Coronavirus **personal experiences** thread

[Joshk]

There are thousands of companies that put their products in a Walmart. Maybe a few are having trouble. Don’t get stressed.

[NorthernHarrier]

@Coscar

Maybe someone can shed some light on my Walmart experience. I had never used the ‘order online and pickup’ option but a few weeks ago I decided to check it out. I thought I would start a cart when I thought of something I might need in a few weeks. I added a dozen things to my cart except for a couple of common things that were suspiciously ‘not found’ …. figuring that was because of the initial panic buying and the shelves would be restocked soon… thats what we were told anyway. However I noticed several times since when I check, more items in my cart have changed to “out of stock” and none of those items have been restocked. The govt(and Walmart) tells us the trucks are running and the shelves are being restocked daily even though my cart doesnt show it.

I was getting cabin fever so I took a ride into town on my motorcycle and hardly anyone was at Walmart and no trucks unloading. I find it hard to believe they are having trouble keeping shelves restocked if the trucks ARE running. I know I havent bought anything in the last 3 weeks and it just seems suspicious to me?

Since the govt has been ‘less than truthful’ its hard to know what to believe anymore.

I can shed some light on your experience: it is happening all over the USA and has been happening for weeks now. Shelves are empty all over the country. Those of us with very limited diets are going out every weekend to hunt for food we can eat - and it’s getting more difficult, not less difficult. I am sick this weekend, so I am not able to go out at all.

As for the “government” lying about whether food is in stock or will be in stock at various grocery stores….it isn’t the government telling you that food will be restocked quickly and the shelves will once again be full of food. It is a handful of elected officials who I am not allowed to name in this thread who have said that - not any other government officials, and certainly not any career civil servants.

The stores have been very slow to inform customers about the fact that the demand is so high that items you put in your cart may disappear faster than they can update their website. For over a week now, the local grocery stores here who deliver have been admitting that items in your order when it is final and paid for might not in fact be delivered to you. I had to confirm that they didn’t charge me for items they ran out of and didn’t deliver - but they didn’t lower the driver tip accordingly.

Now, in my area, you can no longer get delivery times from any stores, so I will no longer be ordering online. I will need to find what I need at stores, or I will need to contact charities and the emergency authorities and explain what I need to survive. This is the reality in the USA now. Unnecessary hoarding has created a very dire situation for those of us who are very limited in what we can eat.

[NorthernHarrier]

@Coscar

Its odd that my cart has gone from 12 items to 7 items and has remained that way for a couple of weeks
Some of the out of stock items are yogurt, coffee creamer, ice cream, cat food, potato chips …. and none are necessities.
FYI… all of the missing items are brand specific(i.e.- still available in other brands) but ALL the missing are usually ‘in stock’

The consumption of junk food and alcohol, neither “necessities,” has increased greatly in the past several weeks, as they would be expected to do when people are confined to their homes and under more stress than they are used to. This is also true of foods and drinks that people often consume when they feel down or want a “comfort” from food. This is a very common phenomenon.

[MtnDon (Don Miller)]

It is not always a hoarder who is to blame for shelf shortgages in retail stores. Keep in mind that many more people are at home all day long than before. They do not eat out. Some may order take out or delivery from restaurants. But the fact remains that much more food (and other things, like TP) are being bought for use at home. The food and things that would have gone to restaurants are in too large a size to be simply sold in the consumer grocery stores. So there is a grocery store shorage on some things.

[jon_slider]

@SubLGT

The take home message seems to be: cloth masks are less effective than surgical masks, but probably better than nothing.

very helpful

thank you for posting links, With relevant quotes and take away summary.

Re:
“a cloth mask may afford some protection”

.

Next time I go to the grocery store, I plan to wear some form of mouth, nose, and eyes covering. I have a full beard. I wear glasses (better than nothing). I have four options:

1. Bandana folded into a two layer mask

2. 1/4” thick Fleece neck gaiter, as used for snowskiing

3. some cheap paper filters

4. Ski helmet with goggles, and face mask gaiter.

Please help brainstorm
Which nose, mouth, and eyes covering would you choose, and why?

[jeff51]

I posted this on the mask thread,
But I think it’s worth putting here too.
CDC 45 second mask

- YouTube

All the Best,
Jeff

[NorthernHarrier]

@MtnDon

It is not always a hoarder who is to blame for shelf shortgages in retail stores. Keep in mind that many more people are at home all day long than before. They do not eat out. Some may order take out or delivery from restaurants. But the fact remains that much more food (and other things, like TP) are being bought for use at home. The food and things that would have gone to restaurants are in too large a size to be simply sold in the consumer grocery stores. So there is a grocery store shorage on some things.

I doubt that there is so much greater need now for toilet paper in people’s homes, because they aren’t eating meals at restaurants, that there is no toilet paper to be found on the shelves of local retail stores. Most people use the toilet and the toilet paper they have at home, even when they eat out. And most people don’t eat out that often that it would make much of a difference in their home toilet paper or their home food purchasing needs, even if they did use the restaurant bathrooms every time they went out to eat.

It is widely known and discussed in my area that many people are hoarding food and paper goods, and many interviewed by the news media have openly admitted that they have no good reason to do it. They seem not to care about the impact it has on some of us who have very limited diets.

[jeff51]

On the shopping cart experience,
A friend of mine has been doing this for years at the local HEB grocery store.

Until all this started the store would have his stuff ready for curbside the same day or at most the next day.
Now they are quoting a 9 day pickup wait.

He also sees stuff go out of stock from his cart.
What pisses him off is when he picks up his order he can see shoppers leaving the store with paper towels and TP. That they delete from his cart and hasn’t been able to get for weeks.

All the Best,
Jeff

[Coscar]

So do you think the restock trucks are running less or are we still experiencing panic buying…… or both?
Seems unlikely to me there are folks still so unprepared to keep the shelves bare during the ‘shelter in place’ although it wouldnt surprise me.
Maybe I am the exception but I got what I thought I needed six weeks ago ….
I havent bought anything since then and nothing that is out of stock is a ‘necessity’ for me but I worry the necessities could be next to disappear…… hopefully I am wrong.

[pennzy]

@NorthernHarrier

@MtnDon

It is not always a hoarder who is to blame for shelf shortgages in retail stores. Keep in mind that many more people are at home all day long than before. They do not eat out. Some may order take out or delivery from restaurants. But the fact remains that much more food (and other things, like TP) are being bought for use at home. The food and things that would have gone to restaurants are in too large a size to be simply sold in the consumer grocery stores. So there is a grocery store shorage on some things.

I doubt that there is so much greater need now for toilet paper in people’s homes, because they aren’t eating meals at restaurants, that there is no toilet paper to be found on the shelves of local retail stores. Most people use the toilet and the toilet paper they have at home, even when they eat out. And most people don’t eat out that often that it would make much of a difference in their home toilet paper or their home food purchasing needs, even if they did use the restaurant bathrooms every time they went out to eat.

It is widely known and discussed in my area that many people are hoarding food and paper goods, and many interviewed by the news media have openly admitted that they have no good reason to do it. They seem not to care about the impact it has on some of us who have very limited diets.

More people at home = more TP usage at home. No school, work, travel, eating out. Also hoarding.

[jeff51]

I think panic buying is still going on for many items.
Rice and beans are almost never there.
Ramen Noodles - clearly the armageddion food of choice.
Even if the store was getting the normal shipment - it get picked up instantly.
There hasn’t been a jug of Clorox seen in these parts for weeks.
I see some sellers on Amazon jumping the price on good furnace filters by a factor of 5.

What also pisses me off is the huge Saudi refinery in Texas is running full blast and driving the price of oil way down.
Think what you may about oil companies (and I don’t think real highly of most of them).
If many get driven out of business, what’s going to happen to the price of gas when the middle east decides to close the valves?
We have lost so many US based supplies, this would be another nail in the coffin - so to speak.
Keep Safe,
All the Best,
Jeff

[jeff51]

On another sad note.
I just took a razor to my beard that I’ve had for the last 40(?) years.
Just so I can get a better seal with a mask.
Not sure anyone will know who I am…

I’ve been holed up for weeks, since I’m one of those “at risk” people. My wife has been doing all the shopping Etc.
But next week I have got to go to the hospital for infusions and I want the best chance of not picking up something.
Not looking forward to it.

All the Best,
Jeff

[Coscar]

As I am bearded, I feel your loss…… good luck at the hospital

[Helios_azimuth]

@MtnDon

Keep in mind that many more people are at home all day long than before. They do not eat out. Some may order take out or delivery from restaurants. But the fact remains that much more food (and other things, like TP) are being bought for use at home.

Want a light moment? Then here is a true story. One morning we were sitting in the break room before work, which started at 7:00am. A man belonging to the Union was moaning and saying, Come on 7:00am. We asked what the problem was and he said he was in pain waiting to use the toilet. Someone said to just go and use the toilet and he replied, “On my time, no! I only go on company time.” Obviously he did not need much toilet paper at home, LOL.

This is my first post on this thread and I hope it does not draw me into any arguments.

[Tom_E]

Here on LI, we still can't find toilet paper. Only ~4 days left, with conserving. Today there were lines outside the food stores, as they limit the # of shoppers inside.

• 12,189 case in the county now of 1.5 mill population
• 1,925 in the township of 212,000 population

Both approaching 1% infection rate, reported that is...

[Lightbringer]

@Ragsy

Lets not turn on each other …it’s not the BLF way

“Only a fool fights in a burning house.”
— qang

[Lightbringer]

@jon_slider

Next time I go to the grocery store, I plan to wear some form of mouth, nose, and eyes covering. I have a full beard. I wear glasses (better than nothing). I have four options:

1. Bandana folded into a two layer mask

2. 1/4” thick Fleece neck gaiter, as used for snowskiing

3. some cheap paper filters

4. Ski helmet with goggles, and face mask gaiter.

Please help brainstorm
Which nose, mouth, and eyes covering would you choose, and why?

Unno. Had to go out today. Don’t have any bananas but I do have a fleecey baklava from wintertime that I took.

Gawd, was stifling indoors. Couldn’t wait to get in the car and drive with all the windows open. Air…

Can’t quite picture myself in the helmet getup. People’d think they’re being invaded by the Dragonfly People.

Maybe a Bobofett helmet, though. That’d be kewl.

[Firelight2]

@slmjim

Article dated March 11 supporting natural evolution & opportunistic inter-species viral transmission. Considering how fast things are moving it’s slightly dated yet still relevant.

“Wuhan-based virologist Shi Zhengli has identified dozens of deadly SARS-like viruses in bat caves, and she warns there are more out there”

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-chinas-bat-woman-hunted-down-viruses-from-sars-to-the-new-coronavirus1/

slmjim

Very interesting article. Thanks for the link.

[Joshk]

The weather is nice here. Sometimes we open the front and back door and let a breeze blow through.

[Firelight2]

@Tom E

Here on LI, we still can’t find toilet paper. Only ~4 days left, with conserving. Today there were lines outside the food stores, as they limit the # of shoppers inside.

• 12,189 case in the county now of 1.5 mill population

• 1,925 in the township of 212,000 population

Both approaching 1% infection rate, reported that is…

No toilet paper and no bidet?

• maybe try using newspaper?
• or perhaps go outside and use the garden hose as an improvised bidet?