Grocery shopping tips during Coronavirus quarantine #2

[otto]

We almost need to start a poll to see how many people have stock-piled a month of food and other necessities just in case. It seems unnecessary when the problem is in some other part of the world, but it also seems quite likely that the problem will move to all parts of the world.

If that happens, there are those who will be prepared, and those who will panic in the last minute and the shelves will be bare. I wonder what the stats would look like amongst people here for prepared versus wait and see then panic.

Thread #1

 

[mister happy]

Hey all. How is the rubbing alcohol situation in your area? I live in Los Angeles county, and the stores here have been out of stock for 3 weeks now. Online availability is zilch too. I do have a few ounces left at home, so I'm trying to make that last. Geez...

 

[CSIDreamer]

Hey all. How is the rubbing alcohol situation in your area? I live in Los Angeles county, and the stores here have been out of stock for 3 weeks now. Online availability is zilch too. I do have a few ounces left at home, so I'm trying to make that last. Geez...

I can't find any in southern indiana.

 

[mister happy]

I can't find any in southern indiana.

It's crazy. The manager at my local 99 Cent Store told me the situation looks bleak.

I do have a handy tip that helps conserve your rubbing alcohol. When you open a new bottle don't tear off the inner seal, underneath the cap. Instead use a pin to punch a little hole in the center of the seal. This way you can easily control the amount used.

 

[Henry2326]

Food processing company JBS USA Holdings, Inc. announced the temporary closure of its meatpacking plant in Green Bay. The move comes after hundreds of COVID-19 cases were linked to such facilities in the area.

Health officials traced at least 189 positive cases of the new coronavirus to JBS last week, according to the Green Bay Press Gazette.

The company's beef production facility employs more than 1,200 people and supplies food for more than 3 million people each day, according to a news release announcing the closure. It joins JBS facilities in Colorado, Minnesota and Pennsylvania that have shut down temporarily due to the virus. The company operates more than 60 meat, poultry and other facilities nationwide.

"Given the continued spread of coronavirus in our community and among our workforce, we have decided to voluntarily close our Green Bay facility in an effort to help flatten the curve of infections in Brown County," said Grassl in a statement. "We’ve been focused on doing everything we can to keep the virus out of our facility, but we believe a temporary closure is the most aggressive action we can take to help our community collectively slow the spread of COVID-19."

The temporary shut down follows confirmation from the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) that the JBS Packerland Plant is among several meatpacking facilities under investigation by the worker safety agency. All told, an OSHA spokesperson said six food production facilities are being investigated in Wisconsin.

JBS USA Announces Temporary Closure Of Green Bay Meatpacking Plant

 

[Sundog]

'Food supply chain is breaking,' Tyson Foods chairman says as processing plants continue to close

 

[jjenny]

I'm not sure where all this confidence about the U.S. having enough tests is coming from. That's not what I've been hearing. We are as woefully unprepared with the tests as we were and are with the PPE.

I am fortunate in that I will be able to work from home as long as is necessary. I do go into my office a couple of times a week, but I have largely stayed at home. All of these businesses may start opening again eventually here in CA, but I will likely not be patronizing them for a long time to come.

And where is all the lysol? How are we going to sanitize? I always used it before the pandemic (wipes and spray). But I obviously didn't stock up enough.

 

[ilovewings]

'Food supply chain is breaking,' Tyson Foods chairman says as processing plants continue to close

This is not good news.....moo

One of the lead stories on the Today Show was a possible meat and chicken shortage-- ok- so no the meat and chicken hoarders will be out in droves--- you know the ones that hoarded all that toilet paper!!

 

[10ofRods]

And where is all the lysol? How are we going to sanitize? I always used it before the pandemic (wipes and spray). But I obviously didn't stock up enough.

Yeah, me neither.

And now, of course, there's no Pepcid. Anywhere that I can find.

 

[zecats]

Yeah, me neither.

And now, of course, there's no Pepcid. Anywhere that I can find.

I just bought Pepcid from Target. Store pickup only and cost was $7.00. I need it for my cat believe it or not. She takes prednisone and Pepcid for IBD. Glad I found more before it goes the was of Lysol and hand sanitizer.

 

[bluedivergirl]

Just go back from my neighborhood Walmart. Produce and meat were in good supply. I bought more meat than I typically would. I plan to slowly fill up my freezer. I'm going to discuss with DH finding a local rancher to buy 1/4 of beef. There are cattle all over central FL, so it should be doable. Ranchers with butchering skills may be harder to find.

I scored Charmin and store-brand bleach! Not a speck of disinfecting products in the store. Nothing.

I agree with previous posters who recommend and upright, no self defrost freezer. Many years ago we were given an enormous chest freezer ( You could have put several bodies in that thing!) No matter how I tried to keep it organized, things sank to the bottom, not be found until defrost day.

 

[PayrollNerd]

Stocking up on meat in the spring and summer in FL is a huge risk due to hurricane season. It's only going to take one good storm to knock out power long enough to lose what's in your freezer. I have a small 5 cubic foot chest freezer. The bottom layer is 1 gallon and 1/2 gallon jugs of water. If the power goes out, I am hoping what I do have, will last more than a day or two.

 

[mickey2942]

@PayrollNerd there is always Spam! Personally, I am not much of a meat eater. I do eat those packets of tuna and salmon for lunch.

 

[PayrollNerd]

@PayrollNerd there is always Spam! Personally, I am not much of a meat eater. I do eat those packets of tuna and salmon for lunch.

No spam for me! LOL! I’ll stick to other protein sources if need be. My kid doesn't eat meat. I’ve learned about all kinds of protein sources in recent years.

 

[LadyL]

We did a food run yesterday - pickup outside grocery store. I ordered a few days in advance. They were out of weird things like Romaine lettuce. Still not finding Lysol/Clorox wipes or hand sanitizer anywhere. By the time they come back in stock, this pandemic will be over. I check Amazon and Walmart daily. I don't understand why they're not coming back into stock. They can't all be made in China.

 

[ilovewings]

We did a food run yesterday - pickup outside grocery store. I ordered a few days in advance. They were out of weird things like Romaine lettuce. Still not finding Lysol/Clorox wipes or hand sanitizer anywhere. By the time they come back in stock, this pandemic will be over. I check Amazon and Walmart daily. I don't understand why they're not coming back into stock. They can't all be made in China.

i dont understand why grocery stores dont seem to restock items like hand sanitizer,
isopropyl alcohol and disinfectant wipes--:also no pharmacy i have been too have
thermometers--i know they sell out, but they dont seem to restock this item--it is
a mystery

 

[bluedivergirl]

Stocking up on meat in the spring and summer in FL is a huge risk due to hurricane season. It's only going to take one good storm to knock out power long enough to lose what's in your freezer. I have a small 5 cubic foot chest freezer. The bottom layer is 1 gallon and 1/2 gallon jugs of water. If the power goes out, I am hoping what I do have, will last more than a day or two.

IMO, it will last several days. If your elec goes out, throw a heavy blanket or rug over it. More insulation. Mine also has frozen water.

 

[Suglo]

We did a food run yesterday - pickup outside grocery store. I ordered a few days in advance. They were out of weird things like Romaine lettuce. Still not finding Lysol/Clorox wipes or hand sanitizer anywhere. By the time they come back in stock, this pandemic will be over. I check Amazon and Walmart daily. I don't understand why they're not coming back into stock. They can't all be made in China.

i dont understand why grocery stores dont seem to restock items like hand sanitizer,
isopropyl alcohol and disinfectant wipes--:also no pharmacy i have been too have
thermometers--i know they sell out, but they dont seem to restock this item--it is
a mystery

My understanding from asking at the supermarket is that there is a major supply-chain disruption and that which is produced is being sent to hospitals, clinics, nursing homes and other essential businesses. The manager of my supermarket actually said he doesn’t expect to get any shipments until late summer. Here’s an article about it published last Friday.

Household cleaning products like Lysol and Clorox wipes won't be fully back in stock until July or August, supply-chain experts say

 

[LadyL]

My understanding from asking at the supermarket is that there is a major supply-chain disruption and that which is produced is being sent to hospitals, clinics, nursing homes and other essential businesses. The manager of my supermarket actually said he doesn’t expect to get any shipments until late summer. Here’s an article about it published last Friday.

Household cleaning products like Lysol and Clorox wipes won't be fully back in stock until July or August, supply-chain experts say

thank you - that makes sense that they're going to hospitals etc.
I hadn't thought of that

 

[goddess]

The clerk at my local dollar general said they have not gotten Lysol in over a month.