice (Cinco de Mayo margaritas I guess) and no french vanilla coffee creamer (haven't seen it for 3 weeks). about 1/2 people wearing masks even though it's mandated. all employees had masks and gloves. I'm set for another month now. Also - not a lot of pork or chicken again.

 

[BUF]

@BUF I did a quick trip at lunch because again - widespread meat shortages are being reported. I found a nice chuck roast (about $1.50/lb more than usual) 2 top sirloins - about the same as non-sale price, hot italian sausage - I make Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscano soup from scratch - and a package of 30 eggs, plus more herbs for my kitchen herb garden (in the house) and a lot of kale. No TP, no cleaning products, no Lime Juice (Cinco de Mayo margaritas I guess) and no french vanilla coffee creamer (haven't seen it for 3 weeks). about 1/2 people wearing masks even though it's mandated. all employees had masks and gloves. I'm set for another month now. Also - not a lot of pork or chicken again.

@oviedo can I come over for dinner...we can sit outside and social distance??

btw I did see one of my neighbors while walking my puppy with a few friends over. She set up chairs and side tables set apart socially distanced on her driveway...they looked like they were happy to see one another and we talked from across the street.

 

[JrzyGirl70]

Beef, Poultry, Pork, Veal, Lamb prices will continue to rise. We are seeing price changes DAILY instead of the normal WEEKLY. We are not yet experiencing any shortages from suppliers at my company but I am hearing many suppliers are lacking the staff to produce/deliver product which could provide some issues this coming week.

 

[PayrollNerd]

Those in Sarasota County, FL, the All Faiths Food Bank has scheduled 2 mass food pickups for anyone this Sat and next.

It is from 8am-2pm, or whenever they run out of food. I’m wondering if this is the farmer’s products that are finally hitting the food banks. That has got to be a ton of food.

 

[PayrollNerd]

@oviedo can I come over for dinner...we can sit outside and social distance??

btw I did see one of my neighbors while walking my puppy with a few friends over. She set up chairs and side tables set apart socially distanced on her driveway...they looked like they were happy to see one another and we talked from across the street.

This is what my friends and I do. We meet at a restaurant, order takeout, and talk while we wait. Then we come back to my lanai and sit across the table and eat. This way I get to see 1 friend at a time and we can catch up with each other.

 

[BUF]

Beef, Poultry, Pork, Veal, Lamb prices will continue to rise. We are seeing price changes DAILY instead of the normal WEEKLY. We are not yet experiencing any shortages from suppliers at my company but I am hearing many suppliers are lacking the staff to produce/deliver product which could provide some issues this coming week.

@JrzyGirl70 May I ask what company you are at?

 

[ilovewings]

Does regular soap and water - with the friction of scrubbing - do the job just as well?

jmo

i hope so cause that is what i do

 

[dixiegirl1035]

I just got a notification from one of my friends that meat prices are about to go through the roof. They said the stock up.

 

[weepingangel]

I prefer the disinfectant wipes too, but I ran out last month. I also like the Clorox wipes as well. So far, none available to purchase that I can find.

FYI I have seen some of the consumer packaged Lysol wipes at work now/healthcare so I assume that’s where they all are

and Lysol spray (we usually don’t use aerosol products here )

massachusetts

 

[Suglo]

I prefer the disinfectant wipes too, but I ran out last month. I also like the Clorox wipes as well. So far, none available to purchase that I can find.

NBC News last night had an interview with the CEO of Clorox. He said that they ramped up production by 40% but that they still can’t keep up. He also said not to expect to see it on the shelves until the summer. The interviewer asked if that meant June or July but he wouldn’t confirm that. It sounds like it will be late summer or early fall before regular consumers can actually find the product again.
In pandemic era, Clorox in 'uncharted territory'

 

[PayrollNerd]

NBC News last night had an interview with the CEO of Clorox. He said that they ramped up production by 40% but that they still can’t keep up. He also said not to expect to see it on the shelves until the summer. The interviewer asked if that meant June or July but he wouldn’t confirm that. It sounds like it will be late summer or early fall before regular consumers can actually find the product again.
In pandemic era, Clorox in 'uncharted territory'

I believe this to be true about so many products we need right now. I hope when this is over and they look back on what worked and what didn't, that having a Plan B and Plan C for production of necessary items is added. They need equipment that can make mask quickly, more than one supplier of specific cleaning supplies, etc. More than a few makers of ventilators, etc. It just seems like we're so behind with critical shortages and I don't see it getting any better any time soon. One company wants a monopoly on making their product when we should always have an alternate.

 

[Tillicum]

Questions for everyone.

1) Did you stock up early before the shut down?

2) Do you plan to stock up again before fall?

3) What will you do differently if you stock up again?

4) Will necessities even be available to stock up again?

5) What have you learned from this shut down that will help you to navigate another possible shut down in the fall?

 

[CeeCeeCat]

Questions for everyone.

1) Did you stock up early before the shut down?

2) Do you plan to stock up again before fall?

3) What will you do differently if you stock up again?

4) Will necessities even be available to stock up again?

5) What have you learned from this shut down that will help you to navigate another possible shut down in the fall?

Great questions, Tillicum.

1) Yes! Based mainly on what I was reading here, I started adding extra bits to every delivery from mid-late February. Back then, I was mainly concerned that cat food wouldn’t be a priority if the supply chain struggled. As a result, even today I have a storage cupboard full of wet food, kibble, treats and litter.

2) Definitely. Actually, I plan to stay stocked up for the foreseeable future. I am convinced - although I’d love to be wrong - there will be a second wave.

3) I do not need quarantine snacks. I do not need quarantine snacks. I do not need quarantine snacks. Repeat ad infinitum.

4) I wonder if, in the UK at least, the shortages are more or less over. I don’t eat meat/fish/dairy so have no idea if they’re still out of stock but TP, pasta, bread are all available again - although that said, flour and yeast are still almost impossible to buy. Luckily, I had already stocked up. I’d miss making bread, I find it so soothing.

5) The only person I can affect is me, myself and I. I have learned that constant broadcast news does nothing but hurt my mental health.

 

[cody22]

Questions for everyone.

1) Did you stock up early before the shut down?

2) Do you plan to stock up again before fall?

3) What will you do differently if you stock up again?

4) Will necessities even be available to stock up again?

5) What have you learned from this shut down that will help you to navigate another possible shut down in the fall?

Here goes, Tillicum....... 1. Yes 2. We are maintaining stock at all times 3. Nothing 4. I do not know..... I do think that there will be more possible civil disobedience in the coming months everywhere, as things get rougher, and we get closer to the November Election . 5. Just to stay prepared for the worst , the best you can, at all times, and that a tight knit Family is "everything" in a crisis.......moo

 

[firebird]

Questions for everyone.

1) Did you stock up early before the shut down? no

2) Do you plan to stock up again before fall? no

3) What will you do differently if you stock up again? n/a

4) Will necessities even be available to stock up again? yes. there hasn't been one thing I've been unable to find for any significant amount of time. And temporary scarcity was mostly due to hoarding imo. Eta: and I didn't deliberately change my shopping habits to go early or go anywhere that I don't normally shop -- all less than 2 miles from my house.

5) What have you learned from this shut down that will help you to navigate another possible shut down in the fall? I don't see myself as navigating a shut down so much as enduring it unwillingly jmo