Since many of us now live under a “shelter at home” mandate, we thought we would comment on one of the activities we ARE allowed to do, which is grocery shop. These experiences will vary by where you live, and we know there are risks, but we welcome your comments on your experience. We have also updated our CoronaVirus post of a few weeks ago to include new information. You can find it here: https://wp.me/paSTzS-lJ
But first, something to lighten your day:
I was in a long line at 7:45 AM the grocery store today, waiting for the store to open for Seniors. A young man came in from the parking lot and tried to cut in line at the front, but an old lady beat him back with her cane. He returned and tried to cut in again, but an old man punched him in the gut and dropped him to the ground. As he approached the line for the third time, he said, “If you don’t let me unlock the door, you’ll never get in there!”
From Nancy: Sleeping has always been one of my special talents. So why did I wake up after a major anxiety dream on Wednesday night? I knew I had to go to our local Costco to pick up a prescription on Thursday and imagined a total worst case scenario where at the very least I would be close to hundreds of other people just trying to get to the pharmacy counter.
I called the pharmacy and asked if there was a better time to come. They suggested I come around 5:00 pm and definitely not in the morning. I arrived a little before 5:00 pm. The parking lot was moderately full. Barricades were set up outside and an employee was directing people where to go for entry with a separate exit for those leaving. They were letting in groups of 10 people and allowing groups of 10 to leave through the exit. We waited about 5 minutes before getting in.
The pharmacy line was about the same (5 people) as on any day. There was a sign advising us to allow at least 6 feet between people and it was being complied with. My plan was to simply pick up my prescription and leave until I realized how smoothly everything was running. I got a shopping cart and walked through the store. I picked up produce, meat, frozen vegetables and ice cream bars. They did not have everything but were well stocked in most areas.
Every checkout was open and the lines were shorter than what I was used to. Again people were keeping the requested 6 feet between shoppers. I was in and out in about 45 minutes and on my way home with my medication and enough food to supplement what I already had. All in all it was a very successful shopping trip.
In the past week I have heard many stories about having to make trips to several large chain stores, waiting in long lines and finding bare shelves. My advice is to call about the best times to shop. If you drive by the store and there is a long line of shoppers standing close to each other, simply leave and come back another time. Some stores are also offering special shopping times for seniors so they can avoid larger crowds.
The most positive thing about the shopping trip was seeing how considerate shoppers were to each other and to the employees. Flexibility is very important in a time of crisis and practicing the Golden Rule makes even the most challenging activities less stressful.
From Linda: I have not tried to go out and shop at all. We live in a retirement community in Altadena that is closed to outsiders and, while we are allowed to go out, we have chosen to stay self quarantined (or as my husband says in his black humor – “self immolated”!). I have been trying today to order from Von’s home delivery or Instacart. I have been able to fill out long lists of things I need only to get to the end and find no dates for delivery in the next 8 days! Instacart says we can post our order early in the day and have more success finding people who will shop for us., but quite suddenly this afternoon, delivery TODAY from Instacart was suddenly available. So I ordered for two or three weeks in advance. Von’s has said nothing about why no dates are available for the next 7 days. The good news is that Amazon continues to be amazing in that they deliver in a day or two, although they don’t do groceries. The delivery of food via Instacart, Whole Foods or Vons is variable, so if at first you don’t succeed, keep trying! They are doing their best.
From Dinah: I have been grateful for a comfortable, easy, life with daily high points and few inconveniences. I enjoy the freedom to come and go as I wish; have family and friends whom I love and enjoy. Excellent medical professionals and facilities are available with a phone call. There are many marvelous and varied choices of places to go and, food and entertainment from which to choose. I travel the world, wherever and whenever I can. Many of the goods of the world are available to me locally and via the internet, and deliverable today or tomorrow.
So why has a visit to the grocery store taken on an emotional life of its own, enough to seriously write about? Viewed as a symbol of a way of life which is unfamiliar and unknown until the days of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is more understandable. Not until large parts of our nation have been directed to stay at home to avoid the virus for an undefined amount of time, do we begin to value and to appreciate our “normal” lives.
I am not a person who tends to worry too much. Nevertheless, I recall that several of the following thoughts ran through my mind as I felt compelled to plan the outing to shop for groceries: calculating which day would attract the least shoppers, when would restocking take place, and at what time of day would the crowd ebb; should I wear plastic gloves (yes); masks are out (impossible to find and are for those who are sick and want to avoid making others ill); what alternatives do I have if the parking lot is full? What if someone ignores the social distancing recommendation and stands closer than 6 feet? Making the list also got special attention: What did we really need; be mindful not to hoard or overbuy for the long haul; don’t be wasteful buying things that will expire and be thrown out; if there is a limit of 2 per customer- go for it or not; what substitutes for favorites might I discover if our favorites are out? What if many of the heretofore “basics” are not on the shelves, do I need to go to an additional store/s?!
Meanwhile, grocery stores in my town had the brilliant idea of offering early service hours exclusively for older adults, people with disabilities, and pregnant women, from 7-8am, 7 days a week! This seemed a great idea to me and would provide a simpler and safer shopping experience. VCAAA_Grocery Stores On Friday morning, I set the alarm for 6:30am and drove over to get groceries. At 7:15am the parking lot was ¾ full, most people sitting in their cars. One entrance was open, the second one for exiting only. There was a man monitoring the entrance and a group of 10 had just been allowed to enter. He suggested I get a shopping cart and mentioned that they had all been thoroughly cleaned the night before. He allowed me to go in but started lining people up for the next entry. There was a table with hot coffee and tea for those in line.
I probably shouldn’t have stopped at the Deli counter but did. Prepared food was not being sold, but sliced meat and cheeses were available. I was stuck behind a woman who bought enough cheeses and ham for a sandwich party. There were only low lights toward the back of the store, but I was able to make out some empty shelves. Fortunately, I found everything or a facsimile thereof, except eggs, butter, orange juice, and chicken. The napkins and toilet paper obviously made up for everything I couldn’t find, so overall, I considered it a success and plan on doing the same next week and for as long as necessary. I can’t say enough for the characteristics of adaptability and flexibility and will work on those for the duration. Be well, Be safe everyone.
We will get through this. Let’s try to make it as easy as possible on others and ourselves by having patience and remembering that everyone is experiencing the same challenges as we are.
From a subscriber Pam Burnham:
So I am in two high risk categories for coronavirus – age and compromised immune system. Happy to stay put in my little corner of the planet in Pismo Beach – I am near the ocean, small community, and until yesterday, only 33 cases of the virus thus far in SLO county, two hospitalized. Nonetheless, I am fairly paranoid about venturing out except for walks in our neighborhood. We have a full freezer, but lack a few essential items, so on Saturday I placed an online order with Von’s/Safeway and requested delivery. There were no available dates for at least 7 days. I decided to try pickup. I could get my items (only about $50 worth) on Tuesday, today, between 11:00 and 8:00. This morning I got an email from Von’s saying about half my order could not be fulfilled – no inventory, and included some staples we use daily. I put on an old hoodie, rubber gloves, and a hat and set out for a limited shopping trip. Von’s was pretty efficient but the parking lot was full and people were leaving the market wrapped up like burritos. Can’t say I blamed them and glad we did not go inside. I added the missing items to my list for the nearest market that caters to the rich and famous. Shelves were bare! They were even down to their last scoop of meatloaf mix in the meat section, had no salad dressings, so I figured I would make my own with …. a $9 quart jar of mayo!! I checked it for edible gold but it had none. $150 later for basically $100 of goods, we headed off to pick up the produce box we get every other week courtesy of a local vintner, then home. Going over the top once again, I wiped down everything in paper and plastic with chlorox wipes, the milk container, and the (necessary) wine bottles and saved the produce for a thorough scrubbing in the sink. Discarded my gloves, threw the hoodie in the laundry room and and unloaded and stocked everything. The local market was not very busy and folks were respectful of social distancing. Don’t think I’ll shop there for basics but who knows. Best part of the trip was my produce box from the vintner.
Here is another observation from one of our subscribers:
Wanted to share my experience with shopping this morning. I went to Ralphs on Moorpark at 8:10 am and found a line of about 40 people waiting to get in. I got in on the second wave of entry, maybe 20 minutes later. I was able to purchase 2 packs of six roll TP, 2 packages of disinfecting wipes (Kroger), a large bottle of bleach and eggs. Milk and bread were available. No sign of isop alcohol, hand sanitizer, cleaners with disinfectant or aloe gel. An employee was greeting customers as they entered and offering disinfectant wipes. 🙂 I then got to WLV Costco at 9:10 and got in a line that wrapped around to the back of the store (100-200 people?). I entered the store at around 9:40. Once inside, anyone who wanted paper products or water got in another line that started at the front door and wrapped through the aisles all the way to the back where the paper goods are located. They had employees there putting one package of TP and one of paper towels into the carts of every customer (if you wanted both). It went really fast. Probably 15 minutes from getting in this line to having the products in my basket. I did not find any additional items of the scarce variety but asked one employee if they have received any hand sanitizer at all since the scarcity started. He said they received a shipment of large Kirkland bottles yesterday afternoon but that was the only delivery he has been aware of so far. Maybe the pipeline is getting filled again?? I was happy that I didn’t see a single rude or inappropriate action the entire time. Our community is awesome!
I liked the post about grocery stores. I have tried this my self.
Ordering from amazon through Whole Foods works a little. Wonder if they are focused on certain types of food that are easy to get or perhaps not as important to health or limiting orders for certain foods? Your thoughts?
I dont know that Whole Foods is limiting food for reasons of nutrition. I have ordered from them before and they generally have a more narrow range of products than Safeway or Ralph’s . I hope that the larger grocery stores will gear up their delivery sites a little faster, because most of us need basics, not the gourmet stuff!