Re: Bad Covid Winter

bikerbabe · ‎03-09-2010

Not sure why the sarcasm? I’ve heard and read the same: Distancing requirements, periodic outbreaks at facilities, and companies producing a smaller variety of products. Ralphs assistant manager told me a few weeks ago they regularly don’t get everything they order.

Free2be · ‎03-10-2010

At least some funeral homes are being proactive by bringing in refrigeration units because they have the good sense to see what they are going to be dealing with.

SydneyH · ‎03-10-2010

No, I have no plans to shelter in place.

KarenQVC · ‎05-13-2010

I do hope we can treat the dead with more respect this time. However, I don't think this is the time for normal funerals.

pitdakota · ‎03-16-2010

@bikerbabe wrote:
Not sure why the sarcasm? I’ve heard and read the same: Distancing requirements, periodic outbreaks at facilities, and companies producing a smaller variety of products. Ralphs assistant manager told me a few weeks ago they regularly don’t get everything they order.

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@bikerbabe, yep. I even posted about a small factory here that makes pickles. They were shut down down for a couple of days a while ago. They are a small operation that evidently doesn't have all that many employees so having several employees out meant they had to stop their line.

Heck, we even had a Speed Mart which is a quick stop gas station here that was closed for several days last week. Sign on the door "closed due to covid". You should have seen the discussion about that on the nextdoor app. The store is on one of the busiest roads around here and people just didn't know what they were going to do without that place as their stop for morning coffee. lol I think some of them were shocked that something like covid could completely shut a place like that down for several days.

In the meantime here, we continue to set records with new cases, hospitalizations, and deaths.

* Freedom has a taste the protected will never know *

pitdakota · ‎03-16-2010

@Cakers3 wrote:
@pitdakota wrote:
This past weekend, I just happened to have a conversation with the manager of one of our largest Kroger stores here. He is the son of someone I know. After speaking with him, I might change some of what I had planned for the fall.

According to him, the store is running anywhere between 35-40% out of stock at any given time. There are still some real challenges in the supply line due to covid. Evidently many food production companies are not totally back up to pre-pandemic operation and won't be with the physical distancing requirements and trying to keep employees separated.

Adding to the challenge according to him, is that companies are still being impacted by employees contracting covid, being off work, and still causing others around that employee to have to quarantine. So at any given time decreased production can drop due to those circumstances without warning.

He also explained that many companies might have something like 15-20 different products in their line, but most major companies are focusing on only running production for their top 6-7 products. He gave an example of TV dinners, instead of producing the entire line they are focusing on only producing maybe 6 or 7 different choices.

He did affirm that demand for groceries is still well above normal pre-pandemic times and attributed that to so many people working from home and a large number of school aged children that are at home doing online school.

This all came from me just asking him about when we might see manicotti pasta here again.

@pitdakota    LOL

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@Cakers3, I know!!!!! LOL!!! But he was trying to be so helpful. Of course, I might have asked a few questions during conversation too. LOL! Bottom line, give up on the manicotti for a while. DH will just have to suffer. lol

* Freedom has a taste the protected will never know *

pitdakota · ‎03-16-2010

@Mominohio wrote:
@pitdakota wrote:
This past weekend, I just happened to have a conversation with the manager of one of our largest Kroger stores here. He is the son of someone I know. After speaking with him, I might change some of what I had planned for the fall.

According to him, the store is running anywhere between 35-40% out of stock at any given time. There are still some real challenges in the supply line due to covid. Evidently many food production companies are not totally back up to pre-pandemic operation and won't be with the physical distancing requirements and trying to keep employees separated.

Adding to the challenge according to him, is that companies are still being impacted by employees contracting covid, being off work, and still causing others around that employee to have to quarantine. So at any given time decreased production can drop due to those circumstances without warning.

He also explained that many companies might have something like 15-20 different products in their line, but most major companies are focusing on only running production for their top 6-7 products. He gave an example of TV dinners, instead of producing the entire line they are focusing on only producing maybe 6 or 7 different choices.

He did affirm that demand for groceries is still well above normal pre-pandemic times and attributed that to so many people working from home and a large number of school aged children that are at home doing online school.

This all came from me just asking him about when we might see manicotti pasta here again.

I will agree, and have spoken to several people in the grocery supply chain, and all these factors are definitely still in play.

As most shelves have refilled to looking almost normal in stores, I think many people are under the impression we are close to being 'back to normal', and we are really far from it. Better, but not back.

I know if you look really closely, many products are moved to the front, with lots of gaps in the shelves behind the front row or two of stock.

I made a grocery run today, as the first of the month is coming, and in our area, stores are empty once the first of the month checks and benefits hit people's accounts. I never have liked shopping during the first five to ten days of the month, and it's exponentially worse now.

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@Mominohio When I went to the grocery store this morning they were still out of the fire roasted diced tomatoes that I use for a couple of recipes and the Uncle Ben's wild rice. I haven't seen the rice for more than 3 weeks now. They do have other types of rice, but we particularly like the long cook wild rice. Both areas had little tags "sorry for the inconvenience" over the area where the price is usually placed. Tells me if they even have those labels, that the problem is not expected to be resolved with a delivery truck in a day or two. In the meantime, I can move on to plan B and we will be fine.

Talked to a cousin that lives in Tenn and she says the stock of wild rice is out in her area too. We blame our grandmother for getting us started on wild rice. lol

But they had plenty of toilet paper and paper towels. And of course I don't need those. lol

* Freedom has a taste the protected will never know *

minimalistWF · ‎02-02-2018

@SharkE

I am not seeing the media driving this demand, but instead both the fact that COVID cases are rising at an accelerated rate across the country and the fact that so many things ran out quickly in spring, people are now just being more thoughtful about stocking up and being prepared. I mean who wants to be back to worrying about not being able to buy toilet paper - yikes!

The % of cases rising and the predictions coming out of the scientific data is showing that this winter is going to be extremely tough (especially if these infection rates do not go down) and so it's not a bad thing to at least be thoughtful about what you might need over the next few months and take care of yourself. As holidays and winter approach there definitely is a shift to more stock up behavior, but not near the levels like they were in March (good thing!). Plus people are just consuming more at home now, so there is just greater demand overall. I'm making sure that I pick up things that my family will want for the holidays (like flour, etc. for baking), but otherwise am not buying a lot of extra items.

I just wish that people would follow basic guidleines like wearing a mask, doing basic social distancing and having common sense about protecting themselves and others. So many people do not care about protecting human lives and would rather pretend that the pandemic is over. It's not and this ignorance is only going to further extend the health and economic tragedies as a result of this pandemic. God help us all!

BlueFinch · ‎08-31-2019

It's starting again. When at the store yesterday, I noted there had, once again, been a run on paper goods. I've had no problem finding paper towels, or TP recently, but the aisle was becoming depleted. My brands were missing.

I also saw signs on several items reading: We will temporarily be unable to restock this item for questionable time. One of them was some paper plates, others were certain varieties of rice, beans and baking goods. Like before. Of course Halloween and upcoming holidays are impacting this, too.

While I'm not into hoarding, I have stocked-up on key items. It's a good idea to do so. We've no idea how this thing is going to play out. All we can do is prepare ourselves the best we can. After all, we're unlikely to stock up on things we won't eventually use, or share.