If you flip around the blogosphere enough you start seeing those clickbait ‘Things That First Disappear From The Shelves During A Crisis” sorts of lists. Apparently my local CostCo is proving to be a source of a bit of empirical data:
Most of that stuff on the first sheet makes a lot of sense, the rest…well…reasons.
Interestingly, we’ve seen that, as far as a pandemic goes, the masses went straight to the TP and rice aisle and cleaned ’em out. The more savvy folks hit canned goods and then went to the appliance store and bought freezers.
There’s that saying that the military is always planning on fighting the previous war. (Which is why a lot of guys fought Gulf War I in woodland camo.) It’s easy to fall into the trap of preparing against the previous disaster…meaning that you you’re so wrapped up in what did happen that you neglect to prepare for what could happen. Take note of what sailed off the shelves this time, but don’t make the mistake of assuming it’ll be the same way in the next one.
As an aside, when I go to CostCo I also usually hit WallyWorld. The selection is broader at WalMart and the crowd is not restricted to members like CostCo is, so WalMart is probably a better representation of what the hordes will be after. While WalMart has had some of its shelves swept clean, they get them restocked mighty quick. Their logisitics footprint is probably bigger than Costco’s and their network of supply and transport is probably also commensurately larger. Point being, sometimes wading through the human genetic frappe that is their customer base may pay off when you can’t find something elsewhere.
*Sort of on topic* I’ve been building a new cold-weather chicken coop (unrelated to Kung Flu), so I needed plexiglass sheets so the ‘ladies’ could stay dry, yet still benefit from natural daylight.
Turns out all the plexiglass has been bought up to make all the make-shift sneeze-barriers in the local businesses. Good thing spring is on the way, I guess.
Supposedly there is a national shortage of frozen pizza based upon the demand by people who are homebound and need something to gnaw on whilst binge-watching Netflix.
https://www.foxnews.com/food-drink/frozen-pizza-shortage-coronavirus
Local grocery chain just introduced a store brand frozen pie(pizza) to deal with shortage. Tried one for dinner and compares favorably to other brands at price point.
Signed up for Costco for cheap gas(as much as $1/gal),the real deal are the hotdogs and a pop $1.50. Always a line so haven’t bought anything else.
Just got back from a meat run to Costco. Got hamburger, steak and the Italian Sausage I love so much but no chicken. Zero chicken either fresh or frozen at Costco!? Holy shit.
I literally buy that Italian sausage by the case. Its pretty darn good.Pro tip: remove sausage casing and roll sausage flat, fry on both sides like a burger patty, top with sauteed onions and peppers with some melted cheese on a crusuty roll.
I am going to try that, sounds good!
I do the exact same thing. Be advised that if you choose to freeze them and then do this, you should remove the casings BEFORE freezing. Doesn’t work out sell if you freeze with casings on and then try to remove them.
I find that running them under hot water for about thirty seconds thaws enough to allow the casings to be removed without much difficulty.
My better half does the same thing with bratwurst. Peels them, patties them up and fries them, makes a great sandwich with the right bun.
it almost seems like the sheeple that awoke this time got their info all from the same exact place. the items that were wiped out and those that were oddly left behind seemed to be the exact same no matter what store we went to. more than one clerk commented that women w/ babies in tow got all the same stuff but nothing for the babies. no formula, diapers, baby food. wiped out the bacon, left the sausage.
One of my brothers worked in the hog industry for decades. He said that if farmers could raise pigs that were entirely made of bacon, they would do it. Bacon is the most expensive part of the hog.
I had been wanting a small chest freezer for a long time but kept getting resistance from the Wifely Unit. (She who only shops for one weeks worth of groceries at a time)
I finally decided a month ago that I was getting one whether she liked it or not.
Except everyone and their brother seemed to have had the same idea, at the same time. I couldn’t find one at a big box store within a fifty mile radius.
As I was on the phone with a manager at a local Home Depot while stopping to get gas and him telling me they just sold an entire truckload the day before, right on the loading dock, I looked across the street and saw a local Bi Mart store. Unique to the PNW I believe and mostly frequented by the geriatric crowd. I remembered seeing one there in times past so I went in .( five dollar lifetime membership fee required)
Lo and behold not only did they have one on display but had 3 in stock.
After the Wifely Unit got a reality check the next time she went shopping at Wally World, she went all out.Finally, after years of me bitching at her about it. Even though she still insists we didn’t need it, I notice that it mysteriously gets refilled every week now.
Great time to but chest freezers is Labor Day weekend. Lowe’s and Home Depot usually sell all their ‘scratch & dent’ leftovers then at significant discount.
Organic broccoli is out? Who the hell panic buys organic broccoli??? Oh wait… I can only imagine… Something you might want to consider is stocking up on windshield wipers, oil and air filters, freon refills etc for your vehicles. Guess where it’s all made?
These folks are a little pricey but excellent products. I like the Goetta and Seasoned Pork.
https://www.werlingandsons.com/
Regards
Had a 5.4 CF chest freezer for a few years, decided it was time to increase capacity. Looked at ~15-18 CF uprights (the ratio for capacity / square footage was attractive) and couldn’t find ANY that didn’t have apocalytic reviews – infinite failure events in infinite failure modes. A bit more research turned up Haier (Chinese) bought GE’s appliance line in 2016; Electrolux now owns Frigidaire (and guess where their cheaper stuff is made….), Whirlpool owns Amana, Kitchenaid, etc., etc.
Found a local dealer selling 5 CF chest Frigidaires for $149 ($100 off) AND a 10% newspaper coupon couple weeks before Christmas. So I now have my 15+ CF of freezer space, but it’s spread over 3 freezers. “Two is one one is none, and if it’s really important why don’t you have three.” All 3 are running on APC 1500 VA UPSes to protect against line surges and give me 20 minutes to fire up the generator.
Maybe the 2 Frigidaires could go into the living room to use as end tables if I can get someone to agree to it….
“There’s that saying that the military is always planning on fighting the previous war.”
One factor that explains that situation is that the lieutenants and captains in the last war are often the colonels and generals in the next one.
Another saying that affects that situation is “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” This saying is based on the premise that certain tactics and procedures worked in the last war, so they will probably work next time–until they don’t.
In a similar vein, no one found themselves in mortal danger as a result of their lack of preparedness after this great societal disruption began. (Sure, many would argue that lack of N95 masks exposed much of the general population to sickness, but determining the effects of one person’s individual exposure is difficult.)
Most people ignored the need to engage in personal efforts to prepare for the pandemic for weeks after news reports of panic buying. During this period, shelves were re-stocked daily, even if shortfalls in the supply chain were noticeable.
When these people finally jumped in themselves and tried to buy certain things, they were often miffed that certain items were no longer available (Oh, the selfishness of others who didn’t bother to save things for them!), but nobody died because of a shortage of toilet paper, paper towels, or Lysol (and if they did die because of a Lysol shortage, it would be nearly impossible to prove direct causation).
Because only a few items went missing from their daily diet because of supply chain issues, people simply ate something else in the pantry or the freezer. While many low income people found themselves flocking to food banks due to loss of employment, not supply chain issues, no one is starving currently. If this were happening, we would be seeing bread riots. (Stay tuned, however.)
If we assume that the pandemic will wind down in the next few weeks, and if we assume that there will be no new, huge development that takes the supply chain deficiency to an altogether different level in the meantime, the problem we have is that the majority of Americans will not have learned the lesson concerning preparedness. They will think, “Well, I got by last time. I’ll get by next time, too.” That is the way a very large part of the population thinks because it takes more mental and physical effort to think and do otherwise.
But what if “next time” involves an EMP attack, a cyberattack on the national grid, or a CME? Store shelves may well be emptied in two days with little-to-no restocking, and then the real “fun” will begin, because it will be a “come as you are” disaster.
In that situation, the failure of the majority to learn the right lessons from the past will be deadly, and it will likely be a “Katy bar the door” situation for all of us.
You may be underestimating the disruptions to the supply chains. Stories of culling of birds can be repaired in a few months but what is happening in pork and beef could disrupt supplies for years and a out of business rancher permantly stops production. A cynical person might see this as a planned event to control large amounts of the food supply(someone said “control the food and you control the people”). Don’t forget we had a disaster of a corn crop last year.
Commander Zero, on an unrelated subject, about 8 weeks ago you had a link to Zombie Tools and I viewed their site. I ordered a sword and knife on a whim. I’m a sucker for good steel. Their products are excellent. I am very impressed and will order some more steel from them. Thanks for the heads up. They have really good products. at very reasonable prices. Thanks again TTFN
Shortage update from larger Midwest city suburban shopping run this week. Sams Club was fully stocked, random things on floor level pallets were close to empty but overflow racking above was full of replacements. I didn’t see any restocking while I was there (possibly they’re leaving that until after hours?).
Next stop was local Pick n Save (now owned by Kroger, ggrrrrrr….but that’s another story). Food, paper products, TP, water, milk etc all available, including chicken, bacon, canned hams and fresh fruit, veggies and seafood. Only one item on my list that was sold out was brussel sprouts…seriously, this is quite the “first world” pandemic SHTF when I can buy fresh Atlantic salmon but have to substitute organic peppers and asparagus for brussel sprouts. Supply chain, for now, seems to be working well here.
Don’t for a minute believe it can’t and won’t turn on a dime though.
Speaking of Costco, they put out a notice today, starting May 5th you must have a face mask on to enter the store.
FWIW, already been having to wear masks at all stores here in commie nj, went to costco today, no fresh chicken at all for the last 3 weeks or so, beef used to be stocked ok but very slim pickins today. today was the first day I saw signs at costco by the meat section: inventory low due to “supplier changes” , no tp or paper towels, noticed some fridge sections stocked with unfamiliar items where cold cuts usually are.
And as for ammo…last time it was .22 shortages, and this time 9mm and .223. You are right, it’s never what you think it’s gonna be when it comes to panic buying.
Went shopping today at WM and my little IGA at the country seat. Both were well stocked with most items – still short of disinfectants, bleach, and cleaners but full up on TP and paper towels. Nitrile gloves were in stock but no latex or vinyl. Meat counters were full up but you can really see the prices going up in beef and pork but still some OK prices – $16.00!!! for a rack of Hormel St Louis cut ribs for example, but only $ 29.00 for a vac pack of 3 full slabs – which I buy anyway since I gotta have my tips when I smoke ribs. Chicken is still reasonable.
Went back to sporting goods at WM to look at the ammo section which is in sad shape since the sell-outs no longer sell small caliber cartridges. Hiding in a corner of the case were 5 boxes of 10 PDX Defender 12 G shells – 1 oz slug and 3 OO pellets combined – pretty nasty stuff – 8 bucks a box on clearance. Guess that stuff is “too threatening” even in shotgun. Bought em all and added em to the cache.
Lots of folks without masks just strolling around – they never really took off here except for the employees. Eggs are back down again to regular prices and well stocked $1.69 vs $3.89 2 weeks ago a dozen. Milk well stocked but butter seems short. Fresh veggies seem well stocked as well. Lots of canned meat ( except chili and Spam) but canned veg was a little short at WM as well as canned fruit.
Overall there seems to be a rebound in stock at my area’s stores but I stick by my opinion fresh meat is going to get short and expensive in a lot of areas this summer. Take out places are packed and have been (just how much take out can ya stand??? Really… Yuck). Life is still good at the Fortress, had some great weather in the last couple of days so we went all out and burned a grill load of steaks, chicken, pork steaks, chops, and quail last night. Nothing quite so satisfying as sinking those dentition into BBQ d protein…
That’s it. Still waiting for Godot…
Regards
On Monday, May 4 COSTCO will be opening up from 9am to 10 am for us old fogies (over 60) and/or folks with disabilities.