This morning, again, we got up at 6:15AM to go to local Safeway for their Senior 7AM to 9AM shopping hours. Finally, they had milk and we got some. But, half of our list, they didn't have. So, took the things home that we bought there and then headed to Walmart. Nice time to go when very few people were there. Now, Walmart had everything else that Safeway didn't. We were very surprised at how stocked Walmart was.
I don't understand the logic behind reducing open hours for grocery stores. It seems to me just simple math that the stores would be more crowded when they ARE open. It puts a few more people out of work, and makes the working conditions worse for those employees that are still working because of the crowding. I must be missing something. I always used to go later at night when fewer people were there.
Grocery stores have designate two days out of the week, and those 7AM to 9AM hours, for Seniors, even though they don't stop anyone else from shopping at that time. They are just trying to protect Seniors. Don't know what time you go shopping, Nancy, but there are Seniors that are "Early Birds" in the AM, as I am. Many Seniors think about their health, and not getting this virus, not how many people are put out of work or anything like that. Many Seniors will think, "thanks for thinking about us, because that doesn't happen very much".
Yes, but the point is why reduce the total hours open? They could still set aside a time for seniors. Some seniors might choose to go late at night when it wasn't as crowded. That's all I was saying.
This new shopping routine has led to a lot of bad food choices. Last time at the grocery the shelves were empty of peanut butter except a few jars of crunchy and ONE jar of creamy Peter Pan (my brand) which was misplaced in the back of the shelf. In spite of banning peanut butter from the house, I can't resist the last one of anything. It is half gone already. I see another diet coming before summer.
I think our store opens an hour early for seniors but, from what I have heard, they said it was for seniors and for those who were sick. As a senior, why on earth would I want to go shopping with people who are sick? That's who I'm trying to avoid. Besides, I can't imagine needing anything badly enough to get up at 7:00 am for it. I think people are buying anything they think will keep for a while. Once the election is over and we're done with all of this panic nonsense, people won't be buying toilet paper for another thirty years.
"I think people are buying anything they think will keep for a while. Once the election is over and we're done with all of this panic nonsense, people won't be buying toilet paper for another thirty years.[/QUOTE] I truly hope you are right, @Ken Anderson , but I can't agree with you on this one. This is going to be bad.
I saw this and just had to post it. In March, while all of the mass hysteria was happening, and liberals were panicking and buying up every single roll of toilet paper, hand sanitizer, and paper towel that they could get into their shopping cart.......... this is what the conservatives were buying !
I don't expect to have a problem. A few things that will lead to the absence of problems are as follows: I have always bought things that will keep as I find good prices on them. Hence, when this nonsense began, I already had enough toilet paper and paper towels to last a couple of months. Once I found that people were buying it up, I ordered a case of TP and a case of paper towels. I later ordered a second case of TP after someone tried to tell me it wasn't available. It was. Just to be a smart-ass, I later ordered a third. The third one hasn't arrived yet but as long as it comes in the next few months, I'm good. Although I don't anticipate having to dip into it, we have enough 7/25-year foods in storage that we could survive a long time without buying anything if we had to. My wife goes shopping because she feels cooped up in the house but we don't really need anything. Those things that still tend to be in short supply at the store, I order on Amazon far enough ahead of my anticipated need that I don't have to worry about slow delivery. Since we miss restaurants, we have ordered a few food packages from Omaha Steaks and another similar place. These are meals for two that need to be cooked but come with all of the ingredients and taste like something you might get in a decent restaurant. I have not been stocking water because I don't anticipate our tap water supply running out and, while I don't ordinarily drink that stuff straight, I do make coffee with it. My main fear is that the owner of the company I work for will fall on bad times and have to shut down. We would still have our Social Security and some other income, so we wouldn't die, but that would hurt.
I went to one of those 7 to 9 AM times for seniors and immediately turned around when I saw a completely full parking lot and a line of seniors waiting to get in. It even made TV news. That was on Monday. On Thursday, I went there again at the same time, and it just looked like a normal amount of people which isn't very many at that hour. Timing seems to be key.
We have not been going at the early morning times for seniors, although we usually do go in the mornings, usually. Neither of us had a flu shot, so we are less at risk of the CV virus than most seniors, who usually get flu shots. I don’t expect to get the virus, but I could be a carrier, and I would not want to give it to any at-risk seniors; so it is better if we do not shop when the at-risk people are shopping. We are shopping as needed, but probably not any more or any less than usual. We have the basic food items that store well, so it is just fresh produce that I need to shop for. Some things that we can have shipped, I order from either Amazon or Sam’s Club, so that helps, too.
Yvonne, I read online that even those Seniors that got the Double Dose Flu Shot, aren't immune to this virus. We get a Senior Flu Shot every year. But, since we did get that shot last Oct., we feel somewhat more safe than we would if we didn't get it. We now have, what is called Virus Protection Masks, that we will both be wearing to the grocery store when we go.
Most of the stores that are having shorter hours are doing so to have time to clean the store and restock the shelves that are emptying faster these days. They also are doing it to help their stock last a little longer in between deliveries. My Honey and I went out to deposit his check in the bank this morning, pick up my Taco Bell and his treats, then headed to Albertsons where I got down and bought the essentials we needed. I was very happy to see that they had a person outside with the shopping carts swiping the down with spray disinfectant. And right inside the door was hand wipes to take with you. The Cashiers are behind plastic shields and they do have the distancing signs spaced evenly apart on the floor. I noticed that people were all being very conscious of leaving distance between them and other shoppers, some even had face masks on. The shelves had everything although things like toilet paper did have a limit on it. I had no problem getting everything I needed and was very happy to see all the precautions put into place. Our Mayor has asked us to just have one shopper to one cart at the grocery stores and I think this is a good idea too.