Grocery Shopping

[+ FrankR]

TP selection was hugely reduced at Smart and Final yesterday, and zero paper towels. Sanitizing wipes haven’t been there in months.

I paid special attention to the paper isle this morning - both my neighborhood stores (Key Foods and Stop & Shop) had plenty of supplies here in NYC. I did take the opportunity to stock up...just in case. Thanks for the heads-up!

[samhexum]

A man was taken into custody on Thursday after driving through a Columbia Falls (Montana) grocery store before crashing his vehicle and fleeing on foot. perhaps the man needed a handicapped cart and the store didn't have one

 

Columbia Falls Police Chief Clint Peters said a man in his 50s drove his vehicle, a 1995 Chevrolet Lumina, into Super 1 Foods around 5:50 p.m.

 

After coming in through the front doors, the man then drove down an aisle to the back of the store, before turning around and driving down another aisle. obviously looking for the sale items.

 

He then left through the front doors and crashed the vehicle across the highway.

 

Within minutes, Chief Peters said police were advised of a nude male running down a hallway of a nearby retirement home that was near the area where the Chevrolet Lumina was abandoned.

 

Peters said the nude male fled on foot but was eventually taken into custody near the Columbia Falls mini-storage area.

 

Peters said a short investigation determined that the nude male was in fact the driver of the Chevrolet Lumina that had driven through Super One.

 

Peters said the man showed signs of drug impairment at the time of his arrest. no kidding?!?!?

 

The suspect was transported to a local hospital for non-injury medical issues and will be transported to the Flathead County Detention Center when he is medically cleared.

 

Peters said the suspect’s name and pending charges will not be released until transported and formally booked into the Flathead County Detention Center.

 

So far, no injuries have been reported in this incident.

 

Chief Peters added that Columbia Falls residents immediately rallied to help clean up the store, which he said says a lot about the community.

 

 

 

 

[+ Charlie]

Trader Joe's and Whole Foods in AZ have required customers who use their own bags to bag the groceries for some time. The checker "asking" if you'd like to bag them yourself might be a polite way of saying "if you use your own bag, you have to bag the groceries."

The Trader Joe's that I go to with my own bags does not require me to bag the items myself, although I usually do it anyway (and always did); they did require it when they first allowed us to use our own bags, but not now. A few other grocery stores still do require me to bag my own if I use my own bags--one of them used to make me put all the items back loose in the shopping cart and take them to a designated place to bag them--but now the bagging process in most of the stores I go to is pretty much the same as it was before the pandemic. I think there is much less emphasis now on the possibility of transmitting the virus through touching surfaces., although every store still cleans the carts between customers.

[rvwnsd]

The Trader Joe's that I go to with my own bags does not require me to bag the items myself, although I usually do it anyway (and always did); they did require it when they first allowed us to use our own bags, but not now. A few other grocery stores still do require me to bag my own if I use my own bags--one of them used to make me put all the items back loose in the shopping cart and take them to a designated place to bag them--but now the bagging process in most of the stores I go to is pretty much the same as it was before the pandemic. I think there is much less emphasis now on the possibility of transmitting the virus through touching surfaces., although every store still cleans the carts between customers.

Thanks for that . It has been a few weeks since I asked but I'm headed to Trader Joe's this weekend so I will ask again. They have been using sturdy plastic bags for the last month or so because their paper bag supplier does not have paper bags.

[samhexum]

Beginning with the start of the COVID dilemma, I generally don't go to the grocery store.

Trader Joe's and Whole Foods in AZ have required customers who use their own bags to bag the groceries for some time.

I paid special attention to the paper isle this morning - both my neighborhood stores (Key Foods and Stop & Shop) had plenty of supplies here in NYC. I did take the opportunity to stock up...just in case.

I think there is much less emphasis now on the possibility of transmitting the virus through touching surfaces., although every store still cleans the carts between customers.

I'm headed to Trader Joe's this weekend

[+ Charlie]

Those one-way restrictions didn't even last a week at any store I patronize--much too difficult to enforce.

[+ BlueSky]

I've been looking for rubbing alcohol in stores for many weeks. It's never on the shelves. I discovered I could get it by ordering delivery from Walmart. It comes in a day or two and there's no delivery fee if you're order is more than $35. Target appears to sell it too.

[samhexum]

Plan a super spread — and perhaps a super-spreader event?

 

A major supermarket chain put its foot where its mouth is after publishing a tone-deaf advertisement in its own magazine. It shows an image of shrimp, fruit and cheese platters — in a seeming nod to gathering together to share food — with text proclaiming, “Hosting? Plan a super spread,” TMZ reports.

 

The chain, Giant Food — which has locations in Maryland, Virginia, Delaware and in the nation’s capital — ran the ad across a full page to encourage readers to host gatherings, as well as share bites with each other. But TMZ notes the choice in words are synonymous with terms related to COVID-19 outbreaks, particularly “super spread.”

 

Moreover, with COVID-19 cases rising in the New York tri-state area, as well as in other parts of the nation, the governors of New York and New Jersey recently issued executive orders both discouraging travel for Thanksgiving and limiting indoor gatherings to 10 people or fewer. Despite it all, a new survey found that more than a third of Americans plan on having Thanksgiving dinners with 10 or more people.

 

Giant Food, for its part, has apologized.

 

“While, in hindsight, the choice of words was a poor one, Giant had no intentions of insensitivity,” it said in a statement.

 

Their parent company owns Stop&Shop in the northeast, as you can see by their logos:

 

 

[CatDaddy]

I have a cousin who lives in Carlsbad, NM. She just told me their Governor just closed a number of large grocery stores throughout the state including some Walmarts and Albertsons due to Covid issues for two weeks. I imagine with Thanksgiving just days away this will be a significant challenge. Covid is a nasty bitch!

[+ Charlie]

I have a cousin who lives in Carlsbad, NM. She just told me their Governor just closed a number of large grocery stores throughout the state including some Walmarts and Albertsons due to Covid issues for two weeks. I imagine with Thanksgiving just days away this will be a significant challenge. Covid is a nasty bitch!

Closing a Walmart in some towns in NM is a disaster, because it may be the only store in town not only for groceries but for other essentials like drug store items. I remember staying in Silver City several years ago and being surprised to find that a Walmart superstore was the only place to buy anything other than souvenirs and art.

[CatDaddy]

@Charlie that is exactly what I am thinking, too.

[samhexum]

Closing a Walmart in some towns in NM is a disaster, because it may be the only store in town not only for groceries but for other essentials like drug store items. I remember staying in Silver City several years ago and being surprised to find that a Walmart superstore was the only place to buy anything other than souvenirs and art.

 

Did the townsfolk have to go to a gas station parking lot to buy their art? Dogs playing poker painted on black velvet, maybe?

 

A major supermarket chain put its foot where its mouth is after publishing a tone-deaf advertisement in its own magazine...

The chain, Giant Food — which has locations in Maryland, Virginia, Delaware and in the nation’s capital —

 

Their parent company owns Stop&Shop in the northeast, as you can see by their logos

 

 

Dutch supermarket conglomerate Ahold Delhaize is buying a majority stake in the FreshDirect grocery delivery service as the coronavirus pandemic spurs a shift to online food shopping.

 

The companies announced the deal Wednesday — about a year after The Post reported that Bronx-based FreshDirect was searching for a buyer — but did not disclose the price of the acquisition.

 

The takeover will allow Ahold Delhaize to reach more customers in the lucrative Big Apple market and grow its digital business amid a COVID-19-fueled surge in digital grocery orders, according to CEO Frans Muller, who noted that FreshDirect has generated “remarkable customer loyalty” in the city since its launch 18 years ago.

 

FreshDirect will keep its brand name and continue to operate independently under the terms of the deal, which is expected to close in the first quarter of next year.

 

“I believe Ahold Delhaize’s global scale, focus on strong, leading local brands, and ability to utilize cost-of-goods synergies, will allow FreshDirect to achieve its full potential,” FreshDirect chief David McInerney said in a statement.

 

New York-based investment firm Centerbridge Partners will also acquire a 20 percent stake in FreshDirect and become a minority investor alongside Ahold Delhaize, which owns the Stop & Shop, Giant and Food Lion grocery chains in the US.

 

FreshDirect started shopping itself last year after a bungled move from Long Island City to its sprawling new facility in The Bronx caused service glitches that left it fighting to keep customers instead of expanding to new markets, as The Post reported exclusively in October 2019.

 

Both Amazon and Walmart vetted FreshDirect’s finances, sources told The Post at the time, but neither pulled the trigger on an acquisition.

 

FreshDirect has seen a surge in demand in recent months as the coronavirus pandemic led many shoppers to stay out of physical grocery stores. The service’s delivery time slots became completely booked in March amid a wave of virus-related panic shopping.

Edited November 19, 2020 by samhexum

[+ Charlie]

Did the townsfolk have to go to a gas station parking lot to buy their art? Dogs playing poker painted on black velvet, maybe?

No, there were art galleries downtown, but not much else.

[+ WilliamM]

I live quite close to Target (across the street), Trader Joe's and Whole Foods, so I am good.

 

But I also lived close to a large homeless encampment with about 125 small tents for months.

 

Hey, at least I don't worry about toilet paper.

[rvwnsd]

Closing a Walmart in some towns in NM is a disaster, because it may be the only store in town not only for groceries but for other essentials like drug store items. I remember staying in Silver City several years ago and being surprised to find that a Walmart superstore was the only place to buy anything other than souvenirs and art.

@Charlie that is exactly what I am thinking, too.

The public health emergency order states a business is required to close for fourteen days after four "rapid responses" have occurred. The New Mexico Environment Department's Rapid Response FAQ defines a "rapid response" event as when at least one employee of an establishment tests positive for COVID-19.

 

As you can see, this is not an order that supermarkets and big box retailers must close. It is an order that applies to any business and the closure will occur after four instances of at least one employee testing positive for COVID-19.

[+ Pensant]

Closing a Walmart in some towns in NM is a disaster, because it may be the only store in town not only for groceries but for other essentials like drug store items. I remember staying in Silver City several years ago and being surprised to find that a Walmart superstore was the only place to buy anything other than souvenirs and art.

Although a beautiful state with many charming towns, New Mexico is one of the poorest states in the US.

[Epigonos]

Went to my local North Orange County Costco yesterday at about 7:45 a.m. They open for seniors only (you MUST show your drivers license) between 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. The line was quite long but moved quickly once they opened. Inside there was a second line for paper goods. I was about out of paper towels and toilet paper which was the reason I had gone. They had pallet after pallet of both paper towels and toilet paper so I was able to get both. I was also able to pick up a five pack of Clorox Disinfecting Wipes. I went home but unfortunately I left my Costco card at the store so I had to return a little before noon to retrieve it. Just out of curiosity I decided to check on the availability of paper goods. I couldn't believe my eyes -- the entire stock of toilet paper, paper towels, and disinfecting wipes was wiped out. My conclusion -- we have returned to dumb, silly, ridiculous panic buying. The utter stupidy of the American public NEVER ceases to amaze me.

[handiacefailure]

Went to my local North Orange County Costco yesterday at about 7:45 a.m. They open for seniors only (you MUST show your drivers license) between 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. The line was quite long but moved quickly once they opened. Inside there was a second line for paper goods. I was about out of paper towels and toilet paper which was the reason I had gone. They had pallet after pallet of both paper towels and toilet paper so I was able to get both. I was also able to pick up a five pack of Clorox Disinfecting Wipes. I went home but unfortunately I left my Costco card at the store so I had to return a little before noon to retrieve it. Just out of curiosity I decided to check on the availability of paper goods. I couldn't believe my eyes -- the entire stock of toilet paper, paper towels, and disinfecting wipes was wiped out. My conclusion -- we have returned to dumb, silly, ridiculous panic buying. The utter stupidy of the American public NEVER ceases to amaze me.

 

My Costco has been sold out of TP and paper towels the last few times I went in there. Fortunately I don't need tp and have two rolls of paper towels and if I run out Kroger has both in stock as does Target. What I couldn't believe was that I wanted to buy a few cases of the Kirkland bottled water for the office and that was sold out. I wish Costco would put a limit of one TP and one Paper Towel per month or even every other week on an individual membership so people wouldn't hoard it.

 

If you have a smart phone you can pull up your Costco card on the App and not mess around with the physical card.

[handiacefailure]

Normally the grocery store has items being hoarded at Costco lately like TP and paper towels. Had the opposite yesterday. I love Rao's spaghetti sauce and Costco has it on sale and had plenty but it was sold out at the grocery store.

 

Yeast is getting hoarded again as well. Fortunately the bakery of the small upscale grocery store I go to a lot will measure out their yeast and sell it that way.

[desertguy1954]

Closing a Walmart in some towns in NM is a disaster, because it may be the only store in town not only for groceries but for other essentials like drug store items. I remember staying in Silver City several years ago and being surprised to find that a Walmart superstore was the only place to buy anything other than souvenirs and art.

There is an Albertsons and a couple of other small grocery stores in Silver. Also, not that far from Deming or Bayard if need to go out of town

[+ Charlie]

Deming is a 72 mile round trip for a bottle of milk! However, it was about 20 years ago that we were in Silver City, so maybe it is not as bad as it seemed when we stayed there.

[Epigonos]

You are definitely correct that the closing of a Walmart in a small town can have a devastating affect. However, keep in mind that before Walmart opened in small towns all across the country those towns had thriving local downtown businesses. Once Walmart opened it undercut all of the local businesses and drove them to closure. Now the towns are left high and dry -- Walmart is gone and their downtown business district consists of a bunch of boarded up store fronts.

Edited November 22, 2020 by Epigonos

[desertguy1954]

Deming is a 72 mile round trip for a bottle of milk! However, it was about 20 years ago that we were in Silver City, so maybe it is not as bad as it seemed when we stayed there.

I grew up in Silver City, a trip to Deming was not unusual. Yes, you did not go for just a bottle of milk.

[Epigonos]

People in my part of town seem to have a major Costco complex. Large crowds of people rush to Costco and buy out all the toilet paper, paper towels, bottled water, and disinfecting wipes. Yet just down the street at my local Smart & Final and Target all of the above items are available. I really, Really, REALLY do get it other than people are as a whole idiots.

I'm to the point where I am sick and tired of this whole covid19 bullshit. Our wonderful "French Laundry" governor is again attempting to shut down the entire state. I sincerely wish people would look into what Jay Bhattacharya a Professor of Medicine at Stanford University where he received both an M.D. and a Ph.D. in economics has to say about the entire situation. People might also want to look into the Great Barrington Declaration.

[Luv2play]

You are definitely correct that the closing of a Walmart in a small town can have a devastating affect. However, keep in mind that before Walmart opened in small towns all across the country those towns had thriving local downtown businesses. Once Walmart opened it undercut all of the local businesses and drove them to closure. Now the towns are left high and dry -- Walmart is gone and their downtown business district consists of a bunch of boarded up store fronts.

Sounds almost biblical. The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away.