Grocery shopping tips during Coronavirus quarantine #2

[Teche]

Many of you seem to be using online grocery shopping /delivery during the pandemic. Were you doing this prior to the COVID outbreak? Will you continue to order groceries, household cleaning supplies, etc. online, or are you doing it because you don't want to venture out to stores?

DH and I have never made online grocery purchases or used in-store shoppers for pickup or delivery. We're both pretty picky about our food choices and household products, and I'm afraid we'd be disappointed if we didn't get what we wanted or the products weren't up to our standards. Some of you have mentioned substitutions, and that would bother me Except for a one-time TP debacle, an egg shortage early on, and no I Can't Believe It's Not Butter last week, we've been able to get everything we need from Nino Salvaggio, Meijer, or Kroger. We only go to Costco once a month and have an ongoing list of what we need on each visit.
Do you use food delivery services like Grub Hub and Door Dash? We've never used these services and rarely even get pizza delivery. How about meal delivery like Daily Harvest, Blue Apron, etc.? When we order takeout once a week, DH goes to pick it up. We alternate between Jet's Pizza and Honey Tree Grill, both of which are about two miles from our home. We've continued our weekly takeout ritual to help local businesses thrive during this trying time.

Since we’ve been doing social distancing, my husband goes to Costco during the “senior” shopping time. We buy meat, fresh salmon, milk, eggs, coffee, paper products and cleaning products. There’s a small family operated store that has a great supply of adult beverages, cheeses, homemade sausage and locally grown produce. The best part is that I call in the order, give them the credit info, they call me in a hour when the order is ready for curbside pick up. The bags are placed in the trunk by an employee who wears gloves and a mask. I leave a tip in an envelope in the trunk and I’m on my way and ready to madly wash down the food.

 

[acutename]

My quest for hand sanitizer has been fruitless, which is common at this point. I’ve had bad experiences with Amazon, which I’ll share. Amazon now has a number of third party sellers that are trying to exploit the pandemic, mostly based in China. Some are gougers, but others are just outright frauds, delivering useless junk or nothing at all. They are mostly new sellers. Many say US stock, but that’s a lie.

My most recent experience with hand sanitizer was plain fraud. The product I ordered was described as containing 77.5% alcohol, but when it finally arrived after a month, it was a clear gel with no alcohol or other chemical with germicidal properties. I am in the process of attempting to get a refund.

I tried another hand sanitizer advertised on Amazon from a California based company called Art Naturals, and its content is questionable. It smells like kerosene, and although it was advertised on Amazon as being from the USA, the bottle says Made in China... I do not plan to use it. Amazon no longer has a listing for it, so I'm not the only one taken..

FWIW, ArtNaturals is a CA company that has been around for a few years at least. It may have sold something that was not manufactured properly (?) but it is not an imaginary company. (no connction to the company; looked up the owners, etc. when I saw it on Amazon) Target is also selling its products and the copany has a web site.

 

[Warwick1991]

FWIW, ArtNaturals is a CA company that has been around for a few years at least. It may have sold something that was not manufactured properly (?) but it is not an imaginary company. (no connction to the company; looked up the owners, etc. when I saw it on Amazon) Target is also selling its products and the copany has a web site.

When I saw the ArtNaturals hand sanitizer advertised on Amazon, I looked into the company and saw that they were a relatively small California based cosmetics company. I noted in my original post that they are a California based company, and I did not say that they are imaginary. It was not a new company. That’s why I decided to order the hand sanitizer - the company appeared to be credible. However, their advertising was deceptive, as it was not from the US, and the alcohol content is questionable. The quality is appalling. There were many, many complaints about the product from others who ordered it, and then both the hand sanitizer and the negative reviews disappeared from the Amazon site.

The company that sold the “hand sanitizer” with no alcohol or germicidal content was apparently based in China, and has multiple seller names and pass-through entities. The company that sold the defective forehead thermometers also has multiple names and is difficult to trace.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

I wasn't too surprised when a BCBS agent called today regarding my recent OTC order for masks and gloves. Both items are out of stock and on back order. I have until June 30 to spend my quarterly allotment, so I will try again before the end of June. Don't need anything else right now.

Re: Hand Sanitizer. I don't have any right now but have previously had Williams-Sonoma hand soap and hand sanitizer. They're available individually and in sets that also include hand lotion. Williams-Sonoma stores are probably closed now, and I've never ordered from the company online, but the products are very nice, albeit a bit pricey.

 

[crhedBngr]

I truly don’t understand the hand sanitizer hoarding. If you use it, you don’t need that much. I’ve kept a bottle in my truck for the last 3 years (cancer patient). Each 6-8 oz? bottle lasts for at least 6 months or more. I use it on my hands and steering wheel. I keep unscented baby wipes in my truck. I use so few, I have to add water to them at times. If I didn’t have access to either, I’d keep a small spray bottle of bleach water and roll of paper towels in my truck. In the summer here in FL, I keep a gallon of water in my truck.

RBBM

I don't understand the hand-sanitizing hoarding, either. DH purchased antibacterial soap, which we're using upstairs and downstairs. We're using isopropyl alcohol (70%) as well.

JMVHO.

 

[JrzyGirl70]

Shop HQ has hand sanitizer

 

[MajorHoople]

I always had some at home before the pandemic, but of course it disappeared from stores just as the outbreak in Washington state reached the news. I think much of the disappearance of hand sanitizer was an organized effort, like the brothers from Tennessee who bought up thousands of bottles to make a killing on it. They drove from store to store and wiped shelves clean for miles. Based on the speed and almost total disappearance of hand sanitizer overnight, I’m confident that something like this happened in the area I live in South Florida. So, I don’t think it’s just people hoarding.

As far as hand sanitizer goes, I kept it in my office at work. It was part of my efforts to prevent getting myself sick... Not perfect, but better than nothing if you’re shaking hands, touching numerous surfaces along with many other people, and don’t have soap and water available all the time. I have asthma and other upper respiratory problems, aside from concern over Covid-19. When I worked in my office, I got upper respiratory infections frequently, and they usually lasted about 2 months. One thing to think about - hand sanitizer expires, usually in about 2 years after bottling. The ethyl alcohol gradually evaporates after the bottle is first opened.

Your comment made me think. About five years ago I bought a 2 liter bottle of sanitizer. It's the refill size without a pump. I've got about a third left.

To see if it is evaporating I used a marker to show the current level. We will see if it changes.

 

[Warwick1991]

I’ve ordered a case of 36 toilet paper rolls intended for commercial and institutional use, because I’ve had no luck at Walmart, CVS, Walgreens, Target, Winn Dixie or Publix. It occasionally comes into those stores, but in such minimal quantities that it’s gone right away. It’s never available for delivery.... I didn’t want such a large quantity, but I wanted to replace what we’ve used. Amazon’s stock is sporadic.

The toilet paper I ordered, Tork, is intended for use in dispensers for bathroom stalls. I think it’s out there because restaurants, retail stores and offices aren’t ordering... The rolls don’t fit in most home toilet paper hardware, but at this point I don’t care about that.

Update - 36 rolls of toilet paper just arrived in less than 5 days. UPS guy was grinning and joking about it. They’re not individually wrapped, and in a big cardboard box. The rolls are larger than the type sold for home use. Rolls are 3.8” wide x about 5-5/8” diameter. The product feels reasonably soft to me, but isn’t like a typical soft consumer brand. OK for me... The Tork line is available on Amazon at times, and on Office Depot’s website. The manufacturer’s product number is TRK161990. Since the quantity is more than I wanted, I may give some to a neighbor...

 

[MaryG12]

I guess this can go on this thread as it's about food - we bicycled past this company tonight after work:

Petals and Sugar

It's too good to not share. Check out all the colorful fancy desserts they make! They look almost too good to eat.

 

[Kensie]

Anyone, where can I find Lysol??? Not at Amazon, Wal Mart, Target, Dollar General. Where do I look??? I ran out of lysol weeks ago. TIA.

 

[Deleted member 39678]

Anyone, where can I find Lysol??? Not at Amazon, Wal Mart, Target, Dollar General. Where do I look??? I ran out of lysol weeks ago. TIA.

My sister told me yesterday that her son in law has four cans of Lysol that he bought at the beginning of this.

That's the only one that I know of having any but I think my sister beat you to it.

 

[gngr~snap]

Anyone, where can I find Lysol??? Not at Amazon, Wal Mart, Target, Dollar General. Where do I look??? I ran out of lysol weeks ago. TIA.

No Lysol or wipes until 2023! Lol
Every business is using them all, so we can't have ANY at home.
Joking, kinda
Moo

 

[Chelly]

For those who have expressed concerns: Potatoes, tomatoes and grapes can be washed with soap and water. May sound strange to some, but I've done it for years. Same for all fruits and veggies.

 

[LadyL]

Many of you seem to be using online grocery shopping /delivery during the pandemic. Were you doing this prior to the COVID outbreak? Will you continue to order groceries, household cleaning supplies, etc. online, or are you doing it because you don't want to venture out to stores?

DH and I have never made online grocery purchases or used in-store shoppers for pickup or delivery. We're both pretty picky about our food choices and household products, and I'm afraid we'd be disappointed if we didn't get what we wanted or the products weren't up to our standards. Some of you have mentioned substitutions, and that would bother me Except for a one-time TP debacle, an egg shortage early on, and no I Can't Believe It's Not Butter last week, we've been able to get everything we need from Nino Salvaggio, Meijer, or Kroger. We only go to Costco once a month and have an ongoing list of what we need on each visit.

Do you use food delivery services like Grub Hub and Door Dash? We've never used these services and rarely even get pizza delivery. How about meal delivery like Daily Harvest, Blue Apron, etc.? When we order takeout once a week, DH goes to pick it up. We alternate between Jet's Pizza and Honey Tree Grill, both of which are about two miles from our home. We've continued our weekly takeout ritual to help local businesses thrive during this trying time.

we definitely plan to continue ordering online for pickup
the convenience outweighs the disappointment of not getting a few items
the one store we used called to ask if it was ok to substitute the toilet paper and gave me a head's up about what they didn't have in stock

 

[LadyL]

I haven't started using any of the services as I am picky too and very price conscious - I'm not in a category (so far) that is compromised - I did use Walmart to pick up dry goods a few times before this - where you drive up and they bring everything out - and I've used Target's pick up service too - drive in - the App let's them know you are there and they bring it out but it wasn't for food/grocery. A few of my friends have expressed how much the mark up is on the groceries so I won't even try. I go about once every couple of weeks and may occasionally stop in for one or two items in between. I've followed Jerseygirl's ordering and receipting with interest using these services. Now that Florida is opening up I may limit my trips even more. I think we are going to see an uptick now.
JMO

wait they charge more for a grocery item being picked up??

 

[perfectingpink]

Anyone, where can I find Lysol??? Not at Amazon, Wal Mart, Target, Dollar General. Where do I look??? I ran out of lysol weeks ago. TIA.

I hope this links correctly. I found this product at Sam's club and it can be sprayed and allowed to dry unless a food surface. Even though it shows out of stock online and in the store, I have found that it is actually on the shelf. I have also been able to find rubbing alcohol and take a spray bottle of it with me for my hands and/or cart.

https://www.samsclub.com/p/mmc-sanitizer-128-fl-oz/prod21041136?xid=plp_product_1_7

 

[perfectingpink]

I just remembered that I found Clorox wipes at Target. Again, it showed no stock but it was on the shelf.

 

[jjenny]

Anyone, where can I find Lysol??? Not at Amazon, Wal Mart, Target, Dollar General. Where do I look??? I ran out of lysol weeks ago. TIA.

It's gone missing. I can't find any either. I keep trying amazon but no luck so far.

 

[Gardenista]

I was just able to order Kirkland Signature Disinfecting Wipes at Costco. I've been stalking these for weeks and I doubt they will last long.

 

[CoverMeCagney]

It's gone missing. I can't find any either. I keep trying amazon but no luck so far.

Perhaps start a new thread for it in the “missing but not forgotten” forum