Store reports: mid-April

[prairiewindmomma]

Are things getting better or worse in your area? How are prices? Availability? Do you have long lines to get in to shop? Are people wearing masks and gloves in store?

[Liz CA]

Here, things seemed to have normalized somewhat. TP can be found again, however, in metro areas people are still ferreting out when the delivery comes and show up first thing next morning once it's shelved. Everything appears to be available around here.

[athena1277]

I think things are a little better here in N AL.  I mostly shop at a Kroger and have had few problems lately.  There’s still things they are out of at times, but overall they are staying reasonably stocked.  I’ve started going in thee morning so I am more likely to find things in stock.  They have TP every morning, but an employee I talked to a few days ago said it always sells out in a few hours.  The quantity limits have made it last a bit longer.  The emails going out say they are limiting how many people in the store at once, but there has never been a line or even anyone who appears to be keeping track.  Target has been about the same the twice I needed to go there.  

Places are supposed to start reopening this month, with everything opened by the end of May (assuming no resurgence in illness).  

[klmama]

I went shopping yesterday at a large discount grocery and also at Kroger for meat. The staff was masked at both stores and I'd guess about 90% of the customers were, too.  The cashiers and baggers had gloves, but I didn't notice customers wearing them.

The discount grocer had almost everything except disinfectants, although I noticed that they still didn't have the large packages of name-brand TP.  But there was TP, as well as a lot of fresh produce, meat, bread, etc.  They were still limiting amounts of ground beef, TP, canned items, and pasta.  I didn't notice if anything else was limited.  The Kroger was out of fresh boneless skinless chicken and ground beef when I was there at noon, but there were still a lot of bone-in chicken available, as well as other beef and pork.  I noticed it was also completely out of bleach and disinfectant wipes.  There were still spots on the shelves, though, with "Limit 1" signs, so I assume they get those in overnight and they sell out early.  

 

[hjffkj]

I can't get fresh produce in my Walmart pick up orders aside from apples, carrots, onions and potatoes basically. I miss fresh broc, bananas, cantaloupe, spinach, kale, salad, etc. It is really sad. I'm pretty sure I could find that stuff at the local food lion but that is across the border so u can't legally shop there. Although I likely will tomorrow anyway because my stomach is starting to hurt from not getting enough fiber

[2ndGenHomeschooler]

I’m in New England. I shopped yesterday between noon and 2pm. A few more stores than usual but I was shopping for three households.  I went to Target to pick up some nursing supplies for my sister who had a baby a couple of days ago. While I was there I checked on some staples. They had no flour or eggs but a couple different brands of TP. Limit of one per family. I got a large package. No line to get in the store even though stores here are limited to 25% capacity. 
    Next I went to Aldi. Again no line to get in. No flour, no TP, limit of 2 dozen eggs. Plenty of meat in the meat case. 
      Next Walmart. (2 dozen eggs is not enough for a week for our family of six and I needed flour and a couple of other things Aldi doesn’t carry.) There was a long line to get in but it moved quickly. They also had TP (limit of one) so I picked up another package for a SIL. She works in a nursing home and is trying to avoid stores so I pick things up for her when I’m out. Plenty of eggs. Only two bags of flour and they were 25lb bags. So we’re set for a while and I’ll be able to share with SIL if she needs some. 
     I felt like overall it was an improvement. Some shelves, like pasta, meat, and paper goods were thin but better than they had been. Prices were about the same as usual. Use of face masks depended on the store. About half in Target, almost everyone in Aldi, only maybe a quarter in in Walmart. Which I found odd because these stores are across the street from each other/in the same shopping area. That will change next week though as they will now be mandatory in my state beginning on Monday night. We live in a rural area and these stores are never as crowded as the same ones in the small city a few minutes in the opposite direction. Both shopping areas about the same distance from me but I much prefer the small town one. No curbside pickup or delivery options though. 

Edited April 18, 2020 by 2ndGenHomeschooler

[Donna]

In NC, about 75% of people wearing masks and gloves.

Prices are the same.

Availability depends on the item and the time of day DH shops. Early mornings right as stores open, he can usual find nearly everything on my list but any later and items like flour, toilet paper, and certain brands of things we use are gone. We are vegan and don't eat meat, milk, eggs so maybe that makes things we are looking for somewhat different than many people. We stocked up on dried beans and rice/quinoa early and eat a lot of fresh veggies/fruit and have not had any difficulty with fresh items. (Soon my garden will be producing enough we won't even need much of the fresh stuff.)

[SereneHome]

12 minutes ago, 2ndGenHomeschooler said:

I’m in New England. I shopped yesterday between noon and 2pm. A few more stores than usual but I was shopping for three households.  I went to Target to pick up some nursing supplies for my sister who had a baby a couple of days ago. While I was there I checked on some staples. They had no flour or eggs but a couple different brands of TP. Limit of one per family. I got a large package. No line to get in the store even though stores here are limited to 25% capacity. 
    Next I went to Aldi. Again no line to get in. No flour, no TP, limit of 2 dozen eggs. Plenty of meat in the meat case. 
      Next Walmart. (2 dozen eggs is not enough for a week for our family of six and I needed flour and a couple of other things Aldi doesn’t carry.) There was a long line to get in but it moved quickly. They also had TP (limit of one) so I picked up another package for a SIL. She works in a nursing home and is trying to avoid stores so I pick things up for her when I’m out. Plenty of eggs. Only two bags of flour and they were 25lb bags. So we’re set for a while and I’ll be able to share with SIL if she needs some. 
     I felt like overall it was an improvement. Some shelves, like pasta, meat, and paper goods were thin but better than they had been. Prices were about the same as usual. Use of face masks depended on the store. About half in Target, almost everyone in Aldi, only maybe a quarter in in Walmart. Which I found odd because these stores are across the street from each other/in the same shopping area. That will change next week though as they will now be mandatory in my state beginning on Monday night. We live in a rural area and these stores are never as crowded as the same ones in the small city a few minutes in the opposite direction. Both shopping areas about the same distance from me but I much prefer the small town one. No curbside pickup or delivery options though. 

I am also in New England.....now I am wondering what state you are in, I haven't heard anything about mandatory masks for our state or the next next to us.

[ScoutTN]

Better.
No price differences form normal. Most things well stocked. Some paper goods, but not tons. Limits on number of items you can buy for eggs, milk, bread, and TP. flour, rice, pasta, clorox wipes, hand sanitizer, bleach all still very low.

Masks - about 60-70% of shoppers. Much less for grocery employees. Higher end stores much more compliant, though Aldi was the first grocery in my area to put up the plexiglass wall between checker and customer. Whole Foods has them too. 
 

Edited April 18, 2020 by ScoutTN

[Pawz4me]

Getting back to normal here in my part of NC. Still very difficult to impossible to find TP, and PT, hand sanitizer and cleaning supplies aren't much easier to find. But other than that things are looking a lot better. There are certainly still empty spots on store shelves and meat/dairy/freezer compartments, but mostly it seems to be things you can easily work around by being flexible about brands and sizes. Fresh produce is plentiful. I haven't noticed any changes in prices, but I haven't been paying close attention. The last time I was at Walmart was a little over a week ago. I'd say that about 25-30 percent of people were wearing masks. I went into Lowes Foods a couple of days ago and I'd say maybe 10 percent were wearing one. But there were only a handful of people in the store, so hard to make a good judgment. I've seen very, very few people wearing gloves at any time since this started. Maybe three or four people in total. It's extremely uncommon.

ETA: So far I haven't had to wait in line to get into a store. But I usually shop early.

Edited April 18, 2020 by Pawz4me

[SereneHome]

I wonder if the stores will get emptier for a bit now that people got their govt checks

[Arcadia]

Santa Clara County, California 

Went to pick up my medication from Safeway Pharmacy yesterday before sunset and there was no line into the supermarket. My area is part of the area affected by Safeway Tracy distribution center COVID19 cluster (1 fatality, 50 infected). We managed to get milk which we didn’t urgently need. Vegetables (that are displayed under the sprinklers) , eggs, yoghurt were out of stock. Plenty of fruits, prepacked salad greens, frozen vegetables and meat. No yeast and flour. Everything else was typical Friday evening stock level on shelves. When we left at around 7pm, there was a line waiting to get in, so we must have come before the usual evening crowd.

We made a pit stop at Grocery Outlet on the way to Safeway and didn’t find anything worth buying. Prices were generally higher than before at this location, and this location typically charge more even in normal times. No crowd there maybe because other Grocery Outlet stores in my county tend to be cheaper.

[kokotg]

There are a few random food things I have trouble getting in my Kroger pick-up orders...cage free eggs (but plenty of conventional eggs, it seems), gluten free Mac and cheese and chicken tenders...and then a lot of brand substitutions, but that's fine with me. I haven't had trouble getting meat or produce the past few weeks (except I keep trying to get the sale priced ham and not, but I could see that being sold out under normal circumstances, too). I haven't actually been inside a grocery store in over a month; it seems to be getting a little easier to schedule a pick-up time here--they schedule a week out, and I grab mine when they open up, but I've noticed that there are slots available 4 or 5 days away a lot of times now. I've been adding in an occasional Whole Foods delivery through Amazon, and so far I can always get a same day delivery, though I usually have to refresh the page a few times to find it. The system never lets me add paper products to delivery or pickups, but I've found everything on Walmart over the past couple of weeks and had it shipped. I can't compare prices--they seem about the same for individual items, but I'm shopping so differently than how I usually do that it's hard to say. We're certainly spending more on groceries than we did before, but I have an extra (college) kid home, I'm not paying attention to sales as much or using coupons, not going to Aldi for stock up trips, eating at home more, etc.

[2ndGenHomeschooler]

41 minutes ago, SereneHome said:

I am also in New England.....now I am wondering what state you are in, I haven't heard anything about mandatory masks for our state or the next next to us.

I’m in CT. We figured the requirement was coming since NY instituted it. My mom made my DH a couple of masks for work a couple of weeks ago. (They were given one each and told that would be all they were getting.) My SIL made me one for shopping and a bag full for DH to take to work and share. So fortunately we are ahead of the new orders. 

[hjffkj]

MD just implemented masks requirement while out in public, which means I need to find masks!

[prairiewindmomma]

Dh went shopping today. We are west coast, and it has been 7 weeks since stores started having serious disruptions.

Dh reports that nearly everyone was masked today, primarily in cloth masks. Some were gloved. 
 

The large grocery store had no line to enter today (it normally has a line). The store had most of what he was looking for (an improvement). Meat and black beans were in short supply. Some fruit and veg was either very high in price (grapes), not looking great, or just missing (blueberries). Prices are still up about 30%.

Costco had a very long line to enter at opening, but it moved fairly quickly. Chicken was in short supply. There was toilet paper AND paper towels! Dh was able to get 2 3pks of lactose free organic milk, which is awesome for our family of 6. Prices still have not changed here. They finally have the plexi glass shields up at checkout, and the conveyer belt is fully cleaned between customers.

Overall, we are spending about 30% more on food compared to what we were in February. Most of this is due to having to buy high end products (which we are choosing to do rather than go without). I suspect we will soon be priced out of most meat and rice and beans if this trend continues. 

[Annie G]

NE Georgia- stores look reasonably well stocked. Prices are higher for some things. Eggs at Publix were $3 a dozen so I stopped by Ingles on the way home instead. Eggs were $1.29/dozen there, but 18 pk of the same store brand was $5.68. 
Meat is higher, or maybe it’s that nothing is on sale. I usually buy whatever is on sale. 
Fresh veggies are more expensive for this time of year.  Zucchini and yellow squash are almost $2 a pound. 

As far as crowds we haven’t seen any. No lines to get in, no line to check out. We go around 9 am on a weekday. 
Most customers have masks, few employees do.  I’m making masks this weekend and will carry them in individual ziplock bags so I can ask those working if they’d like one. Don’t know if they don’t want to wear one or don’t have access to any.  I made some last week and quickly gave them away to people I knew...time to move on to those still having to work and interact with customers. 

[Sherry in OH]

NW Arkansas - Eggs, butter, milk, flour, and bread inventories are lower than normal, but are available if you aren't picky about brand. Yeast is still non-existent. There are limits of one package per person on eggs, bottled water (including distilled), some milks, and toilet paper.  Otherwise, the store appears fully stocked.   I shop early in the day and haven't had to wait in line although I have been told that some stores have lines later in the day.   At my Neighborhood Market most customers wear masks.  Most employees do not although some of the pickers do.  The checkout clerks are behind Plexiglass-shields.  Most customers try to maintain their distance.  Stockers usually move to the side to allow customers to access shelves.

Prices are stable.  My grocery bills are higher than normal because I only want to shop at one store, and once per week.  If the store-brand is sold out but a name brand is available, I get the name brand.  I also make spur of the moment substitutions and menu changes to avoid having to make a second stop.  The thing that bugs me the most is that the store has been rearranged. I used to know where everything I usually buy was located.  Now I have to search. ( I realize that rearranging inventory is a strategy to slow down shoppers and get them to make impulse buys, but think the store should have waited a few months.). 

I have not been using curbside pick-up.  It appears more slots are available but many high demand items are unavailable for pick-up even if the store has the item the day of pick-up.  

I do miss my regular routine of one main grocery trip per week plus a second trip later in the week to a different store to pick up fresh produce and odds and ends.  Other than one trip to a Walmart Supercenter in March, I have been limiting my shopping to the closest Neighborhood Market.   No specialty stores, no trips to stores in other cities for items not available locally.

[Loowit]

I can't get any paper products (TP, paper towels, etc.) and cleaning supplies through online pickup orders.  I am going to have to brave a store today to get some.

Prices seem pretty much typical.

Last time I was out I think only about 25% of people were wearing masks, and very few were trying to keep any social distance.  In our area we have been encouraged to wear masks, but are being asked not to wear gloves.

[Arcadia]

42 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:

 I suspect we will soon be priced out of most meat and rice and beans if this trend continues. 

Here California grown rice are still easily available in 15lbs or 25lbs bag. We don’t buy 50lb bags due to weight so I am not sure about the availability. Veal was on sale at my local Safeway yesterday so we bought some. 

We went to Whole Foods for beans last week but they have emptied out the bulk bins and did not package them (Sprouts prepackaged their bulk bins section). Safeway had “cling wrap” their bulk bin area. We ended up buying beans (mung beans, adzuki beans) from the Chinese supermarkets. 

[Amy in NH]

Obviously in NH here.  Probably 1/2 wearing masks and/or gloves.  Lots of empty or sparse shelves.  Prices have been going up for the past week, and continue to do so.  I purchase our paper products online, and stocked up just before the **** hit the fan, so I can't speak to those conditions.  We've always had a large number of shoppers from the neighboring state which has blocked Walmart, so I'm sure the citizens from that state are contributing to our sparse stores.

[Ali in OR]

 I finally cleaned the receipts out of my purse and did some excel accounting. We've been at about $850 per month for the last couple of years, maybe a little less since dd went away to college. February was right at $1000 and March was $1345! Now I was definitely stocking up our home inventory levels both those months--tp, clorox wipes, hand sanitizer, some OTC meds/supplies in Feb and then mostly food in March. And in March dd came home from college and no more eating out which probably is/was $100 a month. I'm at $600 already for April and have 2 more shopping trips (one/week)--I will probably be around $1000 again.

This week was Costco last Monday. I went at 4:30 in the afternoon, hearing that there were no crowds closer to closing and I didn't need tp. No line to get in, no line at checkout. I got most things on my list (baby wipes, chicken breasts, flank steak, milk, eggs, bacon, string cheese). There was no lettuce, but the grapes have been amazing. There was active dry yeast (I decided not to get any since I have a brick of instant yeast which I've learned can be used interchangeably with ady). No mexi-cheese, but there were other cheeses available. Most shoppers masked by now.

Last week was Winco, also on Monday, and I went at 1:00 in the afternoon which wasn't too bad. A few of our regular things were not available (Campbell's chicken noodle soup, Adam's peanut butter--all varieties, ammonia, bleach). They did have a few boxes of Barilla pasta which I had not seen since mid-March. This Monday or Tuesday I think I'll try Fred Meyer (Kroger) and probably morning to try for tp. Haven't been to Freddie's since mid-March, and there are a few things we can get there that I can't get elsewhere.

[MEmama]

My grocery in small town Maine was really well stocked when I went on Friday morning. 90-95% of shoppers were wearing masks and most people wore gloves. Most people did their best to maintain space. I couldn’t help but wonder about the few who chose to not cover up (everyone in this climate at least owns a scarf or something that could be used). 

Prices seemed normal although my end tab was very high. I think I’m buying more junk and things I normally wouldn’t purchase, like a bottle of gin (ahem). 
 

I had to walk down aisles I wouldn’t normally because of the new directional signs, so I noticed there were paper towels, but the tp shelves were bare. I haven’t been to Target in a month or more so I don’t know if it’s generally available or not. Only the pasta and Mexican shelves were mostly bare from what I noticed, everything else was well stocked. Oh, no flour available but I did find the almond flour I wanted. 
 

Only 70 people are allowed in at a time. The whole set up was very efficient.

Edited April 18, 2020 by MEmama

[Amy in NH]

10 minutes ago, MEmama said:

My grocery in small town Maine was really well stocked when I went on Friday morning. 90-95% of shoppers were wearing masks and most people wore gloves. Most people did their best to maintain space. I couldn’t help but wonder about the few who chose to not cover up (everyone in this climate at least owns a scarf or something that could be used). 

Prices seemed normal although my end tab was very high. I think I’m buying more junk and things I normally wouldn’t purchase, like a bottle of gin (ahem). 
 

I had to walk down aisles I wouldn’t normally because of the new directional signs, so I noticed there were paper towels, but the tp shelves were bare. I haven’t been to Target in a month or more so I don’t know if it’s generally available or not. Only the pasta and Mexican shelves were mostly bare from what I noticed, everything else was well stocked. Oh, no flour available but I did find the almond flour I wanted. 
 

Only 70 people are allowed in at a time. The whole set up was very efficient.

 

Cloth masks are 0-3% effective.  It's a false sense of security, and I don't see the point.

[stephanier.1765]

Overall things are better. Food is definitely much better even though I've noticed a decline in how long fresh food will stay fresh. Clean supplies are still hard to come by.

DH is a mail carrier and goes through buckets of hand sanitizer. It's been a couple of weeks since I last found any and I'm starting to get concerned that I won't find any before we run out. That worries me. 😞

[historically accurate]

I haven't been in a grocery store, but Walmart cancelled today's pickup order yesterday. I put the order in on Tuesday or Wednesday. *sigh*

DH stopped in Walgreens today for a prescription and picked up a milk. He could've gotten toilet paper there, but we were fully stocked.  

[medawyn]

We’re in a metropolitan area in the southeast, and the store was mostly back to normal last week.  Lysol/cleaning supplies were out, flour was available if you weren’t picky about brand/price, but everything else (tp included) was pretty fully stocked.  I only went to one store, since I could basically shop my list without difficulties.  

[slackermom]

Boston Metro.

I was able to get pickup slots for Thursday at Wegmans by logging on just before 5 am last night. One is 9-10 am, one is 3-4 pm.  I have been trying for several days to get something. I wanted 2 slots because I am shopping for 2 different households. I am doing the online ordering and my ex is picking stuff up when it is ready. I did one big order last time but it was hard to divide it up with the item limits. He ended up with all of the steaks and chicken and I got the eggs and flour. I was really looking forward to chicken from that order, but instead had to settle for what seemed like my 40th bowl of leftover chili instead. With the pending order I just placed, they said their chicken breasts are out of stock now. I plan to edit the list(s) as we get closer to pick up time. 

[Arcadia]

4 hours ago, Amy in NH said:

 

Cloth masks are 0-3% effective.  It's a false sense of security, and I don't see the point.

It’s compulsory to wear a mask for some stores and in some counties so people are wearing cloth masks or handkerchiefs for the sake of complying. 

[Arcadia]

Silicon Valley area.
The first Costco we went have a very long line at close to 4pm so we didn’t bother lining up and drove to another Costco which is smaller. Toilet paper is still in stock for Kirkland and Charmin. Prices were same as before shelter in place, some items like strawberries were cheaper. I didn’t see yeast but plenty of different varieties of flour and rice available.

Traffic on the road now is as bad as typical weekday commute traffic.  

[Tap]

PNW...Portland, Or. Stores like Costco, Winco and Home Depot have long lines to get in to the store during parts of the day, but sometimes they are just a few people in line.   Other stores are pretty much normal, no big lines to get in or at the checkouts.  Sanitation supplies and TP are still low or out of stock, but most other things are available. If you can't get an item at one store, another store generally has it. 

[LoveMyBeautifulGift]

Far East San Francisco Bay Area here. Went out Thursday to find TP. Only went to Target. Still lines forming at the door hours before opening. Costco is apparently worse. They've started putting up one of those line things like at the bank at the front of the door for about 10 feet. Employee said it helps the employees not get rushed at the door by people coming in from the parking lot right at opening trying to skip the line. They've also started putting up a board with with whats in stock for hot items. Rest of the store looked pretty well stocked, though I just grabbed what was on my list and got out. There were maybe 3 people beside myself wearing masks, but that will change next week (mandated masks in our county starting Wednesday). Local Facebook group posts indicate baking goods (flour, baking powder, yeast) are hard to find, but otherwise it seems things are refilling at the grocery store (at least, I don't see people asking where to get eggs, meat, baby items or milk anymore). 

[appyonthebeach]

I'm in NJ.  We have to wear masks to get into the store.  Aldi had pretty much everything on the shelves except tp and paper towels.  I was able to get tp at BJ's though.  Shoprite was the worst stocked.  Hardly any canned foods, tomato sauces, boxes of cereal or baking supplies. No paper products either.

[PrincessMommy]

I'm in MD.  We have to wear masks to enter any store or business.  

I went in the early evening last night.  It was much less crowded (yay), but still no TP or paper towels.  I asked and the checker said they get a shipment everyday but it's gone very quickly. (booo).  I need to come before 8:30.  😞  I was hoping they had some stashed in the manager's office.

Everything else was well stocked except tuna fish and flour - there has been NO flour on the shelves the last 2x I've gone.  

[sassenach]

NorCal- pretty well stocked but still low on things like pasta and random items. 
 

I’d say 80% of people were wearing masks but our county just passed an order making it mandatory (I’m so happy about this!) so I expect to see better next time. Safeway put in one-way aisle stickers which not everyone followed. 
 

Prices are up but not terribly so. 
 

Overall it felt much less chaotic than a couple of weeks ago. 

[sassenach]

17 hours ago, Amy in NH said:

 

Cloth masks are 0-3% effective.  It's a false sense of security, and I don't see the point.

The point of a cloth mask is to capture some of your own aerosols from entering the environment. My mask protects you, your mask protects me. 

[Pawz4me]

18 hours ago, Amy in NH said:

 

Cloth masks are 0-3% effective.  It's a false sense of security, and I don't see the point.

Do you have a cite(s) for that? It goes against almost everything I've read, which says any type of cloth face covering offers some level of protection, and the more well done cloth masks rival the protection of surgical masks. I'm not asking to put you on the spot or to be snarky, I'm genuinely curious because I haven't seen that from any reputable source.

[Pen]

22 hours ago, prairiewindmomma said:

Are things getting better or worse in your area?

 

From 

a couple of days ago: Bananas, mangos etc were back

crackers, chips low as to specific ones I sought, but plenty if specific brand flavor and gluten free weren’t desired 

22 hours ago, prairiewindmomma said:

How are prices?

 High

22 hours ago, prairiewindmomma said:

Availability?

 

Presume tp etc still gone, but didn’t look.

22 hours ago, prairiewindmomma said:

Do you have long lines to get in to shop?

Not when I was there

22 hours ago, prairiewindmomma said:

Are people wearing masks and gloves in store?

 

Some yes, some no.  

I was masked, gloved, and wore my new face shield thing

A strange guy, no mask, kept coming up to me very close and asking if he could help me.  At first I thought he was an employee. He Would not stop when I said no and to give me space.  It was like he was just there not shopping, but harassing under cover of “helping”.  At least he was not spitting or coughing on things afaik. Really really upsetting and creepy seeming even aside from CV19. I asked a store employee for help. 

Cashiers were wearing masks made for them by community members!!! Yay!!!  Good job mask makers!!!

[marbel]

SE PA, suburbs of Philadelphia.

Still having problems getting deliveries or store pickups, but my last trip to the store was OK.  Still no flour at all, or yeast.  Meat selection is low. I didn't bother looking for cleaning products, toilet paper, etc. on this trip as we are doing OK on that right now. 

Most people were wearing masks; I think as of tonight it's required to be masked when in public.  There was a place to line up to get into the store but when I was there, there was no line. We were told to wait at the door till an employee motioned us in and were given a cleaned cart. There were directional lines on the floor for one-way aisles, which was good, though I found myself trapped in aisles I didn't need to visit behind people who were browsing (magazine, pet toys) so it was a little frustrating. I realized too late it was very important not to miss something because there was no going backwards - the arrows led from the entrance to the checkout lines. So, I didn't get a few things that weren't on my list that I remembered while in the store.

People were mostly patient but a few employees got testy with folks who were having trouble following their confusing signs to get to checkout.  We are all still on a learning curve.

 

[Pen]

19 hours ago, Amy in NH said:

 

Cloth masks are 0-3% effective.  It's a false sense of security, and I don't see the point.

 

I haven’t seen any studies where they come out that low. (Cidrap had 2-38% which was lowest I saw, but based entirely on filtration—whereas ability to stop large droplets from going a long distance may also be helpful. ) And for a well done design I have seen studies putting homemade mask between surgical paper mask and respirator in effectiveness 

But I guess I have mostly been looking for what designs do well, not for what is the worst possible (like a crocheted mask with obvious holes or a light breezy looking fabric that give impression of people complying for legality sake while doing all they can to subvert the intent of mask wearing, and I would easily believe these sorts give 0% protection.) 

https://www.consumerreports.org/coronavirus/how-to-choose-and-wear-a-mask-during-the-coronavirus-pandemic/

 

Most sources I have read say a mask of multiple layers is better than one with single layer, and that tight fit around edges is important.  An inner filter also seems to help a lot. 

————

Quote from : fact check dot org:

“In a more rigorous 2010 test, researchers with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health bombarded T-shirts, towels, sweatshirts and scarves with nanoparticles to evaluate the filtration potential of DIY mask fabrics. While the materials’ performance paled in comparison to an N95 respirator and the authors noted that they provide “only marginal respiratory protection,” most fabrics caught at least some of the particles. “

 

 

Linsey Marr, a Virginia Tech engineering professor who studies virus transmission, cautioned that people should not rely on homemade masks to prevent inhalation of viruses in the air, but she had some practical tips for those pursuing their own designs.

“The material should be thick and densely woven, like a kitchen towel or heavyweight t-shirt, and the mask should fit tightly around the nose and mouth with no gaps,” she told us in an email.

As the National Academy of Sciences explains in a 2006 report on the possible use of improvised face masks during a pandemic, a tighter fabric structure may do a better job of filtration, but does have some trade-offs. “[A]s the tightness of the structure increases, the breathing resistance increases, thereby affecting the user’s comfort while using the device,” the report says, noting this “may affect usage.”

If You Wear a Mask

For those who choose to wear a mask, Feng recommended learning the proper technique to reduce accidental infection from the mask itself. As demonstrated in a WHO video, the key is to not to touch the outside of the mask — and to wash your hands if you do.

The CDC also offers advice and a few patterns for those creating their own masks.

But most critically, don’t think a mask protects you or exempts you from social distancing or hand washing. As Feng told us, it’s “better to stay home.”   “

Edited April 19, 2020 by Pen

[ThisIsTheDay]

Smaller metro area in Virginia. I was out three different days this week. Definitely a higher percentage of masks, maybe around 25-30%, noticeably more than previous weeks. Other things that were noticeably different: many more people out on the roads. The first few weeks was like a ghost town; traffic seems more like usual on the weekends. The atmosphere of the groceries stores has changed. Many more couples shopping together again. For the past few weeks, the govt has asked that just one person per household shop, and people were complying. While people are still keeping their distance, shoppers are more relaxed, talking, friendly--not the zombie apocoloypse from when all of this began.

We were at Walmart, Kroger, and Sam's Club this week. Walmart is the only place with toilet paper, I think they are putting just one box of generic paper out at a time. Even though it's generic, it's much better than what you'd find at a restaurant. Pasta availability spotty; produce is pretty good, just not the things I'm looking for (jalapenos, beets). Eggs seem to be the only item with higher prices.

The stores are mostly counting people going in/out. There are no lines to get in. I've watched the employees "sanitize" carts, and they do a lousy job. I've been more careful cleaning the handle for the past couple of years just to avoid the common cold. One of our grocery chains has plastic over the card reader screen to "protect" customers--but once the first person touches that plastic, it's worthless.

[Sweets]

Mid TN-near the Kentucky border. Things have normalized here somewhat. Flour is still sparse. Yeast nonexistent in most stores that we shop at. We shop at small Amish owned and local markets for most of our meats and staples. And a small town grocery store for everything else. Summer is coming so we are really looking forward to fresh veges and fruits from our local Amish farmers. We've avoided Walmart for six weeks now, but I should go as Walmart still has the best prices on vitamins. We go to Krogers once a month for prescription refill. It's hit and miss at stores about masks and gloves. I do the shopping as DH has an immuno compromise health condition. I always wear a mask and glove, but only about 50% of the people are also masked and gloved. Our Amish friends do not wear masks or gloves, but their stores and homes are spotlessly clean so I guess they feel safe in that respect. I know a lot of our hometown Facebook boards just want everything to open and caution be damned. The shut down has hurt small businesses here tremendously. 

[mommyoffive]

22 hours ago, stephanier.1765 said:

Overall things are better. Food is definitely much better even though I've noticed a decline in how long fresh food will stay fresh. Clean supplies are still hard to come by.

DH is a mail carrier and goes through buckets of hand sanitizer. It's been a couple of weeks since I last found any and I'm starting to get concerned that I won't find any before we run out. That worries me. 😞

 

Here some is in stock

https://www.myvitabath.com/hand-sanitizer/

 

These 2 ones have been instock at Walmart this week.  I have heard the way you score stuff like this at Walmart is continue to refresh your page.  Sometimes for hours or the day. 

Equate Moisturizing Hand Sanitizer with Vitamin E, 34 fl oz - May Ship with a Flip Top Cap   listed for 3.97

Hello Bello Gel Hand Sanitizer 32oz Bottle  $8.54 on Walmart.com

 

I will post if I see any more. 

[stephanier.1765]

11 minutes ago, mommyoffive said:

 

Here some is in stock

https://www.myvitabath.com/hand-sanitizer/

 

These 2 ones have been instock at Walmart this week.  I have heard the way you score stuff like this at Walmart is continue to refresh your page.  Sometimes for hours or the day. 

Equate Moisturizing Hand Sanitizer with Vitamin E, 34 fl oz - May Ship with a Flip Top Cap   listed for 3.97

Hello Bello Gel Hand Sanitizer 32oz Bottle  $8.54 on Walmart.com

 

I will post if I see any more. 

Thank you! I never thought I'd be spending this much on hand sanitizer.  Just a few months ago a bottle would practically last me a year. 😂 

[Amy in NH]

9 hours ago, Pawz4me said:

Do you have a cite(s) for that? It goes against almost everything I've read, which says any type of cloth face covering offers some level of protection, and the more well done cloth masks rival the protection of surgical masks. I'm not asking to put you on the spot or to be snarky, I'm genuinely curious because I haven't seen that from any reputable source.

"Penetration of cloth masks by particles was almost 97%"
https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/5/4/e006577

"we would not recommend the use of homemade face masks as a method of reducing transmission of infection from aerosols."
https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/0921A05A69A9419C862FA2F35F819D55/S1935789313000438a.pdf/testing_the_efficacy_of_homemade_masks_would_they_protect_in_an_influenza_pandemic.pdf

https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/04/should-you-wear-a-face-mask-heres-all-the-data-we-have/

[Shoeless]

Rural Texas, outside of San Antonio:

At 5pm, HEB was well stocked.  Many areas of the store look back to normal.  Pasta, canned goods, bread, dairy, eggs, meat were all at pre-covid stock levels. Lots of produce available, too.  A few things in produce were out, but that might be due to the hour I went.  I was able to get a brick of yeast, Kleenex, and a 12 pack of some off brand tp.  No paper towels today, but it looks like they had some earlier (some empty boxes on the shelf).  Lots of bar soap available.  Dried beans looked a little sparse, but canned beans were plentiful.  The only liquid hand soap available was the expensive, organic kind. 

No flour other than a few bags of whole wheat. Very little sugar, too.  No hand sanitizer.  Disinfectant cleaners were out, but there was some general multi-purpose cleaners.  No bleach today, but there was plenty last week. *shrug*

About 40% of the people were wearing masks.  The staff were all wearing masks. People seemed a little snippy today and kept getting too close to each other.  A couple of people huffed and rolled their eyes when I said "Please, you go first so we can have plenty of space".  🙄  I was trying to be nice, but I guess I'll just bulldoze and ram people with my cart next time. Just kidding...maybe.