Grocery shopping tips during Coronavirus quarantine #2

[BetteDavisEyes]

i have to admit i love tuna-

i have to admit i am really into tuna pasta salad for lunches---albacore tuna only

I could have included tuna macaroni salad and tuna melt sandwiches in my list of frequent tuna meals while growing up. As Catholics, we didn't eat meat on Fridays, so Mom relied on a variety of tuna dishes and lots of mac & cheese. I got tired of all the tuna lunches and dinners. Once I had tasted fresh tuna, it was hard to go back to eating canned tuna. Seared or grilled ahi tuna is fabulous! My sister likes those Star Kist seasoned tuna in pouches, but I think they look and smell awful.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

DH and I went to Nino's yesterday for our weekly groceries. The store was crowded, and it was difficult to navigate aisles without getting too close to other shoppers. We got everything on our list but didn't take time to look for some things that I wanted to check out - like Italian canned tuna. Fresh halibut was featured on our "rewards" but looked awful, so we had swordfish last night. Whole beef tenderloin is on special for $8.99 pound, so we will have grilled tenderloins tonight and four more meals in the freezer plus the ground trimmings that I'll use for chili when it cools off.

Early Michigan produce featured dinky zucchini and yellow crookneck squash. I also got a small eggplant, Roma tomatoes, and Sheppard peppers for grilled Ratatouille. All of the fresh berries cost $1 more than last week. Three ears of corn for $1.59 - better than 99 cents each like last week, but we'll wait a few more weeks for Michigan sweet corn.

I'm convinced that someone from Nino's is reading here There was a BLT display in the produce department that featured Nino's house-made bacon, head lettuce, gigantic tomatoes, Nino's Italian bread, and multiple jars and squeeze bottles of Duke's Mayonnaise. I'd never seen Duke's at Nino's before, but there have now been two displays of the stuff! Last week in the deli department, and yesterday with BLT fixings. I used Duke's in egg salad yesterday as I have been craving an egg salad sandwich: Comfort food, for sure.

 

[MimosaMornings]

I use curbside pickup to avoid going inside a grocery store but only one store does it (HT) and of course it’s the most expensive store.

And if they give you the wrong item? They ask you to turn around and bring in back to customer service INSIDE the grocery store.

I get over ripe avocados, chunk cat food instead of pate, meat that goes out of date the day after I get it and they substituted tomato purée for crushed. I have called and emailed the store. I will use it for staples only going forwards. Aldi was a nightmare with kids screaming and running around and only half of customers wearing masks - so I quit going.

Instacart was worse.

 

[killarney rose]

Yep. I just say a prayer, and mask up for a trip inside once a week.

 

[MajorHoople]

The Duke’s Mayo factory in SC was unfortunately just closed due to employees with COVID-19. See Workers at Duke's Mayonnaise plant in SC test positive for coronavirus

Oh no! I just bought a bottle. Ah, what the heck, I'll use it anyway.

 

[MajorHoople]

Dukes Mayonnaise is a southern staple.

My nana would make bread and we would pick a fresh tomato off the vine, she would bring out a plate with Dukes spread generously on each side and place thick slices of tomato with just salt and pepper.
Plus a gallon of sweet tea.

Sit on the screened in back porch (no skeeters!) with my cousins and thought it was the best thing ever.

I just discovered Dukes about three years ago. It's now my favorite mayo. But I have decided that Kroger's store brand is not bad.

 

[Midwestmom2019]

Consider adding a little extra to your stores. If we go into another lockdown, you’ll be glad to have a little extra on hand. Seems like I’m eating through all the protein bars. I must think they are healthier than snickers and butterfingers. Now I’m afraid to buy them “just in case.”

 

[mickey2942]

Consider adding a little extra to your stores. If we go into another lockdown, you’ll be glad to have a little extra on hand. Seems like I’m eating through all the protein bars. I must think they are healthier than snickers and butterfingers. Now I’m afraid to buy them “just in case.”

I am actually going to do a real "stock up" again next week. For basics. I don't think that the United States is going in a good direction right now.

 

[LadyL]

Consider adding a little extra to your stores. If we go into another lockdown, you’ll be glad to have a little extra on hand. Seems like I’m eating through all the protein bars. I must think they are healthier than snickers and butterfingers. Now I’m afraid to buy them “just in case.”

yes I eat the 'just in case' groceries too lol

 

[Gardener1850]

I feel like I'm living in the twilight zone. We managed to make it 3 weeks this time without going to the grocery store but yesterday I finally had to shop again. I put so much effort into making sure I had everything I needed to shop safely (mask, gloves, hat, glasses, hand sanitizer, etc) that I neglected to check my gas tank level before heading out to a store about 45 minutes drive away. Midway there, while on a deserted country road, I noticed the low fuel light was on. Dang. How long had I been driving on empty? I had been listening to music and have no idea when it came on-- it could have been on when I left my driveway, for all I knew.

I decided to try to make it to an old country gas station I knew of that was about midway there. I pulled in on fumes. I tried 3 different pumps and none of them were taking my card. It kept telling me to try my card again. Finally, I noticed a sign on the door of the gas station (not on the pumps) that said "Must Prepay inside". I really didn't want to go inside but I was in the middle of nowhere and I needed gas. So I put on my mask and went in right behind an older gentleman who was not wearing a mask. The young clerk wasn't wearing a mask either, despite a notice on the door saying wearing a face covering inside was mandatory by law now. The older man started coughing violently when I came inside and the clerk looked at him and said in a sarcastic tone of voice, "Corona?" and the coughing man laughed and replied, "No, COPD!" and then they both chuckled and the clerk said, "yeah I don't believe it's a real thing anyway..."
I prepaid for my gas and got out of there as fast as I could, making sure to douse myself and my debit card, which the clerk touched, in hand sanitizer before driving off.

Next, I had to stop at a big chain home improvement store before grocery stopping. I needed some items for my garden I couldn't get online and couldn't wait any longer for. The store was the most empty I have seen it since the beginning of the pandemic, except for a group of about 6 men huddled close together talking with their masks all hanging from their chins. As I got closer I could hear one of them railing about something political, all while the other men standing close nodded in agreement. I just shook my head and walked away. They were huddled there talking the entire time I was in the store-- about 30 minutes. All it takes is one of them to have it and they all have it now. Is it any wonder why this thing is spreading out of control? (Rhetorical question)

Finally, I stopped at my grocery store. This store now has a station with FREE masks and hand sanitizer at the door, they are counting the number of people in the store and they wipe down the carts when they give you one. Signs at the door say masks are required to enter but it wasn't being enforced from what I saw, other than offering people a free mask. Most people were wearing masks inside but the few not wearing masks were loud and rude. I witnessed a woman wearing a mask talking to another woman who was maskless. The two seemed to know each other the way they greeted each other. I noticed the woman wearing a mask was using her shopping cart during this conversation as a buffer to try to keep the maskless woman at a distance but the maskless woman kept creeping closer along the side of the cart. Finally, the woman with a mask tried to nicely tell the other woman she was concerned about her friend not wearing a mask. Masked woman said quietly, "I'm concerned for your health and for the health of your mother and grandmother too... Don't you think you should protect them...?" IMO it was a very polite request for the maskless woman to back away or put a mask on but instead of taking a hint the maskless woman got loud and started ranting about how it was a free country and she would do whatever she wanted.

I came home so upset about these things I witnessed. Why are people so heartless and ignorant? (Don't answer that- it's another rhetorical question). I couldn't get out of those stores and home fast enough. Now I want to figure out a way to stay home for at least a month before I have to shop again. Every time I go out it feels like the situation in society has deteriorated more.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Champagne losing its fizz as global pandemic clobbers sales

"Champagne has lived through every single war. But with the other crises, there was a way out. For now, there is no way out — unless we find a vaccine,” said one producer.

Champagne is losing its fizz. For months, lockdowns have put the cork on weddings, dining out, parties and international travel — all key sales components for the French luxury wine marketed for decades as a sparkling must at any celebration.

Producers in France's eastern Champagne region, headquarters of the global industry, say they've lost an estimated $2 billion in sales for this year, as turnover fell by a third — a hammering unmatched in living memory, and worse than the Great Depression.

They expect about 100 million bottles to be languishing unsold in their cellars by the end of the year...

 

[Midwestmom2019]

Those cave dwelling bats should be sued for all the worldwide economic/health/safety damages that they caused by being caught and eaten. Raw, probably. Euk. It’s crippling the world. Who is benefitting from this mess? We know who is losing. Grocery stores, for one. Food suppliers up and down the chain. We can all name others.

 

[oviedo]

My pantry is in good shape as the hurricane approaches and I have a freezer full of meat (and the work freezer full too) - but I need the stuff you can't really buy in bulk - so will hit Aldi this weekend - I'm not just taking a big canvas bag and using that to put my groceries in - and the checkout folks just load it in rather than using a cart since it is "sanitize your own cart" now - only trouble is, I have to choose between red and white box wine because it is too heavy. Aldi has been well stocked this whole month - but I'm hearing TP shortages are coming again. sigh.
JMO

 

[mickey2942]

I worry why milk is so impossibly cheap. A gallon of milk here is down to $1.98. How can dairy farmers make any money with milk this cheap?

 

[MimosaMornings]

I got milk last week - $3.69 for a gallon of whole milk.

Lysol spray and wipes have been showing up at local store.
But you have to be there 30 minutes before they open and get in line.

My cousin says it’s like a free for all in the aisle where they have the few Lysol products. People pushing and climbing over each other to grab handfuls.

They get multiples of each.
Sign says only one each.
They hide them throughout the store. Buy the allotted one each and take items to the car. Go back and get the next batch. Go to a different register.

She did watch several people do this and went and got a spray someone had hidden.
Bet that person was surprised it wasn’t there!

 

[SA55]

Have to share. I scored two (2) 10 oz cans of Lysol spray in my curbside pickup this morning!
Who would have ever thought a can of Lysol would make me so happy?

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Nostalgia on aisle 6: Why 'Supermarket Sweep' reruns hit the spot

In an era where nothing makes sense, "Supermarket Sweep" does.

The ridiculous '90s game show, which features players dashing through the aisles of a grocery store like crazed gila monsters, is now streaming on Netflix. It's an absurd, brainless delight, a throwback piece of nostalgia that has become oddly comforting in these uncomfortable times. Just throw it on, sit back, and be lulled into tranquility by its fluorescent glow of bad fashions and promotional consideration.

The streaming giant has uploaded 15 episodes of the show from its rebooted run from 1990-95 and 2000-03. (The show originally ran from 1965-67.) The shows are cherry-picked from the split time period and watching them now is like flipping through a stack of old yearbooks; it's a trip watching the hairstyles progress from poofy and teased to the sky to flattened and dour.

The 1990 episodes look like they were filmed in 1987, proof that the '90s truly didn't begin until Nirvana's "Nevermind" topped the charts. You can see the influence grunge had on fashions in the mid-'90s episodes — hair gets longer, flannel pops up in the audience shots — and the aughts shows and their murky facial hair might trigger a Papa Roach flashback or two.

The show doesn't require any special knowledge from its contestants other than a firm grasp of brand names and an understanding of the general layout of a grocery store...

I remember this show and would enjoy watching reruns, but we don't have Netflix. Guy's Grocery Games on Food Network is a more modern day version of the '80s game show, but those contestants didn't have to cook.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Gardener1850, thank you for sharing the tale of your terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. Your frustration was palpable: In similar circumstances, I might have ended up in the ER with a pounding anxiety headache Thankfully, DH always makes sure that both our vehicles have full tanks so I don't have to worry about stopping at a service station that has always made me jittery I have vision issues and don't drive very far from home. I haven't driven at night or on freeways for more than 20 years.

After our last trip to Nino's together two weeks ago when the store was too crowded, DH went by himself yesterday. He's a good shopper, gets everything on my list, and doesn't waste time looking at products like I do. He also put gas in my Beetle and filled a gas can for the lawn mower. DH is doing the lawn as I type as rain is in the forecast later today.

Have a nice weekend

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Have to share. I scored two (2) 10 oz cans of Lysol spray in my curbside pickup this morning!
Who would have ever thought a can of Lysol would make me so happy?

Good for you Lysol Spray and antibacterial wipes are on our "running" Meijer and Costco lists. Next time either or both are available, we will get them.

 

[Tillicum]

I'm trying to keep a 3 month supply of groceries, cleaning products, paper products, medicines, hygiene etc. Three days ago, I asked my husband to make a list of possible needs for our trucks so I could stock up on them as well. He couldn't think of anything. Today on our way to our Walmart pickup the truck overheated on the road. Guess who didn't have any antifreeze? We finally made it to Walmart and he had to go in and get some. Thankfully we always keep spare masks in the trucks. Anyone care to guess what's gonna be on my next order?