Just went to my local Costco. Here's some of what they're doing for mitigation;

[A HERETIC I AM]

First, it wasn't that busy at all, not too crowded in the least.

The store nearest my house. This one has been open a bit more than 2 years now.

Fuel was $1.559 for Regular and $1.959 for Super.

They had a sign at the door saying what they were out of (I didn't think of taking a pic till I was well inside) and it was the usual suspects; TP, Hand sanitizer, Wet Wipes, Rubbing Alcohol, raw chicken (except they had some Organic breasts and legs, limit one package per customer)

Lots of trashcans everywhere, at the end of almost every aisle, which is not typical for this store. There were also numerous staff wiping down things like the door handles in the freezer section. They were pretty much everywhere that gets a lot of touching.

A lot of the open top coolers usually filled with chicken or fish and other seafood, had berries and other produce in them, I suppose to make it look good. Better than having them empty. They had plenty of beef and pork as well as their other packaged foods, baked goods, etc. The bread section was nearly wiped out. Plenty of eggs (My Winn Dixie that's nearby was out of eggs yesterday) and plenty of other produce

I should have taken more pictures, but I was preoccupied with getting what I needed and getting out. In the back where the TP and other paper goods are kept (No TP as I said above, but I got a package of Paper Towels) the large racks of overflow stock were empty. Knowing what I do know about how a tractor trailer is loaded, I would say that one single 120' stretch of wall, with 3 levels of empty racks, represented about 3 semi trailers full of goods, maybe two if it was double stacked. That store probably needed 20 such trailers to fill their complete stock back up again.

Here's some pics of the checkout lanes, showing the tape on the floor for distancing;



In front of the food court;



They had installed shields in front of every register;



And when one of the guys saw me taking pics, he posed/mugged for the camera for me! I told him I was just taking shots of what they had done and complimented him on their efforts;



He was in good spirits and we had a short but pleasant conversation. I also asked for the store manager on the way out and complimented her on the efforts the store was taking to keep everyone as safe as possible.

I only saw one other customer wearing a mask. I was wearing one primarily because I have no idea if I have contracted the virus or been exposed, but since I've been to several mail facilities in the last few weeks where virtually NO ONE was wearing a mask, it's better that I don't take any chances in being a carrier.

[Baitball Blogger]

1. What was the limit on water?

[A HERETIC I AM]

2. I didn't even notice, but they had plenty.

I've been buying a case every other day from the Walgreens near me, so it wasn't even on my list.

[oldsoftie]

47. Why would water quit running?

[Baitball Blogger]

65. My city's water isn't safe.

I don't even give it to my dogs.

[oldsoftie]

75. I know its wrong, but that last sentence made me laugh

[stopbush]

58. My Costco had a 5 case limit on their bottled water yesterday.

[msongs]

3. very few customers. our costcos are mobbed at opening then way down by noon or so nt

[DavidDvorkin]

4. At my local Costco, the people wiping everything down

were the same people who were handling out samples a few weeks ago. One of them told me that Costco had hired them for this new task to help them out.

[A HERETIC I AM]

6. I read that they were hiring those people the other day, Yes...

Last edited Wed Mar 25, 2020, 09:15 PM - Edit history (1)

I didn't ask any of them, but I would imagine this store is participating in the program.

[Skittles]

5. that last pic

what a great smile

[A HERETIC I AM]

7. He was definitely Mr. Happy!

[Karadeniz]

8. They're trying...thanks for sharing!❤

[greenjar_01]

9. They had so much raw chicken at Mariano's in Chicago yesterday

that they filled up multiple cooler cases, even those that usually hold yogurts and cheeses. The store was overflowing with chicken and ground turkey.

[Silver Gaia]

10. You mentioned the bread section being "nearly wiped out."

Does anyone know what's up with that? Why is bread so damn hard to get? Anyone have any insight into that? Are the big commercial bread bakeries shut down? Are people hoarding bread in freezers? I don't get it.

I'm in Northern CA. I haven't been able to find bread, like Orowheat sliced bread, for at least 2 weeks now. I have been able to grab fresh-baked deli breads, like at Whole Foods, but nothing else. (I am not actually going into stores. I have to order online and either have it delivered or get curbside pickup.) Not at the grocery stores, not at Target, nowhere.

[A HERETIC I AM]

11. I think it's being hoarded like Toilet Paper, frankly.

But I'll bet you can still find flour and yeast in your local supermarket. Add a few other items, some time, effort and love, and voila! Something that resembles bread! LOL...

(I always want to type "Viola" cause it's funnier, but I'm afraid people will think I'm an idiot, which just adds insult to injury.

Because I am an idiot)

On edit to add that the section I'm talking about is the one with the bakery bread like you mention. Their own in house baked goods seemed to be in good supply.

But the same has been the case at my local supermarket. The outside bread is gone, but the inside stuff that they bake in house seems to always have product. Or at least so far.

[Silver Gaia]

17. I would think that, too, but bread is a perishable item.

It molds. So, what's the point in hoarding bread unless you can freeze it? Hopefully, people's freezers will be full at some point?

As for baking my own, I only have enough flour and yeast for a few batches, and those are also hard to find. Plus, I just don't have the time right now.

I guess I'm stuck with expensive (but very tasty) deli breads for now.

Thanks for all the responses!

[SergeStorms]

22. The same with eggs.

I keep asking everyone "why the hell are they hoarding eggs"? They're perishable, I wouldn't eat eggs kept in the refrigerator (although they say it doesn't make much of a difference) after 10 days to 2 weeks, tops. You can't freeze them, so who the hell is buying and hoarding all the eggs? I went to Walmart (my last choice for grocery shopping) where on any given day before COVID-19 they probably have 500 doz. eggs, and not a single egg. Not even a broken one.

[shanti]

26. Eggs last longer than you may think

I have two every morning, so buying a dozen at a time isn't going to cut it if I plan to stay put for a month.

[central scrutinizer]

28. In many countries eggs aren't refrigerated.

They keep a long time

[dhol82]

49. In those countries they aren't washed prior to sale

There is some sort of protective membrane on them that gets washed off here in the states.

[GulfCoast66]

109. Yep. We get our eggs from a local small producer.

They sell them unrefrigerated and we keep them that way. The wife uses store bought ones for baking as it really makes no difference. But for fried, scrambled, poached or omelets nothing beats yard eggs.

[zackymilly]

38. Google "preserving eggs with mineral oil". You can then keep them in the fridge for up to a year.nt

[airplaneman]

44. Eggs can last a year and you can freeze them (best to scramble and freeze or crack an freeze) n/t.

[oldsoftie]

50. I'm lucky with eggs. One of my tenants has chickens. She gets a dozen a day!

She gives them to me for free. I try not to abuse the system; I only get a dozen every 2-3 weeks

[homegirl]

34. I have plenty of

yeast but I can't get flour. Two bread machines-one doesn't work and the expensive one makes awful bread. Guess I will have to make bread the old fashioned way, if I can ever get flour.

Sort of a "there's a hole in the bucket, dear Henry" story.

[cstanleytech]

40. I was lucky I was able to find a 10 lb bag but I will have to try and get in the mood to make bread

as I have not done any baking for about 7 years since my mom died as the joy went out of it.

[zackymilly]

43. Do you know if they still make the bread machine bread mixes?

I was going to dig my bread machine out of the basement, thinking I could get the bread mixes at the store, but they either were sold out, or don't make them anymore. The bread machines seemed to be a fad, as you don't hear about many people using them anymore. Mine's been in the basement for a lot of years. It's a Betty Crocker 2-pound loaf machine.

[homegirl]

87. I paid a lot

for a Japanese bread machine that makes 1 lb. loafs thinking I would have a supply of fresh bread. Makes awful bread-dry, thick crust. Maybe I will try not using the recipes that come with the machine.

I think you can find bread mixes on the internet. I have ordered them in the past.

[zackymilly]

89. Thanks. I have a cookbook somewhere if I can find it.

I remember making sauerkraut bread that was the best.

[csziggy]

92. A way to improve your bread machine bread - bake it in the oven!

Let the machine do the work of mixing and kneading, but when it's time to bake, take the dough out of the machine, put it into a bread pan, let it rise again (in my electric oven, I turn the light on to warm it up a little) up to maybe 45 minutes, then bake.

The old Oster bread machine I bought at a thrift shop, not only bakes mediocre bread, it ends up with a hole in it where the paddle goes. So I pulled the dough out one day after the first rise, shaped it, let it rise, and put it in the oven. Not great bread, but acceptable.

[Luciferous]

99. I used to do that with my bread machine. After it broke I bought a Bosch stand mixer

and started using that to knead the dough.

[csziggy]

100. I went to a stand mixer when I found a vintage Kitchen Aid on Craigs List

So most of the time now I use that. I should give the bread machine to my brother in law, but it's at the top of that cabinets and my husband has to get it down - someday.

The bread machine was a good way to get back into making bread. I used to do it all by hand until I wrecked my shoulder and couldn't make it anymore. For several years I didn't make bread at all, then happened on the machine for $10. That got me back into home made bread again, so it was well worth what I paid for it.

[Luciferous]

101. A lot of times you can find barely used bread machines for little money at the thrift store

Not a lot of people bake bread anymore but I find it relaxing to knead dough and of course it just tastes better

[csziggy]

104. I liked the kneading but just can't do it anymore

One shoulder was completely rebuilt, another just repaired, carpal tunnel and ulnar nerve relocation in both arms have left me without enough strength to really do a good job of kneading. Fortunately, the Kitchen Aid with a dough hook is pretty good at it and all I have to do is shape the loaves before the last rise.

[homegirl]

116. Many

thanks for the great advice.

[MountCleaners]

105. FLOUR tips

I live in a fairly densely populated suburb of Chicago, and the regular flours - white and wheat are dwindling, so I headed over to the health food store and they still have stuff like almond flour, quinoa flour. I bought a bunch of alternative flours and have been making flatbreads and biscuits. I haven't tried making an actual loaf of bread, because they use too much flour. I just make some flatbreads every other day to eat with soup or make tacos. So you might want to try your hand with other kinds of flour that are still on the shelves.

My store had only a few packages of frozen vegetables left and NO canned vegetables, and I guess I should have bought some produce, of which there is plenty, but that stuff is so exposed and it gets picked over, of course, by people trying to get the best spinach or lettuce or whatever. But all I brought home were mushrooms and sweet potatoes, which appear to be plentiful.

[cstanleytech]

36. You can dry it out though and then bag it to use for stuffing later

on and you can also freeze it.

[murielm99]

42. Yeast and flour was hard to find

in my store.

Next time I go to the store, I will look for the bakery bread.

[RobinA]

77. Here In

SE Pa. flour is gone as well as most of the sugar. Don’t know about yeast. Bread is hard to come by, but I eat seeded rye, which you can usually find. Also shot is frozen vegetables and fruit, most ice cream products, frozen pizza, popcorn, meat, beans both dried and canned and anything involved with making spaghetti. Also, all the usual suspects like TP etc.

The flour did surprise me, as I bake and get weird looks when I tell people I make pies. Yes, and the crust too. All these people suddenly became bakers or something.

[Autumn]

81. No yeast or flour to be found anywhere here. I tried ordering Fleischmanns yeast

online last week but it was unavailable.

[Aquaria]

103. Flour and yeast have been wiped out since Black Friday

In San Antonio.

[central scrutinizer]

12. This is prodding me to bake my own

I have a 25 pound bag of organic stone ground whole wheat that I bought from a local farm in November and a jar of sourdough starter in my fridge. It takes two days to make a loaf but what else do I have to do.

[A HERETIC I AM]

14. This.

I would really like to see that flour. I usually have a bag of whole wheat flour in the pantry, but I never make bread using it 100%. I always use less then a 50/50 of all purpose with it.

[central scrutinizer]

15. The loaf is fairly dense

But I’m fine with it. I use my Kitchenaid with a dough hook. Feed the sourdough the day before and again in the morning. In the afternoon-Start with 500g of flour, 400g water, 12g salt, approx. 100g sourdough starter. Put the batter in a 12qt. food grade plastic tub with a tight lid. Allow to ferment at room temperature overnight for 12-15 hours. Form into a round loaf, place in a proofing basket into the oven (my stove has a bread proof setting - 85F) for about 4 hours. I bake in a Dutch oven that is preheated to 475F. Bake covered for 30 minutes, uncovered for 15 minutes more.

[A HERETIC I AM]

16. Sounds yum!

My next older brother lives with me and he is a fan of sourdough, and had starter in the fridge for a looooong time (like closing on 18 months!) till I finally made him toss it and start over!. Not my favorite, I must say, but I've enjoyed a good bit now and then.

I've got a Kitchenaid as well. Wonderful machine.

Bon Appetit'!

[snort]

68. Pretty much the same.

Using 3C whole wheat to 1C all purpose. Makes for a nicely balanced loaf.

[A HERETIC I AM]

71. Yup.

Sounds good!

[womanofthehills]

18. For about 3 months now I have been making my own sourdough bread

Because I could not find organic sourdough bread. I’ve also making sourdough mini pizza crusts that I bake for about 7 minutes and then put in the freezer.

[True Blue American]

114. Sounds good to me.

The only time I had starter I ended up with a huge jar full.

[SergeStorms]

23. One of my best childhood memories...

my grandmother baking bread. The aroma of freshly baked bread in a house is something most kids these days will never enjoy.

[True Blue American]

115. My Mother

Baking Yeast rolls. As the smell wafted out I suddenly had a group of friends just visiting me.

[A HERETIC I AM]

13. One more thing.....

And I in no way mean to lecture you, and I apologize if you either already know this, or are otherwise unable or unwilling to.......


Make your own.

I find it rather therapeutic, actually. It's a craft, when you get right down to it, and when you have a dough that has that wonderful, silky feel in your hands and you are kneading it on your board.....well...


It is sort of life affirming, if you know what I mean. When it bakes it fills your house with the smell of....your grandmothers place.

You catch my drift, I'm sure.

Really good bread is really very simple to make, there are hundreds of recipes easily available and since it is a sort of 'work for 5 minutes then leave it for an hour then work for ten minutes the leave it for two hours, etc" type of thing, it doesn't have to dominate your day.

[womanofthehills]

21. I usually kneed my bread when I'm listening to Rachel's podcast

That way I look forward to kneeding. I am also fermenting vegetables.

[True Blue American]

25. I am making small batches of biscuits

3/4 cup self rising flour
1/3 cup 2- milk
3 Tbs butter cut into small chunks

Knead butter and flour
Add milk,stir
Ball,fold over several times on wax paper with little flour if you need it. Make 2 balls, 400 in greased pan.

[GulfCoast66]

110. This southerner must object to your biscuit recipe. As good as I'm sure it is. 3 corrections:

Only use southern soft winter wheat flour like white Lilly. Pastry flour works as well. Makes for a better crumb. Lower gluten.

Buttermilk and baking soda with some baking powder as well. The acid in the buttermilk makes them lighter

And the controversial part... lard not butter. Butter make good biscuit, but lard is heavenly.

And use a 1950s highball glass to cut them out. Nice small ones that cook quick.

And its singular. Biscuit. As in “I’m making a batch of biscuit tomorrow morning. Be up at 6:00 if you want them hot.” I think that is a regional usage.

My family takes biscuit very seriously. Well, all food for that matter.

[True Blue American]

111. Well,of course

Last edited Thu Mar 26, 2020, 08:39 AM - Edit history (1)

I only spent a good share of my life in Tennessee, I am from Southern Ohio.

My MIL, Mother and Grandmother whose biscuits could float used lard or Crisco. At the moment I do not have either one.

Just kidding.

Boy my early morning typing is really bad. Sorry.

[GulfCoast66]

112. One of the upside of this crap.

People are learning to cook again. Or for some people I know for the first time. I’ve already received several calls from friend asking how I make something I have served them in the past.

Have a nice day.

[True Blue American]

113. I admit

That I do not cook as much as I used to. I was good, but not in comparison to my Grandmother who actually joined my Grandfather on the Railroad as Head Cook after her 6 children were raised.

Lately I have stuck to my Specialties and let the Son and DIL take over the family parties I used to host. She is a Food Scientist so I consider the family in good hands.

[tosh]

27. Same at My Publix in SW Georgia

last Friday morning - all “commercial” bread was out, HUGE section!

No bread, no buns, nothing.

They had placed loaves of bakery bread at 3 foot intervals along the shelves, LOL.

(Yes, l like the bakery bread but it’s wasteful for only 2 of us, it gets moldy too quickly.)

[DangerousRhythm]

67. Freeze it.

No waste that way. 😊

[tosh]

88. Yes, I've been saying I need to buy more freezer space!

Counter depth fridge, freezer. It’s always crammed!

[deurbano]

30. I live in San Francisco & usually get groceries delivered from Whole Foods at least once a wk, but

haven't been able to schedule a delivery through Amazon Fresh or Prime Now since March 11.. and even with that order, the earliest delivery was March 16. (Before this, I would usually get a delivery within 24 hrs for Fresh and of course, within a few ours for Prime Now.) I also tried Safeway.com for pickup... which they confirmed...but then cancelled when my husband was already there to pick up the order. Next we tried InstaCart, but we'll see it it actually arrives tomorrow.

So in other places in northern CA, Amazon Fresh is still functional? Or do you get Whole Foods through another delivery service?

[Silver Gaia]

97. We're able to get Fresh and Whole Foods deliveries within 24 to 48 hours in Sacramento,

but the problem is that what was in stock when you ordered is mostly not in stock when they pack your order. So, it's hit or miss.

I used to be able to place an order and get what I ordered within 2 or 3 hours. That system worked. This does not. It's broken.

They need some way of keeping track of what you didn't get, and contacting you when it's in stock. Or something?

I think there are 2 problems: 1) inability to keep enough stock on hand; and 2) not enough employees to pack and deliver.

I hope it eases up soon, once people get their pantries and freezers filled.

ETA: I've tried Raley's and Target, too. Raley's was better with most of my order being in stock, but it took 5 days. Target is just like Amazon. What was there when. You ordered is not when they shop for you.

[Pacifist Patriot]

117. The price gouging online for gluten free bread is insane.

I'm pretty much giving up on eating bread products for the duration.

[JustFiveMoreMinutes]

19. Did you say WHY you went to Costco in the first place?

I read a bit.. but didn't seem like it was 'going there'.

[A HERETIC I AM]

32. Honestly? Gasoline, olive oil and coffee!

There was a few other things I thought they would have that the grocery store was out of - eggs, for instance. I buy their chicken breasts that come 12 to a pack that are separated into 2 breast packs, but as I said, they were out of the brand I normally get and only had the organic, which costs a bit more. Other odds and ends to just beef up the pantry, so to speak.

I'm by no means hoarding anything. I have a grand total of maybe 25 rolls of TP, 22 rolls of PT and 2 1/2 cases of bottled water.


But I buy their olive oil and their whole bean coffee because both are less less than half the cost per ounce vs the local grocery. In fact, I figured that the savings from buying their coffee alone, almost pays for the membership costs for a year.

[JustFiveMoreMinutes]

35. Your choice to be out and about.. infected or infecting....

So ... whatever.

[A HERETIC I AM]

39. You missed the part where I said I was wearing a mask.

But while I understand your point, thanks ever so much for trying to make me feel guilty about getting a few things from the store.

However, I do hope your mail gets to you on a regular and timely basis, because there is a minuscule chance that I'll be moving some small portion of it in the coming weeks. So if it's OK with you, I need food.

You're welcome.

And FWIW, your post is further proof of something I have known for closing on two decades, that no matter what the subject, no matter how banal or run of the mill an OP might be, someone on this board will have a problem with it.

[oldsoftie]

51. Man, your last sentence should be included with the sign up instructions for DU.

Jeeze, you werent at the dress store, its a GROCERY store.

[A HERETIC I AM]

54. Thanks.

[dhol82]

53. +1

[Codeine]

70. Take comfort in the fact

that most of us truly appreciate the tireless service that you guys provide. Especially during this sudden shift to a “delivery economy” we shouldn’t take for granted that it’s flesh and blood people out there busting ass to get us our stuff.

I’m glad I’m deemed “essential” as well, as sitting around the house with two bored teens and a frustrated, out-of-work wife would be trying.

[A HERETIC I AM]

78. I hear ya.

As I said in another thread earlier, I've got the letter in case the shit hits the fan and they block the streets.

My real concern is that there are so many MAGAt's in this industry (trucking) , and even though I work in a Union shop, most of these drivers are Trumpists and as such, aren't taking ANY precautions. We go into distribution centers, and I mean INSIDE, onto the shipping dock where there is often a lot of activity, with forklift drivers and other personnel going to and fro, truck drivers who could have come in from literally anywhere, and who knows what kind of personal precautions they are taking, and I fear one of more of these critical facilities is going to shut down completely for lack of people. What happens if the Atlanta or Chicago or DC or the LA or the New York primary Network Distribution Center shuts down?

If that happens, it doesn't matter how high I am on the seniority list, if there is nothing to move, I stay home.

I do very much appreciate your sentiment, believe me. Thanks very much for the kind words.

[renate]

94. thank you SO MUCH for what you're doing

I watched a couple of movies on YouTube yesterday about life as a trucker; they were very interesting. It's a hard life and what you do is taken for granted until it's not. We would descend into chaos if it weren't for you and people like you.

[A HERETIC I AM]

95. Thank you very much.

That actually means a lot. Believe me.

I've been an OTR driver for the better part of 35 years now, and while the vast majority of that time has not involved "bumping docks", ( I hauled cars and worked in Motor Racing for over 25 years), now that I am back in a trucking discipline where I have to go inside a warehouse type facility and deal with people and load/offload cargo, it has surprised me how casual about this pandemic so many of those people have been in the last few weeks.

I have said this before to many people over the years, but I am a member of an industry, and I'm sorry to say this, but it's the truth, OVERWHELMINGLY populated by morons. Seriously. You don't have to have an advanced degree, nor be well read or schooled to get a CDL. And as such, ....well....you can guess which way the demographic skews politically.

Again, and on behalf of any other trucker that might read this, we appreciate your kindness and concern, truly.

NOW GET THE HELL OUT OF THE LEFT LANE, DAMMIT!!!

LOL!

[Hekate]

73. FWIW: Amen and ain't that the truth

By the way, thanks for sharing your experience, and stay well.

[A HERETIC I AM]

80. Pleasure!

Be well and safe!

[StarryNite]

20. I love the shields!

[marlakay]

29. They have always cared for their employees why I shop

There even though we are retired.

[MontanaMama]

24. Our Costco had a mountain of paper towels

available as well as bottled water. No Kleenex or TP. Very few shoppers. I got in and bought veggies for the week and got out quick. I sure hope all of those single use plastic bottles get recycled and not tossed.....it stresses me out to see so much bottled water.

[grantcart]

31. At ours they were spraying the carts and moderating inflow

[dalton99a]

33. Costco is doing an outstanding job with keeping everyone separated

and continuously sanitizing checkout surfaces and carts

And they have their own supply of chicken and processing plant

[keithbvadu2]

37. Sister says grocery store has early hour for seniors but....

Sister says grocery store has early hour for seniors but....

they have not stocked up from yesterday so shelves are picked clean and poor selection of meat.

[Lonestarblue]

41. My Costco has never been that empty!

[jb5150]

45. As a floridian ..

I can understand stocking up on water during a hurricane, but it just doesn't seem to make sense as far as this goes. there is very little danger to the water supply.

[NurseJackie]

48. I'd thought of that too... it made me wonder.

What if, however, things were "zombie apocalypse" bad and the sewage/water-treatment plants had no employees. Or if there was a major power outage and no healthy employees to service the lines. Or a major water main rupture and no healthy employees/workers to repair them?

I used to laugh at "preppers" ... not any more.

[oldsoftie]

56. Preppers wouldnt have a huge stock of water. They'd have a purifier.

Thats what i've got. You can always find water somewhere. But how much can you stock? Because even in unopened jugs, it doesnt stay fresh forever

[NurseJackie]

59. We've got about 50 gallons of water stored... blue camping jugs... mostly for flushing.

We've had experiences in the past (hurricane Isabel) where the power was out for a couple of weeks and water pressure was low low low.

There are a lot of folks who have well-water and electric pumps to bring it to the surface and store in a pressurized tank. Without power or if the pump fails, that can be a disaster.

Our family is prepared to be snowed-in or to be without power after a noreaster or hurricane. Something like this... not so much.

[oldsoftie]

60. Good move in hurricane country!

[A HERETIC I AM]

52. Except that it does take manpower to run the facilities.

It's not as if your municipal water works are completely automated. It does take people to run them, and the worst case scenario is that everyone turns out to be bloody well sick for a week or two or whatever. Granted, the mortality rate means most of us will survive, but what happens if no one shows up for work for a few days?

[Hekate]

66. As a Californian, we automatically think of water in disaster prep. Yet people all over this board

...seem to have a real problem with the concept. I'm not talking excessive amounts, just a flat or two, but you'd think all of us had a swimming pool to fill with the bottled stuff.

It's nice to hear from people from other regions who have the same need.

[NurseJackie]

46. I love Costco.

[at140]

55. At Publix yesterday I was able to buy everything including TOILET PAPER!

the store had reserved 7am-8am only for people over age 65.
There were about 150 seniors shopping, all very orderly.

[A HERETIC I AM]

57. Excellent.

Even though the owners and the corporation itself tends to lean right, Publix has consistently ranked in the top 100 best companies to work for.

They have their shit together, no doubt.

I went by my local one on this little jaunt as well, and the parking lot was packed at 2PM

[at140]

62. I rarely shop at Publix, prices higher than others

but yesterday it was worth it due to set aside time for seniors. I just knew I would find TP there.
It is also closest to my house. I prefer Aldi to all others but they don't have all items needed.

[A HERETIC I AM]

63. Like many things, you get what you pay for.

Publix is known for among other things, their customer service, and as such has a larger staff per store to facilitate that.

[at140]

64. You are right, it is almost a pleasure shopping there

My wife and I agree the desserts at Publix are the best!

[A HERETIC I AM]

69. I'm sorry! I am sure what I typed is something you already know!

My apologies. I don't mean to speak to you as if you aren't aware of who Publix is and what they do.

A Winn Dixie is literally a quarter mile from my front door, and they do get the vast majority of my money when I go grocery shopping. Today's trip to Costco is one I make MAYBE every 3 weeks, sometimes 6 weeks apart, depending on how much I got the last time!

There is an Aldi's not far away, but it isn't nearly as convenient (as in; on the way to work) and so I don't really shop there at all.

[at140]

74. No apology needed... your posts are never rude...nt

[A HERETIC I AM]

79. Awww....you are too kind!

I'll chalk that kindness up to good timing on my part! Obviously the times I've been rude to someone were when you were elsewhere!!

[Wednesdays]

61. That pretty much sums up my experience at Costco

I was at mine last Friday, and your description is almost identical.

The only thing is, what's the average price of gas in your area? Your Costco price is probably a bargain, but around here, $1.55 would be prohibitively expensive!

[catchnrelease]

76. Wow!

I got gas there yesterday and it was $2.59 for regular, and I was excited it was so cheap! Last time I got gas, a few weeks ago, it was over $3.

[A HERETIC I AM]

83. State taxes would be the primary difference, is my guess.

Florida has no state income tax, so they make it up in other ways. Georgia has a state income tax and their gas is often cheaper by 10%

[catchnrelease]

72. My Costo adventure

Our store (in SoCal) has the senior/disabled hour Tue/Thurs 8-9am. I've been avoiding doing any shopping but finally hit the point where I had to go out and Costco is where we normally go for items we use a lot of.

So I arrived at the store yesterday around 7:30am and there were 2 lines, one for 'regular' people and one for the oldies and disabled. As I walked by the door there were employees out answering questions and I asked about the senior line. He pointed me to a line that stretched way back around some other stores, and I would guess it was between a quarter and half a mile long. The people in line closest to the store had baskets and were spaced out pretty well. Those farther away had no baskets and were closer together but not really crowded up. It turned out that the baskets would not go past a certain line in the ground, so you couldn't take one there if you wanted to. Also, the employee had said that they were letting the seniors in already, at 7:30. It took me about 50 minutes to get into the store. They were allowing people in via the exit door and checking ID for age, and only one person per membership if I heard correctly. They did allow some younger people in with people using a walker or wheelchair for example.

By then, about 8am, the store had quite a few people inside but not a normal Costco crowd. The area where the paper goods were was set up so that a man with hazard tape blocked the larger aisle so only a single file of people/carts could go into the area. There was TP, but no kleenex. Then you could only exit that area at one end, could not go back the way you entered. People were loading up on cases of water but there did seem to be a limit, but it must have been several because the cart were piled with them. The milk/eggs were in the area with the paper goods, and employees were calling out to people to pick up their eggs and milk first. I don't know why, unless they were in short supply. There was bread in the commercial bakery aisle at that time. I didn't really go over into the produce or in store bakery area, so not sure how that supply was.

The checkout lines were very short and people seemed to be respecting the distance rules. There was no plexiglas up for the checkers yet. There had been some kind of problem at the stand next to mine, and I'm not sure what it was about. But when I got up to my checker he sighed and said 'I don't know why people have to be rude'. I agreed and said everyone has to deal with this, so just be nice and make it easier. I feel bad for them having to work in a potentially hazardous environment plus put up with people that want to argue over things. I made sure to thank him for being there. Thankfully I should not have to go out for anything now for weeks, so fingers crossed all of the hoarding, shortages will be over by then. (I don't expect the pandemic to be over though)

OT I also hate to see all of the plastic bottles going out. Even way before the virus came it bothered me to see the cases and cases going out of the store. Now it's even worse. It has to be in the millions of bottles/store. We avoid using them if at all possible, instead using metal refillable bottles. Water is still coming out of our taps, so I don't know why people are hoarding it. At least in SoCal the water is good, not like Flint etc!

[A HERETIC I AM]

82. Interesting.

I agree about the bottles. It is an enormous amount of plastic being used, that's for sure. I have a filter on my kitchen tap and often refill a quart bottle several times, but I am guilty of the excessive use myself. They do go into the recycle bin here at the house, though.

As far as rudeness goes, I have yet to directly encounter anyone being belligerent, but I would always try and appeal to their better nature. "We all have to row in the same direction, Sir. Patience is a virtue"...etc. If that doesn't do anything, then just leave them be and know that you are the better person and they will go home, still being an asshole! You're right though...the checkout clerks have to deal with WAY more than their fair share of nitwits.

[Hekate]

84. But did they have rotisserie chickens on hand?

[catchnrelease]

85. Mine did!

We had one for dinner last night and leftovers tonight!

[A HERETIC I AM]

90. LOL! YUP!

And I gots one!

There was only a couple left, but I would bet there were a bunch on the cooker in the back ready to come out.

They work so incredibly well as finger food, too. Chill them over night, cut out the whole breasts and leg/thigh combos and cut those up into bite sized pieces. Into a container with a puddle of barbecue sauce in the corner so it's easy to deal with while driving and munch me down the roadway!!

[Hekate]

91. Nice to meet another fan!

[A HERETIC I AM]

93. ...

[Blue_true]

86. I finally found TP at Walmart. The store had an employee handing out packages of TP.

She was the rationer. Everyone there when I was seemed ok with her regulating things. I only needed a package of six roles, which she handed to me. Most people in the store while I was there seemed to have been sane shoppers, no one loading up on stuff. There was plenty of fresh meat, less of prepared meats such as hotdogs, sausages of all types, luncheon meat. Plenty of dish detergent, not a drop of bleach in the joint, plenty of laundry detergent. As I was checking out, I thought that if everyone were like the shoppers that I saw, there would not be empty shelves, everyone would be able to get what they need.

PS, I finally found bleach at a Dollar General store, imagine that!!! I told the lady that it looked like DG was the only store in my well-grocered, well-pharmacied neighborhood that had bleach.

[SBoy]

102. My son got laid off from a luxury hotel today that was closing;

And in his bag that was handed to him by exit interviewers since they cleared out his locker, (done without him getting out of his car) was a roll of TP.

[Blue_true]

107. The TP is the bag sounds like a sick joke.

Really not something people should be doing in times like what your son is heading into.

[Niagara]

96. I know that you said that the store wasn't busy

But if it was, would they allow a limited number in the store at one time to keep the much needed social distancing in place?




I love the last photo. We need people like that to help keep our spirits up.




Thank you for sharing.

[A HERETIC I AM]

98. I have no idea.

But if it was, would they allow a limited number in the store at one time to keep the much needed social distancing in place?

Honestly, this is the first time I have been in that store since early January, if memory serves. As such I haven't been there on a Saturday morning for instance, to see how they would handle a large crowd.

I can't imagine that they would have any protocols different than the corporate directives.

And yes, he was someone his manager should be proud to have on staff.

[Niagara]

106. I wasn't sure so I needed to ask

Thank you for taking the time to create the OP and for replying.


Be safe.

[A HERETIC I AM]

108. Thanks.

I have to stay up late tonight because they have scheduled me for an 11 hour trip that begins at 7:30 PM Thursday.

If I don't stay up, it will obviously be difficult to do so tomorrow night.

Always safe. Thanks.