shopping during the quarantine

[posiepurrs]

BQ (before quarantine) I did our grocery shopping weekly, with trips to pick up gardening supplies, pet supplies when ever I needed to. Now I order on line. I am really an introvert, but am getting tired of doing everything on line. First the selection stinks! I can't pick out the vegetables or meat and what is available is very limited in my area. It takes a lot of planning to do a grocery or pet food order. Ordering way ahead of when you will need it.to insure delivery when you need it. I haven't done any ordering for the garden since this started. I had ordered all of my seeds way back in the middle of December. Even with all of my complaints, I WILL NOT venture out to the store - even if they had prime rib for free! I still have cat litter, but dread when I need to get it again since I buy at Tractor Supply and they don't deliver it.

 

[neely]

I can't pick out the vegetables or meat and what is available is very limited in my area.

Since I'm vegetarian I'm very picky about my produce so I still shop locally for it. I have been going to the grocery store but definitely making fewer trips. I actually like to get out even if it means social distancing and covering my face/hands. We're fortunate to live in an area that has lots of stores so I don't have to travel far. My biggest complaint is finding toilet paper. We have seen more off-label brands than ever before and my husband says it feels like sandpaper.

 

[catapault]

You know you are going to need kitty litter. You know Tractor Supply does not deliver. Wouldn't it be worthwhile to order from Chewy's now? as their deliveries are no longer 1 to 2 days, more like 7 to 10.

 

[Willowy]

but dread when I need to get it again since I buy at Tractor Supply and they don't deliver it.

They have a new thing where you order it and pay for it online, when it's ready they email/text you, and then when you get to the store you call them and they'll send an employee out to put it right in your trunk. It's very convenient .

 

[MoonstoneWolf]

You know you are going to need kitty litter. You know Tractor Supply does not deliver. Wouldn't it be worthwhile to order from Chewy's now? as their deliveries are no longer 1 to 2 days, more like 7 to 10.

Tractor Supply uses Instacart. At least in Missouri

 

[MoochNNoodles]

DH and I have been alternating who goes. He is an essential worker anyway. I usually use Walmart’s grocery pickup but I haven’t been able to since this started. It’s difficult with having kids and not being able to take them. Single parents really have it harder if they can’t get in an order. It’s not like you can get a sitter. Walmart is the only grocery store that has online ordering here and no one delivers. If we weren’t limited to 1 milk that would help us go longer. We usually go through 1 1/2-2 gallons a week. But I’ve been able to get what we need most of the time so I’m not really complaining. I just want to do my part by not making more trips than necessary. People in the store have been good there couple times I’ve gone though. They are maintaining distancing and all that. We will all be happy when things get back to normal.

I already have my soil and things and have put my peas in the ground. I don’t normally shop the garden centers for my tomatoes, peppers and flowers till mid May.

 

[susanm9006]

My local pet food store and hardware store let you order online and do a contactless pickup. The hardware store places purchased items in lockers and Petsmart brings Out your order and puts it in your trunk.

 

[denice]

I usually go once a week. I go early Saturday morning and Kroger isn't crowded then, the one close to me is a large Marketplace so it takes a lot of people for the store to get crowded. Alice is on a prescription food so it is delivered and I get her litter at Kroger. I used to go at least once during the week but I have cut that out since this started. I just keep my distance from other people in the store, at least as much as I can. I make a conscious effort not to touch my face. Bring everything in, wash my hands. Put everything away and wash my hands again. I don't use anything that I bought or anything I put what I bought next to until the next day.

 

[Jem]

I usually went to the grocery store once a week, I planned my meals based on sales and got everything I needed, I never did the "pick something up on the way home", if we didn't have something, we did without...but I've never had to "go without" really because I never let staples I use often run out. Now...hopefully, I will only have to go every two weeks. I don't do the order online and pick up thing that's being offered....I'm too picky. But our stores are taking significant precautions and so do I, so I feel quite safe going out myself. Going to the pet store is a once a month thing anyway, so that really hasn't changed. They also are taking significant precautions.
Other than that, I will also go to my local Shoppers Drug Mart for some things...it's right across from my grocery store, but again usually it was a once a month visit. So really my shopping habits haven't changed much, other than I'm trying to go for groceries every 2 weeks instead of weekly.
People are being very respectful of social distancing, as am I, and our stores are taking great measures to keep patrons safe. So If I'm only going out twice a month, I think I'm doing good. We also don't have THAT many cases in my city. 28 cases in a population of over 161,000....and I live in the outskirts so it's not as "packed" with people, and our geography is a little more "spread out". although one of them is thought to be due to community spread, but they didn't specify which part the the city that was in. I'm still careful though.

 

[artiemom]

You know you are going to need kitty litter. You know Tractor Supply does not deliver. Wouldn't it be worthwhile to order from Chewy's now? as their deliveries are no longer 1 to 2 days, more like 7 to 10.

Yes, it is worth it to shop from Chewy. They deliver right to your door.

You may find the prices a bit higher, like a dollar; but, during this time-- it is worth it.

I just order a week before I normally would. It takes them a few days to ship. If you have an ' repeated order ship', they seem to send faster.

I love Chewy. I am now getting all my litter from them. It saves me from hurting myself with putting it in the car, taking it out, getting to my apartment, and then into my storage spot...

I used to always go shopping--food was Trader Joes-- almost weekly.. The local Market Basket, every 2 weeks, the pet store, once a month, Rite Aid pharmacy twice a month or more--..

Since being quarantined--it has been over 3 weeks now... I cannot leave my apartment.

I am getting Chewy to delivery, Rite Aid delivers, some stuff from Amazon, and there are volunteers who will go shopping for us--just a few things, at Stop & Shop... They are trying to make our lives as easy as possible.

I do not know how they did it, but they have a ton of volunteers in here, helping us with mail delivery, dog walkers, pharmacy deliveries--if yours does not deliver, food runs... and laundry services.. trash pickups...
Daily wellness calls--for physical and emotional needs...

 

[denice]

There are a lot of younger people who are volunteering to shop for older people and people who have had to self quarantine. They are out of school and all of the sports things like softball and tennis are at least on hold. Swimming pools aren't going to be able to open either except for privately owned backyard pools. Coffee shops are closed except for the ones that have a drive thru so they really have had all of the things that they normally do shut down.

 

[aliceneko]

I'm at risk so I haven't been shopping at all since quarantine started. Since we still live together, my mother is doing all the shopping.

 

[Willowy]

I went shopping today, for myself and my mom. I ordered Qdoba, and just walked in, they had it set on a table, grabbed it and walked out. Got curbside service at TSC (nice!).

Costco was out of TP and disinfectant, but they did have rice and most other things. I tried to get 2 bags of rice but they said I could only get 1 even if I was buying for 2 households (I guess anyone could say that), wish they had a sign somewhere :/. They have plexiglass lining the entire checkout, and the cart guy unloads the cart himself. They had the receipt machine at the end so you grab it yourself and they don't touch it. At the door, the receipt checker was also behind plexi, and I held the receipt up to the glass and he just looked, no touching or checking off with a pen like usual. About half the people (employees and customers) were wearing masks (including me!), a few people were wearing gloves. One guy had a can of Lysol and was spraying everything before he put it in his cart.

Sam's Club had a guy controlling the number of people allowed in. Fewer people were wearing masks. No TP. Some disinfectant, but mostly industrial types, not popular brands. I got another bag of rice there since Costco wouldn't let me, lol. I saw one employee pulling his mask down to talk to someone. Kinda defeats the purpose there!

Then I went to the "crazy" Walmart. Probably should have gone the extra distance to the "good" Walmart. But it was mostly ok. Milk was fully stocked. They were out of hand soap, which is the first time I've seen that. And TP of course. I did manage to score a spray bottle of Lysol disinfectant cleaner; with so much extra cleaning I'm running out. They have the entrances roped off so they can control how many come in. They don't have one-way aisles yet, although I've heard some Walmarts were doing that.

It's probably extra crazy today because we're having a blizzard tomorrow.

 

[margecat]

I go once a week, wearing a mask and gloves. I did go to the fabric store two days ago, and again today, as I had to return something. I was buying mask materials. I've been sewing them and giving them out (for free) to my neighbors who can't get them. I also made a bunch for 3 hospitals : a total of 173 made this week. I feed my ferals once a week, but they are in an isolated area, where I won't run into humans. (Others feed them daily, but I'm the only one who gives them meat. Since we had to move them due to someone complaining about them, I have to have DH come with me; it's hard to get down there, carrying a heavy backpack with my supplies. Before, I could feed them from the back of my SUV, so I never needed help. Sunday is the only day he and I can get together.)

 

[LTS3]

There are ideas on how to get fresh groceries delivered here:

The Best (and Most Ethical Way) to Actually Get a Grocery Delivery Right Now

Can't get an Instacart or AmazonFresh delivery time? Try this instead.

www.thekitchn.com

There's a list of grocery delivery services and subscriptions here:

This Is the Ultimate List of Where to Buy Food Online Right Now

Bookmarking now!

www.thekitchn.com

A local CSA or farm are also options:

It's a great time to support your local farm. Here's how.

“Farmers are the cornerstone of organized human civilization,” Chuck Currie, co-owner and manager of Freedom Food Farm, recently told Boston.com. “We’re the basis of the economy. We’re taking the land […]

www.boston.com

 

[susanm9006]

Tomorrow is my weekly shopping day. I will set the alarm to get to a local store that has senior shopping for the first hour. I need a lot of fresh produce and a few personal items, so I plan to be in and out in 15 minutes or less. I am fortunate that I am very well stocked on the high demand items. It isn’t COVID related, I just always have kept a big supply of soaps, spray disinfectant cleaners, and other cleaning products on hand.

 

[susanm9006]

Left for the grocery at 6:45 am, back home by 7:45. Shelves were well stocked, lean ground beef was on sale for $3.99 a pound, and I was able to pick up everything I needed without getting close to anyone. The mental aspect of shopping though, worrying about not getting too close, wiping things off, etc, is kind of exhausting though. Anyway, I am now fully stocked with fresh foods and it feels great.