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Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

batmagadanleadoff Apr 27 2020 05:27 PM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Apr 27 2020 05:34 PM

Two liter bottles of Sprite, Sprite Zero, Diet Coke etc. going for eight or nine bucks a bottle -- or seven-fifty a bottle if you buy a case of six -- on Amazon.com WTF? Anyone know why? They're still regular price at the supermarket and there aren't any shortages -- (except for Diet Caffeine Free Coke, which I haven't seen on the shelves in about a month, and so I eventually googled this issue and discovered that the pandemic has caused a shortage in one of the ingredients in Diet Caffeine Free Coke). Anyway ---WTF? Eight or nine bucks for a two-liter bottle of soda?

metsmarathon Apr 27 2020 05:29 PM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavius

probably because they're a nuisance to lug around.

batmagadanleadoff Apr 27 2020 05:32 PM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

probably because they're a nuisance to lug around. I know. That's exactly why I decided to shop for them online. Poland Spring gallons are "out of stock" on Amazon, too.

Ceetar Apr 27 2020 06:15 PM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

it's likely secondary market stuff, sold out on Amazon, and therefore only the people that relist things. It's like walking into a 7-11 or something where you pay $2.50 for a 2 liter even though it's on sale for 99cents at Pathmark. there are arbitrary shortages of everything because everyone's stocking up on things they need in large quantities to avoid multiple trips, because they're worried things are going to sell out (and that cascades, hence toilet paper and people buying because other people say it's hard to get). People home more means drinking more of the stuff too. I still can't find bread flour. It's on Amazon for various extreme markups the same way. Couldn't find vegetable oil yesterday (well, I found a huge jug in my basement when I went to put other stuff away)

Ceetar Apr 27 2020 06:17 PM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

*ponders* the point of buying bread flour is the gluten. I bet I can buy gluten directly.

kcmets Apr 27 2020 06:46 PM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

Beer and soda prices pretty much level here in upper suburbia. I made a pot roast yesterday and the $/lb was unprecedented, but it was a damn good slab o' meat!! CNN says we're gonna run out of food, so we'll enjoy while we can and then wither... Our neighbors copped us some toilet paper yesterday. It's the little things to make us happy day by day.

LWFS Apr 27 2020 07:33 PM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

Goddamn, a pot roast sounds good.

batmagadanleadoff Apr 28 2020 01:03 AM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

=Ceetar post_id=36056 time=1588032957 user_id=102] there are arbitrary shortages of everything because everyone's stocking up on things they need in large quantities to avoid multiple trips ....

But there are no shortages of Coke products.




=batmagadanleadoff post_id=36050 time=1588030038 user_id=68]
They're still regular price at the supermarket and there aren't any shortages ...



Anyway ---WTF? Eight or nine bucks for a two-liter bottle of soda?


_________________________________


=kcmets post_id=36058 time=1588034768 user_id=53]
[S]oda prices pretty much level here in upper suburbia.


Same here. See above.



I think what happened is that everybody already had the same idea I just got --- to buy these two liter bottles online because if you wanna stack up on 'em, they're bulky and add up weight-wise if you buy 'em in quantity at the supermarket.

MFS62 Apr 28 2020 06:07 AM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

The price of eggs skyrocketed a few weeks ago but is now back down to what it was before the spike. Later

Ceetar Apr 28 2020 06:56 AM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

There are no nationwide production shortages of coke, doesn't mean the end of the supply chain is adequately stocked. there are pictures of people dumping potatoes in fields and there wasn't a potato to be found in the store last week here.

Benjamin Grimm Apr 28 2020 08:48 AM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

Actually, this is kind of what I was getting at when I created the "Dining in the time..." thread. I was looking to have us share the challenges of provisioning ourselves with food during this pandemic. I guess I should have chosen a better thread title! Something to keep in mind for the next worldwide calamity.

cal sharpie Apr 28 2020 09:50 AM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

Shopping in the neighborhood stores I'm pretty much finding everything that we need or want at regular prices - except for flour. Shopping on Amazon sucks. Buy local, especially now.

kcmets Apr 28 2020 10:03 AM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

We don't buy flour, but have friends who have said they can't find it anywhere.

metsmarathon Apr 28 2020 10:04 AM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

yeah, seriously. unless you simply cannot run the risk of venturing out, buy local. and then order local. i'm trying really hard not to amazon shit up unless it simply cannot be sourced locally. i'm actually buying less on there than i was previously. thanks, coronavirus! local small businesses are going to get slaughtered by this thing. every little bit that we can keep in their coffers, the better. amazon will be fine without us.

Ceetar Apr 28 2020 10:24 AM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

Sure but Amazon is going to deliver it without needing to venture out, which is dangerous. It's great that some businesses have started delivering (granted out of desperation) but I wonder if they, say the toy store, realizes that if they _continue_ to provide same day delivery of basically whatever even 5 years from now, it'd beat Amazon every time. Also I'm not particularly concerned about keeping Stop and Shop in business. If Amazon can deliver my cheerios instantly without me having to go to the store, then I'm doing that. Sure, some of this is law based too, breweries delivering, etc. Hopefully the 're-open' plans involve a re-envisioning of how businesses operate. An expanding of hours would be great. We're likely still going to be in a world with the virus, so if we can spread the shopping hours over longer periods and get rid of curfews and business hour laws (Bergen County is garbage about all this stuff) it socially distances us over time. You could easily couple this with getting rid of the archaic nonsense of 40 hours from 9-5, with more flexible times and staggering it. It's a perfect time to change all this. It's absurd how easy it was, logistically, to do some of this flexibility stuff in the time of crisis, and we need to remember it when companies balk at needed change in the future.

Benjamin Grimm Apr 28 2020 10:28 AM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

I've been doing pickups from grocery stores. You place your order online, then (about a week to ten days later) pull up in the parking lot, pop your trunk, and a masked stranger loads you up with groceries. It takes more planning than a typical shopping trip, and you won't get everything you want, but you're avoiding the risk of being in a store where at a moment's notice you can be in somebody's sneeze cloud.

cal sharpie Apr 28 2020 10:42 AM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

Most stores are insisting on mask wearing prior to entry which makes the whole sneeze cloud thing less worrisome. I can't imagine waiting a week to ten days to pick up food but that's me. We go to our local farmers market on weekends and make a once-a-week stop at the local supermarket. Previously we had been pretty lax about shopping, going out to buy one thing if we're short, now our list is pretty obsessive.

kcmets Apr 28 2020 11:18 AM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

Some stores are more pleasant to visit than others... http://www.kcmets.com/CPF/covid19a.jpg>

batmagadanleadoff Apr 28 2020 11:31 AM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

Some stores are more pleasant to visit than others... http://www.kcmets.com/CPF/covid19a.jpg> I love that sign. Every store should have one like that. The two things that drive me fucking nuts when I go out are people without masks and people talking. Don't even ask what I think about people talking without masks.

RealityChuck Apr 28 2020 11:35 AM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

There is a potential shortage of carbon dioxide gas for carbonation, which may be why some retailers are gouging.

metsmarathon Apr 28 2020 12:13 PM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

oh sure, now that i've starting drinking way too much flavored seltzer...

kcmets Apr 28 2020 12:45 PM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

Are those homemade soda machines still a thing or was that an infomercial buzz that came and disappeared into the beveragesphere?

Frayed Knot Apr 28 2020 12:52 PM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

My bro-in-law bought one of those a few years back ... and as far as I know has rarely if ever used it since. His idea was to save money over buying soda although: a) soda is dirt cheap for the most part, and b) I don't remember his house drinking much anyway. So while I'm sure it seemed like a good idea to him at the time, he's also one of those guys who's scarcely able to resist a gadget.

metsmarathon Apr 28 2020 01:07 PM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

i keep thinking that the surest way for me to kick the seltzer habit (which is fairly new for me, and is basically serving to keep me from otherwise snacking and/or chugging gatorade) would be to buy a sodastream.

MFS62 Apr 28 2020 01:11 PM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

We have one guy at work who likes to cook, and has bought just about everything you've seen on an infomercial - going back to the "set it and forget it" rotisserie to the new all-purpose slow cookers that also air fry and change your car's oil. He says most of them work pretty well, and if I would be tempted to buy something I've seen, I'd ask him because he probably has it and has used it. Later

Ceetar Apr 28 2020 01:33 PM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

=metsmarathon post_id=36090 time=1588100827 user_id=83] i keep thinking that the surest way for me to kick the seltzer habit (which is fairly new for me, and is basically serving to keep me from otherwise snacking and/or chugging gatorade) would be to buy a sodastream.

probably it'll either kill or accentuate it. My wife has given up on it, and we're just drinking Wegman's seltzer even though we have the thing. It's a mild pain, every other time you want a seltzer you have to fill a bottle up with water, carbonate it, add flavoring, shake..



you can make literally any flavor you want though. go crazy.





NOW THOUGH..plenty of homebrewers carbonate their beer themselves, with CO2, into a keg, and can therefore simply carbonate a jug of water too. Hell, you could carbonate a handful of bottles like it was beer and then just cap 'em and reuse. I don't bottle/keg my beer this way, but it's tempting.

batmagadanleadoff Apr 28 2020 03:25 PM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

So I went shopping today, mainly to stock up on sodas after my Amazon idea flopped. And I couldn't find a single bottle of diet soda, two liter. Coke or Pepsi products. So maybe there is a diet soda shortage. Because I just googled this and Coca-cola is having difficulties obtaining their artificial sweetener ingredients because of the pandemic. And I don't drink sugary sodas. So I ended up buying two-liter bottles of seltzer. Which I don't mind, but the only flavors that were available were the jump-the-shark flavors, which I didn't even bother to read on the labels. All I know is that my seltzer bottles are color-coded for flavor in pink and purple and blue. What the hell is blue? Blueberry seltzer? Good grief!

Lefty Specialist Apr 28 2020 06:24 PM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

Will be venturing out for provisions Friday morning. Crockwork Orange has decreed that all meat plants must remain open so I'm expecting plenty of Corona-laced pork on the shelves.

batmagadanleadoff Apr 29 2020 02:17 PM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

Here's an idea someone told me about today --- whaddayouse think? Pour your own water from your own home/faucet-- boil it to kill any bacteria -- then refrigerate it. And save yourself the trouble of bulking up on store-bought water with all of the schlepping, etc. Worth the effort?

kcmets Apr 29 2020 02:41 PM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

I use a Brita filtered pitcher for some of my water intake. I drink on average 1 gallon of water per day both tap and store bought. Don't think boiling the tap water in my town is necessary. We have some of the best tap water in the world in the tri-state area. This ain't Michigan! haha

Ceetar Apr 29 2020 02:59 PM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

=batmagadanleadoff post_id=36143 time=1588191473 user_id=68] Here's an idea someone told me about today --- whaddayouse think? Pour your own water from your own home/faucet-- boil it to kill any bacteria -- then refrigerate it. And save yourself the trouble of bulking up on store-bought water with all of the schlepping, etc. Worth the effort?

I mean, you shouldn't be drinking store bought water in your house, not bottles at least. so much plastic waste. house filter, fridge filter, brita filter even. Or at least poland spring 5 gallon jugs, etc? they deliver/retrieve those don't they?



but sure, I guess you could boil it. with some malted barley. add some hops near the end. toss it in a big barrel with some yeast and then bottle it.

Johnny Lunchbucket Apr 29 2020 03:11 PM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

Big tap water fan here, never buy the shit at a store unless you're out and thirsty. We like the Camelback pitcher, fits into the fridge well (Britas too bulbous) and seems to be sturdier than the Brita we used to have, plus you can refill under the tap much faster. https://relay.camelbak.com/

nymr83 Apr 30 2020 01:45 PM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

Johnny Lunchbucket wrote: Big tap water fan here, never buy the shit at a store unless you're out and thirsty. We like the Camelback pitcher, fits into the fridge well (Britas too bulbous) and seems to be sturdier than the Brita we used to have, plus you can refill under the tap much faster. https://relay.camelbak.com/ When i lived in Staten Island and Queens I had no issue with tap water. It doesnt taste right in NJ.

cal sharpie Apr 30 2020 01:59 PM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

I always forget that tap water isn't the same delicious NY water elsewhere. I was in Minnesota right before the lockdown and was reminded once again of the extreme differences in taste throughout the US.

LWFS Apr 30 2020 04:25 PM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

It bears noting that if the issue with the tap water is partly or mostly bacterial, at-home filtration systems-- a la Brita or Camelbak-- aren't doing shit for you in terms of safety.

kcmets Apr 30 2020 06:02 PM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

Little bacteria is good for you and makes the water taste better. Day-old lasagna too.

batmagadanleadoff Apr 30 2020 10:17 PM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

Amazon sales soar as coronavirus-worried consumers shop from home, but costs rise The online retail giant warns of massive spending to address the challenges and business opportunities presented by the coronavirus. Excerpt: SEATTLE — The massive shopping surge fueled by the coronavirus pandemic caught Amazon unprepared, even as it drove a 26 percent jump in first-quarter revenue, the company said Thursday. Now, Amazon plans to spend at least $4 billion in the current quarter to add warehouse and delivery workers, test its staff and provide them with personal protective gear so it can unclog its network that still struggles to meet customer demand for household staples such as toilet paper and bleach. “If you're a shareowner in Amazon, you may want to take a seat, because we're not thinking small,” Amazon chief executive Jeff Bezos said in a statement. https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/04/30/amazon-earnings-coronavirus/

LWFS Apr 30 2020 11:27 PM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

=kcmets post_id=36216 time=1588291338 user_id=53] Little bacteria is good for you and makes the water taste better. Day-old lasagna too.

Yeah, it's a real staph-saver.

kcmets May 01 2020 06:34 AM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

I'm sorry, and obviously goofing around. I watch entirely too much news and this is the only place I've read of bacteria in tap water concerns. A quick google pops up a couple of things from years ago mostly in places like Michigan.

Ceetar May 01 2020 07:22 AM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

like bridges and tunnels, the water infrastructure isn't exactly sparkling. Though Congress did manage to get something done in 2018 and pass a bill for improvements. Only Mike Lee of Utah voted against clean water for America.

batmagadanleadoff May 01 2020 07:45 AM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

=kcmets post_id=36221 time=1588336453 user_id=53] I'm sorry, and obviously goofing around. I watch entirely too much news and this is the only place I've read of bacteria in tap water concerns. A quick google pops up a couple of things from years ago mostly in places like Michigan.

If by Michigan, you mean Flint, boiling water won't get the lead out as lead is neither bacteria nor virus. And because boiling evaporates some of the water, it would actually increase the concentration of lead in the water because boiling eliminates some of the water but none of the lead. Plus there was some Legionnaire's Disease going around in the Michigan water, among other stuff. That water needed to be purified, not simply boiled. Actually, that water needed to be thrown out. With the bath-baby.

kcmets May 01 2020 07:53 AM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

I wasn't speaking of lead, I know that's whole 'nother ball of wax. Do you know the origin of throwing out the baby with the bath water? It's actually quite amusing, and remarkable that it's still an expression used to this day.

Johnny Lunchbucket May 01 2020 08:31 AM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

=batmagadanleadoff post_id=36218 time=1588306632 user_id=68] Amazon sales soar as coronavirus-worried consumers shop from home, but costs rise The online retail giant warns of massive spending to address the challenges and business opportunities presented by the coronavirus.

SEATTLE — The massive shopping surge fueled by the coronavirus pandemic caught Amazon unprepared, even as it drove a 26 percent jump in first-quarter revenue, the company said Thursday.

Delivery demand for groceries essentially flattened its own curve thanks to covid-19 -- in a matter of weeks volume matured like 5 years

Lefty Specialist May 01 2020 11:33 AM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

Ventured to the local Acme this morning. Surprisingly not crowded and fairly well stocked. They even had Charmin toilet paper and Bounty towels (with a limit of course). The only thing they were truly out of was wipes and fresh chicken. They even had pork chops and steak, despite dire warnings in the news to the contrary. We've extended our survivability for 3-4 weeks comfortably although we may have indulged a little too much on the Oreo and Dorito end of the nutrition spectrum.

Chad ochoseis May 01 2020 11:37 AM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

=Ceetar post_id=36093 time=1588102433 user_id=102] =metsmarathon post_id=36090 time=1588100827 user_id=83] i keep thinking that the surest way for me to kick the seltzer habit (which is fairly new for me, and is basically serving to keep me from otherwise snacking and/or chugging gatorade) would be to buy a sodastream.

NOW THOUGH..plenty of homebrewers carbonate their beer themselves, with CO2, into a keg, and can therefore simply carbonate a jug of water too. Hell, you could carbonate a handful of bottles like it was beer and then just cap 'em and reuse. I don't bottle/keg my beer this way, but it's tempting.


I do this to make seltzer, using a CO2 tank, a regulator, a connecting hose, and a connector that is compatible with a standard plastic soda bottle. I've only seen the connector on Amazon.



The initial cost for the parts is about $150, which is about twice what a sodastream costs, but you get more control over carbonation and the refills are much less frequent and much cheaper. A 5 lb CO2 tank costs $20 to refill in my area and is good for about 800-1000 liters of extra fizzy seltzer.

Ceetar May 01 2020 11:38 AM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

does it work the same as a soda stream? in that you have the 2 liter bottle your carbonating, or do you have a water line going to a tap and it mixing?

LWFS May 01 2020 11:43 AM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

=kcmets post_id=36225 time=1588341226 user_id=53] I wasn't speaking of lead, I know that's whole 'nother ball of wax. Do you know the origin of throwing out the baby with the bath water? It's actually quite amusing, and remarkable that it's still an expression used to this day.

Just Googled. Gross! But, yeah, funny.

Chad ochoseis May 01 2020 11:53 AM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

=Ceetar post_id=36249 time=1588354733 user_id=102] does it work the same as a soda stream? in that you have the 2 liter bottle your carbonating, or do you have a water line going to a tap and it mixing?

I have the 2 liter bottle filled with water.



Main drawback is that to carbonate the water, I have to shake the bottle for about a minute. I think the sodastream automates that part.

Ceetar May 01 2020 12:07 PM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

Chad ochoseis wrote: =Ceetar post_id=36249 time=1588354733 user_id=102] does it work the same as a soda stream? in that you have the 2 liter bottle your carbonating, or do you have a water line going to a tap and it mixing? I have the 2 liter bottle filled with water. Main drawback is that to carbonate the water, I have to shake the bottle for about a minute. I think the sodastream automates that part.

nah, you gotta shake the soda stream too. err, for the syrup that is. the carbonation happens by force, yeah. There's gotta be an attachment/wand for that right? rather than a screw on attachment or whatever?

Chad ochoseis May 01 2020 12:38 PM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

I haven't seen one, tho I imagine if the attachment included a tube that extended into the water, you wouldn't have to shake the bottle. Link to the bottle attachment: [url]https://www.amazon.com/ProMaker-Stainless-Carbonation-Pressure-Carbonate/dp/B07DMVBWTF/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=co2+soda+bottle+cap&qid=1588358214&sprefix=co2+soda+bottle+&sr=8-4

kcmets May 02 2020 10:31 AM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

Mets get top shelf priority over Skanks at Uncle Giuseppe's ... [FIMG=750]http://www.kcmets.com/CPF/peanuts.jpg[/FIMG]

MFS62 May 02 2020 11:59 AM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

Three cheers for Uncle Giuseppe. Later

MFS62 May 03 2020 09:43 AM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

When was the last time you bought gas? Over six weeks for us. Later

Benjamin Grimm May 03 2020 10:16 AM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

I bought gas last week, but for the first time in about six weeks. At the rate I've been driving, I'm probably good through the rest of May and June as well.

Frayed Knot May 03 2020 12:28 PM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

I don't go through a lot of gas anyway ... but in this case my last purchase was April 1st and I'll likely cruise thru June as well. The irony of all this is that gas is so cheap now I almost want to buy some before the price inevitably turns back around, but the tank is maybe 3/4 full.

MFS62 May 04 2020 07:47 AM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

Mothers Day is this Sunday, folks. Don't forget to place your on-line orders early enough for timely delivery. Later

Benjamin Grimm May 04 2020 07:50 AM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

I already have a mother.

MFS62 May 04 2020 08:03 AM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

Benjamin Grimm wrote: I already have a mother. Grumbling no good deed goes unpunished. Later

batmagadanleadoff May 13 2020 03:10 AM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

April saw the sharpest increase in grocery store prices in nearly 50 years Even as the consumer price index dips overall, Americans are seeing record hikes in the prices of meats, vegetables and cereals Excerpt: Grocery prices showed their biggest monthly increase in nearly 50 years last month, led by rising prices for meat and eggs, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Tuesday. U.S. consumers paid 4.3 percent more in April for meats, poultry, fish and eggs, 1.5 percent more for fruits and vegetables, and 2.9 percent more for cereals and bakery products, the Labor Department said. Overall, consumers paid 2.6 percent more in April for groceries, the largest one-month jump since February 1974. The jump in food prices came in a month when more than 20 million Americans lost their jobs, driving 1 in 5 households into food insecurity. The increase in food prices was in marked contrast to a broader decline in the basket of goods that makes up the U.S. consumer price index, which fell 0.8 percent in April, the largest single-month decline since 2008. https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/05/12/april-saw-sharpest-increase-grocery-store-prices-nearly-50-years/

Johnny Lunchbucket May 13 2020 06:32 AM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

One reason food prices are going up is that demand is such that manufacturers and retailers are doing all they can just to get shit to the shelves and back again. Until COVID came along US shoppers were spending a little more than half their food $$ on restaurant food, suddenly nearly all of that spending shifted back to food stores. In order to do that, food makers are curtailing the breadth of stuff they typically send to concentrate on that which they can produce enough of. Some stuff like flour, hand sanitizer, TP and now meat becoming scarcer, but also the curtailing of shit (you'll find Capn Crunh, but not Capn Crunch Gluten Free with Cranberries) means less stuff offered on deals--less stuff "on sale." Also stores needn't lure shoppers away from alternatives like restaurants that they typically might. They just need to open the doors and be sure they are safe environments. And paying for the added safety measures (worker hourly pay, installation of plexiglass barriers, sanitation, greater online sales which are more expensive per order to execute) will come out of higher profit margins and rising leverage that come with higher prices

kcmets May 13 2020 06:49 AM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

The biggest hit we're taking here is the 'nothing is on sale anymore' thing. There are things I only buy when they're on special at Shop-Rite, like Italian Tomatoes for example. I made sauce the other day, and between the regular no-sale price of the tomatoes and the extra price per pound of the meats I figured it cost about 200% more to make than normal. It's a couple of bucks here and a couple of bucks there but 200% is still 200%. I haven't bought a can of tuna fish in nearly two months. It just pains me to pay triple for the same can of albacore than what I would have bought only on sale in February.

Fman99 May 13 2020 07:02 AM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

I noticed I'm paying more per week but had chalked it up to buying more lunch stuff for the kids and more dinner stuff for all of us because we're not eating out any more. I've given up on take out - it's never hot enough by the time we get it on the table and I hate paying $50 for a lukewarm dinner.

Ceetar May 13 2020 08:12 AM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

I'm bad with keeping track of prices, so I haven't necessarily noticed. Delivery situation is pretty good here though, been ordering extra since having an extra few slices of pizza or another chinese food dish, etc, in the fridge helps cover some lunches, etc. still can't find bread flour or wheat gluten in the stores though.

Johnny Lunchbucket May 13 2020 08:12 AM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

The biggest hit we're taking here is the 'nothing is on sale anymore' thing. There are things I only buy when they're on special at Shop-Rite, like Italian Tomatoes for example. I made sauce the other day, and between the regular no-sale price of the tomatoes and the extra price per pound of the meats I figured it cost about 200% more to make than normal. It's a couple of bucks here and a couple of bucks there but 200% is still 200%. I haven't bought a can of tuna fish in nearly two months. It just pains me to pay triple for the same can of albacore than what I would have bought only on sale in February. Yeah, that sucks but it's how we've all been conditioned to shop, and a major point of difference between shopping at ShopRite which might be most "promotional" (or in industry jargon "hi-low") retailer in the US, and shopping at Walmart or Aldi which rely less on temporary price reductions in favor of "everyday" value. TBH, the industry (even shoprite--check out the "Right Price Promise" signs) has been moving toward the Walmart model for some time, and Walmart toward the Aldi model, which is even more efficient. It means less margin for the operators which make $$ on the mix of shit in your basket-- they take a loss on tuna, but make up for it in markeed up bread and mayo) and the "excitement" of the sales drive traffic.

Benjamin Grimm May 13 2020 08:29 AM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

I really enjoy these insights, by the way. The ingredient I've been having most trouble with is vanilla extract. I think more people are baking since they're stuck at home.

Ceetar May 13 2020 08:59 AM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

Benjamin Grimm wrote: I really enjoy these insights, by the way. The ingredient I've been having most trouble with is vanilla extract. I think more people are baking since they're stuck at home. I literally have like four large bottles of it. just the plain mccormick stuff. inherited three just before this all started. (go ahead and come pick one up, it's yours)

Frayed Knot May 13 2020 09:47 AM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

I've noticed the lack of sale stuff too, especially on a handful of staples that I tend to stock up on when they go on periodic sales. But there's essentially no point in stores putting stuff on sale when they don't know whether they'll even be able to get enough to support it. Between meat plant shutdowns, busted up supply chains, or suppliers simply trying to play catch up to replace binge buying shortages (paper and cleaning products) they just can't plan for what's going to be available as I'm sure they normally have to have their ducks in a row weeks in advance of advertising a special.

metsmarathon May 13 2020 11:00 AM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

when i used to track my savings from sale items and coupons, i usually ended up maybe saving 8-10% off my bill, but that generally meant that i was intentionally buying shit on sale just to boost my percentage, that i might not otherwise have bought. i eventually realized that along that path lay madness. currently, i'm not tracking what i buy that's on sale, only that when the stuff that i buy does go n sale, i buy more of it then, if i need it. my shopping bills have gone up a bit, but i've attributed it to not paying for takeout as much, or school lunches, and having more meals and snacks to put into mouths each day.

batmagadanleadoff May 25 2020 07:35 PM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

Viral video shows Staten Island store mob screaming at woman without mask [YOUTUBE]BU11pQWUwfc[/YOUTUBE] https://nypost.com/2020/05/25/viral-video-shows-nyc-store-mob-screaming-at-woman-without-mask/ Good. Those people not wearing masks in public should be shamed so brutally and cruelly, that they'll never dare go out without a mask again. This is a matter of life and death.

kcmets May 25 2020 07:59 PM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

I didn't wear a mask at the store until they wouldn't let me in without one. I absolutely hate it and hope ends soon. But it's not going to. No Korea or Iran are probably cooking up something five times worse now seeing how a some germs can bring the world to it's knees.

LWFS May 25 2020 08:07 PM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

Viral video shows Staten Island store mob screaming at woman without mask [YOUTUBE]BU11pQWUwfc[/YOUTUBE] https://nypost.com/2020/05/25/viral-video-shows-nyc-store-mob-screaming-at-woman-without-mask/ Good. Those people not wearing masks in public should be shamed so brutally and cruelly, that they'll never dare go out without a mask again. This is a matter of life and death. I mean... to be fair, the group screaming probably didn't help so much, from a particle-spreading standpoint. But then, they were also all wearing droplet-trapping masks.

batmagadanleadoff May 25 2020 08:22 PM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

Viral video shows Staten Island store mob screaming at woman without mask [YOUTUBE]BU11pQWUwfc[/YOUTUBE] https://nypost.com/2020/05/25/viral-video-shows-nyc-store-mob-screaming-at-woman-without-mask/ Good. Those people not wearing masks in public should be shamed so brutally and cruelly, that they'll never dare go out without a mask again. This is a matter of life and death. I mean... to be fair, the group screaming probably didn't help so much, from a particle-spreading standpoint. But then, they were also all wearing droplet-trapping masks. According to the Post article, one outraged shopper took off his mask to yell at the unmasked shopper. Yikes. Stay away from unmasked shouters. Their germs carry farther and in greater quantities.

batmagadanleadoff May 25 2020 08:23 PM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

=kcmets post_id=37375 time=1590458340 user_id=53] I didn't wear a mask at the store until they wouldn't let me in without one. I absolutely hate it and hope ends soon.

???????????????



WTF????????????????????????



But you complain about the shopper who discarded her latex gloves on the parking lot floor.

Fman99 May 25 2020 08:31 PM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

The masks suck, I'm with Kase. I didn't wear one at the store until they were mandated and I will stop wearing one in the store once they no longer require it.

Ceetar May 25 2020 08:35 PM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

https://scontent.fewr1-5.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/99081194_10151464743844949_5416641229901266944_n.jpg?_nc_cat=1&_nc_sid=730e14&_nc_oc=AQnta4drUH6wBSrbjvUyX8vpLqXBKkICfFY7d-AahCGNsSCyyXUBZdL3wsh610uJjnI&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-5.fna&oh=c2eaf36ec159d1a399c3dfac6f731c35&oe=5EF1F2E9>

batmagadanleadoff May 25 2020 08:36 PM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

=Fman99 post_id=37385 time=1590460291 user_id=86] The masks suck, I'm with Kase. I didn't wear one at the store until they were mandated and I will stop wearing one in the store once they no longer require it.

How do youse know you're not asymptomatic spreaders? I agree that it sucks. Everything sucks these days. But not wearing a mask is outrageous and the height of inconsiderateness as far as I see it.

Ceetar May 25 2020 08:41 PM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

That would be okay if we had adequate leadership that would've put the mask-wearing rule in effect earlier, and would end it when it wasn't as necessary. But that's not the case. There's a case to be made that mask wearing should be like like headphones for your phone/music going forward. You don't _have_ to do it if you're in a crowded subway/store/etc..but you probably should. But for that to happen we should probably work on making them a bit more comfortable.

batmagadanleadoff May 25 2020 08:48 PM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

=Ceetar post_id=37390 time=1590460896 user_id=102] There's a case to be made that mask wearing should be like like headphones for your phone/music going forward. You don't _have_ to do it if you're in a crowded subway/store/etc..but you probably should.

Mask wearing should be mandatory, and the rule should be enforceable, subject to a meaningful penalty that should act as a strong deterrent. Green and red lights aren't optional suggestions and people aren't allowed to shoot guns randomly into crowds. I don't see the fucking difference here. That's how covid-19 spreads -- unmasked people talking and breathing and singing and shouting. Medical responders are getting covid-19 at a lower rate than the general population even though they're in close contact with infected people 'round the clock because of the nature of their work -- because they're always masked.





If the general population wore masks regularly, the covid-19 death rate in this country would be lower by 80%, studies show.

Ceetar May 25 2020 08:59 PM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

I was speaking to like, how many people would get the flu, or hell just a cold, masked vs unmasked in like, 2023. Just spitballing where we go as a society (granted as a society we're going towards "just let 'em die" but I can dream..) Like it's a random fall day and you wake up sniffly but are still going in to work, mask up, sanitize your hands, etc.

kcmets May 26 2020 08:31 AM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

=batmagadanleadoff post_id=37393 time=1590461303 user_id=68] If the general population wore masks regularly, the covid-19 death rate in this country would be lower by 80%, studies show.

Maybe Monarch Mario shoulda mandated earlier; especially in the city, Westchester and

Nassau. Of course, we'd never read (or hear) a sentence like that from his posse press.



But back to shopping, the supermarkets here are pretty much back to normal except for

prices still being high. I like the one-way aisles. Hope that sticks.

Ceetar May 26 2020 08:39 AM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

the one way aisles are nice now, for avoiding people, but it's a disaster as people get less nervous and just stand there blocking aisles and then I have to turn the other way to get around them. Granted, this is always a problem. I think it's the heightened awareness of other people that I appreciate, and that seems to be fading. And yes, the governor has been as disaster (and Murphy is basically just following his lead.) but he speaks nicely so the media likes him.

cal sharpie May 26 2020 10:19 AM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

Yes, things should have been done earlier at the state level and certainly at the federal level (which is where it really needs to be done rather than letting states do whatever they want willy-nilly) but actually since the shut-down Cuomo (Andrew not Mario) has been on the right side of things in managing the terrible outbreak in NYC and the surrounding counties. Nobody likes wearing masks and I hope once this ever ends it stops being a thing but while it is a thing there's no excuse for not wearing them in public. My son and his girlfriend came over the other day and we sat in the backyard maskless but we were all informed adults who took the risk between ourselves. Not the same on the streets or in a store.

kcmets May 26 2020 10:28 AM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

I wear a mask now, and have since mandated. Mario lol, talk about my slip on the ol' freudian banana peel...

Johnny Lunchbucket May 26 2020 11:18 AM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

One way aisles are a disaster in most cases. Shoppers hate em, nobody can adequately enforce them and some companies that did it have already un-did it. What needs to happen is for stores to whack every other aisle, and get by on less crap in their stores. They pretty much already are doing the latter but the former can't really be done overnight. The story of the whole pandemic has been shirking responsibility, individuals, governments, agencies on down the line etc. and guys like Cuomo and grocery store workers have stepped up in the void. It starts at the very top and that's been a catastrophe

Ceetar May 26 2020 11:24 AM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

Johnny Lunchbucket wrote: One way aisles are a disaster in most cases. Shoppers hate em, nobody can adequately enforce them and some companies that did it have already un-did it. What needs to happen is for stores to whack every other aisle, and get by on less crap in their stores. They pretty much already are doing the latter but the former can't really be done overnight. The story of the whole pandemic has been shirking responsibility, individuals, governments, agencies on down the line etc. and guys like Cuomo and grocery store workers have stepped up in the void. It starts at the very top and that's been a catastrophe absolutely. and the shelves thing, I mean, I'd love that that. But not particularly easy especially in the denser areas. It also doesn't help that stores still continue to restock everything during the day. So not only is there a cart in the middle with a person perusing the 7 bags of flour left, there's a giant cart full of jelly being unloaded. I think we need more open areas, where they can put the hot items without having to unpack them. I walked through the busy baking aisle the other day onto to discover a giant pallet of flour in the ..i don't even know what it's called. 'seasonal food' aisle? There's always big displays of stuff there.

MFS62 May 26 2020 11:25 AM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

They've gone back to using plastic bags in Connecticut after banning them last year. Later

kcmets May 26 2020 11:41 AM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

The one way aisles are working in giant stores we go to, it would be a shame to see them go. #lgm #ygb #ymdyf

metsmarathon May 26 2020 01:44 PM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

between the stores i go to and the times i go there, i've never seen a need for a one-way aisle. granted, my usual store doesn't have 'em, and the one supermarket that does, which i otherwise hate, is not busy enough for them to matter. at least, when i go there. currently, and until forced to do otherwise, if the aisle is empty, i see no reason not to enter it from the wrong way. if someone else comes into the aisle, i leave following the arrow. i'm quietly, and meekly, subversive.

Frayed Knot May 26 2020 02:25 PM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

I go with the bandana get-up on those occasions when I'm out and about in places where I'm likely to run into people. That works out well because then if an opportunity to rob a stagecoach happens to pop up on my way home I'm all set. On the whole 'shoulda done things sooner' angle, remember that the early advice was for the public to NOT wear masks. Now this was partially done so that the masks that were available could be steered towards medical folks. But there was also the idea that non-medical masks [bandanas, cloth, homemade get-ups, Freddie Kruger stuff] weren't going to stop viruses from getting in anyway and so the CDC/gov't didn't want to recommend something that would give a false sense of security. Staying in and social distancing were the order of the day, not the wearing of face shields until they finally realized that doing so is at least a partial guard against letting the virus out from those asymptomatic folk.

Ceetar May 26 2020 03:30 PM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

the mask stuff was entirely about like the N95 and making sure healthcare workers had them. They didn't have the facts yet ,and said so. But that's not what anyone means. It's the testing thing that should've started up in February or earlier, and the quarantining , and the tracing. And hell, the study of the damn virus that was shut down last year. Oh and the tossing out of the existing plans. We _literally_ just let the virus run wild for weeks while downplaying the seriousness of it, against expert advice. And how we've decide our half-hearted attempt was enough, and have given up.

TransMonk May 26 2020 05:36 PM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

Johnny Lunchbucket wrote: One way aisles are a disaster in most cases. Shoppers hate em, nobody can adequately enforce them and some companies that did it have already un-did it. What needs to happen is for stores to whack every other aisle, and get by on less crap in their stores. They pretty much already are doing the latter but the former can't really be done overnight. The story of the whole pandemic has been shirking responsibility, individuals, governments, agencies on down the line etc. and guys like Cuomo and grocery store workers have stepped up in the void. It starts at the very top and that's been a catastrophe X1000

Frayed Knot Jun 28 2020 12:28 PM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

So one of the downsides I've noticed of the (partial) reopening trend is that the price of gas is shooting back up again. We shouldn't complain too much since it's still below where it was before this all started, but it seems like it's been jumping up by nickels and dimes almost daily recently and is maybe half-buck/gallon higher now than at its low point. On the plus side, since somewhere right around March 1st -- conveniently right about the time the pandemic started to hit and also when I splurged for a new bicycle -- I've logged more miles on the bike in those not quite four months (1,002 - ticked it over the 1K mark this morning) than in the car (approx 900) and a good chunk of the car mileage was spent driving to some location where I could go biking.

Lefty Specialist Jun 28 2020 01:58 PM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

Still haven't put gas in one of our cars since March 12th. it's been driven fairly frequently, just not very far. The other car has only been gassed up once since all hell broke loose. And I've probably put more mileage on my bike in the last three months than in the previous 5 years combined.

batmagadanleadoff Jul 01 2020 02:50 PM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

I've been noticing that the shopping situation has been normalizing. No more oversized crowds at the supermarket and no more shortages, for the most part. About two weeks ago, however, I did run out of those disinfecting wipes that I'd never purchased before this health emergency. And I can't find them anywhere, now. Everybody's out of those. At least where I shop. And it's fucking up my system. Because when I buy groceries, the stuff that doesn't need to be refrigerated, I put in a designated section, which I leave there for about two days until whatever virus might be on those items dies out. But the stuff that needs to be refrigerated, I wipe down with those wipes.

MFS62 Jul 01 2020 02:56 PM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

=batmagadanleadoff post_id=39707 time=1593636638 user_id=68] About two weeks ago, however, I did run out of those disinfecting wipes that I'd never purchased before this health emergency.

They were rationed, one to a customer, sold in the customer service section of my local Stop-and-Shop, and as of this morning they are all sold out.

Later

Frayed Knot Jul 01 2020 03:04 PM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

=batmagadanleadoff post_id=39707 time=1593636638 user_id=68] About two weeks ago, however, I did run out of those disinfecting wipes that I'd never purchased before this health emergency. And I can't find them anywhere, now. Everybody's out of those. At least where I shop. And it's fucking up my system.

Those wipes were the first thing to disappear, even before toilet paper. And, unlike TP, it was at least logical that demand for them shot up and and supplies were wiped out (pun partially intended).

Demand obviously remains high but they're starting to reappear in stores although in small quantities so you almost have to turn up in the store as they're being stocked.

batmagadanleadoff Jul 01 2020 03:09 PM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

Frayed Knot wrote: =batmagadanleadoff post_id=39707 time=1593636638 user_id=68] About two weeks ago, however, I did run out of those disinfecting wipes that I'd never purchased before this health emergency. And I can't find them anywhere, now. Everybody's out of those. At least where I shop. And it's fucking up my system. Those wipes were the first thing to disappear, even before toilet paper. And, unlike TP, it was at least logical that demand for them shot up and and supplies were wiped out (pun partially intended). Demand obviously remains high but they're starting to reappear in stores although in small quantities so you almost have to turn up in the store as they're being stocked.

Yeah, I'm getting that sense because I'm literally out hunting for these like a tiger hunts prey. No luck.

Lefty Specialist Jul 01 2020 03:16 PM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

Harmon Face Values. I've been able to score wipes (generic, but still) multiple times there. We're well stocked. If there's one near you, check it out.

Ceetar Jul 01 2020 03:52 PM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

=batmagadanleadoff post_id=39707 time=1593636638 user_id=68] I've been noticing that the shopping situation has been normalizing.

same, which is stupid, because maybe there are less infected people (here-ish) than when the restrictions went into effect, but the virus IS still out there and being safe and cleaning things and what not should be being rolled back, maybe ever. (also, dammit, please prop open doors. don't recycle air if you can help it, try not to completely block aisles while restocking!



I have notice some shortages. couldn't get surface cleaner for wiping down kitchen counters ,etc, last week, though it's there today. but mostly things are there. maybe a _little_ picked through.



we've mostly stopped wiping groceries down though. will leave bags of non-perishables in the basement until we need them, but mostly it seems like there's pretty much no chance someone could leave enough virus on like, a plastic bag handle or a carton of milk so that it's going to infect us hours later after being transported, scanned, bagged, remove, put in the fridge, grabbed again later, and then maybe touching a mouth or eye.



we're still trying to limit trips though, buying extra, etc.

Frayed Knot Jul 01 2020 04:37 PM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

=Ceetar post_id=39721 time=1593640322 user_id=102] =batmagadanleadoff post_id=39707 time=1593636638 user_id=68] I've been noticing that the shopping situation has been normalizing.

same, which is stupid, because maybe there are less infected people (here-ish) than when the restrictions went into effect, but the virus IS still out there and being safe and cleaning things and what not should be being rolled back, maybe ever.


The fact that stock on these items is creeping upwards is more likely a sign that supply is starting to catch up to demand rather than simply demand dropping off.

batmagadanleadoff Jul 10 2020 04:02 PM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

Chocolate sales soar as antidote to pandemic stress, data shows Chocolate was the most popular candy that comforted Americans during the past three months of the pandemic, sales data show. Consumers bought nearly $3.7 billion in chocolate during the 17-week period that ended June 27 – a 6.3 percent jump from a year ago, according to sales data from Nielsen. Multi-serve packages brought in almost $3 billion of that total, indicating that buyers either bought chocolate in bulk to share or just to have all to themselves. Sales for salty snacks increased by almost 20 percent to more than $9 billion, according to Nielsen, especially with potato chips, tortilla chips and popcorn. Sweet snacks brought in $1.8 billion in sales, an almost 16 percent increase from a year ago. Shopping for candy and other snacks reflects earlier trends in consumers stocking their pantries with packaged foods like Oreos, Goldfish, Doritos and instant soup instead of fresh and private-label products. With the economic and health stressors spurred by the pandemic, and backed by the temporary closures of restaurants, indulgent snacking grew in popularity. https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/07/10/coronavirus-live-updates-us/#link-WVYFHLO5URFARC7WAKGHNDJ45E

Ceetar Jul 10 2020 04:14 PM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

price and convenience factors in there too. half of america is unemployed and maybe not going for "private-label" products, and if you have to hunt or shop around, that's not really encouraged either. me, mostly I bought beer. Gotta support my local small businesses! (also podcasts and baseball statistics, but those things aren't food)

batmagadanleadoff Aug 05 2020 01:13 AM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

Frayed Knot wrote: About two weeks ago, however, I did run out of those disinfecting wipes that I'd never purchased before this health emergency. And I can't find them anywhere, now. Everybody's out of those. At least where I shop. And it's fucking up my system. Those wipes were the first thing to disappear, even before toilet paper. And, unlike TP, it was at least logical that demand for them shot up and and supplies were wiped out (pun partially intended). Demand obviously remains high but they're starting to reappear in stores although in small quantities so you almost have to turn up in the store as they're being stocked. Yeah, I'm getting that sense because I'm literally out hunting for these like a tiger hunts prey. No luck. Wiped out by demand: Clorox says disinfecting wipes shortage will last until 2021 [FIMG=444]https://www.nydailynews.com/resizer/6-SjUhf_9Nw61sHnvODQ3Q1jO7I=/800x600/top/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tronc/OFLMLPO7VNB6RNMDZUDQZ736BM.jpg[/FIMG] Excerpt: The supply chain is on the rox. Clorox top brass warned Monday that store shelves would not be fully stocked with its disinfecting wipes until next year, Reuters reported. The cleaning brand has been unsurprisingly swamped by demand during the coronavirus pandemic. Its products flew off store shelves in March and have been hoarded ever since. "Given the fact that cold and flu sits in the middle of the year, and then we expect the pandemic to be with us for the entirety of the year, it will take the full year to get up to the supply levels that we need to be at," Clorox president Linda Rendle said Monday, according to CNN. https://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/ny-clorox-disinfecting-wipes-shortage-next-year-20200804-3mbu4uykh5fhbozgryqzgwwv2e-story.html

kcmets Aug 05 2020 09:04 AM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

1/3 cup of bleach, gallon of water and roll of paper towels = disinfectant wipes

Benjamin Grimm Aug 05 2020 09:11 AM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

It's now been four months since I've set foot in a supermarket. I've been using the curbside pickup and I've gotten to a point where I can't imagine pushing a cart through a supermarket for a half hour and then standing on a checkout line. When this is over I'll probably still make quick stops, like for a carton of milk or something, but I may never go back to shopping the traditional way.

kcmets Aug 05 2020 09:25 AM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

Maybe I'm weird (of course I am) but I enjoy going to the supermarket.

whippoorwill Aug 05 2020 11:34 AM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

Just got home from grocery store. The required morons were there mask less, and of course talking and breathing a mile a minute,even the ones that were alone

cal sharpie Aug 05 2020 01:10 PM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

My wife has been doing most of the shopping but going early on Friday morning when she usually goes is a breeze - in and out. We are both way to obsessive over all things food to let others pick out stuff for us. Our favorite thing has been going to the farmers market every weekend - outdoors, everyone masked and, this being summer, really delicious food.

Fman99 Aug 05 2020 01:45 PM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

I still do a weekly run to the grocery store. it's the only time I have to wear a mask for more than 2-3 minutes, but I would be missing 28 things if I had to try and have someone else get all the things I know we need and don't think of until I get there. Luckily it's about 98% people wearing masks and wearing them properly. Covid rates in my county are also consistently pretty low these days. I've come around on masks now. They suck but luckily I almost never have to wear one.

LWFS Aug 05 2020 02:13 PM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

I would LOVE our farmer's market here in my aunt's NJ town... if it weren't so hit-or-miss. Plus, it's on a Saturday morning, so if the produce is particularly pricey or "meh" or both, we end up having to hit the produce market on a midday Saturday run. We've been hitting that produce market-- which tends to stock a fair amount of local produce/dairy, anyway-- 10-15 min away 1-2 times a week, with butcher/supermarket/fishmonger stops about biweekly or triweekly. Have had a good amount of time to pick my spots, so it works out.

whippoorwill Aug 05 2020 05:00 PM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

=kcmets post_id=42890 time=1596639891 user_id=53] 1/3 cup of bleach, gallon of water and roll of paper towels = disinfectant wipes

I'm going to put on some old clothes and try this. I wonder what kind of paper towels would hold up best

Frayed Knot Aug 05 2020 05:21 PM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

=whippoorwill post_id=42934 time=1596668448 user_id=79] =kcmets post_id=42890 time=1596639891 user_id=53] 1/3 cup of bleach, gallon of water and roll of paper towels = disinfectant wipes

I'm going to put on some old clothes and try this. I wonder what kind of paper towels would hold up best


Doesn't matter since paper towels are every bit as unavailable as the disinfectant wipes.

kcmets Aug 05 2020 06:17 PM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

Paper products haven't been much of an issue here the last month or so. One oddball thing that is mysteriously hard to find on the shelves is canned pumpkin. I give the dog a few tablespoons of pumpkin with his dinner.

Frayed Knot Aug 05 2020 06:34 PM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

I think what happened is that paper companies -- and there are three* companies that manufacture most of the paper products in this country -- shifted their focus over to toilet paper after the hoarding back in March/April wiped out most of that supply. But because of that, stores are starting to see the delayed results of that shift so while TP is now not a problem, paper towels and paper napkins are suddenly in short supply. The disinfectant wipes are just going to take some time. They're an item which some people bought occasionally but now just about everyone has decided they need one or two canisters plus a backup for each room in the house. * virtually every brand you've heard of is under the umbrellas of either Proctor & Gamble, Georgia-Pacific, or Kimberly-Clark

Edgy MD Mar 23 2021 03:42 PM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

This weekend, I visited the alien landscape that is Big Lots! and I realized that, despite their acre-sized footprint, strewn with dusty housewares and evergreen non-perishable foodstuffs, they keep a single, tiny refrigerated bin of perhaps six gallons of milk, and maybe one or two dozen eggs, and this is what allowed them to stay open through the lockdown.

Frayed Knot Mar 24 2021 07:08 AM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

Revisiting a nearly year old post here: Benjamin Grimm wrote: I've been doing pickups from grocery stores. You place your order online, then (about a week to ten days later) pull up in the parking lot, pop your trunk, and a masked stranger loads you up with groceries. Is this something you're still using? Still plan to continue using? Is the 7 - 10 day lag time still the norm or has that improved? Can you not get same day service, or it that only theoretically possible but time slots are too scarce?

Benjamin Grimm Mar 24 2021 07:13 AM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

Oh, it's gotten much better. I can usually get same day, or worst-case, next day. Still using it, and I will probably continue to do so well after the pandemic ends. I don't miss, in any way, pushing a cart through a store, waiting in a checkout line, loading groceries on the belt, putting the bags back in the cart, and loading the bags into the trunk. Now I just have to do the last step, unload the groceries from the car when I get home.

Frayed Knot Mar 24 2021 07:19 AM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

Is this a service run by the store or something they sub-contract out to an outside operation? Insta-Cart is one such op I've heard of (and not heard well of) but there are probably others. What, if anything, is the fee to use? Now I just have to do the last step, unload the groceries from the car when I get home. That's what your personal robot is for.

Frayed Knot Mar 24 2021 07:29 AM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

Well the good news is that Grape-Nuts cereal is now shipping at its pre-Covid levels to all areas of the country. And if you were one of those who paid (not making this up) Black Market Rates of over $100 per/box, Post will reimburse you if you have a valid receipt for such a stupid purchase. [they didn't say 'stupid', I did]

Benjamin Grimm Mar 24 2021 07:44 AM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

Frayed Knot wrote: Is this a service run by the store or something they sub-contract out to an outside operation? Insta-Cart is one such op I've heard of (and not heard well of) but there are probably others. What, if anything, is the fee to use? I know Wegman's uses Instacart when I get a delivery, but when I shop at Giant and do the curbside pickup they seem to be fulfilling the order themselves. The fee is $2.95. At this point, if I just need three or four items I'll go into the store and buy them the old-fashioned way. (I haven't had cause to do this yet.) But usually I'm getting about $100 worth of groceries, so the $2.95 fee feels pretty negligible.

Benjamin Grimm Mar 24 2021 07:46 AM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

I pull into one of the designated spots, call them on the phone, give them my name and tell them which numbered spot I'm in, and pop the trunk. They load up the trunk and I'm on my way. I rarely have to wait more than a couple of minutes.

Fman99 Mar 24 2021 07:48 AM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

The problem with this, still, is that my "list" that I prepare each week includes the specific things that my family requested, but, also, probably 20 things that I know I need or want but don't write down, and only purchase once I'm at the store. In that scenario I don't get any of those things. I don't mind it, I guess, it's a 45 minute errand once a week and I can pick the cuts of meat that look best and make on the fly menu changes in my brain if there are certain ingredients out of stock when I get there.

Frayed Knot Mar 24 2021 08:06 AM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

Benjamin Grimm wrote: The fee is $2.95. At this point, if I just need three or four items I'll go into the store and buy them the old-fashioned way. (I haven't had cause to do this yet.) But usually I'm getting about $100 worth of groceries, so the $2.95 fee feels pretty negligible. Yeah, I was thinking that if this kind of thing had been around back in the day when my mom was shopping for a husband plus five kids and a dog, a fee of even double that size which allowed her to skip the supermarket would have been a downright bargain even without a global pandemic. Of course she would have had to learn how to actually use a computer without mangling things up ... but that's a whole 'nother issue.

Johnny Lunchbucket Mar 24 2021 09:25 AM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus Edited 2 time(s), most recently on Mar 24 2021 09:51 AM

As Fman mentioned there are lots of potential "pitfalls" for e-commerce-enabled grocery orders including the loss of incremental "impulse" items they merchandise at the checkout. Plus stores getting instacarted and shopped at the same time have inventory issues since the apps can't actually know the stock condition at a store with the same reliability they could from a warehouse that doesn't have walk-in shoppers picking through the inventory allatime. Finally doing the shopping and fulfillment is a labor the shopper used to do for free, that's costly. That said the retailers know that folks like Grimm who like the experience of online ordering and pickup are likely to devote a greater percentage of their overall food $$ to the store that does that (gaining market share despite losing $$ on the cost of shopping for you)-- and the data they glean from that kind of shopping is more valuable than in-store since they can see with magnitudes more granularity of what you searched for, substituted, etc, then take it, chop it up a billion ways, apply AI forecasting, integrate offers from suppliers, make educated guesses as to other things you would like, and deliver them to you in coupons, ads and offers. The ad revenue the retailer generates from this, goes back into addressing the cost to shop & deliver on you behalf and to things like warehouses staffed by automated robots who one day will pick orders for you. Instacart is a whole other thing, a "marketplace" where shoppers who want things delivered go so the retailers need to be on it or lose to those that are. The delivery is all crowdsourced a la uber, which is a hunger games type gig for hustlers that's probably the closest way to handle inefficient tasks at scale. Instacart is very controversial in that it's both a friend and foe to the partnering retailers, giving them that market expansion and greater reach but competing with them for data and ad revenue that otherwise would belong to them

Fman99 Mar 24 2021 09:32 AM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

So what you're saying is it's all SkyNet basically. And when the Terminators get here it will be Wegmans' fault. I knew it!

Johnny Lunchbucket Mar 24 2021 09:46 AM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

It's insane what can be done with tech today. Warehouses with 10s of thousands items in bins in a giant cube, picked by robots, shuttled automatically to packing stations and then delivery, the whole system a "hive" that learns not only where everything is but where to store them based on usage patterns that we'd never think of in a million years but gets better over time and hardly any humans needed. One of these big warehouses just opened in Ohio, 1st in the US [YOUTUBE]4DKrcpa8Z_E[/YOUTUBE]

Benjamin Grimm Mar 24 2021 09:51 AM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

And although I hadn't really thought of it, the $2.95 convenience fee probably spares me about that much, or more, in the purchase of impulse items, which I don't really need and obviously don't miss. From the store's perspective, it probably doesn't fully pay for the time the store employee spends shopping for me, but it at least mitigates it somewhat.

Edgy MD Mar 24 2021 09:52 AM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

I'm going to be mentally grooving to that music all day.

Johnny Lunchbucket Mar 24 2021 09:58 AM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

Only a little, yeah, and there's downward pressure on what they can charge because you've got companies like Amazon who di it for "free"--you can also buy "free" delivery with Giant now thru a subscription. They can also apply all sorts of pricing science today that can learn what'll take to inspire a purchase from you, what you might be indifferent to paying more for, and what you are sensitive to price on. That could be (and probably is) very different to me. This is also done much more easily online than in a store.

Frayed Knot Mar 24 2021 10:23 AM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

And don't think for a minute that 'The Deep State' isn't monitoring every bit of what you're doing online!!

Ceetar Mar 24 2021 12:04 PM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

I don't plan enough for online groceries, and certainly not for things that are low but aren't on a list. Like "Oh yeah, I made a lot of bread last week, i could probably do with another 5lb of flour" it's only a matter of time before the impulse buys catch up online though. But FAR more targeted and precise. "90% of people want whipped cream when they buy strawberries CLICK HERE TO ADD WHIPPED CREAM TOO" or "you usually buy yogurt once a month but it's been 6 weeks, CLICK HERE TO ADD YOGURT" or "you have bought many different oreo varieties in the past CLICK HERE TO ADD THE NEW CHOCOLATE FUDGE BROWNIE OREO" or "you like the NY Mets and Pete Alonso just signed a new deal to plug Bounty paper towels CLICK HERE TO ADD BOUNTY PAPER TOWELS"

Edgy MD Mar 24 2021 12:19 PM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

I'm so pissed off. I always took Pete for a Brawny man.

MFS62 Mar 24 2021 01:00 PM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

I do my own grocery shopping. I don't want a stranger squeezing my tomatoes. Later

Frayed Knot Mar 24 2021 02:09 PM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

I don't want a stranger squeezing my tomatoes. Isn't this where someone chimes in with, "That's what she said"?

whippoorwill Mar 24 2021 04:44 PM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

This thread has gone through some changes

Edgy MD Mar 24 2021 07:16 PM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

I just found the notion remarkable that anyone would head to Big Lots! for milk and eggs.

Ceetar Mar 25 2021 09:43 AM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

Edgy MD wrote: I just found the notion remarkable that anyone would head to Big Lots! for milk and eggs. i need to know though..do they only sell Jumbo eggs?

batmagadanleadoff Mar 25 2021 11:53 AM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

Edgy MD wrote: I just found the notion remarkable that anyone would head to Big Lots! for milk and eggs. Never even heard of Big Lots.

Edgy MD Mar 25 2021 12:07 PM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

You're missing out. A great place to go if you're wondering what might've recently fallen off a truck. Also a terrific destination for when you want a brand-name snack food, but you want the mysterious variety of that brand that'll blow a blazing fireball out your ass, and dammit, you haven't got all day. Blazing Pringles! Chee-tos Inferno! Napalm Doritos! We've got it!

Johnny Lunchbucket Mar 25 2021 01:10 PM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

Edgy MD wrote: I just found the notion remarkable that anyone would head to Big Lots! for milk and eggs. Never even heard of Big Lots. It's like a suburban National Wholesale Liquidators, you used to see in the city. Closeout, special deals, mainly on home goods, kitchen gadgets, luggage and apparel, tools, Picture frames, mattresses like a Kohl's-Macy's mix but with stuff that didn't sell there. They use milk and other food like substances to help draw visits

kcmets Mar 25 2021 01:46 PM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

We have two Mr. Coffees from Odd Lots. And one in a box in the basement in case one craps out. $19.95 a pop, and it's really all you need to make a good cuppa coffee. Coffee nerds who disagree, start a thread NOW!!!

Benjamin Grimm Mar 27 2021 03:15 PM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

I went into a supermarket today for the first time since April 4, 2020. I have a recipe for a frittata that calls for "your favorite sausage". The sausage I wanted to use was Premio's Chorizo sausage, which is only available (as far as I know) at the Weis market near me, so I double-masked and went in there. It was exhilarating! I grabbed a basket, stopped at the bakery section and grabbed a Boston Creme donut, went to the meat section and loaded up on chorizo sausages (one package for the recipe, four for the freezer) and then did the self-checkout. It all seemed so normal and familiar! What a strange time this has been, that a trip to a supermarket can seem exciting.

Edgy MD May 20 2023 01:57 PM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

Just say, for the sake of this post, that your local branch of an international supermarket chain has been shut down due to rat infestation. The health department is on the case, and so presumably the issue will be addressed to their satisfaction before re-opening. They are, again, an international chain with a reputation to uphold. Do you not go there again for two months? Six months? Forever?

batmagadanleadoff May 20 2023 01:59 PM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

I live in New York City. There's rats everywhere.

batmagadanleadoff May 20 2023 02:01 PM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

Yesterday, I saw a dead rat squashed flat on the crosswalk. It looked like it was run over by a truck. It was spread out about as big as a pizza pie.

Johnny Lunchbucket May 20 2023 02:14 PM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

Did the rat infestation surprise you? 🐀 is is clean generally?

Edgy MD May 20 2023 04:25 PM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

I guess so, generally. It's a discounter.

Johnny Lunchbucket May 21 2023 06:39 AM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

Hmmm...

Edgy MD May 21 2023 03:11 PM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

Hmmmm … I wonder what ‘Bucket means by “Hmmm… .”

Johnny Lunchbucket May 21 2023 04:30 PM Re: Shopping in the Time of the Coronavirus

I was just thinking...they are serious about trying to be clean, but they also get by on a low labor model.... I'd give em a 3 week penalty.. We all but gave up on our Lidl. But that has more to do with me trying not to drive anywhere