Billbobboy42 Loc: Center of Delmarva

I returned from our local Food Lion store this a.m. So many shelves empty one would think the store was going out of business. We bought the last 5 boxes of facial tissue. Not hoarding; wife and I both have continual runny noses. No other paper products except paper plates. The meat area was near bare. Basic produce was available. Bread products very low. Milk available in the larger sizes. The primary item we wanted was eggs. None available. Store employee said eggs are expected tomorrow, but did not know when. What I did not expect was a run on cheese. Out of all varieties. No grilled cheese sandwich for me. Store had only a few customers. There very well could have been more employees than customers.
I did manage to spend a bit over $100.00 on "stuff " which I sanitized upon returning home. What a PITA that is, but feel it is necessary per current wisdom. Just about every item on store shelves have been touched by human hands, both employees and customers. How are you dealing with that issue?

Country Boy Loc: Beckley, WV

In our town we have about 9 stores that have posted hours for only seniors (65 or more years) and they all for one hour and they are first thing after opening. This has really made it easier for many.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Walmart here in High Point, NC, is adding the 6:00 AM to 7:00 AM senior shopping hour, too. It probably won't be long before all the stores here do it. Overnight sanitizing may help cut down on the transmission rate to vulnerable older adults.

My college student son works at Whole Foods. We just hope he doesn't bring home the virus. His twin dates a person who also works there... Our daughter starts working at Amazon on Sunday. She had been a server making a comfortable living in a couple of Charlotte restaurants until recently.

These are deemed essential services. Just looking at the list of essential services is frightening. There are so many of them, they'll probably spread the disease rapidly.

This crisis will really change the way people do business — forever. Remote services delivered via computer, tablet, and phone will become FAR more acceptable. Online shopping will be the preferred method. Malls and shopping centers and neighborhood farmers' markets are in economic peril.

BB4A

One of the good news items about Coronavirus generally (and current testing with COVID-19 [becoming known officially as SARS-CoV-2], is showing no variation) is that the virus has a definite viability time span on most surfaces. So, outside it’s unwitting, sneezy, coughing host (victim), it dies off after:
1. 24-36 hours on cardboard (and probably less on smoother, more uniform paper products?)
2. 72-84 hours on stainless steel and plastic surfaces
3. Much less (4-12 hours) on copper surfaces... but I’ve never found a supermarket with copper shelving or packaging...

So, you could use a Time Gapping approach to your shopping; rather than risk spreading the virus to other surfaces, leave your shopping in it’s original plastic packaging in a safe place (set up a refrigerator section, freezer section, or pantry section), after careful hand washing. Don’t touch it again for at least 3 days, and you should be OK to remove & dispose of original packaging at that time, carefully wash hands, and then prepare the food / use the product).

Note - this is offered as advice only; for those of us who want to be as safe as possible, wait at least 3 days before touching those purchases, and then follow the CDC Guidelines: Diluted household bleach solutions, alcohol solutions containing at least 70% alcohol and most EPA-registered common household disinfectants should be effective at disinfecting surfaces against the coronavirus, according to the CDC.

There have been several studies; here’s a link from one of the reputable scientific journals on this subject: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc2004973

BB4A

And here’s a less technical summary of the recent findings:

https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/new-coronavirus-stable-hours-surfaces

DBQ49er Loc: Dubuque, IA

My last grocery trip was March 17. I had my wife's list of products, but could not use it because they were gone from the shelves. I had to pick anything left. Yes cheese products were gone. Life will be harder for a long time. Please do not go out for Easter!! It will just keep the spread going. I went for my annual physical (set up last year and a day) and had my temp taken as I got to the door. Everyone inside had a face mask on. When I left, I set up a next years date. I hope that is attainable. My wife has medical issues and can NOT go outside the house. If I get the virus, she will not survive. It will be on me. PLEASE stay home and safe!!

ken_stern Loc: Yorba Linda, Ca

Our Governor has renamed our Grocery Stores:
"Official Virus Incubation Centers"

We really look forward to our weekly visits

Canonuser Loc: UK and South Africa

In our local Supermarket two days ago, the surfaces at every till were wiped down with disinfectant after every customer. There was hand sanitizer at each checkout point being used by the assistant after every customer.
Shelf stackers also carried and used sanitiser frequently. Trolleys we’re also being disinfected, with wipes available for handles. There were also assistants outside the stores dispensing sanitizer to customers hands as they entered. I therefore think that whilst the information about how long the virus can live may be pretty accurate, it was going to have quite a battle to reach this time scale in this store.

Ollieboy

I went to Walmart yesterday and to my surprise the store was fully stocked. At 9am the store was almost empty when it usually is packed. I guess all the hoarders are fully stocked for a week or two.

mas24 Loc: Southern CA

I traveled nearly 90 miles to different communities, hoping I could get 8 rolls of toilet paper. None was available. I did buy a few canned goods at each store visited. The next day I lucked out and got a 12pack of toilet paper at Walmart. They allowed only one package per customer. No eggs, cheese, or flour existed. There were milk and orange juice, and 4 bags of sugar, which I bought only one. Bread was scarce. There were meats available, but no chicken. This is an experience, that I hope, will not be the new normal, for several months. Or possibly more? The supermarket employee told me there is plenty of food. The truck drivers who bring in supplies, can't meet the immediate buying and demands. that are going on right now. And, each store's storage space, is limited.

sodapop Loc: Bel Air, MD

The shoprite store here in Belcamp MD now has most every thing . They are limiting paper products and the meat and sanitizing items are pretty picked over however

joehel2 Loc: Cherry Hill, NJ

I had a great shopping trip to Costco this week. I went on Monday morning when they opened, it was a morning with a steady rain. The parking lot was only half full and no line to get in the store. There was a handwritten sign in the main aisle; no ground beef, no chicken, and several more “no’s”. When I got back to the meat dept., the ground beef and chicken displays were fully stocked as were all of the other meat products. The dairy, bread, and produce areas were also stocked. The only restrictions that I saw was the single purchase limit to sugar and a few other staples. Interestingly, I didn’t see the “panic” buying that I’ve witnessed all over, few shoppers had more than a half full cart.

SonyBug

When you realize that many people eat out a third of the time, and that no longer exists, the grocery stores have to make up the slack. So it takes a little while to transfer the food chain from restaurant wholesalers to the grocery stores. But it will settle after a while.

02Nomad Loc: Catonsville, MD

We went to our local Giant food store last Friday during the 6 AM to 7 AM hour reserved for seniors. They are not restricting access to seniors.

fourlocks Loc: Londonderry, NH

Market Basket started 6:00 to 7:00 AM senior hours a week ago, here in New Hampshire. For the second week, I arrived at 6:15 to find the parking lot packed and lines of grey-haired shoppers already backed up at the checkout counters. I said to hell with it and went home.

At 2:30 I returned to Market Basket to find plenty of parking spots, few shoppers and shelves about 90% stocked including toilet paper, tissues and paper towels. Most people just walked by those items.

Anyway, I guess there are just too many of us Seniors still alive and at this point I can't figure out if Market Basket was using "senior hours" as a gimmick to get more people in the store or if they thought they were doing a good thing for us older folk.