If there’s anything that’s going to identify the COVID-19 pandemic, in most people’s minds, it’s the empty store shelves. As a nation, we are accustomed to being able to go into the store and get anything we need. If our local store doesn’t have it, no problem. There will be another store down the road where we can pick it up.
That’s not the case right now. At least, not from everything I’m seeing. I’ve been taking daily trips to my supermarket, ever since things have started, just so I could watch the shelves empty out. I know that sounds a bit strange, but writing about survival is my work. We’re living through a real-life test of everything I’ve taught for the last 20 years.
To a large part, many of the things which have been selling out make sense, when you take into consideration the current situation. I wouldn’t normally expect meat to sell out, but then, there is no threat to our electrical supply. People can freeze that meat, something we don’t normally expect them to be able to do in an emergency.
But the one that has surprised everyone is the run on toilet paper. Apparently someone decided that they needed to stock up on toilet paper to survive the pandemic. Others saw them doing it and the idea spread. Pure panic buying.
But now it’s gotten to the point that people are buying toilet paper whenever they can, just because the stores are out of it. They want to make sure that they don’t run out of TP.
This phenomenon has led to a large collection of memes and jokes on the internet, including the 2020 Commemorative Bling Earrings:
Is there any rationale behind what’s going on, or is it just panic? That seems to be the question.
Since I live in a hurricane zone, I’m used to seeing things fly off the shelves, whenever a hurricane is reported to be heading in our general direction. While that never gets as bad as what I’m seeing now, water, flashlights and a few other items empty out quickly, as people get ready to ride it out. But it’s never as bad as what I’m seeing now.
A Visit to My Local Supermarket
I tried to go to my local grocery store this morning, with the intent of taking pictures of the shelves, before the shoppers arrived. I was then going to return this evening, to show the difference, taking the same shots, from the same locations. The idea was to show that the stores have been restocking overnight, but people are buying things out, as fast as they can stock the shelves.
Here are some pictures I managed to take with my phone of the meat department, the bread area and the frozen foods area:
Unfortunately, it is apparently against the store’s policy to allow people to take pictures, so I was asked to leave. The pictures above were taken last week, with my phone, before I knew that I couldn’t do it.
As I waited in line to get in the store, a member of management came out, making announcements. One of those was that the store had only received 23 packages of toilet paper in their overnight delivery. He followed that by saying that another store a few miles away had received a whole trailer load of it. While the line didn’t empty out to go to that other store, a number of people did leave.
Related: The 10 Best Prepper Foods You Can Find At Costco
Limitations Are Severe
The store was only allowing 20 people in at a time, which gave me an opportunity to see the first people coming out of the store. Since stores are running decreased hours, this also means that at the end of the day, when they close their doors at 8:00 tonight, that line will still be just as long, if not longer.
With the amounts of goods being shipped in, the stores are not succeeding in fully restocking overnight. The trucking industry is literally working overtime, trying to move product to the stores, but there just aren’t enough trucks and truckers to meet the demands of everything that everyone is buying. According to one store official I spoke to, they don’t expect to have normal stocking levels back in place until mid-summer, at the rate things are going.
Even if you get in the store, there are category limitations on buying just about everything, from ground beef to canned goods, via the paper goods aisle, of course. So if you’re trying to stock up, this is the wrong time to do so. That would literally require getting in line to get into the store early, an hour before opening time, every single day.
This shopper was amongst the first people to get into the store. As you can see, he managed to get toilet paper and water, amongst other items.
I couldn’t see what else they bought, without stopping them and asking. That would require breaking social distancing, so I didn’t bother to do so given the current situation.
Related: Is it Safe to Drink Old Stored Water?
A Few Takeaways
Between my conversation with the store’s management, shoppers waiting in line and those in the trucking industry, I’ve got a few final points I’d like to make:
- There is no shortage of goods. The problem is getting those goods to the stores fast enough to meet demand.
- If you need something, you’d better plan on getting to the store early and waiting in line. I got to the store ½ hour before the store opened and I didn’t get inside the door until 20 minutes after the door opened. By then, some things were already gone.
- Many people are panic buying and hoarding because of it. While the levels they are buying are nothing compared to the average prepper, there are a number of them and they’re building their stockpile all at once. That’s increasing the problem.
- The current problems with the grocery stores will be lasting until mid-summer.
- Any of us who have a stockpile should be using it now, leaving what’s in the stores to those who aren’t prepared.
- We (the prepping community) can do the community a lot of good right now, instructing people on how to deal with the problem, without having to panic.
So, how are things in your area? Are the store shelves empty? Are your supermarkets doing any better at restocking than mine are? Are you ready for the next few months?
You may also like:
7 Guns Preppers Need To Buy Before The Upcoming Gun Ban
Why You Should Never Hide Your Stockpile In Your Basement (Video)
In coastal Va it is the same as you described. Going to our local Food Lion I see that the frozen foods are about half there. Depending on what you want. Pies are there but Pizza’s are gone. TV dinners are also gone. Meats come and go. Yesterday they had some H/burger (limit 2) but no chicken or beef. Couple of pork roasts. No paper products of any kind. Checkout can be trying. I had read this at another prepper site but never experienced it until yesterday. The question “Why do you need 2 of those? Others may want one.”
Not seeing the lines here. Might be at other stores
but at this one as many as want can enter.
Here in the so called “epi center”, folks went a little crazy! Seems No body around here does anything for themselves anymore. That’s not in vogue! They have go to people, never cook (it’s beneath them) and always take out or eat out! Lots of lessons were learned the hard way! Hope they sank in! Panic after all is not a good look!
A few things here and there – but lets be honest – cows arent dead – and every farmer I know is still working just fine
Also, a few guys i know with cattle have a bit of glut right now because their normal buyers supply restaurants arent buying – just give it a little time and that beef will find its way into stores – they just need to adjust the distribution
In South Central PA paper products, pasta, P-nut butter, Clorox, White vinegar and of course any type of manufactured hand sanitizer are practically gold. The stay at home order has been a good thing. I finally had time to get my smoke house rebuilt and as a result the freezer has been getting more empty by the day. I have had many calls/ emails from people who were previously “on the fence’ concerning any kind of prepping. I have been able to help my neighbors and friends on topics ranging from canning meat and vegetables, smoking meats, installing wood stoves and chimneys, home made sanitizers, ground cellars and loading ammunition. If there could be such a thing as a silver lining to this situation, it is that this is a wake up call to millions. I feel certain that at least in my area there will be a lot more people much more prepared moving forward.
Thanks for being a good neighbor! Kindness and generosity can go a long way to surviving this pan(ic)demic!
pip: panic-democrats 🙂 the plague on humanity.niio
kettle: I have a lot of family NE PA and north central. We learned to prep as kids because all of us had to learn to cook and clean, to can and brine. It’s a good state, but those politicians, geez. Kids for Cash is still the worse scam they ever pulled. One stepson was napped by the judges, and his parents paid like 16K a month before his father got him free. niio
What percentage of people will learn to start maintaining their own stock pile of essential items when this is all over. Five years from now…I’d say 25% would be on the high side for having 3 months supply. Half of Americans aren’t smart enough to remember a history lesson even if they lived through it.
A few weeks ago, we went for our usual shopping. The place was cleaned out. Not a banana or meat anywhere. I understood the bread, milk and such but bananas? We got our necessitis and went home. Now, this is small town Ohio. I didn’t expect that here. 3 weeks of sequester and we made another trip just for things we wanted. Plenty of bananas, bread and milk. The meat was still a little lean, but when I asked for something not out there, the guys pleasantly went to check and came back with a whole case. They just hadn’t had time to restock. We technically have all we need. We also went and got animal feed. Now, we will go back to staying put. Living on a farm we have plenty to keep us busy. We have gotten the raised beds started, so will have fresh coming in soon.
In my area, Rich, the shelves aren’t COMPLETELY empty but neither are they fully stocked. Especially when it comes to toilet paper. It’s VERY strange going shopping now with all the social distancing. I try and get in and out as quickly as I can.The first thing I do when coming back from shopping, before taking my shoes and coat off; and BEFORE I do anything else is wash my hands VERY vigorously. Just like a surgeon does before every operation. I’ve watched enough Grey’s Anatomy to know how to do it properly. LOL!
Yes, there is no TP, paper towels, facial tissue, Lysol or Clorox. Only a few off-brand canned meats. No rice or dry beans. Limited selection on meats. A few stores limit entry but not all. Luckily, I prep but I still have to go for my mom who keeps telling me “God will provide.” I tell her God provided me with a brain to prep. I can’t wait until she runs out of TP because she is OCD about the brand and type. lol
You are doing good efzapp! The Bible supports those who are prepared. God does expect us to use the brain he gave us!
Matthew 25:1-13
Defnitely a sobering sight wandering through the vacant aisles of formerly packed shelves. I try to pop into different stores a couple of times a week on my way to or from my essental job to see what I supplies I can top off. Milk is almost always sold out and, if it is in stock, has a limit of 2 gallons (a joke for us – we have a large family and go through a gallon a day). We’ve had to ration. Eggs are also a rare commodity (except organic at $7 a dozen). We don’t really need anything else (except some fresh produce), but I’m just looking ahead to stay on top of my supplies as not being able to shop my normal routines will impact me if this continues – especially if the item limits don’t go away (a four can limit in some stores!) Also impacting my concern is the tendency of everyone in the house wanting to comfort eat.
HAH!!! I am SO shocked that the preppers don’t see what caused the TP buying craze. DUH!!!! What is the most complained about item in EVERY prepper/end of world/TEOTWAWKI book? TOILET PAPER!!! Well, we got the message! Kills me how preppers claim to be ignorant of what has caused this!
In addition, after the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, toilet paper was an item that disappeared from stores quickly. Most Japanese apartments and homes are small and storage space at a premium, so their stores don’t sell the mega packages that we sell in this country. Japanese buy one or two rolls at a time as needed,
Everybody soon ran out as the trains which are a major portion of in-country shipping couldn’t run until all the tracks were checked for alignment in every district that felt the quake. That’s a big undertaking as it entrails more than just driving the freeway and seeing that there are no major breaks or distortions.
So folks started using newspaper and magazines in place of t.p. Well, it doesn’t take a masters degree in sanitary engineering to figure out what happened next.
Japanese government is now urging folks to maintain more than just a roll or two of t.p. in case of another emergency.
While that wasn’t widely reported in the news here in the U.S., I think it was reported widely enough that some folks took note.
Also, Elaine, is correct in that a lot of preppier novels which are read by others than just us, talk about t.p. being a real necessity.
In addition, flu to me has always meant more frequent bowel movement, so if I hear that flu is on the horizon, I check the t.p. supply to make sure I won’t have to use a stick or broken piece of pottery, both items have been used in the past for the purposes of what we now use paper.
Broken pottery? Who thought that was a good idea? By the way, I have a list of 15 items that have been used in the past included in something circulating on the internet entitled 38 things you probably didn’t know about toilet paper.
Sometimes I amaze myself with the trivia that I find interesting.
I actually emailed back one of the prepper authors I follow, who had said something about the TP shortage, and explained the same thing to HIM! He had to quickly agree I was right! I have been reading these novels for years now, ever since One Second After came out. They were truly eye opening to me on a lot of issues. Some of the things I can do something about, and others I flat out (unfortunately) cannot. I can’t get out of the city, so I’m done for. I had been trying for a couple years, but could not find the right place. Of course, now it’s too late, as the economy is going to be in pieces on the ground all around us. They’re still trying to hold it up with shoestrings, but it is not going to work. I am totally glad I listen to Greg Mannarino every day. As of Feb 21 when I listened to him, I used the money I have left to stock up on foods, etc., before everyone else did a couple weeks later, so was able to buy stuff before it disappeared. I warned people, and actually gave a neighbor money to get stuff, as I knew from where he worked he wouldn’t be able to afford to buy extra. Out of the other 6 people I warned, only 1 listened to me. he went to the grocery store and bought about 10 cases of canned goods, and some other stuff. He has a bad heart condition, so cannot go out and shop, so it has really helped him out a lot. (He can’t shop because of corona virus threat, not because he can’t walk.) The rest of the people who wouldn’t listen to me are family living out of town. They did not start listening until the schools started closing. THEN they decide to go buy food! (It’s not my daughter’s fault; her husband knows everything in her family, and basically thinks I’m nuts. Not so much anymore. Somehow, after having ZERO room for any food, he has gone out and procured a BUNCH which they miraculously found a place for!) The other thing, which has not been touched on, is the economy. it is totally toast! Buy silver, have a few cryptos. I WOULD have said have some cash, but looks like they want to make that illegal. By the pricking of my thumbs, something evil this way comes!!!
Elaine: And the frantic squirreling away of tp for the time continues as lying journalists find more and more to scare the crap out of people. the power of the pen, it hath its many victims. I’m surprised greenies haven’t come out to complain about all the forests being ‘murdered’ to supply tp 🙂 niio
Red, I’ll probably have a video waiting for me from Greta, and a really nasty email from AOC!!!! Wonder what THEY use? Hope you are doing well!
Elaine: Is that before or after PETA protesters deny you the right to murder defenseless slugs mowing down your garden? 🙂
Both work on making us a nazi nation. Green fascism was started by Hitler. Hitler loved useful idiots. No wonder Joe Biden was a show-in for the candidacy. I’m surprised he didn’t pick Jane Fonda as a running mate, but I was always told she prefers water buffaloes to jackasses. niio
red,
If you see refrigerator trucks loaded up with dead bodies, lined outside the nearest hospitals, Because the morgues are overrun, after these folks die alone, it might be cause for concern. And that’s without any talking head commentary Or ‘lying journalists’. All of that is happening, maybe not by you , but it is happening. I hope you are safe and you and your family stay well. But if you were experiencing these kinds of things in you neck of the woods first hand, if the national guard was deployed in your town to keep food banks open and set up field hospitals, perhaps you’d have a Little more empathy to express as folks try to deal with these issues. Hopefully you are following CDC and local health guidelines, and if you are, some part of you must know that this is a real crisis.
Mr: Thank you, and you, stay safe and stay healthy.
Arizona has perhaps 2,019 now. We had over 5,000 but it’s summer and the corona is dying off. https://ncov2019.live/ Gov. Dusey slapped the libs by putting out a watch, but not a shut-down. I do not follow the CDC. biologists in the family don’t trust them. niio
I don’t understand the toilet paper craze. If it was so vital, how did the seven people survive all those years on Gilligan’s Island?
KC: Pandemic-rats are scaring the crap out of liberal sheep 🙂 And, that’s basicaly what psychologists are saying. People have been panicked into buying. niio
I don’t know about Gilligan’s Island but I’ve maintained a large stash of Quilted Northern Ultra Plush Toilet Paper in my stock pile. Nothings too good for my tush.
I’m sorry, Rich, but I don’t agree with #6 at the end of your article. IF there are preppers in the area and they try and help people it may backfire on them. If we help people in these tough times and then the times could get much worse. My opinion is that this corona virus is only phase one of a much larger plan. Phase two is the collapse of the world banking system. And especially that of the United States. If the financial system of the US crashes then that will be the first domino that will herald the collapse of the rest of the world. After that I don’t know what their plans are. I’m not privy to that info. Perhaps extreme depopulation of the planet. I don’t know. And then those we helped get a whiff of the idea that we could have extra food on hand. And IF the stores then really run out of food and everyone’s starving then they will come for our stockpiles. MY family comes first. Am I going to give out food to strangers while my family suffers because of it? I think not. I hate to be like this but fuck ’em. I’d rather throw strangers under the bus than see my family suffer because of my shortsightedness. My first and only responsibility is to my family. Everyone and everything else becomes a VERY distant second.
Family! Drawing your family close at this time is the most important thing anyone can do, after your own prepping. If they have been derogatory at all about your prepping they need to get over that NOW!
Armin: I hate to agree with you, but I, too, am concerned that this “crisis” is going to continue to get worse. Maybe the mask situation will be solved for medical personnel, but I am truly concerned that somehow it will drag on into something else. As Rham Emmanual, Barry Obama’s right hand man is quoted as saying, “Never let a crisis go to waste.”
I don’t think that is just his motto, I think there are lots of dimokrats who just can’t wait to exploit this. Gabby Nuisance the gubernator of Kallyforniya in a speech yesterday, while stating that he is a entrepreneur (yeah, on OPM. He used funds furnished by a good buddy to start his restaurant) he is going to make dramatic changes in the way business is done in Kallyforniya. Considering that he is vying with Pelosi and Schumer to see who is the leading socialist in the party, I can only imagine Kallyforniya is going to see more real businesses fleeing the state and “green” businesses getting more taxpayers dollars to make it attractive to start up in the PDRK.
I most heartily hope that you and I are totally off base but I am really uneasy.
Chuck: Hey, I heard an Air Force base in Nevada is looking for a writer-editor. Yes, I am still trying to talk you into leaving Kali land of fruits and nuts. Did you hear the latest? Because Trump won’t give away masks meant for the military, the libs are shrieking mad. Of course, that’s nothing new with the party of Joe Biden… nnio
I sold our home in the Commiefornia Bay Area in late 2016; probably at what is close to the top of the market to get out of there.The wife and I were native Californians but hated the Sodom and Gomorrah place it had become. We holed up in an apartment for 2.5 years while we had a new home built in a much nicer state. I am so very thankful that we rode the crest of getting out of there. Yes, it is one of the most beautiful states in America and relatively bug-free. That’s where it ends though. Left Coast, you’d serve yourself well to get out of that place while you can.
You got that right. The old saying “a lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part” comes to mind. If you are not smart enough to have a stockpile, hell with ya! I’m just pissed at myself for not foreseeing the run on TP and freakin Mason/Ball jars! I also originally had no N95 masks. Got a couple dozen now.
Other than that, I just topped off some supplies and spent a weekend blanching, vacuum packaging and freezing fresh veggies. I also use my dehydrator more than ever. We let green peppers go bad in the fridge more often than not, so I sliced and dehydrated a dozen that easily keep in a gallon bag on the shelf.
It all makes for a very satisfied and peaceful feeling about all this. Hell, I found that even milk freezes!
KC: Milk, yogurt, some cheeses. when we get a watermelon, that is peels (harp peeler works fastest and easy), and rinds go in the freezer to be pickled when we get enough for a batch. They make good relish and kosher, ect, and stay firm when frozen, ‘way better than cucumbers do. niio
We are seeing a consistent ’empty shelf’ on paper towels, toilet paper, dry beans and rice. Most other things come and go but those items are consistently gone.
Yes, I have lots of canned goods and freeze dried ‘prepper items’ but I do not want to dip into them.
I just can’t wrap my head around the toilet paper issue. You can always resort to a 30 second shower or a wet paper towel.
Are you stocking up on paper towels then, instead?
No. Not really stocking up on much of anything. My wife and I have an emergency supply we’ve had and built on over the last 4 years and we feel compelled to let others build theirs.We continue to shop for 1-2 weeks worth of food and have it delivered or pick it up in the parking lot.
I am in Washington State in a small town. There is no Toilet paper, paper towels, or tissue. Has not been for 3 weeks. Food shelves are limited supplied. Restrictions on Water, when you can find it. Thank you truckers, please keep coming to small towns, we need you.
Has nobody thought of drinking water from a faucet? If your water supply is that bad you need to fire some local politicians who have squandered your tax dollars.
the stores around us are a little better than your pictures. i’m finding the health food stores seem to be better stocked. I have been keeping “topped off” as much as possible. i figure i’m less likley to be exposed yesterday then a week from now. i think thats about to slow down.
Rumers of our first comfirmed case of covid-
19 have started to spread and the person is suposed to work at our local supermarket. this has me wondering (not for the first time) do the grocery stores offer their part time people sickpay during this outbreak. what bufferes are in place for those workers if they get sick so they don’t feel like they need to work even though they may have been exposed. we are all going to the store if nowhere else. I would like to shop at the stores that offer their people as much support as possible.
Always be prepared . weeks before the panic buying i already had a minimum stock of 1 1/2 weeks of food . few day before March I went out to buy 4 week stock of foo,water and toiletries , and every 3rd day i go out to but some more , this week I have not come out to buy anything cause I have plenty of supply , only the fresh veggie and fruits are the ones I’m buying every time I go out. If you don’t stock up and this thing continues You have a hard time finding what you need.
I’ve been to 4 different stores over the past 3 weeks. Walmart in Mid-March when the buying frenzy started was cleared out of soups and pastas. So was Costco around the same time. A couple of weeks ago Winco was still cleaned out of most pastas and soups, but not as bad as previously. Yesterday Fred Meyer had a reasonable selection of pastas and soups, so things seem to be getting better. However, one gal I talked to while we were both picking fuschia plants had toilet papyin her cart and commented that The store had some today. She said she didn’t need any yet, but thought she should get some while it was available.
I have been to several stores in my area, No waiting, no lines. However their might be some when they first open. I always go later in the day..
Most things have been in stock, although they have limits on some items.
Pasta, rice, Ramen noodles and TP are out of stock or quite low in most stores.
One store was low on frozen multi serve meals,the other store had plenty.
Some stores were out of the most common size or type, but had other sizes, brands, etc, of similar stuff.
So it varies a lot.by the store and the area.of town you are in, even by state.
From what I saw, everyone was buying about the usual amounts for that store.
I expect this to settle down real soon unless we get another panic.
Netherlands, Europe: The first 2 weeks everybody was panic buying, now most stores are back to normal regarding stocks. All supermarkets are limiting number of people in the store at the same time and shopping carts are mandatory (to make you keep distance)
Grocery stores in my area have food, some items can’t be found but no one is going to starve. There are no paper goods or cleaning/ sanitizing items due to The hoarders. For the most part shelves are not empty.
The one thing we have not seen the first drip of in ages is alcohol. All the stores have been empty of it since almost day 1. There have been other things refilled, but no alochol! I have tried over the years to stock up on alcohol, peroxide, vinegar (both kinds) and baking soda. Things that will not give you cancer when you clean and take care of yourself! And when it comes down to it, most of these things have been in short supply now. What surprised me was aloe! That has been sold out and price gouging for it. I have read recently that if you make hand sanitizer and use aloe with alcohol and essential oils it doesn’t work right, and you shouldn’t use aloe with it. I don’t remember why; it was sent in an email on essential oils from Dr Z and Sabrina. If you’re interested, I’m sure you can find them on google. She said to put your essential oils in a container, and fill it up with alcohol. She said you could put aloe on your hands later for softener. I’m not positive, but I THINK she said ONLY after the alcohol had totally dried. This is for people who want to make their own sanitizer without using poisons found in commercial ones which cause the types of cancer (hormonal) which I had. (I WISH I had read that email prior to ordering a gallon of aloe for $50 off ebay!!!!) Edens Garden has really good essential oils, and the prices are really good, AND I believe they do not charge shipping at all. I’ve been very happy with them. Recently saw where the essential oils ravensara and ravinstara are very good (actually best it said) at killing viruses. So I’m teaming that up with tea tree oil and lemon oil (actually I will probably use lime) for the hand sanitizer and liquid soap I’m making (using Bronner’s liquid soap, which I have a good bit of, and you can buy by the gallon on Amazon).
in the south east, when a hurricane is forcasted to hit, the first thing to run out is alcohol. the licker stores will be empty 🙂 really, be safe guys
cid, I did mean isopropyl like rubbing alcohol! I’ve never checked out the booze sections (leave those for the boozers)! Not sure how THAT section has fared here. But there hasn’t been any of the disinfecting alcohol here for ages. I just actually ordered some Everclear from a place online. And actually, I got a cancellation the next day. I had ordered two bottles and nothing else, and they said there was a bright red line saying you could not order just that because of the shortages etc. So I REORDERED it (with some 151), and guess what??? The price had gone up from $30 a bottle, to $50 a bottle. I still ordered it, as I’m sure with 2 bottles I won’t need any again, and it did keep me from having to visit the licker stores! Ya know, I just realized what you said about the hurricanes, and it reminded me of the time that hurricane hit here back in the 80s. I was living in a backwoods area, and there was apparently a hurricane party going on down the road. Our electrics were out for 11 days, and I have never seen anything as pitch black as it was out there. And then those people starting laughing like frickin maniacs. I was in my early 20s with 2 little kids, and it scared the pee out of me! It was midnight, and I called the cops! They came out and the lady deputy escorted me out of the neighborhood and I drove 60 miles to my parents house (unannounced, and they lived in a tiny town but way out in the sticks from the town–scared the crap out of them with us driving up in the middle of the night)! Ya just gotta love them hurricanes!
Some people have all the fun! and then there’s us 🙂 niio
There was an e-mail circulating around that was about how to make your own hand sanitizer from iso and aloe vera. Two days after that, it was gone everywhere including Jeff Bozo’s company.
59: @ old men were busy working a still. the sheriff snuck up on them and shouted, “got ya! You’re under arrested for making moonshine!”
Both sat stood in shock. then, one man said, “”what? Nah, sheriff. We ain’t making moonshine. this here is hand sanitize!”
The sheriff scowled. He took a pint bottle and walked away complimenting them on being good, smart Americans. niio
Seems like any and everything the media puts forth is being panic bought. As soon as MSM lamented that, in fact, people SHOULD be wearng masks that are homemade and publishing how to’s, there is NO elastic anywhere to be found. When Zinc was touted as the magic preventative -sold out everywhere!
BTW, I probably shouldn’t share this because it will cause another panic buying of one of my favorite products, but aloe vera and WITCH HAZEL make an excellent hand sanitizer with essential oils (thieves oil and oregano oil). Non-drying (unlike alcohol which creates micro-tears in the skin, allowing viruses to easily penetrate). I used this formula when I worked in front-line retail during the holidays/winter and was the only one who never got sick. Colleagues who pracitcally bathed in the commercial alcohol stuff were always sick.
My local bakery says that the stores are NOT buying Specialty BREADS right now. That’s all that I buy & it’s NEVER on the shelves at ANY store for the last few weeks. All they are stocking is GMO, preservative-laden & artificial junk filled breads.
People will buy whatever bread they can find on the shelves. The store management is smart enough to KNOW this.
There is MORE to this conspiracy than ANY of us realize! Are store managers receiving warnings to KEEP this nation’s food supplies low? Is someone in powerful places orchestrating all of this? Do they WANT this economy to FAIL???
There are those who would benefit by our failing, many actually. I do not think that is the deal with the narrowness of ordering. I talked to a guy in the meat department at Walmart 2-3 weeks ago. Shortages were fewer, but even then they had two guys who were full time runners just trucking back and forth to plug holes over and above the standard delivery trucks. If I were a big box store mgr, I would just worry about bread period and not be concerned with variety. They are, I am sure, overwhelmed.
A clerk told me WalMart warehouses were stripped. I said because too much comes from China.Sam Walton demanded American first, but his kids loved the extra profit and are now suffering because of it. When I was to one last, they had everything but eggs and some meat. Delivery companies are hauling a lot of freezers and gun shops are still 2 weeks behind on orders. Only Kali-fornians and Mexicans are complaining about that. mexicans are smuggling guns over the border by the hundreds because the drug lords are running out of M16s, and their soldiers thanks to angry Mexicans 🙂 niio
I live in South FL. And I went shopping last weekend. I got there midmorning. And to tell you the truth they had everything but Paper products and eggs. The meat case was fully stocked. the breads were fully stocked. They even had lots of bottled water. the only thing i couldn’t get that I needed were eggs. And I wasn’t out of those just low.
Jim, my son went to Walmart and Publix one day, and they were both out of eggs. he went back a week later, and there were some there. So hopefully they will be coming and going. Those are some ugly numbers ya’ll are having in Dade and Broward! Hope ya’ll do okay. I’m in the nawth part of the state!
One sister in Pennsylvania said all the stores are out of eggs, and that when they do start to restock, the price will be double. I stopped in two stores the other day and checked for eggs. We buy a half-case at a time and just wanted to see. WalMart, completely out, Bashas were 3.99/dozen, 4 times what they should be now. but, Bashas is always a lot higher than other stores, but 4 times more? niio
Noticed today price gouging at a local chain grocery store! Damned dozen of the best choice generic eggs … $4.99!!! What the hell? Usually they are around $1.29! It’s getting ridiculous! I finally found active dry yeast in one store. I wasn’t low but you never know so now I’m good there too! ?
Our Walmart is finally getting restocked somewhat. We still need cleaning supplies, alcohol, sanitizer and of course toilet paper. Since our community is now getting it’s first cases od COVID-19 we have decided to no longer try to shop normally but switch to our own supplies. It is sad that so many were not prepared. I pray that as something good coming from this more people join the prepping way of life. May all of stay blessed and safe!
Tucson, WalMart clerk said the warehouses are stripped.
Bashas meat dept is depleted, eggs are 3.99 a dozen at a time they should be under a dollar.
Dollar Gen, stripped for a while, getting back in shape.
Gun shops, stripped by Kali-fornians. Mexicans are griping because they need more ammo to stock for the revolution against the socialists and their drug lord cronies.
Other than that, life is good. niio
So far in Des Moines IA stores are doing fairly well. Obviously Clorox wipes and any Lysol product is gone. None on shelves at all in any quantities. Bleach still available. TP is not to tough to find. You may not get the brand you are accustomed to but you still get it. Masks and gloves are a thing of the past right now.
As Preppers we have most of this stuff on hand anyway. Got caught short on Lysol products a little. Won’t happen again for sure.
Food is not an issue. Stores doing pretty well. Most are anticipating Governor shutting down the state.
Amazed the MSM is not screaming about so many of our vital supplies being made in China. This has to stop. Wife and I do without if cannot avoid Chinese products. Hopefully more will do the same.
Love the fact that we are now “hoarders”. This is fantastic how the un prepared will call us a different name now. First it was Survivalist, then Prepper now Hoarder all with negative connotation.
Take care of your families people. At 58 I have no excuse to not know this stuff. My 82 year old mom is a rock star. She now laments that she has to shop with “old people” at the grocery store. LOL. She is fit. Totally. Still takes precautions though because she does not want to be the cause of someone else’s demise. She is amazed that people are not all prepared. We grew up in the sticks in WA state surrounded by National Forest, we were always prepared for everything.
Take care everyone. It is not all doom and gloom out here
A few weeks ago, we went for our usual shopping. The place was cleaned out. Not a banana or meat anywhere. I understood the bread, milk and such but bananas? We got our necessitis and went home. Now, this is small town Ohio. I didn’t expect that here. 3 weeks of sequester and we made another trip just for things we wanted. Plenty of bananas, bread and milk. The meat was still a little lean, but when I asked for something not out there, the guys pleasantly went to check and came back with a whole case. They just hadn’t had time to restock. We technically have all we need. We also went and got animal feed. Now, we will go back to staying put. Living on a farm we have plenty to keep us busy. We have gotten the raised beds started, so will have fresh coming in soon.
I think the term “hoarder” these days refers to the person early on who was buying 4 cases of TP at a time etc…etc… It described what Claude was referring to when he said folks were buying their entire stockpile at once. I don’t think the The unprepared or major news stations were even thinking about preppers in that context, just behavior they saw at the stores.
Stores in North Texas were initially ravaged, but now most shelves are fully stocked or partially stocked of nearly everything except hand sanitizer and disinfectant. Tylenol, toilet paper, vitamin C, produce, meat, rice, flour are all back, sometimes in limited quantities. I guess there are limits to how much a person will stock up on.
Same here in Australia. Some people have amassed enough toilet paper to last 12 months whilst others can’t get any. Our 3 major supermarkets came up with the idea to open at 7am for seniors with their health cards and they got the first hour before anyone else could get in. There was still problems with stocking shelves so stores closed at 8 pm to give staff 2 extra hours to restock shelves.
Now the elderly get in on Monday wednesday and friday and our healthcare workers get in early on tuesday and friday
A lot of stuff has limits most stuff like pasta UHT milk canned goods are a limit of 2 TP is a limit of 1 pack etc. It seems to be working well
Elly,
Many of the supermarket chains in the US are holding ‘early hours for seniors’ as well. Best wishes to you down under.
IF you have the money, a great gift right now is a meat gift box. Some places are out of stock, some shipping to established customers only, others are glad to ship out a box with several entrees of fish, steak, chicken, etc. Just google food gift boxes or meat boxes, whatever, and you will have plenty of choices. Son sent us one from Butcher Boxes and it was much appreciated. Checked their website though and they were out at the time I checked.
Was at our Wally World this morning to pick up just a few things. Got most of them, but what I am seeing amounts to “rolling shortages” kind of like rolling blackouts. An item that might have been plentiful for a couple of weeks is now gone, and items that have been gone are now back in stock. Our supply chain is terribly screwed up.
Rod: I was told by a clerk that walmart warehouses are stripped. I said that’s what happens when you depend on imports. She laughed. Wally world is supposed to buy American first and is planning to, as long as they can. niio
I was surprised to see about fifteen rolls of TP on the shelf at the local Food Lion, eggs are a hit or miss, meat section was wiped out but now restocked.
Frozen food section was a little light.
The beer and wine section was fully stocked.
Thank God I’ve got enough from my preps to coast on by this mess.
Does anyone else have any of that freeze dried food that’s suppose to last for 25 to 30 years?
Wonder if I should crack open some and see how it tastes.
No. They will taste just fine when you are out of canned goods and are starving IF THAT HAPPENS. Save them. Hopefully you won’t need them!
@Chuckster59, Guess I’ll hold off on the taste test.
Southern: No eggs a few days back, but now that Kalis are running over to buy everything, toilet paper and so on. Lots of milk, most meat was filled, bread. The only crn flour left was 25# bags for 15 bucks, and we need some 🙂 niio
@red,
Things go from 90% stocked to 30% stocked, its a hit or miss game in NC, I was able to get 20 lbs of flour and 15 lbs of corn meal, I really like those corn dodgers just like Rooster Cogburn ate.
Southern: Corn dodgers, hushpuppies, fried mush. Good eating. I forgot to stop at Tractor Supply and pick up a bushel of field corn. If you don’t have a grinder, the blender makes a good meal. For cornmeal cookies, we add ground mesquite. niio
Rooster Cogburn eating beans with a spoon in his fist is one of the most genius moments The Duke ever had.
Mike: I can think of a few. He had a scar on his belly where a cow tried to gut him. His father owned a ranch near the city. A few knife scars from a man who caught him with his sister in the barn…He did marry her, but still. He took all the good times and all the bad times and put them into acting. That’s why when he died, Tokyo Times had the front page headlines state Mr. America Is Dead.The nation held a day of mourning. And, according to Russians, he’s still in their top ten most popular actors. Now that I’ve told you far more than you wanted to see, hasta, chico! Stay young. He did. niio
My two favorite films of his were “The Searchers” and “The Quiet Man”. Great stuff. John Wayne (aka Marion Morrison) is an iconic actor but no hero to me. During WW-2 he pulled strings and called in favors to get a 3-A deferment from serving, and then a 2-A, when the 3-A’s were abolished during WW2. Many of his contemporaries and some in combat units, Jimmy Stewart comes to mind. And what what is not talked about, is that during the war years and just after, he was booed by veterans at events. Great actor, yes, Iconic Hollywood figure, yes. Hero…no way.
Mr: Wayne Got a severe back injury in collage that got him cut from the football team. Yes, he was booed, but like Dad said, he made movies that glorified war. That, I’m told by family in WWII is why he was booed. No, I don’t see any actor as a hero. but Wayne did more for America than anyone before Reagan. A Coeur d’Alene on his mother’s side, he hated the dems with a passion. He liked natural meds, and was a prepper. he’s still looked up to by most of the world as what an American should be. 🙂 niio
Wayne was not deferred as a 4-F, your report of his college injury, which was a collar bone, did not physically disqualify him from military service. None less than John Ford (who did enlist and ran a unit)kept after Wayne who kept telling him ‘I’ll do it after one or two more pictures’, meanwhile his studio intervened with selective service for further deferment to the end of the war. He could have served a non combat role but consciously chosen not to. And no,he was not booed/confronted by veterans for ‘glorifying war’, but simply and plainly for not serving but making big buckS at the time for ‘playing soldier‘. Wayne, it should be noted also voted for FDR in 1936. Wayne supported Jimmy Carter’s treaty efforts to return the Panama Canal to Panama, something that caused him to receive hate mail. When you say Wayne ‘did more for America…’ if you mean by making great movies with iconic roles, then sure I agree. Who doesn’t get reved up by a movie like the Longest Day?
I’m not arguing. I just don’t care. Wayne asked Ford to help him get in. Ford may have, but no letter was found. What does Torrijos and the canal have to do with this? I take it you were there when he was booed. My father, uncles, cousins and many others were.
We have some of that, and it’s largely OK tasting. Some items (mashed taters, oatmeal) are good. Others are really bland (need a lot of seasoning). Haven’t found anything yet that is truly dreadful.
@sandrose
Might be a good time to stock up on salt, pepper, and other spices.
Here in Mobile bread supplies are now staying about half full on shelves.The only other shortages are paper towels,toilet paper, hand sanitizer, lysol, liquid hand soap, some canned meats, some canned vegetables, some canned vegetables. It looks like people are slowly filling their stockpiles and buying less. That is slowly allowing the shelves to refill.
Until the next big dose of bad news. Then watch the National Guard have to roll out to keep Oakland and other trash cities in check. Now that China knows how to damage the U.S. look for more frequent “rinse and repeat” scenarios. They are wringing their hands in glee. I think we are truly in the new normal. Funny how all the socialist Democrats in the United States are beginning to crowd the counters at the gun stores. What was once something they were totally against is now a tool to help them protect what is important. If we survive this ordeal the first thing we need to do is bring back all of the things we consume back to the United States and away from China especially medicines.
May God have mercy and God bless the United States of America.
59: Arizona, you can’t find guns in gun stores. Kali bought them out. Owners played it smart and demanded they pay in advance. Still, there’s a 2 week waiting list for supplies.
Word is, a newer, nastier form of bird flu broke out in Wuhan last week. For years now, almost all plagues have come from China.
This was sent by a friend.
Security professionals have long known about weapons of mass disruption–minimum casualties but maximum impact on the socio-economic fabric.
Unfortunately, their focus has been on cybercrime and the need to enhance the resilience of computer systems.
No one really considered the consequences of, or resilience of, a workforce struck by panic, quarantine and death.
So, although I am not an economist or a social scientist, I have practiced the craft of intelligence for several years. My job is to connect the dots.
Here goes:
1. During the Sino-Japanese War in the 1930s, the Japanese used its bio weapons of shingella and the plague against the Chinese.
This was not the first time that China had experienced the effects of bio weapons.
The British had used opium to great effect during the 1860s. Not a bio weapon specifically, but certainly a weapon of mass disruption which created more than 20 million addicts at the time.
2. After WW2, China started its industrialisation programme.
They also started a bio defence programme.
In 1985, they signed an international bio weapons treaty, confirming that they were now a fully-fledged manufacturer of bio weapons.
The Chinese insisted that such production was for defence purposes, although their programme was spread across more than 50 centres throughout the country.
3. In the 1990s, Chinese weapons sales took a dive because the Gulf War had demonstrated the superiority of US weaponry and technology. The Chinese looked at other weapons to fill the gap.
4. Soon, the Chinese started exporting their bio weapons technology to Iran and other pariah States in the Middle East.
5. In 2003, a coronavirus outbreak named SARS occurred in a province in Southern China.
A vaccine was found and the spread of the disease was controlled. The incident looks remarkably like a test case.
6. In 2005, following the Second Gulf War, genuine Intelligence reports indicated that China had transferred bio weapons technology to Iran and continued to do so until at least 2010.
7. In 2013, a coronavirus outbreak named MERS occurred in Iran, although the first case was recorded in neighbouring Saudi Arabia.
The disease was lethal and the true number of deaths was not released.
Interestingly, no figures about the rate of infection were broadcast to the world population.
Another controlled test case?
8. In 2019, a coronavirus outbreak named COVID occurred in another province in China.
The locations of both coronavirus outbreaks in China (2003 and 2019) were in places that had bio weapons labs called Institutes of Virology.
Apparently, the head of the Institute in Wuhan had spent a decade at the University of North Carolina studying the coronavirus.
9. The spread of COVID-19 in China was contained with a loss of life similar to the number of US deaths on 9/11.
Initially, reported infection rates were high, although no Victim X was ever identified.
Meanwhile, the rest of the world has followed the similar protocol of lock down (Wuhan has a population of 11 million) but extended it countrywide.
The economies of some of these countries are fragile and upheld largely by cheap Chinese imports.
Think of this as using Rohyphnol on a victim before raping them.
10. Consider that there are three types of warfare: conventional, asymmetrical and CBRN.
The Chinese could not take on the US using the first two and lacked the Chemical, Radiological and Nuclear (CRN) capabilities of the third option.
But it had the Biological capabilities.
Therefore, a reasonable conclusion is that China is waging a war against other economies using a weapon of mass disruption.
By understanding this, we can do more than wash our hands of the problem.
Next steps…
1. Send Chinese American intelligence agents back to China to find the smoking gun- proving intent.
2. Hostile takeover of all US firms with more than 20% Chinese equity.
3. Replace Chinese manufacturers with a beneficiation programme in Africa.
The continent has the land, the resources and a cost-effective community based workforce. Many local managers are English or French speaking.
4. Create a robust supply chain within Africa with shipments by sea and air to all points of the globe, except China.
5. Isolate China diplomatically and cancel all trade agreements. Force the country into isolation.
6. Repurpose a flu vaccine to restore public confidence, even if a placebo.
In other words, the US should retaliate economically and social media to be used to encourage people to stop panicking.
No one wants a population of beggars reaching out with really clean hands.
Keep safe, Sanitize and Weaponise.
How about : default on all US Treasury debt held by China and Chinese nationals and corporations?
Having been through a number of hurricanes here in FL over the decades, I’ve been “prepping” for many years and have no shortages of anything for the foreseeable future. We have multiple water filtration systems, solar and gas generator back-up, and an 01′ Suburban 4×4 w/ a 38 gallon tank that is topped off nearly daily should we need to beat feet to higher ground or a less densely populated area. The local stores are hit or miss as to meats, veggies, and disinfectants. The customers seem to be older (as I am) and maintaining “social distance” although there are currently no limits on how many are allowed in at once. FL is on lock down now but I’m exempt as I hold an FFL license, not that it appears to make too much difference as traffic both vehicular and pedestrian is down what I would guess to be 35-40 percent.
Another thing that has not been mentioned, is supply chain issues. Just assuming that there are plenty of all goods, and they just are not being delivered, may be totally naive. I mean, I hope you are right! But you have to know that most of the goods we buy anymore are NOT made in this country, like they were when I was a kid in the 60s, and people actually made tons of money in factories back then. Not so anymore. Everything now made in China (even the things that were made in Japan in the 60s). Remember back when TVs were pretty much unaffordable? (we didn’t use credit cards; my Pa did NOT believe in them.) You had to save and save and save to get one. But the last few years, you could get a 24 inch color tv for a hundred bucks! Back then they were 5 or 600. My sister (who could save, whereas I could not) actually saved up and bought herself a small color tv with the money she earned from working (I kind of like didn’t like to do chores either). I was like stunned she had saved up $500 for that! Sorry, I digressed! The supply chain! Buy things while you can, because they may not be there later! That is what I have done. I am very afraid that this horrid virus is only the tip of the iceberg. And I’m still not sure if it is as bad and contagious as they are thinking it is, or if it’s not really so bad, and they are trying to make us think it is. So MUCH is all up in the air right now. This is all so much to deal with and is totally horrific. Some days it is really hard to cope. But at least I’m retired and don’t have to go anywhere. No insurance, so don’t have to go to the doctor or hospital and get germs!!!! (I’m such a Pollyanna!) What for the LIFE of me I can’t understand, is people who say they are BORED! I’m like REALLY???? I am checking stuff out on the web all the time, cleaning (thoroughly I mean, going thru everything) and throwing stuff out trying to make room for the supplies I’ve gotten, trying to remember if there is anything I need to buy that I haven’t gotten yet. I would like to get a solar generator, but no expertise in that area, so that’s out. So far there haven’t been any electrical outages, and I SO hope it stays that way. I wanted to get a homestead where I had a hand pump for water ”just in case.” But that didn’t happen. Got plenty of extra filters for my air cleaners and water filters, in case we can’t get more later. Which won’t help if no electrics! Life is starting to totally feel like a crap shoot!
Thailand (first country outside of China to get the virus), is sitting pretty. There are sales on 14 different types of toilet paper even. Masks are available if you are patient.
Some imported items are selling out, but are being replaced by others. The only item I haven’t been able to find since Feb is Paxo (stuffing) and I can do without or make my own.
For several weeks there was a run on eggs, of all things. Thailand has plenty of chickens so of course there will be an adequate supply of eggs.
Hilariously, a Thai politician decided the lack of eggs was due to them being the only meal young Thai housewives knew how to cook… it’s always a laugh a minute here.
What will the future bring? I couldn’t guess. But as this country is a big food exporter I’m not worried. There will always be rice, chicken, fruit and veg, and we have Bum Guns if the toilet paper runs out.
Good luck everyone. Stay safe.
cat: S. Korea says the same. they’re planning to open for tourists soon. Mexico and a lot of tropical countries aren’t prepping for it, either. Mind China. Each of these plague starts there. niio
red: Thailand won’t be open for tourism for awhile. As of this morning, all flights have been suspended. Tourists have been trying to fly home since March but many of their flights kept getting cancelled. With Thailand being a hub, this continues to impact tourists in surrounding countries as well. But if you are going to get stuck on holiday (that’s if you have enough money to survive), Thailand is an ok place to be. Infections and deaths from the virus are low (ditto with many SE Asian countries).
“Mind China. Each of these plague starts there.” google ‘Social history of viruses’ on wiki. We’ve all been busy sharing the love.
Cat: I like Mexico. Lots of friends and family down there. Most are Tarahumara, who live in the traditional way, ranching and hunting.
china hasn’t the resources for an all-out war and too many rebellions going on. Unlike Thailand, their emperors never had any love for the people, and the people always resented them for it. Chicoms claim that any place where Chinese live belongs to China. I cannot use wiki because it can be changed to make articles look vastly different from the original–I write and am still doing some manuscript research..Wiki is in deep financial trouble because of that.
WWII, Japan built plague labs in Mongolia. At the end of the war, Hitler sent out close to a half-million SS and Gestapo (soros was a gestapo agent and wanted in his homeland for war crime yet). Many went to Stalin, who send hundreds to Mao to win China. Mao never destroyed the labs, and China had been hiring a lot of molecular biologists for years.
China doesn’t dare start a war. but, biologcals have been used for centuries where open warfare can’t be used. Vietnam is bracing for the worse, and more to come. China never did get over being trounced by them in 3 wars.
Enjoy the ‘water eggs’. they are good and good for you 🙂 niio
My eyes are wide open now…
I never doubted they always were. Peace to you. niio
My opinion is someone BETTER have the job of keeping watch on China so they can sound the alarm when their military mobilizes. Whether they should or not, it would not surprise me to hear they are attacking while we are vulnerable AND distracted! And I say bring it! We will slaughter them! Make the world a safer place!
KCJeff, There are many who visit here who share your distrust of the ChiComs and who would fight, if necessary, to defeat them, but I also am under the impression that there are also quite a few who have had a bellyful of war and would not relish the opportunity as your posting seems to suggest you would.
KC: One major problem, those who did warn about China have been disappeared, you might say. But, we are at war with the chicoms. We have been since at least Korea. And that was the last place they dared openly fight us. Vietnam, they sold tons of 56 rifles to the Congf and NVA, and so on, and let them suffer. Today, they fight us by backing terrorist groups. How many plagues have we had in the US since 1985? That was the year China was declared a watch nation for producing bio-weapons. they might openly invade Vietnam, if they’re stupid–Vietnam caused the destruction of 3 Chinese dynasties. But make open war on the US? No. Buy ff imams and send warm bodies, yes. But, right now they have at least 4 peoples in China demanding the Han get out of their territories. Probably even more as news spreads thru china about where the plague came from. I’n not watching China, I’m watching North Africa, the pandemic-tars dnc, and Muslim Asia. Let Russia handle China. They’re terrified of a land invasion, which is all the Chinese have left. niio
Red- You really hit the nail on the head. The latest outbreak of coved-19 is a town in the north of China on the Russian border. The Chinese are saying it is because they opened the border and that the infection is from people coming into China
My husband always says, Listen carefully to a commercial. They often tout something that is actually a weakness.” So, a bank says it’s friendly to counteract press about the very opposite, etc. I think the Chinese often say the opposite. Hope the Russians push back big time.
in the San Diego area with many Navy and two Marine bases, even the Commissaries were mostly empty on 18 MAR, but I haven’t been back since then – I’m well stocked because of past experiences with natural disasters, including a propane camp stove, extra 5 Gal propane bottles for our grill, and the converter hose to connect the grill tanks to the camp stove. Speaking of natural disasters, we just had a pretty good earthquake “jolt and shake” about an hour ago, maybe about a 4, usually we get the slower roller kind closer to a 3 where I live.
Let us know when the toads and locusts arrive! ;o)
59: Too late, they’re here. horned toads are eating up the red ants and lizards are hunting out the locust. Arizona dropped from over 5,000 cases to 2,019 in a week.Might be, all those Kali-fornians went home 🙂 But, Mexico said they have so few, after saying they had almost as many as AZ. They’re down under 2,000.
The water will turn into blood first….saw The Ten Commandments last night and was struck by the similarities between then and now.
Time to brush up on Exodus and Revelation if you haven’t already!
Miz Kitty: YouTube, they have a series on the return of the plagues. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5WE_bClugxSVG1ENir8qzg
Ok, southern Illinois, availability varies from store chain to store chain. Seems like Sams and Costco are hardest hit.Local grocery chain had plenty of essentials. I believe the supply chain will fix itself in a bit.
What worries me more is what Vermont has started… they are telling big box stores to close off all isles except grocery isles. Wally world and other similar stores are complying. Wally world employee gave me the heads up two days ago that they are closing off all isles except for grocery section… this includes gardening (seeds), hardware, and sporting goods… now considered non-essential. That will be an even bigger issue.
Just educated myself about the bum gun. Not on my bucket list. Just had a maybe good idea about where to score some t p. Office Depot, Office Max, Staples. If they are open may have some supplies.
It takes awhile to get used to using Bum Guns. So far I’ve been a disaster at it (getting drenched in places I’d rather not). But if pressed, I will learn.
Make sure the water is WARM 🙂 niio
Home Depot and Lowes also used to have TP but I haven’t been to either one for several weeks, and that was to shop plumbing and garden which were both well stocked, not sure about now.
Look up on amazon or eBay and check out the prices that people are charging for TP. My friend saw a 24 double roll pack that was going for $925.00. Wonder why it’s flying off the shelves? Making money off a bad situation and ripping off the stores and people!!
I haven’t been to town for a couple weeks, and am not going to town for at least another month, but people in the area are posting on the online Neighbors website that the Walmarts in the 2 small towns around here are fully stocked today. I wonder if this part of Texas is different because there is a huge inland port on the south side of Dallas where rail lines from the seaports on the west Coast and from the Port of Houston unload all of their containers onto trucks for the trip north and east to the rest of the country. The big retailers all have enormous warehouses out there, so our stores might be getting restocked faster.
One of my cats got into the closet where the toilet paper is stored last night and had a shredding party. Guess I’ll be taping a bunch of it back together, soon.
Mike: You could always use the cat. they’re washable, you know. 🙂 niio
Am sitting back, sort of relaxed in Arizona. Gov. Dusey refused to declare an emergency. We’re now down to 2,017 cases. It’s summer in the valleys. My best to all, we’re praying for you to thrive during this training period. niio
You may want to call first to see if a store has TP. In my area, EVERY store that carries it has mostly been out of stock since mid February…that includes hardware stores, office supplies, drug stores, dollar stores, supermarkets, convenience stores and general retailers.
Stores that are getting it are getting only a portion of their orders from the warehouses so the stock is spread out over more stores “too meet demand”. They are also stocking shelves once, before the store opens, so if you can’t get there right when the doors open, likely you’ll miss out.
If you see any paper products that you normally use and it’s priced normally, you better grab it. I had stocked up in February, thinking that supply issues might be tight for a couple of weeks and would settle down. It’s going on to six weeks now with no end in sight in my area.
Other than that, the items that seem to be running short on Cape Cod seem to be hand sanitizer, baking stuff, canned food, especially veggies, some cleaning supplies (comes and goes).
I also saw an article last week about vegetable seeds being unavailable in a lot of areas…if you can, stock up and save your seeds from what you grow/eat. Dried beans and grains can be used for growing….sprout a few to see if they germinate.
Miz Kitty: I foresee in decades to come u on Nob Hill and Martha’s vineyard, at those little soirees the wealthy love, cases of unused toilet paper stacked in dinning halls and living quarters. “Yes, my good Miss Kitty, just step up on the case of Caprice Green yes, dear. Now shift the Charmin out of the way. Oh! do take care, dear. You nearly dented an originality Cottenelle!” Yes, the wealthy are different, but well padded 🙂 niio
Yaaaass….Michelle and Barry sent me a standing invitation to come to the Vineyard for the July fourth holidays. But the RSVP has an unfamiliar abbreviation on it….BYOPHP……I guess they don’t want to share the TP or the wealth with the people who paid for it!
Miz Kitty: Just put that invitation where it’ll make the best use, and flush twice to get rid of them 🙂 niio
We in this country take a lot of things for granted included me! I came from a third world country we didn’t have the virus but we had food route there was times when we have to line up for hours to get food so I know what this all about without food
The stores in my area there only empty with certain item some of us just need to get what we just need.
I haven’t bought toilet paper in all of this virus situation so last week I went in the store and I said I would pick up a pack of toilet paper because I do not have at home I was in the bread section and I saw 2 rolls of toilet paper was hidden between the bread so I said this looks strange after I got my bread I went over to the toilet paper section there was a sign saying only one pack of toilet paper per customers, under shelf was clean there was no more toilet paper. So I realize that person that put that toilet paper there already had a pack on hit 2 more packs to pay for that one pack and come back in the store and get it next 2 or one so I just decided to go over there and pick up one pack and take it because I it wasn’t fair for that person. Tetete repacks when does store just allow in one pack. Please we do not need to get more on access items that we do not need at this time we need to leave for the autos, because the line to get into Walmart it’s like one and a half hour and then when you get in there the items are gone are hidden. Let us all please quapa rate adodo writing to help each other in this crisis. We will make it true we are overcomers!
At this time we are home we should try to do some room exercise keep moving in the home
Honest report from North Central Arkansas April 13th. Less than four positive cases reported in this county as of April 13th. Grocery stores are about 50% stocked now. My actual life is 95% normal. Only things fully closed are tattoo, spa and beauty shops. Restaurants all have some form of take-out. We have actually been eating more restaurant food than normal each week just to boost the economy in the area! All businesses have enacted creative solutions to maintain social distance while still being open. Governor has “Go Home Order” enacted so if your bug-out plan was for a hotel or commercial RV park you are out of luck. Lots of RVs with out of state plates on private lots and lots of out of state plates at second home vacation areas. Neighbors are all communicating in a low key manner making sure everyone (especially older people) is OK and have their needs met with minimal health risk exposure. Very little PPE in public use except for vulnerable population members and health workers. Basically common sense interaction, distancing and calm response.
Help provide the stores shelf to be empty all the time we just need to take items that will do for a week so artist could get . The shelf will always have items if we just try to take what we need for the week usually before when we used to go to the supermarket we always get what we need for the week, that is why this store shelf always used to be fill with their items, we need to practice that so artist can get products to we do not need to be stored up all the items in our home and others do not get at this time we need to be sharing
The hell??? Don’t drink before you post. You also comment that we don’t need things stored up in our homes on a prepper website? What is wrong with you?
Ched, our supply stocks have been built up very slowly over time so we can provide for ourselves and loved ones in case something bad happens, like now, when supply lines are interrupted. In fact, we are probably putting less pressure on the goods in the grocery stores than those who were unprepared. We are acting responsibly. Those who expect someone else to take care of them are not. Personal responsibility and self reliance are core beliefs that should be embraced by all Americans.
Govtgirl is so right, Ched. Preppers are not hoarders. We are responsible individuals who approach their build up of supplies slowly and methodically. We do not rush out in a panic and buy tp without buying the food we would need in order to preform the act to use it. While each of us have different viewpoints and build in a slightly different way our goal is the same—to provide for and protect our families. I personally am doing less shopping now than I normally would. As I said earlier I pray that more Americans will see the need to be prepared so that something good will arise from this. If we can get back to something resembling normal,I hope that you are one that does learn from this.
Sorry Ched, have to agree with GovtGirl. We prepper have been building our supplies for years. The problem is the sheeple that haven’t prepped. I see the news and videos of unprepared hoarders filling their carts with TP and water and trying to build a stash in one trip. There are plenty of videos of people spending hundreds and even thousand of dollars on panic buying at the stores. Look it up on youtube for yourself when you get a chance. I have only been to the store twice in the past month for some dairy products. Looked for Lysol but didn’t find any. It’s my responsibility to take care of my family If you don’t like it then too bad.
On Monday, I blew over 200 bucks shopping at 3 different places. That should keep us for weeks. Stores in Arizona are well-stocked and the governor refused to place many restrictions on us. Mexico is opening to us, again, but as I understand, still closed to Kali-fornia traffic. Most cases of corona (no pun intended 🙂 came from Kali. niio
Ched: I;m in Arizona. For the most part, the shelves are well-stocked. Yes, some are hoarding toilet paper, paper towels, and so on,, but it’s summer. That always happens now. So many of us live 40 or 60 miles from a large store, we buy extra, often a month’s supply. Yes, we share. I went alone last time, which isn’t what we normally do, because I was’t feeling well and figured if I ran over the mountain into a canyon, it would only be me, not friends or family. peace