@JASFLALMT wrote:

Empty shelves everywhere, rude customers, store associates stocking as fast as they can only to have customers stockpiling their carts full as quickly as the product hits the shelves, long lines at the registers...totally unfair to shop them.

A lot of stores in my area are limiting quantities. I think this should be implemented in all the stores right now. If not, of course you will continue to see selfish people hoarding more than they really need.

Agree on the limiting quantities, guysmom! I was at Costco a couple of weeks ago and passed a woman with six 30 roll packs of t.p. Unless she was shopping for a small office, she was the poster child for excessive hoarding/panic buying!

@bestofbothworlds wrote:

Agree on the limiting quantities, guysmom! I was at Costco a couple of weeks ago and passed a woman with six 30 roll packs of t.p. Unless she was shopping for a small office, she was the poster child for excessive hoarding/panic buying!

Perhaps people have heard of Jim Edmonds from the Real Housewives show on Bravo or they remember him from Major League Baseball? he spent $2000 on stuff at Costco, and you can see he didn't need anything.

[www.the-sun.com]

I don't think quantities should be limited. A lot of people who are purchasing large quantities are distributing to churches, shelters or schools. Stop being so judgemental.

I never know by looking who is buying what for whom and how the purchase is being funded.

I was told by a store employee that the intention was to provide one of each product type per household in the customer's preferred size and brand (according to availability of those features).

Keep in mind that today's seemingly healthy purchasers might be next month's home-bound sick ones who might need that TP and be unable to get to a store and buy some.

The rationing system cannot solve anyone's problems. It cannot verify who is stocking up, hoarding, and/or sharing. It can only aim at a hoped-for distribution equity so that a majority of households can have at least enough to last until the end of this month.

Plus, almost overnight thousands of people who only eat out now went to supermarkets to stock up, or they cook at home. The central warehouses did not have time to order and stock up to prepare at the almost overnight giant influx of customers.

My stepdaughter and her boyfriend only eat out at restaurants. They had to go grocery shopping and she was griping about having to learn how to cook.

Right now, I'm very thankful that my wife is a great cook. Some skills may be "old-school," but they are certainly not antiquated!

@JASFLALMT wrote:

My stepdaughter and her boyfriend only eat out at restaurants. They had to go grocery shopping and she was griping about having to learn how to cook.

That said, the pre-prepared foods at the grocery stores are not what's sold out! Perishables seem to remain fully stocked while items like paper supplies, dry pasta, canned foods, frozen meals and such were hoarded.

It's kind of hard to believe that these items were being donated anywhere, since the shelters and churches are still begging for supplies. There was enough TP for all of Los Angeles a week ago and suddenly there's not?

That's greed. Plain and simple.

I was doing Unilever audits at Walmart and other stores, and all their eggs and deli meats were gone in addition to paper products and sanitizer, cleaning supplies, etc.

@JASFLALMT it will be dependent on your location, and the customer base of the store. Here in LA, where hoarding started earlier, store stocks are coming back to normal already. I fully expect to be able to buy TP next week....and I noticed the decline happened in a particular order:

First, the warehouse stores were hit. If you are going to hoard, Costco is the best place to start...right? Then the Targets and Walmarts were hit. Large grocery chains were next and I remember thinking it was limited to that when people were complaining about Walmart being out of TP and Trader Joe's had a full supply last week! Two days later, TJ's was wiped out. Then Whole Foods and upmarket stores, then the local markets and convenience stores.

In terms of bonuses, it’s not unheard of. I know of one particular MSC that sends out Christmas bonuses unattached to shops. Having said that, I definitely don’t expect them to do it at this time...

I was well-stocked before the corona virus hit the U.S. (that we know of). I am looking forward to getting to the bottom of my freezer in my garage. But, I saw lots of elderly people trying to find TP and sanitizer, plus trying to do their regular shopping as well. I wish the grocery stores would allow those people to call in orders (when things get restocked) and do curbside pickup for free. Many of those people don't have smartphones or computers and wouldn't know how to order online even if they did. And being on a fixed income and born during the depression era, they don't want to pay the $5 fee for curbside pickup so they go in the stores and risk their health. I had two elderly ladies in the shampoo aisle yesterday asking me for shampoo recommendations because their beauty salons are closed and they haven't washed their own hair since the 1950's.

Our grocery store is "limiting" bread to 4 loaves per customer. I think that's too many. I haven't been able to buy bread in any store I've been in in days. Everything is gone, except the fresh-baked bread. Which I love and which I'm buying, but it's not convenient for sandwiches. Back to slicing my own bread! LOL.

I used to bake my own bread, and it is indeed wonderful, but you are right. Not practical for sandwiches. I wonder where that breadmaker is? I think it's in the basement. I haven't used it in a long time, maybe I will break it out next week and make some.

Hopefully you have flour. That seems to be disappearing in our area...among other things.

@JASFLALMT wrote:

I used to bake my own bread, and it is indeed wonderful, but you are right. Not practical for sandwiches. I wonder where that breadmaker is? I think it's in the basement. I haven't used it in a long time, maybe I will break it out next week and make some.

@BirdyC wrote:

Our grocery store is "limiting" bread to 4 loaves per customer. I think that's too many. I haven't been able to buy bread in any store I've been in in days. Everything is gone, except the fresh-baked bread. Which I love and which I'm buying, but it's not convenient for sandwiches. Back to slicing my own bread! LOL.

Our Krogers is limiting bread 2 per person. I bought two different loaves (my kids' schools are cancelled until at least May 1st and they eat a lot of sandwiches). I also bought a package of hamburger buns, but they must not consider that bread because I was not prevented from purchasing them.

The msc that was begging me to hand out samples at Walmart and Target still have many, many of these shops on their app, increased a measly $5. Hard pass.

Listen to what Steve is saying. You all outside of CA are about to go through the same cycle that we did.

Fortunately, what I eat is fully stocked. There is no shortage of expensive vegan food right now. Fruits and veggies (not canned) are fully stocked.

One of the merchandising companies I work for sent out an email asking if anyone wants more hours, LOL.

@SoCalMama wrote:

Fortunately, what I eat is fully stocked. There is no shortage of expensive vegan food right now. Fruits and veggies (not canned) are fully stocked.

No bread; This is life telling us to watch the carb intake.

I love how everyone is going to for the 'stuck in isolation' comfort foods as well....specifically in otherwise health-centered SoCal. Ice cream and full-fat yogurt...sold out. Non-fat and gluten free items readily available.

Not quite everyone. We are not vegan, but we are avoiding white flours, sugars, etc.

@SteveSoCal wrote:

@SoCalMama wrote:

Fortunately, what I eat is fully stocked. There is no shortage of expensive vegan food right now. Fruits and veggies (not canned) are fully stocked.

No bread; This is life telling us to watch the carb intake.

I love how everyone is going to for the 'stuck in isolation' comfort foods as well....specifically in otherwise health-centered SoCal. Ice cream and full-fat yogurt...sold out. Non-fat and gluten free items readily available.

@Shop-et-al wrote:

Not quite everyone.

OK...you're right. That was probably an exaggeration. The masses are going for comfort foods

Albatross is still sending shop notices.

I just received this email from The Source that reminded me of the discussions on this and other threads. Sounds like some ideas some posters had:

Are you planning on going to your local grocery store today or tomorrow? Want to make a few extra dollars while you’re there?

If so, you can complete a project for our Safety Precaution Grocery Shop program! The project is simple and easy to complete.

Project requirements:

- Project to be completed at your regular local grocery Store.You choose!
- Project can be completed during any open store hours
- Observe/report any additional safety procedures present in the store in response to COVID-19(coronavirus)
- Make a purchase and upload a photo of your receipt(All you need to spend is $2 on any item(s))
- Optional: Take pictures of any additional visible safety procedures in place and upload them to your report

If this sounds like a project you are interested in, sign up for a shop!

To request a project, go to your agent website and select “Request Projects”. Search for zip code and choose a shop in the Safety Precaution Grocery Shop program. (You do not need to be located near this zip code, this zip code is only a mechanism for you to be able to locate and request a shop.) The location is called “Safety Precaution Shop Location”.

Then complete the project while you are completing your pre-planned shopping!

These projects are to be completed ONLY if you are planning on shopping at your local store already.Please do not change your schedule to complete this project.

If you have any questions, please contact support.

I got that email and went to the website and followed the instructions, using the zipcode provided in the email. The website isn't functioning properly, however.

@RedRose22 wrote:

I just received this email from The Source that reminded me of the discussions on this and other threads. Sounds like some ideas some posters had:

Yeah...that's basically the shop posting I was hoping to see. No pressure to go. Just report on the progress if you happen to be there...usable information!

Yup, shopping in stores where the malls have been closed. BRILLIANT!

Okay, they fixed the technical glitch.

I wonder how this will affect imported fruits like grapes and bananas? Much of that is from Mexico and South America, will the borders stay open for trade?

And of course I thoroughly wash my produce, not afraid of getting corona virus that way.