topic Re: Empty Shelves :( in Community Chat

Empty Shelves :(

FlowerBear — Fri, 13 Mar 2020 14:12:55 GMT

Thought going to Walmart at 8am would be good, avoid crowds.

It was way busier than I expected. People had loaded up to the very top cart loads of stuff! I was just there to do weekly shopping.

Many of the shelves empty still, of all cleaning supplies, hand sanitizer and wipes. The toilet paper, tissues, paper towels were almost gone. NO water.

Soups, pasta, rice, tuna, canned fruit, bread almost totally gone.

Got most of what I need to buy. I Was going to stop at Kroger, they were even busier and no place at all to park. I hope to stop there early in the morning!

As busy as they were they still only had 2 checkouts open and long lines!

What is it like in your area?? It was like Black Friday!

I have allergies and was coughing, people were looking at me like i had the plague!! But i understand.

Re: Empty Shelves :(

SandGirl — Fri, 13 Mar 2020 13:50:14 GMT

I am in WA state in the same county where all the deaths have been, it's NUTS here, you can't get anything at the store, no cleaning supplier, food, everything is pretty much wiped out. There was a line down the side and around the back corner at Costco and finally employees came out saying they are out of so many things these people were there to get. Praying they can restock us soon. Schools are all shut down, lots of businesses , gatherings over 250 not permitted, I am worried that next we will be quarantined and not able to go far from our homes other than to go to the store.

Also, the biggest conern is there is not enough protective medical supplies for the nurses and doctors and NOT ENOUGH TEST KITS, there are far more with this virus but not enough tests to go around to confirm this.

Economy is in the toilet, amazing how much a thriving community can turn around in as little as 10 days.... Crazy!

Re: Empty Shelves :(

Travone — Fri, 13 Mar 2020 13:55:24 GMT

I stopped in at 6:00 before work only because I was in the area and they had tuna fish on sale. I thought I'd pick up a pack to TP also. It was very crowded for that time of day and there was only one cashier and one self check out open. I was told that last night the lines went all the way to the back of the store.....ridiculous.

Anyway, I saw a woman with 2 packs of Scott TP in her cart. When I got to theTP aisle, there were 2 packs of Charmin and then about 4 packs of no name TP. There was a man in the aisle. He picked up the Charmin and gave me one and took one for himself. At that point the Scott TP lady went by......I asked her where she got the Scott, she said she took the last two, but would give me one. I said no as I had the Charmin. I'm writing this because I am so pleased with the people I encountered today. Nobody was hoarding but sharing the provisions that were there. Hopefully we can all act accordingly.

Re: Empty Shelves :(

ScrapHappy — Fri, 13 Mar 2020 13:58:45 GMT

I am in Georgia, North of Atlanta. I was at Walmart yesterday @ 10:30 a.m. All toilet paper, clorox wipes, hand santizer, etc...all gone. Rice, beans, and pasta gone. Most canned goods and pasta sauces are very, very low. I went to Kroger and Publix last evening. Hardly any parking at Kroger. No meat at Kroger. The toilet paper and such has been long gone. Pasta, rice, beans, frozen veggies are gone. Very low on canned goods. Publix was a little better but they also didn't have any meat. Toilet paper, clorox, hand sanitizer is nowhere to be found.

My daughters school is closed until further notice.

Re: Empty Shelves :(

arubakathy — Fri, 13 Mar 2020 14:01:05 GMT

Went to BJ's yesterday after talking with a neighbor who just came home of grogery shopping. She mentioned all the shortages, especially toilet paper. Well, I immediately went to BJ's and it was mobbed, parking lot full. I thought Oh boy, this is going to be fun. People were actually running into the store. I felt like I was in a movie, Mad Mad Mad World came to mind. Needless to say, no tp.

Re: Empty Shelves :(

beckyb1012 — Fri, 13 Mar 2020 14:02:06 GMT

I went in at 7:00 this morning before work and not many people there at all. Meat from the meat dept. was fewer than I had ever seen but there were a lot of sales signs up for certain types of raw meat. Water bottles were about the only thing not fully stocked but I still got my usual weekly amount. We have only had one case diagnosed last week in a county over from mine. So far we have been blessed.

Re: Empty Shelves :(

Johnnyeager — Fri, 13 Mar 2020 14:03:54 GMT

If you shop at BOXED or can quickly create an account, they have their brand of disinfecting wipes just in stock, Prince&Spring. It's a 2 pack, limit one set per customer. I'm glad they are imposing the restriction.

Re: Empty Shelves :(

Snoopp — Fri, 13 Mar 2020 14:06:56 GMT

Try not to panic even though it seems so many people are making a run on stores. Our local store was crowded too, many people walking around aimlessly, like they had no idea what to buy. I can't see why the supply chain would be totally shut down regarding grocery items.

Re: Empty Shelves :(

50Mickey — Fri, 13 Mar 2020 14:12:50 GMT

@ScrapHappy wrote:
I am in Georgia, North of Atlanta. I was at Walmart yesterday @ 10:30 a.m. All toilet paper, clorox wipes, hand santizer, etc...all gone. Rice, beans, and pasta gone. Most canned goods and pasta sauces are very, very low. I went to Kroger and Publix last evening. Hardly any parking at Kroger. No meat at Kroger. The toilet paper and such has been long gone. Pasta, rice, beans, frozen veggies are gone. Very low on canned goods. Publix was a little better but they also didn't have any meat. Toilet paper, clorox, hand sanitizer is nowhere to be found.
My daughters school is closed until further notice.

Hi ScrapHappy, I am in North GA also. I found toilet paper at Home Depot yesterday. You have to go to the stores because they won't ship it. Publix actually had Lysol wipes Wednesday buy on get on free. All gone now. Why is there no meat? I don't understand why things made and produced in the country are not available. Stores definitely need to start limiting people on how much they can buy. Hoarding is a self fulfilling prophecy.

Re: Empty Shelves :(

Eileen in Virginia — Fri, 13 Mar 2020 14:17:43 GMT

I went to Harris Teeter yesterday morning because they had shrimp on sale and it was senior citizen discount day, so double discount. It was very busy, but it's usually busy on "Senior Thursday". I suspect that folks thought they'd have to self-quarantine soon, so they were stocking up in anticipation of that. HT was pretty well-stocked, given the pandemic situation. While they still had bottled water, you might not be able to get your favorite brand. They had plenty of distilled water, so I got a gallon for DH to use with his CPAP machine. I didn't notice any trading going on, but everyone was friendly and helpful. The checkout lines were really long. Even though I had a fairly full basket, I used the self-checkout line (I usually go to a cashier unless I only have a few items) and got out relatively quickly.

Re: Empty Shelves :(

Johnnyeager — Fri, 13 Mar 2020 14:21:04 GMT

BOXED has a shipment of their own brand toilet paper in stock! It's a 30 roll pack so there's no way I can store that, but some of you might need that much!

Re: Empty Shelves :(

Laura14 — Fri, 13 Mar 2020 14:21:07 GMT

My mother walked into Kroger yesterday and found spray Lysol with bleach and hydrogen peroxide. She said the Lysol was front and center in the aisle but she was nice and only took one. The peroxide she had to rescue from underneath a shelf where it had fallen behind.

She then did a group family text and started the bidding at $100 each because that's how an Italian family rolls.

Re: Empty Shelves :(

FlowerBear — Fri, 13 Mar 2020 14:21:56 GMT

@Laura14

Re: Empty Shelves :(

Spurt — Fri, 13 Mar 2020 14:25:45 GMT

@FlowerBear wrote:
Thought going to Walmart at 8am would be good, avoid crowds.

It was way busier than I expected. People had loaded up to the very top cart loads of stuff! I was just there to do weekly shopping.

Many of the shelves empty still, of all cleaning supplies, hand sanitizer and wipes. The toilet paper, tissues, paper towels were almost gone. NO water.

Soups, pasta, rice, tuna, canned fruit, bread almost totally gone.

Got most of what I need to buy. I Was going to stop at Kroger, they were even busier and no place at all to park. I hope to stop there early in the morning!

As busy as they were they still only had 2 checkouts open and long lines!

What is it like in your area?? It was like Black Friday!

I have allergies and was coughing, people were looking at me like i had the plague!! But i understand.

@FlowerBear

My sis just called me from the grocery store...she said I was lucky to get my TP from Instacart yesterday morning because there's none in the store....I told her to try Home Depot which is across the street or Staples down the road....

Yep...whats bad its allergy season here too and Oak trees are in bloom and its creating havoc...sneezing but no fever, but scared to go out because of a reaction if I have to sneeze....so staying in and taking my OTC allergy meds....

Re: Empty Shelves :(

LindaSal — Fri, 13 Mar 2020 14:48:09 GMT

@Spurt Oh my, I am in the same boat as you. My allergies are just getting started (I live in the northeast). Lots of sneezing and runny nose. I don't want to be out either but I always keep a tissue at easy access, as at times I can sneeze 25 times in a row (not even kidding!)

I did have an appointment at the hospital with my oncologist (just a follow up after BC) and there was only one door open to the hospital and I had to get through 2 checkpoints before being able to get to the cancer unit. I had to answer several questions regarding my health, had to sign and have my temperature taken. It was a bit unnerving, but I can understand it is totally necessary. They have stopped all patient visitation at our hospitals.

I also stopped at the Whole Foods in my area and while it was quite busy it did seem fairly stocked, some items more than others. Oddly there was not one package of frozen vegetables!! But most other items were at least semi stocked. Everyone was very cordial though, which was a good feeling, like we're all in it together.

Re: Empty Shelves :(

Spurt — Fri, 13 Mar 2020 14:54:01 GMT

@LindaSal wrote:
@Spurt Oh my, I am in the same boat as you. My allergies are just getting started (I live in the northeast). Lots of sneezing and runny nose. I don't want to be out either but I always keep a tissue at easy access, as at times I can sneeze 25 times in a row (not even kidding!)

I did have an appointment at the hospital with my oncologist (just a follow up after BC) and there was only one door open to the hospital and I had to get through 2 checkpoints before being able to get to the cancer unit. I had to answer several questions regarding my health, had to sign and have my temperature taken. It was a bit unnerving, but I can understand it is totally necessary. They have stopped all patient visitation at our hospitals.

I also stopped at the Whole Foods in my area and while it was quite busy it did seem fairly stocked, some items more than others. Oddly there was not one package of frozen vegetables!! But most other items were at least semi stocked. Everyone was very cordial though, which was a good feeling, like we're all in it together.

@LindaSal

Hope your allergies clear up soon.. I had already stockpiled tissues for the season......and wishing you the best regarding that oncology visit too...

Our local news announced restrictions on hospitals for patients and visitors....

Oh now a run on frozen veggies...SMH!!!

Re: Empty Shelves :(

haddon9 — Fri, 13 Mar 2020 14:58:11 GMT

@FlowerBear What area are you in?

I'm in southeastern PA and yesterday afternoon the supermarket was mobbed! No toilet paper, lots of enpty shelves and I got the last gallon of bleach.

It's a mad house and I hope that stores will be able to stock up with necessary supplies soon for those that need items!

Re: Empty Shelves :(

queendiva — Fri, 13 Mar 2020 16:40:15 GMT

I live in a semi-rural area . Went to the local large grocery @ 10 this morning. Looked like when people are expecting a snowstorm. All registers were open and staff was busy keeping the shelves stocked. I went with my usual list- there were more items on sale this week that I use, so my list was a bit longer than usual. Kept to my list. TP is not on sale until next week, although I did see a woman leaving the store with just one package of it. The serve-yourself hot bar is temporarily out of service. I was able to get everything on my list.

In this area there are presently no restrictions, although at least one high school will be closing at end of day today for the rest of the month(!). Other schools will likely follow.

ETA: DS is in southern AZ and said shelves were bare of the usual panic buying items. Fearing disruption to the supply chain, he bought pasta, beans and bottled water. No rice available., which may have put him in a panic, LOL!

Re: Empty Shelves :(

Witchy Woman — Fri, 13 Mar 2020 16:45:13 GMT

@FlowerBear

My local Walmart was busy at 7 a.m. this morning.

No paper products to be found, no Lysol, no Clorax, no hand sanitizer. I expected that.

Most other things were in good supply, but it's a big store. Lots of stuff waiting to be put on the shelves, too.

But, I got my all important cat food, so I'm good!

People are just worried and nervous.

Hopefully, it will settle down in the next few days.

Re: Empty Shelves :(

hummermom — Fri, 13 Mar 2020 16:51:33 GMT

@SandGirl

I live in King County, WA, as well. NO TP or paper towels at Costco yesterday, but I did find name-brand jumbo packages at Target! Yippee! I'm not hoarding, just running low.

No hand sanitizer ANYWHERE, tho.

My husband has shoulder implant surgery on 3/18. I am not happy about that. I'm hoping it gets rescheduled.