Preppers aren't looking quite so crazy right now, are they?
A family member works at PlastiCrap World (this may be a pseudonym) and told me their shelves have been stripped bare of treaty paper ("toilet paper") and the customers are freaking out.
They are getting call after call begging to know when the next truck is coming to restock. They get many trucks each day, and don't know which-- if any-- will have the precious rolls. People are waiting at the doors from the stockroom, hoping to be the first to grab the new shipment as soon as it hits the floor. They are starting to buy paper towels and napkins as an alternative.
Also, a friend told me Amazon was out of all TP except one brand-- one she doesn't like.
How long until violence erupts?
Meanwhile, I'm feeling good (well, other than being sick) with my stash of the stuff.
Bottled water is also sold out, as are Clorox spray and wipes (and I would suppose other disinfectants), and hand sanitizer, but people aren't panicking over that. Yet.
I wonder what other things people are panic-buying.
How is the situation in your area? What is in short supply? And were you ready?
Every time I saw some list of things you should have on hand to ride out the pandemic, I already had it all. I'm sure I don't have everything I could possibly need in every circumstance, but it's amazing how often my SHTF supplies have gotten me through normal situations without needing to stock up on anything at the last minute. That's the plan and so far it has worked great.
Another couple of bits of interesting data: That store usually gets 2000 online orders (to be picked up outside) per day. Yesterday, they had already received 9000 online orders by around 9AM. People were ordering online to avoid coming into the store.
All employees have been given hand sanitizer and gloves to wear.
And this isn't a particularly populous area. I can't even imagine what urban areas are going through-- or will be going through soon. And still, it looks to me as though the panic is a much bigger problem than the virus. Interesting times, indeed. I'll just sit here and stew in my own viral broth and watch the world burn.
I'll also remind you that there are alternatives to "treaty paper" for cleaning your hind side. As long as there's running water, especially. There's really no need to panic.
For a little context, this is the toilet paper aisle at the local branch of PlastiCrap World as of Thursday afternoon, March 12, 2020:
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I visited my local "PlastiCrap World" in a very urban area on Wednesday. They were out of TP, sanitizers, and a bunch of cold medications. That was it though. Everything else seemed normal.
ReplyDeleteI generally buy nonperishables in bulk (cheaper that way) so I'm usually well stocked there. I'll admit that I haven't paid as much attention to my supplies as I probably should, but I still have enough to last probably a month or so. I guess this is a good reminder for me to keep necessities in stock :-)
It's a dress rehearsal.
Delete"How is the situation in your area? What is in short supply? And were you ready?"
ReplyDeleteNo one is ever ready ENOUGH. It's a moving target.
I don't go out a lot most of the time, and am especially isolated right now because my wife is traveling, so I can't comment on lines, empty shelves, etc.
However, I've put in two orders via InstaCart in the last few days. They were both filled within a couple of hours, and the only thing that didn't arrive was a pack of a particular flavor of Gatorade they happened to be out of (there were a couple of minor substitutions as well, e.g. a different variety of coffee than I ordered).
My orders were a mix of "want this week" and "add to stockpile," and included everything from fresh meat to various canned goods to, yep, toilet paper.
I expect that if I'd wanted hand sanitizer or disinfectant wipes, I'd be out of luck. Those seem to be the first order panic purchases this time around.
That's what the situation looks from a few miles outside Gainesville, Florida. My daughter tells me that stores are a little busier than usual, but general traffic is lighter (unsurprising -- Gainesville is a major university with a town around it, and the university is shut down).
Thanks for the report.
DeleteA friend of mine tried to order TP from Amazon a couple of days ago and they were out of everything except the one brand she "hates"-- so she skipped it. I take that to mean she didn't really need TP, she was just wanting to buy some since it's The Big Thing.