Monday, April 20, 2020

Shopping, today.

I...yeah.  I'm going to have to go shopping today.  When I made last week's list, I hadn't realized how low I was on some things.  Bread, for example.  And cheese. 

For the past two or three years, I'd been doing the bulk of the grocery shopping: I'd drop the kids off, then go to Walmart, then Sam's Club.  Because Walmart never closed, that was easy.  And Walmart was the next best thing to empty, that early.  And I got to Sam's Club well within the Advantage Membership-only hours. 

Two things that have since disappeared.  Ironically, in an attempt to "clean, disinfect, and protect our customers," both stores have ended up cramming more people into fewer hours. 

I haven't gone shopping since the second week of March. 

Until today. 

I went to Sam's Club.  About an hour after it opened.  Last time we tried to go right when it opened, there was a massively long line stretching from the entrance, down the side of the store, and wrapping around the end of the side parking lot.  Thank you, no.

I got a lot done.  Got stocked up on quite a bit.  Still putting it away, slowly.  But I did get it done. 

Yes, I still resent the absolute fuck out of Sam's Club cutting the hours, and opening to the general membership at 9:00 instead of 10:00.  I resent the fuck out of Walmart cutting hours and cramming everybody into fewer hours--given a choice, I'd go really fucking early, and miss everyone who's either working or sleeping in, and have a NOT CROWDED STORE to visit. 

It took everything I had to not mock the morons wearing masks that do jack and shit to protect them.  There was one elderly couple that were wearing cone coffee filters as masks: they'd opened the cones up and used a paper punch to thread a shoestring through the corners.  Wore 'em like beaks.  Yeah, that is going to protect them from...maybe allergens?  I don't know.  But it won't protect them from anything else.  Nor will the jack-wagons using a folded, no-sew, bandana-and-rubber-band mask be protected from anything.  Except maybe fathering children.  Yeah, it's effective to see where the idiots are to be avoided. 

There were several using painting masks (not the N95).  Such worked just fine protecting my mom during flu seasons while she could still wear them and get enough air.  Not going to say anything against such.  There were several using medical masks.  And a few using the actual protective gear advocated by the "experts" as something we should leave/donate to the front-line workers (which, arguably, are the people stocking stores, serving customers, and bringing carts back to the front from the cart corrals; and I recognized a lady I'd spoken with the last time I'd shopped, who said she cleaned houses for the elderly for a local company, and I'd also argue that she is a front-line worker). 

But the vast majority were nothing more or less than morons dancing in security kabuki theater displays, trying to signal their virtue.  Most of which would have been at work if the stupid fucking governor would back the fuck off on the utterly stupid and useless "stay-at-home" order, and the "all non-essential businesses (as defined by closet communists) must close" order. 

6 comments:

  1. Yep, kabuki is right... At least Texas is reopening soon!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Missouri is starting to ignore the ignoratti infecting the state capitol.

      Delete
  2. Some of the homemade masks are elaborate, and decorative. I want to tell those that wear them scientists found dyed fabric is 400 times more likely to attract Covid 19, but they look so distressed, I'd hate to bust their bubbles with science buffoonery.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I DO see a point in people wearing masks in general: they found that it cuts the transmission from asymptomatic carriers that don't know they're carriers by a good bit, even if homemade masks don't keep people from contracting it.

      Just like covering a cough or sneeze in your shirt sleeve (or behind your collar) does.

      Delete
  3. I was triggered by the word bread. My family was not rich and there is a great internet meme that
    depcted about 6 slices of white bread with the words French toast, hotdog bun, hamberger bun, etc.
    Back in those days a pasta dish involved spaghetti noodles or elbow macaroni. Be patient, the local
    grocery store was back to 100 percent with the exception of toilet paper, paper towels and home
    cleaning supplies.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dude, I'm not really complaining about shortages--the products are out there, but the supply chain is FUBAR. Mostly because people are doing ALL THE THINGS at home, and about 1/3 or more of the products are packaged for restaurants and businesses, not home use. That's...either going to change, or things will go back to closer to normal.

      I'm more irritated by having to crowd in with others in a reduced-hours setting, instead of being allowed to shop during my preferred, much earlier, non-crowded hours.

      Delete

Sorry, folks. A hundred plus spam comments in an hour equals moderation on older posts, so until further notice...you're gonna have to wait for your comments to be approved before they show up.