I had to go grocery shopping tonight. Not "freak out over COVID19" shopping, just regular grocery shopping. It was not the night to do it. After today's announcements, plus my local school...
I had to go grocery shopping tonight. Not "freak out over COVID19" shopping, just regular grocery shopping.
It was not the night to do it. After today's announcements, plus my local school district just announced they are closing for the next three weeks. There was literally nothing on the shelves. Frozen veggies, Canned food, Dry foods and paper products were 100% cleared out.
I believe much of this is temporary (well, except maybe garlic) and smart people will wait a few days to go shopping until things are sorted out. People are not changing their habits. Stores are...
I believe much of this is temporary (well, except maybe garlic) and smart people will wait a few days to go shopping until things are sorted out. People are not changing their habits. Stores are not limiting the number of shoppers in at once.
Well, it's over now and we will probably never know whether it mattered. What matters more is getting the crowds to thin. I am wondering what will help get out the word? For what it's worth, I...
Well, it's over now and we will probably never know whether it mattered.
What matters more is getting the crowds to thin. I am wondering what will help get out the word? For what it's worth, I made a meme, probably not a good one (too harsh): https://twitter.com/skybrian/status/1238703953862369280
I went because my mom didn't get milk when she went shopping, and I wanted to pick up some eggs. Went to my local Target first, and it was absolutely nuts, with a line running down the first main...
I went because my mom didn't get milk when she went shopping, and I wanted to pick up some eggs. Went to my local Target first, and it was absolutely nuts, with a line running down the first main aisle about a third down the store. Went to the Aldi next door and it was really busy for them, but I was only in line for ten minutes, and they had four lines. My brother went later to get a quick dinner, and everything was just about gone.
As the virus spreads, supermarkets and distribution facilities face a difficult choice: how to keep shelves stocked with essentials while keeping their workers safe.
Already, some chains are rationing products as shelves empty out of pasta, rice and frozen vegetables and anxious customers wait in long lines for toilet paper and bottled water — in scenes similar to those seen before a hurricane, yet this time unfolding on a national scale.
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Food producers and supply chain managers say there is generally enough nonperishable food on shelves, in warehouses and on the production line to last several months, but the challenge could soon be getting that food to the right places once local distribution centers are wiped out.
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Analysts say the buying spree could end up lifting prices, after years when chains cut prices amid growing competition from Walmart and newcomers such as Aldi.
“Either prices will start to go up as we see shortages, or companies will have to figure out new ways to move things around,” said Per Hong, a senior partner in the strategic operations at Kearney, a consulting firm. “Companies can start to pivot, but there is no question we’ll see disruptions because of coronavirus.”
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Among food items, products such as seafood, apple juice and garlic, which are heavily sourced from China, are likely to be hit first, according to Phil Lempert, a California-based food industry analyst who bills himself as the “supermarket guru."
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Although grocery stores may struggle in the short term to keep shelves stocked, some experts say current shortages are temporary supply-chain glitches. American stockpiles of basic foods are strong, they say. Lowell Randel, vice president of government and legal affairs for Global Cold Chain Alliance, which provides temperature-controlled storage and distribution to 1,300 companies in 85 countries, says he sees no supply problems.
“It’s not a shortage of availability of food,” he said. “It’s nothing like the situation with hand sanitizer. Our member facilities are full, not empty. That should provide comfort for consumers.”
If anything, he said, the United States currently has excesses of certain food items, such as pork and soy, because of a slowdown in exports to China. The pork industry continues to run near full capacity, slaughtering 490,000 animals per day, according to Steve Meyer, an economist for Kerns and Associates who covers the pork industry.
I had to go grocery shopping tonight. Not "freak out over COVID19" shopping, just regular grocery shopping.
It was not the night to do it. After today's announcements, plus my local school district just announced they are closing for the next three weeks. There was literally nothing on the shelves. Frozen veggies, Canned food, Dry foods and paper products were 100% cleared out.
And this is basically just day one.
I believe much of this is temporary (well, except maybe garlic) and smart people will wait a few days to go shopping until things are sorted out. People are not changing their habits. Stores are not limiting the number of shoppers in at once.
I should have waited, I just went shopping out of habit not even thinking about people panic prepping.
Well, it's over now and we will probably never know whether it mattered.
What matters more is getting the crowds to thin. I am wondering what will help get out the word? For what it's worth, I made a meme, probably not a good one (too harsh): https://twitter.com/skybrian/status/1238703953862369280
I went because my mom didn't get milk when she went shopping, and I wanted to pick up some eggs. Went to my local Target first, and it was absolutely nuts, with a line running down the first main aisle about a third down the store. Went to the Aldi next door and it was really busy for them, but I was only in line for ten minutes, and they had four lines. My brother went later to get a quick dinner, and everything was just about gone.
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