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Hoarding

I have a very strong suspect for the root cause of mass hoarding:  Professional shoppers.  I run into them A LOT at Kroger.  Standing in front of what I'm looking for, trying to decide what compromise best suits what their client ordered.  I know they are prof'l shoppers because they tell me.

 

And since shopping is all they do, item limits don't really apply to them.  They can cart the limit out to their truck and go right back in for more at a different-- or the self-- checkout until the shelves are empty.  Then hoard known-demand items at home with the only limit being space and refrigeration for perishables.  How many 30-packs of toilet paper could you find room for in your house, if that was your "job"?

 

Then, seeing mostly-bare shelves, EVERYone grabs all they can because they perceive a shortage.

 

Memo to retailers:  Here's a DANDY motive to add facial recognition to your ubiquitous shoplifting cameras.  If the same schmow walks in and out more than twice in the same half hour, they are hoarding.  Set off that security alarm you put by the door and have them escorted out and greylisted for scrutiny in times of exceptional demand.  "One per customer" means ONE PER DAY, not one as many times as you can get away with, SCHMUCK.

 

Memo to Kroger:  One truck twice a week really doesn't cut it as far as inventory.  I have to stash a month worth of EVERYthing at home because you are chronically out of it when I need it.  Not just now, but for the LAST FOUR YEARS.  I've been buying groceries for 56 years and I know this is a new invention of yours because it never happened before.  You copied it from Walmart, they were like this 10 years before you were.  Why do you think I was shopping at Kroger instead of Walmart? 

For the highclass clientele??
 
<span style="font-size: 14pt; color: #008000;">Thanks for the kind words concerning my fast-approaching cancer surgery. I haven't been to the market since this "restricted" shopping thing started. I may venture out to a Gelson's store very near me next week. Never been but I understand it's pricey. Like many stores, they have special hours for us oldsters. I guess I assume there'd be more of a sense of "shopping decorum" than at Walmart or Food 4 Less. </span>

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The way things are "pro" shoppers NEED to be under the same restrictions as everyone else.If you are a "pro" "shopper" WHY are you buying the things at a retail store???Shouldn't you buy them from a wholesaler???The laws should apply to ALL!!!!We have TOO MANY numbskulls out there hoarding stuff they will likely NEVER use!!And if these dummies try to sell on eBay or whatever-they need to be informed price gouging is ILLEGAL!!eBay should shut those auctions down right away.-Then ban the seller from using eBay.
 
The exception should be shopper buy as part of a service.  HEB has set up an arrangement with Favor Delivery for people 60+, you can call a special phone number for seniors and can order up to 20 items and will be delivered the same day.  I'm going to investigate to find out just how restrictive it is.  A $10 fee for the person doing the shopping and it's delivered to your front door.  Then the person inside can retrieve from front door once they leave.
 
It should be noted that HEB has had a pandemic protocol in place since 2005.

 

HEB is ahead of the game in so many ways.  In all their markets (Houston, Austin, San Antonio and neighboring) they kick Walmart's butt.  Wish we had them here.  HOW I wish.
 
eBay should shut those auctions down right away.-

eBay, Amazon, Kijiji and many others have already shut down many thousands of postings for price gouging.

 

I was speaking with a manager at one store nearby and they're debating on what to do about returns once the store starts taking returns again... 1 per item per receipt, or none at all. This is for things lie TP, paper towels, sanitizer.... I hope they don't take returns on these things and the hoarders get to keep it all!

 

Chuck
 
Nice to see

a family owned grocery chain still around besides Wegmans'. Not to mention one since 1914. The one I worked for for 31 years had been for 86 years. At least after 1987, A&P did keep us afloat for twenty more.
 
Glenn,

What about Whole Foods? Amazon hires shoppers for them and they deliver. Not optimal ($$) but if needed.....

Are you friendly with any of your neighbors? I'm lucky that we have family nearby and when I go out I call our cousin to see if she needs anything. She does the same with us. Works out well.

I remember in the blizzard of '78 we had to walk to the grocery store. My roomie and I would do that, but always asked the older (50's or '60's... she was "older" when we were in our 20's!) neighbor if she needed anything. Only ever had us pick up milk for her cat- otherwise she was well-stocked.

Best of luck,
Chuck
 
UV vs. viruses

Actually UV light can be quite effective against viruses.

 

However, the most effective UV light is UV-C, which is the type that germicidal lamps emit. Unfortunately while the sun emits UV-C, very little of it gets to the earth's surface. UV-B, which does get down, is much less germicidal/antiviral but is far more abundant than UV-C so it may have some protective effect. Perhaps more important is that outdoors a cough or sneeze quickly dissipates, whereas inside a building, the aerosols and droplets may linger far longer in the still air.

 

It's long been observed that people who go outdoors in general are healthier than those who stay inside all the time. This may be from a combination of factors, but I would think that UV light exposure, as well as fresher, less contaminated air, play a large part. Balancing that out is that those who are obliged to stay inside often may have health problems already.

 

The link below is to a NCBI publication that discusses face masks, UV light, and other factors affecting viral (flu) transmission.

 

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1854994/
 
Last time I went shopping it was to the local Costco on March 19. I got there shortly after 10 am (it opens at 9 am) and it wasn't too bad. However, when I left at 11 am it was getting a bit frantic. I had trouble exiting the building because of the continuous line of anxious shoppers pushing their carts toward the relocated entrance. I finally had to snarl at them, "You gotta let people out of the store if you want to get into the store!"... LOL...

 

No TP of course but I bought a 30 roll pack back in December and still haven't had to open it. In fact I gave six rolls to an elderly couple next door who mentioned they were running low.

 

Like Ralph said, I also have a lot of frozen food in the chest freezer that I could do well to start going through. For fresh veggies I generally go to a Cardenas Mexican style grocery in the next town. They have the best prices and selection. In fact I may pay them a visit tomorrow morning, and then Costco to get some eggs.

 

I pack hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes when I go out shopping. Luckily I had some set aside long before this crisis.

 
 
There are air purifiers out there that have UVC bulbs in them.The old UV bulbs used in dryers and some washers generate UVC.These lamps are very effective in destroying airborn viruses,spores,and bacteria.And if they are on surfaces the light can strike as well.The bulbs have to be shielded from eyes and skin.And plastics can be weakened from the radiation of these lamps.Some commercial HVAC systems have large UV bulbs in a duct unit that air can pass over the bulbs.Same with water sterilizers at water plants.The UV can destroy bad bugs in water,too.I have three purifiers in my place running all the time.So far since I have used those purifiers haven't gotten sick.Your results can vary.
 
Thanks Bob

<blockquote>
Rick, the "closest" to Ft. Worth is Ennis, Waxahachie, and Burleson.

</blockquote>
I knew they were encroaching on the metro.  Might even be one in Mansfield.  Or is that 'the other' Central Market?  There is one of those I know of but my income bracket doesn't qualify.

 

Kroger is 2mi away, without crossing I-30.  Those are the only reasons I tolerate them.
 
One word about germicidal UV lights. They don't last forever. When I worked doing sterile work in research labs, I remember being told that over time the efficacy of the germicidal lamps decreased. However I never did see any data on that, so I was never sure how one could tell. When I asked, I was told that someone would check the lights from time to time. ?

 

From this video, UV-C lamps last about a year of continuous use.

 

 
Our governor put more new restrictions on the amount of people that can be in a store from 5 for a convenience store to 100 for Walmart. Went to Walmart today and there were about 20 people standing out in the rain waiting to get in when I left. Our governor is scared and rightly so as Maine has only received 5% of the medical supplies requested and has got zero response from Washington.
 
We just got back from a walk, having stopped at the premium grocery store, Oliver’s about a mile from home.  The carts and hand baskets were all sanitized, they have plexiglas shields up at the registers, everyone was carefully following the social distancing guidelines.  We bought 2 large green peppers, a 2 lb, bag of rice, quart of 1/2&1/2 , 8 bananas and a bag of  jelly beans.

 

I’m confident that we will be able to get thru this now.  We can get what we need, when we need it, most importantly SAFELY!  

 

Sonoma County started the shelter in place and social distancing orders 3 days before the state did.  It’s paying off!  Any community/state that isn’t doing so is really going to pay the price in needless deaths that could have been avoided.  I know we still aren’t out of the water yet, and there are darker  days ahead, but at least we are doing the very best we can to flatten the curve, and that’s all we can do for now.

 

Now be sure to WASH YOUR HANDS, wear a mask when around strangers and stay the hell at home as much as possible.

 

Eddie
 
Meanwhile in Canada...

Today was the first time in over a month that I ventured out to one of the bigger grocery stores in St-Hyacinthe - I have been managing on frozen foods and cans of veggies and fruit but it was wearing thin... Plus we were out of dog chews!

 

The new rules here have customers lining up to enter stores to limit the number of people congregating in them; on entry, you are advised to wash hands and maintain a 2 metre (6 foot) distance between yourself and others.  The store where I went had someone who asked each customer if they had  been outside of the country in the past 14 days, if they had experienced any symptoms of the novel corona virus, and if anyone the customer lived with had them.   Customers are encouraged to shop alone and to paraphrase Apu, "Get in, get out, and come again!"

 

Once inside, I was happy to see that there was ample fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, and fish.  The bakery department had plenty of breads, rolls, bagels, english muffins, etc.  Flour seems to be the new unobtainium here - I think the nationwide rail disruptions prior to the covid pandemic may be responsible for this more than hoarders.  There was still plenty of loo roll (but there were signs warning that a limit of 2 packs per shopper would be enforced).  The only packages of toilet paper were large 12-roll ones so that should not be a huge issue. 

 

I got just about everything I needed fortunately and am hoping I won't need to shop again for another 10 to 14 days. 

 
 
 
Went to WM ~1p.  Moderate amt of cars in the lot, people in the store seemed sparse.  Mostly keeping apart except when passing in the aisles.  There was a group of girlies visiting in the grassy area front of the lot.

Stock was good, although I didn't check everything.  Noticed rice was sparse except for some micro-packaged products.  NO TOILET PAPER.  Plenty bread (didn't get any).

NO SHIELDS AT THE CASHIERS.
 

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