Covid-19 Discussions and Stories

[aaronatthedoublef]

Our stores have flour first thing. I think to get the flour you have to be there when the stores open. I may trying going to Walmart or Costco or Target early one day this week. Here in CT our stores become more crowded so you're better off going earlier in the week. But that may also have changed now. I used to go to the grocery store almost daily. I haven't been in over a week now.

Also, local stores aren't raising prices and they've put some things on sale. Costco is following their normal sale cycle but they've also put some bottled water, pasta, and pasta sauces on sale, for example. I came home with a ton of pasta sauce because it was 75% of it's normal price. I would have done this regardless of the current state of affairs because I stock up when it's cheaper.

• This reply was modified 4 years, 9 months ago by aaronatthedoublef.

[Mike Nolan]

I probably have 50 egg cartons in the garage, I give them to the egg vendors at the farmer's market, but who knows if/when it will open this year, usually around the end of April, or if they'll want 'used' egg cartons this year. The meat/egg sales at the UNL meat lab have eggs from their test flocks that you have to use your own cartons for, but the last time I was there Aldi was 25 cents cheaper. I suspect the UNL meat sales are shut down along with nearly everything else at the University right now, though. My wife would normally be off this week for spring break, but I think she'll be helping profs get ready to finish the semester online, especially those profs who haven't had much experience with distance education.

I'm down to less than 2 dozen eggs, so we'll probably pick some up on our next grocery run, assuming they're available.

With restaurant sales way down, I wonder if Sysco has flour available? I'm not sure they normally support walk-in 'retail' customers and they might not allow non-employees in the building at all right now. I may give them a call, a 50 pound bag doesn't scare me. (Before he moved, I would have just asked my neighbor, he runs the Lincoln Sysco office.)

[RiversideLen]

Eggs are one of the things I haven't had difficulty getting.

[Mike Nolan]

I didn't look for eggs the last time I was at the store, I just hit the areas that had stuff on the list. Super Save was limiting bananas to 2 pounds per customer Friday, they were on sale for 29 cents/pound.

[Mike Nolan]

Some of the stores here are letting seniors and high-risk people in an hour before their normal open, but who wants to get up at 7AM to go to the grocery store?? I see where in some parts of the country people are ignoring the 'senior/high risk' limitations anyway.

[BakerAunt]

Our Farmers Market went to 1st, 3rd, and 5th (if there is one) Saturday beginning in the later fall and usually stays on that schedule until May. This past weekend was a market weekend, but they knew that they could not hold it inside the community room at the library. So, one of the two market managers put a lot of effort into creating a way for people to order online, and the other manager did some publicity. People could pull into the library parking lot, pay (exact change or check), and receive their items.

I didn't participate as this time of year, the produce is limited to greenhouse spinach, lettuce, kale, green onions, and microgreens (never have tried these). I didn't need any of the produce this week, and I don't have a bill smaller than $10.

Most of the crafters probably chose not to participate, although the jewelry designer did. In addition to the lady with the greenhouse, and the couple with microgreens, there is also a local beef and pork seller. and the microgreens guy also sells small artisan breads and chocolates. There is also a lady who sells muffins (well cupcake muffins) and quick breads.

Apparently the experiment was a success, although with a few hiccups, so they plan to do it again the first weekend inn April.

[BakerAunt]

I had an email from Bob's Red Mill. The message was that with high demand, they are temporarily out of many products but are working 24 hours, 7 days a week, to mill, package, and ship.

So, they, like KAF, are working on it.

[chocomouse]

Mike, I went to the senior special shopping hours the other day, except I screwed up and got there at 7:30 when the hours were 6-7:00. The parking lot was packed, and all the handicap spots were full. The aisles were crowded with shoppers and people restocking shelves - so the selection was fairly good, except no toilet paper, cleaning/sanitizing supplies, flour, dairy products (plenty of eggs). About half the shoppers at that hour were 20-somethings, and half 60-somethings. You are right, who wants to get up at 5:00, leave home at 5:30 because it's a 25 minute drive, just to shop at 6:00! Supposedly everything is freshly cleaned, and the shelves better stocked. I will do this again, it's worth getting up early (and, since we're not doing anything else, we can take a nap as soon as we get back home!)!

[Joan Simpson]

Several of our stores are opening with the senior shopping first hour and closing early to do extra cleaning.Publix and Walmart had an employee cleaning the cart handles and wiping them down.Our stores were out of bread and meats,thankfully we had what we needed at home.Flour and eggs have been plentiful.Sugar was out,dried beans and rice was mostly all gone,lunch meat all gone.This is definitely an experience.One small town close to us has curfew from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.all off the streets unless you have emergency or work in the medical field.

[aaronatthedoublef]

Where we are some stores are opening an hour early and some stores are asking that their normal first hour be reserved. I am not quite at senior status yet, except in the eyes of AARP who has been sending me membership info since just before my 50th.

I've been to the liquor store where we pre-ordered and I ran in and picked it up and to one of our friend's restaurants. The food was good but the store was sad. On a Saturday at five our town center is packed and all the restaurants are bustling and beginning to fill. I had my pick of parking and the restaurants were empty. My friend's store had two people cooking and him and another packing up.

At some point I need to pick up some dry cleaning. They have been offering me delivery for years but now I need to come in and pick it up. Probably too many delivery requests.

[Mike Nolan]

Over on the BBGA forum there's a report that SAF Gold (osmotolerant) yeast has become hard to find, I've confirmed that several online sites are reporting it as out of stock.

SAF has plants around the world, but I don't know how many of them make the osmotolerant product.

I think we'll just have to get used to shortages in baking supplies for a while.

[RiversideLen]

Makes me wonder, who many home bread bakers are there. Maybe a lot of people are brushing the dust off of their bread machines.

I usually buy a pound of SAF Gold once a year, in the late fall, from KAF. I still have several months supple in the container that I'm working from and an unopened pound in the basement freezer. A pound lasts me at least a year.

[aaronatthedoublef]

Or people are just grabbing stuff without really knowing what it is. I usually buy SAF red. I could probably use two kinds of yeast but I make due. Which is a better all-purpose yeast?

[RiversideLen]

I just received an email from KAF saying that the order I placed last week has shipped. Looks like I got it in just in time. It's not a big order, 9 pounds of flour, but it's enough to last me a while.

[aaronatthedoublef]

Yup. I just received a note from BRM/UPS that I should have my order on Wednesday.

KAF is still saying they are out of most flours but grocery stores here have small amounts. So maybe they are filling their backlog and big retailers before they start taking new mail order.

[Author]

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