Serious Discussion - Empty Grocery Stores

GlowGirl

tempo_n_groove said:

MF117973 said:

cutz said:

brianlux said:

cutz said:

I did a search for a Item to see if they had it in stock and it tooK me to this page. You see, its just not Ticketmaster>LOL

                                                                            ShopRite

You Are Now In Line

The demand for online grocery shopping has increased significantly. You are now in line for ShopRite.com.

When it's your turn, you will have 10 minutes to enter the website.

Please bear with us as we are doing our best to serve you in a timely manner.

Thank you for your patience & understanding.

What is this?

Expected arrival time on the website: MORE THEN A HOUR

Sorry to hear that! 

This is a reminder to me to not feel too frustrated about having to wait a week for my next e-cart food pick up-- at least I didn't have to wait an hour to place the order... not yet anyway.

Thanks.

It was actually a 2 hour wait. When I selected a time for Store pickup they had NONE for the next 7 days, and that's as far back as the website goes. I  then  selected Delivery to my house and had NO delivery dates for 5 days, and again, that's as far back as they go on the website.  I'll try somewhere else tomorrow.

Wow. Who would have thought that we would all be going through this. I feel lucky that when I ordered groceries on Friday they gave me a Monday night delivery. Now I am thinking I better reorder cat food. My cat is on a prescription food that I get from Chewy’s online. I have enough cans right now for two weeks. But who knows how long delivery could take. Talk about planning ahead...

Chewy has been really good with delivering through this.  No problems so far.

They have been good. Just ordered another case of cat food. What is normally overnight delivery will be 7-10 days. However, they were out of the cat litter I usually use. That has never happened. Cats can be very picky about their litter. It can be an ordeal to simply switch to another type. Amazon only had it at increased prices. Finally found some at Target at the normal price with delayed shipping. Right now I have enough for 4 weeks so the delay won’t affect me. Went ahead and ordered a few bags - who knows what the availability will be like next month. Never thought buying cat litter would be a 30 minute endeavor fraught with stress. 😬

deadendp

We ordered cat litter on Amazon.  It arrived yesterday.  Pretty quick turn around.  We have ordered it through them before this, so this order isn't out of the ordinary for us.  

We ordered a case of cat food from Pet Smart.  My husband ordered it last week.  We haven't gotten a ship date yet.  I guess order through Pet Smart if it isn't an emergency.   We typically order and do a store pick-up, but this will be fine.  

GlowGirl

My Instacart guy is on his way over. He could only find 4 of the 15 things I had ordered. There were not even substitutions for most of them. Unreal.

oftenreading

So are grocery stores still empty where you guys are? Ours are full of almost everything with the exception of hand sanitizer and wipes, which you basically can’t find anywhere unless you luck into some sort of clandestine drop. 

Jason P

My local store is pretty much as oftenreading stated.  they have Pickle Rick Pringles.  Even in the face on disaster, we are able to mass produce and distribute Pickle Rick Pringles.

'merica

deadendp

Jason P said:

My local store is pretty much as oftenreading stated.  they have Pickle Rick Pringles.  Even in the face on disaster, we are able to mass produce and distribute Pickle Rick Pringles.

'merica

Those are not available in this corner of 'Merica. I have never even heard of them. 

Provolone cheese. It's the only real cheese my daughter can eat and I am suddenly having a very difficult time finding it. Let's hope Giant Eagle provides tomorrow in my in-laws grocery order. 

cutz

MF117973 said:

cutz said:

brianlux said:

cutz said:

I did a search for a Item to see if they had it in stock and it tooK me to this page. You see, its just not Ticketmaster>LOL

                                                                            ShopRite

You Are Now In Line

The demand for online grocery shopping has increased significantly. You are now in line for ShopRite.com.

When it's your turn, you will have 10 minutes to enter the website.

Please bear with us as we are doing our best to serve you in a timely manner.

Thank you for your patience & understanding.

What is this?

Expected arrival time on the website: MORE THEN A HOUR

Sorry to hear that! 

This is a reminder to me to not feel too frustrated about having to wait a week for my next e-cart food pick up-- at least I didn't have to wait an hour to place the order... not yet anyway.

Thanks.

It was actually a 2 hour wait. When I selected a time for Store pickup they had NONE for the next 7 days, and that's as far back as the website goes. I  then  selected Delivery to my house and had NO delivery dates for 5 days, and again, that's as far back as they go on the website.  I'll try somewhere else tomorrow.

Wow. Who would have thought that we would all be going through this. I feel lucky that when I ordered groceries on Friday they gave me a Monday night delivery. Now I am thinking I better reorder cat food. My cat is on a prescription food that I get from Chewy’s online. I have enough cans right now for two weeks. But who knows how long delivery could take. Talk about planning ahead...

I tried another store and it was the SAME. NO Store Pickups, until at least the 14th. No Delivery dates until at least the 12th. Looks like I'll have to put on the Hazmat uniform on and go to the Grocery store. You gotta eat right?

Yes, we all have to plan way ahead it looks like for some time.

Good LUCK everyone.

cutz

MF117973 said:

My Instacart guy is on his way over. He could only find 4 of the 15 things I had ordered. There were not even substitutions for most of them. Unreal.

I was wondering about this. 

giventofly69

oftenreading said:

So are grocery stores still empty where you guys are? Ours are full of almost everything with the exception of hand sanitizer and wipes, which you basically can’t find anywhere unless you luck into some sort of clandestine drop. 

Great news for you in Victoria.  Toilet paper is part of the hand sanitizer, lysol wipes 'holy grail' trifecta of 'out of stock' items here in Vancouver.  Cannot find these anywhere.

I went to a small organic grocery store last week.  I found most everything I wanted except flour, yeast, and frozen peas. Yup, I could not find frozen peas.

oftenreading

giventofly69 said:

oftenreading said:

So are grocery stores still empty where you guys are? Ours are full of almost everything with the exception of hand sanitizer and wipes, which you basically can’t find anywhere unless you luck into some sort of clandestine drop. 

Great news for you in Victoria.  Toilet paper is part of the hand sanitizer, lysol wipes 'holy grail' trifecta of 'out of stock' items here in Vancouver.  Cannot find these anywhere.

I went to a small organic grocery store last week.  I found most everything I wanted except flour, yeast, and frozen peas. Yup, I could not find frozen peas.

Lots of tp in stores here. 

But right, yeast! Yeast supplies are not rising. 

GlowGirl

cutz said:

MF117973 said:

My Instacart guy is on his way over. He could only find 4 of the 15 things I had ordered. There were not even substitutions for most of them. Unreal.

I was wondering about this. 

Yeah. I ended up ordering on Amazon some of the things that the instacart guy couldn’t find for me. They had what I needed except for paper towels. Delivery is supposed to be tomorrow. It’s crazy that I have had to order from three different places over the past week just to fulfill one small grocery order. It’s just me. So I don’t even need that much. I am just waiting for the inevitable email from Amazon saying that they don’t have some of the things I ordered. Fingers crossed that doesn’t happen 🤞. I live in NYC if that gives some perspective. 

mickeyrat

some paper goods left at 430pm this sunday.  6 packs of 6=24 rolls. 

disinfectant cleaning supplies, liquid only has been growing. no wipes that I have seen since this run on stuff began.

eggs are back. all milk is back. butter is filling back in. stock and broth back in. soups remain decimated. didnt check the pasta aisle. bread seems back. packaged meat case was normal. butchers case and seafood case closed.

staff wiping cart handles as needed. usually have 6-9 ready to go at all times.

what were taped Xs marking 6 ft on the floor have been replaced by printed 8x8 squares marking 6 ft between. handbuilt plexiglass barriers at each cash register.

tempo_n_groove

Frozen fruit is gone at my local, lol.  No damn frozen fruit.  Now they expect me to do this myself?  Bastards...

Found TP.  Still no lysol, colorox wipes or sanitizer.  Got lucky and found sanitizer last week though.  Purchased 2 bottles.  Placed one in office and other is on reserve.

Get_Right

NYC suburbs here(35 miles north) and we are able to find most items except hand sanitizer. Grocery stores and Target have been restricting access more and more. Waited 45 minutes to get into a shop rite, but was able to stock up for the most part.  Good luck everyone and stay safe. I still see a ton of people just out and about with no gloves or masks. We have 61 confirmed cases in our town of about 2,000.

mickeyrat

oh, my store is limited occupancy to 1000 people at a time........

what dreams

I still can't find Cascade powdered dishwasher detergent, unless I order a $75 case of it on Amazon. I'm brand loyal, but I only have one wash cycle left. I'm going to have to break, one way or another.

GlowGirl

MF117973 said:

cutz said:

MF117973 said:

My Instacart guy is on his way over. He could only find 4 of the 15 things I had ordered. There were not even substitutions for most of them. Unreal.

I was wondering about this. 

Yeah. I ended up ordering on Amazon some of the things that the instacart guy couldn’t find for me. They had what I needed except for paper towels. Delivery is supposed to be tomorrow. It’s crazy that I have had to order from three different places over the past week just to fulfill one small grocery order. It’s just me. So I don’t even need that much. I am just waiting for the inevitable email from Amazon saying that they don’t have some of the things I ordered. Fingers crossed that doesn’t happen 🤞. I live in NYC if that gives some perspective. 

My Amazon order showed up right on time today with everything there. The only thing I need to go find now is paper towels. I am down to my last roll. I may venture out to the local bodega to see if they have any. As of now, I am good with groceries and cat supplies for the next several weeks. Sigh of relief.

deadendp

what dreams said:

I still can't find Cascade powdered dishwasher detergent, unless I order a $75 case of it on Amazon. I'm brand loyal, but I only have one wash cycle left. I'm going to have to break, one way or another.

Would you be willing to try the dishwasher tabs? That's what I use. You may be able to find those. I do get brand loyal, though. Sam's Club brand sucks. We use the Cascade Total Clean "Actionpacs."

Tempo, I did find frozen fruit at Aldi. Don't know if you have one around. We got blueberries and strawberries, but I know they also have mango and mixed packs. 

The illusive provolone showed up in my in-laws grocery order today! 1/2 of what I added to their order wasn't filled, but no big deal. We have eggs and provolone.

cutz

MF117973 said:

MF117973 said:

cutz said:

MF117973 said:

My Instacart guy is on his way over. He could only find 4 of the 15 things I had ordered. There were not even substitutions for most of them. Unreal.

I was wondering about this. 

Yeah. I ended up ordering on Amazon some of the things that the instacart guy couldn’t find for me. They had what I needed except for paper towels. Delivery is supposed to be tomorrow. It’s crazy that I have had to order from three different places over the past week just to fulfill one small grocery order. It’s just me. So I don’t even need that much. I am just waiting for the inevitable email from Amazon saying that they don’t have some of the things I ordered. Fingers crossed that doesn’t happen 🤞. I live in NYC if that gives some perspective. 

My Amazon order showed up right on time today with everything there. The only thing I need to go find now is paper towels. I am down to my last roll. I may venture out to the local bodega to see if they have any. As of now, I am good with groceries and cat supplies for the next several weeks. Sigh of relief.

That is good and also a BIG relief too, especially living in NYC.

Stay safe.

cutz

A trip to ShopRite during the coronavirus is a harrowing experience I don’t want to repeat

https://www.nj.com/coronavirus/2020/04/a-trip-to-shoprite-during-the-coronavirus-is-a-harrowing-experience-i-dont-want-to-repeat.html?outputType=amp&__twitter_impression=true

By Steve Politi | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

I fastened a homemade mask over my face, pushed a rickety cart through the sliding doors, and immediately realized that the coronavirus did not change one of the realities of living in suburban New Jersey:

There is no social distancing in the produce aisle.

The crowd at the ShopRite in Bloomfield where I normally buy groceries was half of what it would be on a normal Sunday morning, but given the narrow aisles, that still meant this place was clogged with humanity. There was no hope that I’d get through this experience without coming within six feet of other shoppers every time I turned a corner.

 That was the first jarring part of this experience. The next was just how many people seemed oblivious to what was going on around them. A few steps into the supermarket, I encountered a man testily asking an employee if the store had any avocados in the back.

“Are you SURE you’re out?" he asked.

Hey, buddy, I like guacamole as much as the next guy. But now’s not the time to get picky about the contents of your cart. Grab something and move the hell on!

 The customer, an older gentleman, wasn’t wearing a mask. I’d estimate about a third of the customers were, even after the CDC recommendation days earlier. More striking, many of the cashiers and baggers weren’t wearing masks, either. Given that employees in at least 25 ShopRites had tested positive for the coronavirus, that stunned me.

It felt like half the people in the store were treating this experience like a scene out of the Walking Dead, cautiously moving from aisle to aisle with one goal in mind -- to get the hell out of there. And the rest? It was business as usual, just another shopping trip, mindlessly checking off items on their list and grousing about empty shelves.

I ran into a man in a motorized cart barking at an employee who gently asked him to obey the six-feet rule while waiting in line. “But I was within six feet of people all the time when I was shopping!” he pointed out. He was right at the absurdity of this, and absolutely wrong for questioning her.

 And the whole scene felt, well, profoundly stupid.

A short walk from this supermarket, Brookdale Park -- a gorgeous 121-acre green space -- is cordoned off with yellow tape like a giant crime scene. If you sneak under that tape and try to jog around it, police will apprehend you and chase you out. I’ve listened to enough of Gov. Murphy’s daily briefings to understand why this is necessary.

But, back in the ShopRite, I bumped into another shopper angling for the last box of taco shells, got stuck in a crowded cereal aisle when a couple was bickering over the choices (or lack thereof) and stood three feet from a cashier behind a PlexiGlas barrier that was basically useless if either of us shifted our bodies in another direction.

The voice over the loudspeaker, the wise guy with the Jersey accent who usually informs customers that ground beef is on sale for $1.99 a pound, was now pleading with customers to follow the social-distancing guidelines.

 

The aisles were marked for one-way traffic with big red arrows, something I hadn’t noticed until another customers pointed to the floor and told me I was going the wrong way. I felt like the worst kind of scofflaw, but when I turned my cart around to follow the rules, I immediately ran into another shopper oblivious to the new world order.

“What you’re doing is making a difference. We have enough data now to say that comfortably,” Murphy told New Jersey residents on Monday, but he added that any wavering from our social-distancing patterns could lead to disastrous results. “This is no time to spike any footballs or take our foot off the gas. This is not over, and not by a long shot.”

Look: I have no idea how much of our social-distancing success is at risk because we’re still clogging the aisles at supermarkets. They have been classified as “essential” businesses for a reason. We need food to survive.

 But it was beyond clear that few of the people inside this store truly needed anything -- myself included. I wanted fresh meat to cook for dinner, but had some in our basement freezer. I wanted fruit and vegetables for the kids, but they will have to make do with the whatever I pull out of a jar or heat up in the microwave.

I get that plenty of other people might not have that option. I also know that trying to find a slot for grocery deliveries is like trying to get tickets to a Bruce Springsteen show. You need a lot of patience and even more luck.

That’s why people still have to make a harrowing trip to their neighborhood supermarket. But have to are the key words here. If my trip to ShopRite was any indication, there are too many people who don’t understand what the word essential means.

The produce aisle is guaranteed to produce one thing -- stress.

Stay away if you can. I know I will.