Combat Shopping

[Bduck]

Between 3 of the major outlets we shop the lines are long to get entrance, Costco, Sam's, & Smith's. Folks are in the stores plucking away at the shelves mainly for TP, paper towels, kleenex, sanitary items and now food items thinking there is going to be a shortage. There is a shortage because of the hoarders. Been hearing some are wanting to return items such as TP because they can't resell it to profit. I can understand the need to have a small stock so a household can get by during this crisis but its also hurting those who do get to the stores to fulfill there needs there are too many empty shelves. A friend of my wifes sister has been trying to get infant formula for her baby for 2wks+ but none to be had anywhere. After the word got out some folks have stepped up to share what they have.
Smith's has changed there shopping hours, on Mondays Wednesdays & Fridays from 7-8am for senior shopping and open to general public at 8am closing 10pm. Tuesdays & Thursdays hours are 8am-10pm.
For you single geezers this is the opportunity to shop for & with seniors.

[wiperhunter2]

After all the news telling folks to stop all this hoading, it is unbelivable that some folks are so stupid, the reason selves are empty is because of their self centered motives, not because of any shortages. Every time we go to the stores and ask about those items they don't have, they tell us the same thing, nothing is in short supply but they just can not keep up with the demand of all those that are hoarding items. What is really surprising, is that those stores haven't put a clamp down on the number of items anyone can buy at one time.

[Kent]

My wife and I shopped our local Smiths today during the 7-8 AM Senior Hour.  My wife made the comment that she bet it would have been less crowded had we waited and come later with everyone else.  It was disappointing to see all of the empty shelves.

[RockyRaab2]

We also went to Smith's this morning. Long lines to get in before the opening, and every cart taken soon after. They have a Limit Two rule in place, but early folks were still loading up their carts with TP and towels. They were actually checking at the door to let nobody under age 60 in.

They had all night to restock, and there were good amounts of paper products, bread, dairy, and meat. Still no potatoes, but they did have onions. The deli was chock full of Boar's Head meats, fried chicken, fresh-baked breads, and even cakes. Pallets of bottled water and packaged meats. Seafood department closed.

All in all, I was pleasantly surprised. We got in and out in 15 minutes so I don't know if the shelves were empty again before the millenials even woke up.

[wiperhunter2]

Good info to know Rocky, thanks for letting us know. Since the two rules was in effect, do you know if they let those that had over two, buy the items?

[Bduck]

Went to Costco this morning to do some routine shopping hoping to find something left. I showed up after opening time so I wouldn't have stand in line to get in. To my surprise there was still a long line to get. When going into Costco the population gets bottled up with linesgoing to the back of the store for checkout. What they have started now is to let in a certain amount of patrons as some leave the store. I found out this is to limit space so its not overly crowded between buyers. Smiths was rediculous this morning with the bump & run.

[Tin-Can]

I do my shopping every 2 weeks on payday Friday at the Roy Winco. They changed their hours open 7 a.m. to midnite. No big line to get in even though there were several waiting for the doors to open. Store was pretty well stocked. There were empty shelves in the expected areas, paper goods, canned food items, other places. But I got everything I needed. Except the bottled Distilled Water I use in my VPAP humidifier.  Store manager said they were expecting 11 pallets but not until Tuesday. Lots of products had signs posted Limit 2 per family, but if you know how to alternate what you usually get for something different it was pretty easy.  I can use the Pur water filter pitcher in my fridge to filter, and bottloe my own temporary source of close to distilled water. And the tap water isn't bad if used for old south Georgia style "sun" tea.  Coffee tastes ok from the tap water too. It has the side affect of scaling up the pot, but a regular boil out with white vinager fixes that (I didn't notice any shortage if vinager).  

I would LOVE to take a plane load of these panic buying, over buying hoarders, to live for 6 months in some of the countries I served in. Even in the UK, most Brits have to shop every or every other day cuz they don't have the huge storage freezers we do.  Of course, they do (or did in 1985) have a pretty good system of home dellivery of most evcerything. Milk, fresh produce, meat, baked goods........

[2knots]

Senior shopping at Smiths in Logan has been fine for crowds, they have limits in place for the high demand items, ie 1 pkg of TP. Could be that people are just starting to hear about it up here also so time will tell