Luminous Landscape Forum
The Art of Photography => The Coffee Corner => Topic started by: John Camp on April 22, 2020, 04:12:31 pm
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I'm in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Went to the supermarket today -- the supermarket is part of the Albertsons chain -- and found no toilet paper or paper towels. No hand sanitizer, no medical alcohol, plenty of soap. Supplies of Coca-Cola were running low, as was milk (no 1% at all) and limited pasta (limited availability, and limited purchase -- no more than two packages per customer.) Lots of produce. Plenty of orange juice. Didn't look much at meat, because I'm a veggie, but from a quick glance, it didn't seem like there was a particular shortage. Plenty of "treats" -- candy, cookies. No JIF peanut butter, except "fat free," which is also largely taste-free. I know, because when they ran out of regular peanut butter a week ago, I bought jar of fat-free, and still have some of it, and probably will have, until I take it out with the garbage. Overall, the market looked somewhat tattered, and there seemed to be fewer choices in general, compared to two weeks ago, the last time I went. Fair safety measures -- all employees and customers wearing masks, most customers also with gloves, plastic panes between check-out lady and the customer, but the check-out lady wasn't wearing gloves. (And I guess there'd be little point, when I think about it.) One-way aisles, which is good, but a fair number of people ignoring them.
My feeling is that the best time to go is mid-afternoon, around two o'clock. Early in the day, I'm told, there's a rush of people who hope to find toilet paper and paper towels. Lat in the day is after work, and a fair number of people still work. Office Depot is open for business in a state that is largely shutdown.
what's the situation where you are?
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The new laissez-faire economics originating from Las Vegas:
“Assume everybody is a carrier," the mayor said Tuesday on MSNBC. "And then you start from an even slate. And tell the people what to do. And let the businesses open and competition will destroy that business if, in fact, they become evident that they have disease, they’re closed down. It’s that simple.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/04/22/las-vegas-coronavirus-reopen/
It is unclear from the article whether the mayor owns a funeral home or is just working on commission.
Meanwhile, in my hometown, I have no idea what is going on. I haven't been outside the house for five weeks except to walk my dog. I gather from home deliveries from my local grocery store and from Amazon Fresh that there are shortages. I have yet to get everything I ordered.
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London supermarkets are mostly restocked. The only gap is in the Home Baking aisle - no flour, no yeast :(
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My feeling is that the best time to go is mid-afternoon, around two o'clock. Early in the day, I'm told, there's a rush of people who hope to find toilet paper and paper towels. Lat in the day is after work, and a fair number of people still work.
Early in the afternoon also seems to be the optimal time to shop in the Maryland city where I live, which has a population similar in size to Santa Fe if you count the close-in neighborhoods whose residents shop here that are technically beyond the city government's rather narrow jurisdiction. (In Maryland, the county is the primary local governmental unit.)
Our two local supermarkets, both rather smaller than your Albertsons (I'm familiar with two of their stores in Santa Fe: one in the shopping mall off Cerrillos and the other closer to downtown on St. Francis), and they both had similar stock situations to what you describe when I visited them last week: plenty of fresh produce, an adequate supply of meat and fish, a limited selection of bread and other baked goods, an even more limited selection of non-perishable packaged foods, all the usual junk food in the usual abundance, and shelves for paper products which reportedly empty almost immediately after the stores open each morning; I'm not an early riser, so I wouldn't know.
This area has a large ethnic Chinese population and we also have several Asian supermarkets which siphon off what would otherwise be a lot of business from the two "traditional" (can't think of a better word) outlets. I'm not surprised that toilet paper is still difficult to find because of hoarding and the unusual number of people who are staying home all day rather than spending most of their waking hours at work or school, but I figure there must be more to it than that because how much pasta and frozen vegetables can people consume? Presumably there are still disruptions in the stores' supply chains. It isn't apparent—to me, at least—why.
I'd be interested to hear what forum participants in other countries are experiencing when they shop for household necessities.
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I have not seen toilet paper on the shelves since the end of February. If worse comes to worse, my sister in law bought a case of 60 rolls, but I'm okay for now.
No hand sanitizer either, but bar soap actually works much better at killing/removing germs fyi. You can look it up; I did and was surprise at how much better it is.
They are still rationing milk, which is putting a damper on my cheese making, but for the last two weeks the shelves have been fully stocked. So I am not feeling bad buying multiple gallons from different stores in the same day.
Chicken is hit or miss, but all other meats are in stock.
They started selling soft pretzels again, thank God (Philadelphians eat 12 times the amount of soft pretzels as the average American) but are sold individually wrapped.
Delis are still closed, so no sliced meats. With that said, I am thinking about taking up charcuterie, which does not look that much more complicated then cheese making.
Unlike Michigan, I can buy seeds and plants during planting season, so that is good.
No hair cuts yet, but my wife and I are on a 4 month schedule for those, and I got a hair cut in February. So I am not looking too shagey. I've been wanting to grow my hair out again; 38 and no receding hair line or bald spot forming, so maybe ...
Everything else is getting back to normal. Overall, Governor Wolf did not become a petty tyrant like others, which is keeping me somewhat confident in his governance, albeit not totally agreeing with it.
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Yes agree with Eliot, stocking in UK much better than it was. It is only a few people in at a time, or even one out, one in. If produce department gets several people, then none are let in till it clears. A couple of weeks ago you could queue for an hour 2 metres apart, but now better. Cash payment is not liked, and some supermarkets have an app that uses the camera on your phone as a scanner and then the phone is pointed at a QR code on the till to cut down contacts - it works well and cuts down on cashiers. Can get toilet paper, but most items are limited to a max of 3. Failure to observe causes a problem at checkout.
Everyone is much more relaxed, it is working well and people are smiling and dancing round others to keep apart.
Best wishes,
Jonathan
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I’m in South Louisiana in a little area called Prairieville which is a little south of Baton Rouge. In general, I try to avoid Walmart but do use Sam’s Club for various supplies and pharmacy. I normally use a local grocery, Rouse’s. My pantry and freezer are nearly full so I don’t go to the stores very often.
Today at Sam’s Club, I noticed that they were monitoring the number of people in the store; however, there was no waiting line. I had no trouble getting paper goods – even toilet paper. No hand sanitizer, no rubber gloves, no masks. Sam’s Club seemed to be fully stocked with groceries but I didn’t get any. Many people were wearing gloves and masks but not all.
When the schools closed, Rouse’s shelves began to empty. Of course, they had no toilet paper or paper towels. They always seemed to have plenty of meat, chicken, shrimp and fish. One oddity (to me) was that they were completely out of cream of mushroom soup! My wife pointed out that this was a key ingredient in many casseroles and that with the full family quarantined at home, there would be many casseroles prepared. All of the “kid food” and junk food disappeared from the shelves as well as the quickly prepared meals. Lots of cooking going on around here.
Yesterday I noticed that Rouse’s was nearly restocked. They even had toilet paper! Strangely, they have very little milk but they now have a good supply of cream of mushroom soup! They still have a good supply of ham and chicken but that may be about to change. Many people were wearing gloves and masks but not all. Rouse’s has restricted their hours of being open but only a little.
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No real issues here in Austin, TX. Our regional supermarket, HEB, has been recognized (https://www.texasmonthly.com/food/heb-prepared-coronavirus-pandemic/) for being way ahead of the curve since the outset. The worst we had, even when the hoarding was bad about 3 weeks ago, was a limited selection of toilet paper, an intermittent lack of some organic produce, and per-shopper limits on family-friendly things like peanut butter and frozen pizzas. People have been equally accommodating, lining up outside and spacing appropriately even before HEB put in guidelines on the floor.
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In Ottawa (Canada) grocery stores seem to be well-stocked now. Toilet paper is back, a weird thing really since there was never an actual shortage. Sometimes there will be flour, sometimes not, yeast is more iffy. I guess the supply chains haven't complete adapted yet to the fact that more people are cooking at home. They've installed uni-directional lanes so it's IKEA everywhere now. There are plexiglass screens in front of cashiers and they've stopped taking cash. I go during early morning senior hour, nobody there. One big change is that people buy more now, presumably a week's worth or so. They all seem to have all the meat, fish and fresh produce we want.
I've ordered from Ikea for home delivery. I ordered lumber online and I have to go pick it up, but they bring it out to my car. Same with vet supplies.
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Des Moines, Iowa, here. No extraodinary hardships, but I'm sometimes baffled at what's out-of-stock. No tomato soup, no vegetable oil, no toothpicks, not much toothpaste. Plenty of milk, juice, and meat. I'm addicted to Diet Cherry Dr. Pepper. Last week the soda pop aisle looked fully stocked except for one big hole where the Diet Cherry Dr. Pepper was supposed to be.
One way traffic inside the store started last week. Huge bright red arrows at the ends of each aisle. But I corrected 3 people going the wrong way before I gave up because there were so many. I'd guess only about 20% of the people were wearing masks. No demonstrations or protests here yet. Our numbers are way above average, driven by the number of retirement homes and care facilities and a few large meat processing plants with hundreds of infections.
I'm eligible for the early morning senior hour but haven't tried it yet. I hear it's great. Less people and better stock because they only restock overnight.
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Des Moines, Iowa, here. No extraodinary hardships, but I'm sometimes baffled at what's out-of-stock. No tomato soup, no vegetable oil, no toothpicks, not much toothpaste. Plenty of milk, juice, and meat. I'm addicted to Diet Cherry Dr. Pepper. Last week the soda pop aisle looked fully stocked except for one big hole where the Diet Cherry Dr. Pepper was supposed to be.
One way traffic inside the store started last week. Huge bright red arrows at the ends of each aisle. But I corrected 3 people going the wrong way before I gave up because there were so many. I'd guess only about 20% of the people were wearing masks. No demonstrations or protests here yet. Our numbers are way above average, driven by the number of retirement homes and care facilities and a few large meat processing plants with hundreds of infections.
I'm eligible for the early morning senior hour but haven't tried it yet. I hear it's great. Less people and better stock because they only restock overnight.
One way routes are really not effective. Maybe they would be if everybody needed the same items, so they would follow the same route, but if you need only a few items and know where they are, you can take shortcuts and expose yourself to fewer people. There is a very good chance that the others need different items and they will be in a different store section anyway. Bad design!
The extra early morning opening hour is a good idea. There are hardly any people in my store at that hour, so there is no risk of coming into a close contact with anybody. Just one cash register was open, but that didn't create any problems.
This week, my store created a one-line queuing arrangement, but with 10 people in the whole store, it is actually a stupid idea, especially in that store the entrance to the queue was at one end of the store and the only open cash register was at the other side. Good intention, but poor implementation.
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Here in Chapel Hill NC we are most fortunate that the excellent farmers market is still open. They are taking extraordinary precautions, and the vendors that are still coming have pretty much everything they usually do.
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Did my weekly shopping this morning here in south central BC. Overall, shelves were full, got everything I needed except French opinion soup mix I use in burgers. Plenty meat and dairy products. Lots of baked goods. Lots of frozen vegetables. Usual supply of fruits and veggies.
Biggest thing on short supply were disinfectant wipes and sanitizers.
I did notice more than usual packs of meat in people's carts...thinking all those meat processing plant closures got people a bit scared. Me, I can easily survive without meat if I had to...so no biggy.
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Did my weekly shopping this morning here in south central BC. Overall, shelves were full, got everything I needed except French opinion soup mix I use in burgers. Plenty meat and dairy products. Lots of baked goods. Lots of frozen vegetables. Usual supply of fruits and veggies.
What's your onion about the French opinion soup?
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Kalamazoo, Michigan.
The Meijer chain of stores has dedicated hours for first responders (2 days/week, 7am till 8am) so I try to make it there during those times. Most things that I care about are in stock. Early on some of the meats were gone but I see more now.
Yeast is gone, I didn't need any but a friend looked everywhere. Flour is short. Sanitizer and wipes are nowhere to be seen. Luckily I was able to buy a gallon on the internet (overpriced of course) and my wife got another one of the more liquid one (with glycerin instead of aloe gel) so I feel much more relaxed about this. They have enough produce, sometimes toilet paper too.
Costco is quite organized, there is a line and a limit on how many people they let in the store at the same time. The meats are much smaller quantities, mostly organic ;), which is usually good as the usual meat portions were too big for me. Otherwise they have most stuff including plenty of toilet paper. I even bough extra and gave to some friends in need. No wipes though. Plenty of produce. Alcohol is also plenty.
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Winston-Salem, North Carolina, a city of about 200,000. We have been lucky enough to not have a huge COVID-19 impact here so far -- we shut down schools and universities in mid March, and the state went to a stay-at-home order before the end of March. Our local hospitals have been dealing with cases but not overwhelmed so far.
Our regional large chain grocer has consistently been out of toilet paper, sanitizer, rice, beans, bread, etc. (To be fair, I have not been back there in over a week.)
Our local Trader Joe store has been fully stocked, including meat, TP, eggs, coffee, etc., both last week and this morning. Only a handful of shoppers late morning on a weekday.
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I'm in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Went to the supermarket today -- the supermarket is part of the Albertsons chain -- and found no toilet paper or paper towels. No hand sanitizer, no medical alcohol, plenty of soap. Supplies of Coca-Cola were running low, as was milk (no 1% at all) and limited pasta (limited availability, and limited purchase -- no more than two packages per customer.) Lots of produce. Plenty of orange juice. Didn't look much at meat, because I'm a veggie, but from a quick glance, it didn't seem like there was a particular shortage. Plenty of "treats" -- candy, cookies. No JIF peanut butter, except "fat free," which is also largely taste-free. I know, because when they ran out of regular peanut butter a week ago, I bought jar of fat-free, and still have some of it, and probably will have, until I take it out with the garbage. Overall, the market looked somewhat tattered, and there seemed to be fewer choices in general, compared to two weeks ago, the last time I went. Fair safety measures -- all employees and customers wearing masks, most customers also with gloves, plastic panes between check-out lady and the customer, but the check-out lady wasn't wearing gloves. (And I guess there'd be little point, when I think about it.) One-way aisles, which is good, but a fair number of people ignoring them.
My feeling is that the best time to go is mid-afternoon, around two o'clock. Early in the day, I'm told, there's a rush of people who hope to find toilet paper and paper towels. Lat in the day is after work, and a fair number of people still work. Office Depot is open for business in a state that is largely shutdown.
what's the situation where you are?
Being a diabetic with weight issues, I tried low-fat Jif once like you and figured I rather put up with the diabetes and weight. I could have sent you my jar.
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The new laissez-faire economics originating from Las Vegas:
“Assume everybody is a carrier," the mayor said Tuesday on MSNBC. "And then you start from an even slate. And tell the people what to do. And let the businesses open and competition will destroy that business if, in fact, they become evident that they have disease, they’re closed down. It’s that simple.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/04/22/las-vegas-coronavirus-reopen/
It is unclear from the article whether the mayor owns a funeral home or is just working on commission.
Meanwhile, in my hometown, I have no idea what is going on. I haven't been outside the house for five weeks except to walk my dog. I gather from home deliveries from my local grocery store and from Amazon Fresh that there are shortages. I have yet to get everything I ordered.
Give the Las Vegas mayor a break. When you move to the Nevada desert, nearby Death Valley and the Mojave Desert, where gambling is the main occupation, well, you look at things including life a little differently. Take your chances.
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I haven't gone to any of the big chain supermarkets in 6 weeks in central NJ. we've been ordering on the phone from a local Italian grocery where you have curbside pickup where the stock boy drops the food bags in your trunk. Paid by credit card on the phone. I want to stay out of crowds. They don't have soda or Snapple which I order from Staples who delivers for free. Chocolate syrup they also don't have and other various stuff. They have good steaks, fresh flounder and other fish,vegetables, fruit, milk, pasta sauce, and other stuff. But you have to be flexible in what you wind up with as they substitute a lot. Beside Staples, I've ordered from other on-line stores and outlets as the case may be.
Pricing on line is crazy high. I can't tell from the grocery store because my wife use to do most of the shopping before. How have you found prices? Which items are higher than they use to be?
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I haven't gone to any of the big chain supermarkets in 6 weeks in central NJ. we've been ordering on the phone from a local Italian grocery where you have curbside pickup where the stock boy drops the food bags in your trunk. Paid by credit card on the phone. I want to stay out of crowds. They don't have soda or Snapple which I order from Staples who delivers for free. Chocolate syrup they also don't have and other various stuff. They have good steaks, fresh flounder and other fish,vegetables, fruit, milk, pasta sauce, and other stuff. But you have to be flexible in what you wind up with as they substitute a lot. Beside Staples, I've ordered from other on-line stores and outlets as the case may be.
Pricing on line is crazy high. I can't tell from the grocery store because my wife use to do most of the shopping before. How have you found prices? Which items are higher than they use to be?
I prefer to shop in person. I go once or twice per week to my local supermarket early morning when there are hardly any people in the store. I buy mainly bread, vegetables and fruit, and like to select myself the particular items and take advantage of fresh offerings or daily specials. If I were buying soda, chocolate syrup, or other packaged stuff, then the online method would be also acceptable.
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Carcavelos, Portugal (outskirts of Lisbon, near the beach). No problems whatsoever thus far, no stock ruptures on normal stuff - food, groceries, pharmacy. Now that we are entering the last week of the state of emergency, and with the slow and phased reopening of several activities on May 4, the key issue is to know whether there will be enough "community masks" to last several months. Maks will be mandatory in public transport (which will have enforced reduced capacity) and at work.
Many factories have reconverted to produce masks and alcohool gel for desinfectant and hand sanitizers; major supermarket chains have garanteed that there will be no shortage, so we shall see how it goes.
On a side note, Portugal is now the European country testing more people per 1 million people.
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Carcavelos, Portugal (outskirts of Lisbon, near the beach). No problems whatsoever thus far, no stock ruptures on normal stuff - food, groceries, pharmacy. Now that we are entering the last week of the state of emergency, and with the slow and phased reopening of several activities on May 4, the key issue is to know whether there will be enough "community masks" to last several months. Maks will be mandatory in public transport (which will have enforced reduced capacity) and at work.
Many factories have reconverted to produce masks and alcohool gel for desinfectant and hand sanitizers; major supermarket chains have garanteed that there will be no shortage, so we shall see how it goes.
On a side note, Portugal is now the European country testing more people per 1 million people.
There it is again. May 4th. :)
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There it is again. May 4th. :)
The barbers may open on May 5th, but the dance halls by January 2021.
The surgeons, dentists, and physiotherapists should open also soon, otherwise the backlog will be unmanageable.
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The barbers may open on May 5th, but the dance halls by January 20201.
The surgeons, dentists, and physiotherapists should open also soon, otherwise the backlog will be unmanageable.
What about barbers? I need a haircut. What about massage parlors? Oh, ah, never mind...
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Interesting chart on changing shopping habits during the Covid-19 crisis:
Camera and men's swimwear down 64%, drones down 50%. Disposable gloves up 670%, bread makers up 650%, soups up 400%.
(https://2oqz471sa19h3vbwa53m33yj-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/ecommerce-covid-19-sales.jpg)
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That's an interesting chart. It looks like everyone is getting ready for WWIII.
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Interesting chart on changing shopping habits during the Covid-19 crisis:
Camera and men's swimwear down 64%, drones down 50%. Disposable gloves up 670%, bread makers up 650%, soups up 400%.
The "preppers" in Silicon Valley (https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/24/technology/coronavirus-preppers.html?smid=em-share) were ahead of the curve.
For years, one of the most smirked-at subspecies in the technology ecosystem was that of the Silicon Valley Prepper. You were always hearing about them, these men with soft jobs and hardened paranoia. The $0.99 game developer with a bug-out bag; the venture capitalist with a bunker in New Zealand; the cloud administrator learning to bowhunt for a survivalist future. The preppers were living in flush times in a beautiful region, but it seemed like the first thing they did with money was steel for the apocalypse.
Now, with Covid-19, they feel vindicated. Because they are. The coders and founders long snickered at for stockpiling flour and toilet paper were absolutely right.
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We went to a Home improvement store yesterday, and I'm not really happy with what I saw. The parking lot was packed, and people were carting off all manner of building and garden supplies. The shoppers were all ages, and what bothered me were the lack of masks. Maybe 25-30% as a rough estimation. Not nearly enough. The store was well marked for social distancing and had numerous signs asking for customers to observer social distancing and to use masks. It seem folks didn't really want to take the time or effort to do so. All the store personel had masks and were using hand sanitizer wiht every transaction ( I pity their hands) Sales were card only, no cash.
This does not bode well for keeping a second wave at bay.
One final note. Masks are danged hot! Oncce we get into the 80's and higher they will become unbearable. That too does not bode well.
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Masks are danged hot! Oncce we get into the 80's and higher they will become unbearable. That too does not bode well.
Another problem with masks is that they fog up your glasses.
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We went to a Home improvement store yesterday, and I'm not really happy with what I saw. The parking lot was packed, and people were carting off all manner of building and garden supplies. The shoppers were all ages, and what bothered me were the lack of masks. Maybe 25-30% as a rough estimation. Not nearly enough. The store was well marked for social distancing and had numerous signs asking for customers to observer social distancing and to use masks. It seem folks didn't really want to take the time or effort to do so. All the store personel had masks and were using hand sanitizer wiht every transaction ( I pity their hands) Sales were card only, no cash.
This does not bode well for keeping a second wave at bay.
One final note. Masks are danged hot! Once we get into the 80's and higher they will become unbearable. That too does not bode well.
Next time you go, maybe you could steal some hand sanitizer from the clerks and mail it to me. :)
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Another problem with masks is that they fog up your glasses.
When I use to scuba dive, we'd spit in our face masks and push the spit around until the glass squeaked. Then rinse the mask out and put them on for the dive. It prevented them from fogging up. No that I think of it, just wear a dive mask. That would prevent fogging plus you'd have the protection from getting someone else's virus infected spit in your eyes.
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When I use to scuba dive, we'd spit in our face masks and push the spit around until the glass squeaked. Then rinse the mask out and put them on for the dive. It prevented them from fogging up. No that I think of it, just wear a dive mask. That would prevent fogging plus you'd have the protection from getting someone else's virus infected spit in your eyes.
Maybe Trump will suggest this at his next news conference. :)
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Try shopping for quality webcams. Or USB microphones. Or digitizing hardware to interface HDMI camera output to computers.
My pal in Vancouver has attempted Costco shopping excursions three times in the last week, even trying the "senior hour". Each time, he was faced with line-ups several hours long. He bailed. No Kirkland Pesto for him.
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Maybe Trump will suggest this at his next news conference. :)
Nah, he's in hiding...just like his North Korean buddy.
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Here in a rural section of the People's Utopia of Kalifornia, the start of it all was like our P(i)S-P(i)S summer--Public Service Power Shutdowns any time somebody would sneeze next to a power pole--Dairy, empty. Bleach, empty. Bread, empty. Processed meat, empty. TP and paper products, empty. Processed foods, canned goods, spaghetti, empty. Some produce and fruit was slim pickings. It looked like the 1970s Soviet Union stores IMO, and still has that look today, more than a month later.
It improved the next week and one could purchase (1) pack of TP which is still scarce at my normal store.
Went to another outlet grocery a couple of times in the last ten days. Shelves are stocked, but many things items are discontinued items and stock changes weekly.
My normal store still has Soviet-style shelves even today, though it is better.
However, hours are limited. There's designated places to stand in line, a plexy shield for the cashier, etc. Some cashiers wear masks, as do some of the customers...
I haven't been to any of the other three local chain stores nor to WallyWorld.
For all practical purposes, I already had food, tp, supplies so there was little need to head to the store at the start.
The place that really looks like biz as usual for the outside or better yet, a land-office rush, is the local big-box home improvement store. The parking lot is filled since many people have little to do. There's bleach and paper towels when you get to the foyer, signs telling you to stay 6 feet away, some with masks, some without. Designated standing spots at check out. Plexy for the clerks.
About two weeks ago, I had to run the the Kalifornia Kremlin to do a small "construction" job and document a project as a journalist. Costco was on the way. The parking lot looked a little less than normal, so I grabbed a cart. When I got to the door, I noticed the line hidden on the other side of the building, left the cart and got gas where there was no line for a change.
The line to get in was long and strung out. It reminded me of when I worked in the wildland fire service and would go out with an inmate hand crew. The crew captain was always an older seasoned firefighter who was used to the cons. When the hand crew was cutting a fire line you'd hear the captain call out "Keep a dime boys, keep a dime!" meaning ten feet between the bodies, especially at the front where the lead man was swinging a brush hook followed by men with axes, followed by more sharp and bludgeoning tools. It was a matter of keeping out of the way and making sure there was enough room to work the tools without clobbering.
So now when I go out in public, I simply tell everyone to "Keep a dime! Keep a dime!" and smile.
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The "preppers" in Silicon Valley (https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/24/technology/coronavirus-preppers.html?smid=em-share) were ahead of the curve.
Dear lord, please save us form prepping becoming main stream.
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As of now 95% normal in central Tokyo.
I don't think I would notice the difference if I didn't look for it.
Cheers,
Bernard
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Everything we've bought in the last month has been bought online, paid for by card and delivered to our door. Particular thanks to Sainsburys, Amazon and eBay. The only thing we haven't been able to get is antibacterial handwash.
People have been predicting the demise of the high street for years, Covid-19 is only going to hasten that demise.
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Everything we've bought in the last month has been bought online, paid for by card and delivered to our door. Particular thanks to Sainsburys, Amazon and eBay. The only thing we haven't been able to get is antibacterial handwash.
People have been predicting the demise of the high street for years, Covid-19 is only going to hasten that demise.
I hope you're wrong. I love local shopping if I have to shop. I prefer not having to shop. But if I must, I enjoy a friendly, familiar face and a brief chat, for which even the smaller of the two local supermarkets has time. Small-town life.
Shopping at the Sunday street market was even better, but since the loss of Ann there is no point. Prime fruit and veggies are wasted in my kitchen. In fact, the best thing out of it since has been that bird with the George Michael jeans, or the other one with the Sgt. Pepper jacket.
;-)
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It's lousy. All the camera shops have been out of business for years now.
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I hope you're wrong. I love local shopping if I have to shop. I prefer not having to shop. But if I must, I enjoy a friendly, familiar face and a brief chat, for which even the smaller of the two local supermarkets has time. Small-town life.
Shopping at the Sunday street market was even better, but since the loss of Ann there is no point. Prime fruit and veggies are wasted in my kitchen. In fact, the best thing out of it since has been that bird with the George Michael jeans, or the other one with the Sgt. Pepper jacket.
;-)
So do I.
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Went to Costco and a local supermarket today.
Costco was not too busy and at least 90% of the people were wearing masks. No chicken except frozen, some beef low on pork. Everything else was pretty well stocked
Local supermarket was not too busy, but only 30/40 of the people wore masks. Stupid. Non mask wearers were all ages. This will just keep the virus going and going. Meat situation was similar to Costco, but more other items were out of stock. Fresh produce and fruit was plentiful.
It seems that a lot of people just don't give a damn at all. Indiana starts to open on Monday but the roads were really quite busy today. Looked like a lot of people were hitting the home and garden stores heavily.
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Local supermarket was not too busy, but only 30/40 of the people wore masks. Stupid. Non mask wearers were all ages. This will just keep the virus going and going.
At the two supermarkets I've visited since the mask requirement went into effect here in Maryland, a branch of a regional chain and a Trader Joe's outlet, an employee has been stationed at the entrance both to control the number of customers in the store at any given time and to verify that each person entering is wearing a mask.
However, I've noticed a few people inside the regional store pulling masks below their noses, presumably because they found it difficult to breath, and the other day I even saw an employee who was restocking shelves do that.
And even more people fiddle with their masks, which doesn't necessarily prevent the mask from performing its primary purpose—reducing the risk that the mask-wearer will infect other nearby individuals—but if they've previously touched a surface that contains virus-infected droplets they risk infecting themselves.
My impression is there are a fair number of people who either don't fully understand the rationale for the regulations and recommendations, or simply lack the discipline to adhere to them. I don't think there are many who are intentionally flouting the rules—at least, not in the area where I am.
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At the two supermarkets I've visited since the mask requirement went into effect here in Maryland, a branch of a regional chain and a Trader Joe's outlet, an employee has been stationed at the entrance both to control the number of customers in the store at any given time and to verify that each person entering is wearing a mask.
However, I've noticed a few people inside the regional store pulling masks below their noses, presumably because they found it difficult to breath, and the other day I even saw an employee who was restocking shelves do that.
And even more people fiddle with their masks, which doesn't necessarily prevent the mask from performing its primary purpose—reducing the risk that the mask-wearer will infect other nearby individuals—but if they've previously touched a surface that contains virus-infected droplets they risk infecting themselves.
My impression is there are a fair number of people who either don't fully understand the rationale for the regulations and recommendations, or simply lack the discipline to adhere to them. I don't think there are many who are intentionally flouting the rules—at least, not in the area where I am.
When I picked up my groceries curb side, I opened the trunk from inside the car from the driver seat. The stock boy loaded up the trunk with bags of groceries, At one point, I noticed through the read view mirror him pull the mask up over his nose and wipe it with the side of his hand. Then go back picking up and loading the bags.
AFter my heart surgery last year, I went to the hospital cardio exercise unit 2-3 times a week. They put EKG monitors on you as you go from bicycle to treadmill. Each person is responsible for cleaning off their machine when they get done. So I'm watching all these mainly old people, like me. None of them are doing it right. They wipe one handle bar and not the other. They forget to wipe the electronic panel they spent minutes pressing in the beginning. Then in a streak of seeming clarity, they decide to wipe down the seat I guess for some psychological reasons. So I learned to ignore what they did and just alcohol wiped the machines myself before I used them. There is no way to trust the other guy. They don't have a clue. You have to try to protect yourself.
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At the two supermarkets I've visited since the mask requirement went into effect here in Maryland, a branch of a regional chain and a Trader Joe's outlet, an employee has been stationed at the entrance both to control the number of customers in the store at any given time and to verify that each person entering is wearing a mask.
However, I've noticed a few people inside the regional store pulling masks below their noses, presumably because they found it difficult to breath, and the other day I even saw an employee who was restocking shelves do that.
And even more people fiddle with their masks, which doesn't necessarily prevent the mask from performing its primary purpose—reducing the risk that the mask-wearer will infect other nearby individuals—but if they've previously touched a surface that contains virus-infected droplets they risk infecting themselves.
My impression is there are a fair number of people who either don't fully understand the rationale for the regulations and recommendations, or simply lack the discipline to adhere to them. I don't think there are many who are intentionally flouting the rules—at least, not in the area where I am.
No rules about wearing masks here, it’s a personal choice. And many are simply deciding not to wear them
No doubt that masks are uncomfortable, hot and make breathing more difficult. They will be nearly unbearable once the summer heat sets in. That said they are a pretty important layer of protection between now and a future outbreak. I just wish more people cared enough for others to use the mask.
I had to restrain myself from asking those who were not wearing a mask to use one
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When I picked up my groceries curb side, I opened the trunk from inside the car from the driver seat. The stock boy loaded up the trunk with bags of groceries, At one point, I noticed through the read view mirror him pull the mask up over his nose and wipe it with the side of his hand. Then go back picking up and loading the bags.
I am convinced that I'm better off by picking the items myself than by relying on others.
I go to the food store once or twice per week early in the morning, when they are hardly any people in the store, so there is no risk to come into a close contact with anyone. I pay either at the self-checkout line or go through a regular cash register where the cashier is hidden behind the plexiglass shield. The most difficult thing is to open the thin polyethelene bags for carrying the vegetables or fruit when wearing the gloves. I never managed to open those bags with the gloves on, I'll have to take them off for that, but the bags are clean, coming off from the hanging rolls.
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I am convinced that I'm better off by picking the items myself than by relying on others.
I go to the food store once or twice per week early in the morning, when they are hardly any people in the store, so there is no risk to come into a close contact with anyone. I pay either at the self-checkout line or go through a regular cash register where the cashier is hidden behind the plexiglass shield. The most difficult thing is to open the thin polyethelene bags for carrying the vegetables or fruit when wearing the gloves. I never managed to open those bags with the gloves on, I'll have to take them off for that, but the bags are clean, coming off from the hanging rolls.
Lick your fingers. That always helps. :o
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Lick your fingers. That always helps. :o
I know that trick, but it doesn't work when you wear the gloves. And I would never lick anything in a food store. Not even my fingers.
What I usually do is I try to find some bin with wet vegetables and wet my fingers in that water. Or start splitting the bag on the side near the top.
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\ I just wish more people cared enough for others to use the mask.
I had to restrain myself from asking those who were not wearing a mask to use one
I tried to stay away from this area forever in regards to posting and not to take it off track but I Have a few on the ground observations.
The first two, maybe three weeks everyone in SoCal were good. On my small block you always could find parking, then after the mayor and governor clamped down you couldn't find a parking place anywhere. I didn't need it as we have garages.
The first three weeks buying essentials was hell, the shelves were empty. Then after three weeks the supply chain opened up and we could time it right and after waiting for an hour could be in and out in 30 minutes. We bought what we needed but I refused to horde.
Then 3 weeks latter we finally had a warm, sunny weekend and i could have parked 30 cars on my short block. I don't know where everyone went but they went somewhere.
Now today we have people running, riding bikes at full speed, no mask in site. Most are under 30 yrs. old but what a drag. Our contagion rate went up from 400 per day to 2400, now back down to about 1600 per day.
We tried take away food but when you looked in it was one or two guys, no gloves, not mask working their ass off but not healthy. My wife is the producer of our company and has dedicated herself to making healthy, fresh food. So much that for the first time in my life I gained 20 lbs, so started working out in home and have lost 15 lbs of it.
Got 5 more to go and the last 5 lbs are hell to get off.
I strongly suggest everyone be healthy, move around when it's safe and eat as fresh food you can.
As far as herding or whatever that means forget it. You can kill yourself or the guy making the delivery. Be smart, be kind, but most of all keep your distance from others.
I Know it's a drag, my brain use to be running on steroids, now it's running like I'm in slowmotion.
But it's still living . . . today
IMO
BC
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I tried to stay away from this area forever in regards to posting and not to take it off track but I Have a few on the ground observations.
The first two, maybe three weeks everyone in SoCal were good. On my small block you always could find parking, then after the mayor and governor clamped down you couldn't find a parking place anywhere. I didn't need it as we have garages.
The first three weeks buying essentials was hell, the shelves were empty. Then after three weeks the supply chain opened up and we could time it right and after waiting for an hour could be in and out in 30 minutes. We bought what we needed but I refused to horde.
Then 3 weeks latter we finally had a warm, sunny weekend and i could have parked 30 cars on my short block. I don't know where everyone went but they went somewhere.
Now today we have people running, riding bikes at full speed, no mask in site. Most are under 30 yrs. old but what a drag. Our contagion rate went up from 400 per day to 2400, now back down to about 1600 per day.
We tried take away food but when you looked in it was one or two guys, no gloves, not mask working their ass off but not healthy. My wife is the producer of our company and has dedicated herself to making healthy, fresh food. So much that for the first time in my life I gained 20 lbs, so started working out in home and have lost 15 lbs of it.
Got 5 more to go and the last 5 lbs are hell to get off.
I strongly suggest everyone be healthy, move around when it's safe and eat as fresh food you can.
As far as herding or whatever that means forget it. You can kill yourself or the guy making the delivery. Be smart, be kind, but most of all keep your distance from others.
I Know it's a drag, my brain use to be running on steroids, now it's running like I'm in slowmotion.
But it's still living . . . today
IMO
BC
Thanks for the Calif. update. Just curious, how do you see this changing your business? I know you work worldwide, do you see issues with travel and such when things open up again?
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Thanks for the Calif. update. Just curious, how do you see this changing your business? I know you work worldwide, do you see issues with travel and such when things open up again?
Hi Craig,
Well right now there are very few working. Maybe some still life photographers and some models that have live in partners are getting clothes shipped to them and they do their own styling, hair and makeup, usually no assistants. This is for e-commerce.
I do know one talent agent that has a live in photographer that is shooting and probably with a much fuller room than is allowed.
As far as the future, I don't know. whenever this thing ends, however it ends, will clients jump on a plane and come to LA or London?, Will I go to them? Maybe they will because everyone is losing it working from home on a laptop, so we/they may chance it but what are we going to shoot and who for? There are so many variables.
I have a friend in Paris that shoots high end portraits. End of Jan. start of Feb. he photographed a group of Chinese that had flown to Paris. A few weeks later my friend and his wife came down with what they thought was the flu, but it got worse and they were as sick as they had ever been. His wife was sicker but recovered in a week, he recovered in a little over 2 weeks. He's sure it was the virus because they had all the symptoms, but they're not testing in his area, so he's not sure if they have antibodies and even if they do will they protect them for a long time or temporarily.
I don't like to sound negative, but I really don't think anybody knows anything.
IMO
BC
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Hi Craig,
Well right now there are very few working. Maybe some still life photographers and some models that have live in partners are getting clothes shipped to them and they do their own styling, hair and makeup, usually no assistants. This is for e-commerce.
I do know one talent agent that has a live in photographer that is shooting and probably with a much fuller room than is allowed.
As far as the future, I don't know. whenever this thing ends, however it ends, will clients jump on a plane and come to LA or London?, Will I go to them? Maybe they will because everyone is losing it working from home on a laptop, so we/they may chance it but what are we going to shoot and who for? There are so many variables.
I have a friend in Paris that shoots high end portraits. End of Jan. start of Feb. he photographed a group of Chinese that had flown to Paris. A few weeks later my friend and his wife came down with what they thought was the flu, but it got worse and they were as sick as they had ever been. His wife was sicker but recovered in a week, he recovered in a little over 2 weeks. He's sure it was the virus because they had all the symptoms, but they're not testing in his area, so he's not sure if they have antibodies and even if they do will they protect them for a long time or temporarily.
I don't like to sound negative, but I really don't think anybody knows anything.
IMO
BC
Thanks BC. I worked three days last in an empty factory on units that had been sitting for a month. It was pretty safe. BUt I don't know where it goes from here. I'm in the age group that needs to be worried as is my wife and we have my 90 yo mother living with us so I need to be careful. My clients factories all opened up today and are starting production. I suspect in three or four weeks I'll have stuff to shoot again. I just need to decide if its safe yet or decline. I would prefer to work but I wont chance infecting us. Its going to be a tough decision.
Best of luck to you .
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Craig, You're in a quandary. Good luck. I hope it all works out. My mother-in-law is 97 and is in an assisted living place which is dangerous. I believe some people there have died. They don't let my wife or me in; no one can visit. They can't leave. The nurses seem to be well stocked with PPE. I offered some masks I got from China, but they said they didn't need them, they were OK.
We speak to my wife's mom through the nurse's phone sometimes visually. The dining room was shut down and everyone has to eat in their apartments. Everyone's by themselves. So my wife and I kicked around taking her back to our place. But then it's not safe that much here either. We go in and out although we're not working. But you do make visits to stores, pickup food and boxes and mail. Plus she gets good care there with doctors. But my wife is feeling guilty conflicted with what to do. I told her it's up to her, whatever she wants to do. I don't want to push her either way because if something happens to her mom, frankly, I don't want to be responsible. It's her mom. It's a conundrum. In our 55+ community of around 1100 homes, another person just died, the second death that we know of.
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Interesting grocery shopping experience today.
My wife, who emigrated from Taiwan many years ago, decided she wanted some fresh produce and frozen packaged food that isn't available in our mainstream supermarkets, so we headed over to a local "Asian supermarket" to pick them up.
The large store was sparsely populated during our early afternoon visit. The wider-than-standard aisles were mostly empty and, even when they weren't, easy to navigate while maintaining appropriate "social distance."
Masked and gloved young men and women―all of them hispanohablantes, as far as I could tell―were pulling older produce off the shelves and replacing it with fresh product. One of the big draws of this Chinese-owned chain is the quality and variety of its produce, some of it from Asia but most of it probably of North American origin.
The impressively-large fresh fish counter―another popular feature of this supermarket among Asians and non-Asians, alike―also appeared to be ready for business-as-usual, albeit without the usual queue of customers waiting to be served.
On the other hand, some of the shelves typically filled with imported nonperishable products were less well-stocked than usual. I figured that was a reflection of a reduction in container traffic between China and the United States.
Under normal circumstances, the outlet also rents about a dozen stalls to delicatessen, bakery, and other specialty vendors. These were all dark today―a big disappointment to me because I was really looking forward to picking up a loaf of da bing (大饼) (https://redhousespice.com/spring-onion-flatbread-leavened/).
There is a substantial ethnic Asian population in the small Maryland city where we live and this is only one of several Asian supermarkets, so competition may account in part for the empty aisles today; early afternoon also seems to be a relatively quiet period at our regular supermarket chains. But I also suspect many of the store's regular customers are salaried professionals who are busy working from home during the pandemic. No doubt the place is still crowded on weekends.
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Went to Costco and a local supermarket today.
Costco was not too busy and at least 90% of the people were wearing masks. No chicken except frozen, some beef low on pork. Everything else was pretty well stocked
Local supermarket was not too busy, but only 30/40 of the people wore masks. Stupid. Non mask wearers were all ages. This will just keep the virus going and going. Meat situation was similar to Costco, but more other items were out of stock. Fresh produce and fruit was plentiful.
It seems that a lot of people just don't give a damn at all. Indiana starts to open on Monday but the roads were really quite busy today. Looked like a lot of people were hitting the home and garden stores heavily.
If the virus starts getting a comeback big time, everyone will get scared again. Then, they'll never come out again. :-[
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I made a trip to Lowes today to get some tools to tear down a planting bed block retaining wall. The store staff was great, everyone in masks. After each customer the cashier wiped down the card reader, countertop and the customer side of the plexiglass divider.
Customers were a different story. Very few masks, mostly older customers and a few younger. Everyone else was maskless and when we went out to the garden center, it was packed and people were way too close together. We did not stay and went back inside.
I tried takeout yesterday. Went to Culvers, a regional chain. They were doing a great job, drive up only everyone in masks and gloves. I would do that again.
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Madrid - Spain
By the 13th of March there was already shortage of some articles in the supermarket: milk, toilet paper, dishwasher detergent, some fresh vegetables and fruits,...
Luckily a human being can survive more than 3 weeks without eating at all, not to say how well we can live just by changing some of our diet for alternative stuff, so I never cared about going in the opening to do the shopping but preferred to wait till lunchtime so the shop was nearly empty of customers.
This shortage lasted for less than a week. I guess those families compulsively buying milk, rice, pasta, toilet paper,... finally filled all their available storage room and everything went back to normal again. A friend of mine working in the business said that they raised sales by about 70% those days.
We now mainly do the shopping online (with a delay of nearly a week), only eventually visiting the supermarket to get those particular items we run out. As I mentioned, never worried about supplies because replacement of goods has always been guaranteed from one day to the next, all the madness was just about the people.
A funny picture I took in our first visit to the supermarket in the coronavirus era:
(http://guillermoluijk.com/misc/cardo.jpg)
I had never tried them but we took these cardoons home, we didn't want them to remain so lonely there.
Regards
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I've lost a few pounds. No pizza, ice cream, Dunkin Donuts, cookies. Not eating out has eliminated lots of other stuff, appetizers, bread, desert, french fries and the rest of the bad stuff. Cardiologist s are saying heart attacks have gone down 40% since the virus started. They think people are afraid to call for an ambulance and dying at home. I think they're just not getting attacks because they're staying away from the junk.
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Being a diabetic with weight issues
(...)
AFter my heart surgery last year, I went to the hospital cardio exercise unit 2-3 times a week.
(...)
I've lost a few pounds. No pizza, ice cream, Dunkin Donuts, cookies.
Alan, if you need a coronavirus to stop eating Dunkin Donuts I'd definitively give it a thought. I hope you're not a smoker too!
Regards
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It's lousy. All the camera shops have been out of business for years now.
And those, I really did miss when I was still in buying mode.
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Hi Craig,
Well right now there are very few working. Maybe some still life photographers and some models that have live in partners are getting clothes shipped to them and they do their own styling, hair and makeup, usually no assistants. This is for e-commerce.
I do know one talent agent that has a live in photographer that is shooting and probably with a much fuller room than is allowed.
As far as the future, I don't know. whenever this thing ends, however it ends, will clients jump on a plane and come to LA or London?, Will I go to them? Maybe they will because everyone is losing it working from home on a laptop, so we/they may chance it but what are we going to shoot and who for? There are so many variables.
I have a friend in Paris that shoots high end portraits. End of Jan. start of Feb. he photographed a group of Chinese that had flown to Paris. A few weeks later my friend and his wife came down with what they thought was the flu, but it got worse and they were as sick as they had ever been. His wife was sicker but recovered in a week, he recovered in a little over 2 weeks. He's sure it was the virus because they had all the symptoms, but they're not testing in his area, so he's not sure if they have antibodies and even if they do will they protect them for a long time or temporarily.
I don't like to sound negative, but I really don't think anybody knows anything.
IMO
BC
Hi BC,
Thought you'd left LuLa, but maybe that's just because I don't look at the motion sections anymore. Is French Fred still active there and/or still in the industry?
It must be very hard for people still in business; it's frustrating enough for people like me just hangin' about and hangin' on, as it were. I miss my lunches out as well as the ability to go into a bar for a coffee whenever the mood strikes me. A waiter who worked at my favourite restaurant - a local French-owned one - left his job at the end of the summer season to open a restaurant of his own with a friend at the start of this new tourist season: I don't think they had even a week before they were forced to close. I guess he must have lost his shirt on that gamble, and it's especially sad for me as that before being a waiter, he had a little photographic business in Malaga with his wife, both having met at photo-college. Bad luck seems to run in series. I guess a lot of businesses that only open in summer and depend very much on tourism are just not going to reopen. Thing is, there are very few alternative jobs here for people to get into.
Used to be a local wedding guy here in northern Mallorca whom I first bumped into almost forty years ago: he had a great studio and all the Hassies and Nikons anyone could desire. A few years after digital, and the business is a tiny shadow which the son runs. Others in the same little town have just given up. Death in the Sun.
Take care, and best wishes to you and your other half.
Rob
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Hi BC,
Thought you'd left LuLa, but maybe that's just because I don't look at the motion sections anymore. Is French Fred still active there and/or still in the industry?
It must be very hard for people still in business; it's frustrating enough for people like me just hangin' about ........snip
Rob
Hey Rob,
No never really left I've been consumed in business and life. The Mrs. is fine and we're getting calls for business. One is quite large and requires motion and still in a little over a month from now. Don't know if things will be open then and it will be challenging because of the new rules which are quite strict.
But can't complain because everyone is going through the same stuff, all around the world.
Hang in there, it will get better. Just like a great shoot, it's all in the attitude.
Thanks
BC
P.S. Rob it's rough because humans are built for free will. I'll walk down and have coffee, I'll then go get some hardware for my blinds, on the way I should schedule a haircut, then come back with a dinner or have a dinner or have it in a cafe.
It is so secular as even with my partner and wife we limit when we go out. For anything. Client's want to work, they want our services but they really don't know when. Hell a lot of them don't know if they will be in business when this stupid ass disease will end.
But Rob, if you get down look at your body of work, think of the good times because you and your beautiful partner made it. That's has to put a smile on your face.
You are a great photographer and photographed great beauty. Don't forget.
BC
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Hey Rob,
No never really left I've been consumed in business and life. The Mrs. is fine and we're getting calls for business. One is quite large and requires motion and still in a little over a month from now. Don't know if things will be open then and it will be challenging because of the new rules which are quite strict.
But can't complain because everyone is going through the same stuff, all around the world.
1. Hang in there, it will get better. Just like a great shoot, it's all in the attitude.
Thanks
BC
P.S. Rob it's rough because humans are built for free will. I'll walk down and have coffee, I'll then go get some hardware for my blinds, on the way I should schedule a haircut, then come back with a dinner or have a dinner or have it in a cafe.
It is so secular as even with my partner and wife we limit when we go out. For anything. Client's want to work, they want our services but they really don't know when. Hell a lot of them don't know if they will be in business when this stupid ass disease will end.
2. But Rob, if you get down look at your body of work, think of the good times because you and your beautiful partner made it. That's has to put a smile on your face
3. You are a great photographer and photographed great beauty. Don't forget.
BC
1. Never a truer word spoken! Problem was convincing a few clients that that mattered: they thought any old model was just as good as any other one, and that the work of the photographer was to make a sow's ear a silk purse. I remember being on a shoot where the client picked the model, a girl I'd never seen, and who turned out to be a girl for whom he had the hots. And that was pretty much the limit of her experience in the business. You can imagine the atmosphere on that trip; what a way to be in Kenya. None of the calendar pictures is on my website: just a record shot across the border of Mt Kilimanjaro from the lodge terrace.... what a waste.
2. Too true! I get a lot of joy from looking at my old work. It seems like from a different lifetime.
3. Thanks for that!
Here in Mallorca life is starting to blossom a little bit: as of today, you can now sit at a café table outside on the pavement, but not inside. A few shops have opened, including some dress shops, so I may go for a wander around and see if I can make some window pix. Old guys like me are now allowed out for our "exercise" between 10am and 12am and then from 7pm and 8pm in the evening. I was actually able to go inside the bank today!
Ciao -
Rob
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Restaurants , salons and such are open here now, and based on the parking lots at some of these establishments, quite a few people are saying, screw it, I’m living.
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Mask usage here is in massive decline. went to Lowes and the supermarket. At best 10% were wearing masks. Quite frankly its 90 here today and even in stores the mask is danged uncomfortable. Give it another week of hot weather and my prediction is that masks are going to be all but gone.
We went for a ride last night and passed by the riverfront park. The parking lot was packed, people were everywhere and lots of large groups of younger people gathered with zero social distancing. Another bad sign.
Got drive up ice cream and saw the same thing, large groups of young people gathering at tables and benches..
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Did you know that ice cream is almost as bad for you as the hydroxychloroquine?
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Over long time and increasing waist sizes....🙀😉
But better flavors !
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Mask usage here is in massive decline. went to Lowes and the supermarket. At best 10% were wearing masks. Quite frankly its 90 here today and even in stores the mask is danged uncomfortable. Give it another week of hot weather and my prediction is that masks are going to be all but gone.
We went for a ride last night and passed by the riverfront park. The parking lot was packed, people were everywhere and lots of large groups of younger people gathered with zero social distancing. Another bad sign.
Got drive up ice cream and saw the same thing, large groups of young people gathering at tables and benches..
As much as a bastard I may come off as for being against masks, this does not make me feel great for the older crowd.
I feel in inclosed spaces, masks should be required right now. Outside, I have a different opinion, so long as people dont intrude your space. But hey, I felt that way long before this anyway. Really, if I can smell you, you're too close, and I have a really sensitive sense of smell.
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As much as a bastard I may come off as for being against masks, this does not make me feel great for the older crowd.
I feel in inclosed spaces, masks should be required right now. Outside, I have a different opinion, so long as people dont intrude your space. But hey, I felt that way long before this anyway. Really, if I can smell you, you're too close, and I have a really sensitive sense of smell.
We will see what happens in two weeks. I think those who do not wear masks are irresponsible but that's just me. Perhaps in the open air, chances of getting infected are less. In doors is a different study altogether.
Meanwhile a hair salon that just opened in Missouri had to close after two stylists tested positive (https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/missouri-salon-may-have-exposed-140-customers-to-coronavirus) for COVID-19 had close contact with 140 customers. Let's hope for the best with this situation.
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Went today to get an xray, the large clinic seemed quite deserted and the few patients waiting wore all masks.
On my way home, I stopped at a supermarket, also with only relatively few people, pretty much all without masks and in happy mood.
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Went today to get an xray, the large clinic seemed quite deserted and the few patients waiting wore all masks.
On my way home, I stopped at a supermarket, also with only relatively few people, pretty much all without masks and in happy mood.
Last Friday there was a women at the market without a mask and the staff at the store told her she had to wear a mask and they would not ring her order up until she returned with a mask on.
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The governor of New York state, Andrew Cuomo, announced today that he will issue an "executive order" (a legally-binding instruction by a senior elected official in a U.S. jurisdiction based on either constitutional or statutory authority) which empowers store owners to refuse entry to anyone not wearing a face covering. "We are giving store owners the right to say, 'If you're not wearing a mask, you can't come in,'" he said at his daily press conference, which has become a popular nationally-televised news event.
I'm not familiar with New York law, and can't assess what the governor's independent authority is in matters such as this, but since the executive order will leave the decision whether to require a mask to individual business owners I suspect a lawsuit challenging its validity is unlikely.
Where I live, the pandemic restrictions have not yet been lifted. I went to a supermarket yesterday for the first time in two weeks―I am in Maryland, in the same county as Alan Goldhammer―and the chain supermarket outlet we typically frequent had an employee at the entrance verifying that everyone entering had a face covering, as well as several others, stationed near the checkout counters, who apparently were doing the same as well as making sure that those in the checkout queue were properly spaced.
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> Went to the supermarket today -- the supermarket is part of the Albertsons chain -- and found no toilet paper or paper towels. No hand sanitizer, no medical alcohol, plenty of soap.
Sounds like Australia two months ago. People were stockpiling toilet paper and putting it online at ridiculous prices. The supermarkets had to ration it. Eventually the stockpiling covidiots got stuck with it. Everything is back to normal now with most restrictions being lifted Jun1.
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Everything is back to normal now with most restrictions being lifted Jun1.
Except that here in the States, at least, retail shopping at physical stores may never recover. I just checked, and we have made 23 Amazon purchases in the last 30 days―many of them consisting of multiple items―everything from books (paper, digital, and audio), household products (yes, including toilet paper), cosmetics (stuff my wife must hunt for interminably at the local pharmacy), medical devices (I decided I absolutely must have a finger oximiter in times like this), and food (Asian ramen noodles and an American mixed-nut blend we like that I can no longer find at our local supermarket and which, in any event, is less expensive when ordered from Amazon). Even genuine estate-grown Hawaiian Kona coffee pods, which have never been available locally. We've also increased our purchases from other online retail outlets since the local pandemic restrictions kicked in.
However, I've managed to control my urges to order from the big New York camera retailers. Yes, I did pop for a macro lens, but in my defense I would point out that it was a used item, well-priced, and in exceptionally good condition, and it's helping keep me occupied (https://www.flickr.com/photos/chriskernpix/albums/72157714469385451) while I remain under house arrest. So I can hardly be blamed for indulging.
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Except that here in the States, at least, retail shopping at physical stores may never recover.
True, it is a new normal. Our fruit and vegetables now get delivered and are much better than we ever got from the supermarket. Our meat now comes from a butcher for the same reason. Every restaurant now does takeaway. Most schools have online learning, even though they have all gone back. Fuel price has dropped dramatically, but I have driven 300 KM in two months. A lot of manufacturing has sprung up making things they never made before, like ventilators and masks, The government is pushing a Buy Australian campaign. All good things really.
The main street of town though is full of empty shops. I don't think they were ever making money, but this killed them.
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I hope things like shops do recover: there's something soulless about online purchasing, and it also makes daft impulse buying more likely. Nothing beats seeing before buying, and I couldn't face the hassle of returning things that don't suit.
We have enough online relationships of one kind or the other already; I believe we could end up as a society devoid of interpersonal skills - I can imaging the returns rate trying to buy a wife online. Even I would face the returns process for that one! Could she go by parcel post? Would she have to be flown back to Russia or to Hong Kong? Far better meeting face-to-face somewhere...
:-)
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Last fall I bought a plug-in hybrid SUV, not expecting to lean on the plug-in that much. As it turns out, starting in March, I have used 1/8th of a tank of gas. I live in Santa Fe, a pretty compact city, and the most distant place I go is a golf club about fifteen miles away -- I can almost make a round trip on one charge...I always come up about two blocks short of my house when the gas engine kicks in. Everything else is all electric. I'm rather pleased with myself. 8-)
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My wife and I took her car out for a drive this afternoon to charge its battery, since it's been sitting idle for a month. On Monday, the county in Maryland where we live will begin to relax its restrictions on "non-essential" business activity, so we headed out to a couple of local shopping malls to get one last look at them before the retail outlets begin to offer "curbside delivery" of online and phone orders. Except for a teenager who appeared to be practicing for a driver's license test and a guy on a motorbike who couldn't resist the lure of an empty parking lot, both malls had the appearance of a location shoot for a dystopian science fiction movie.
Attached: quick-and-dirty panos of (1) Lake Forest Mall, Gathersburg, Maryland; (2) Montgomery Mall, Bethesda, Maryland