In times like these...

[walrus]

Al, take care. That CA announcement is clear that grocery stores, pharmacies, etc are remaining open, so the the reaction is over the top. And as you said, the opposite of what people should be doing regarding "social distancing" is what they end up doing. It's impossible to account for how people react to this stuff. You've got power, you've got water running, groceries and pharmacies open - even take out food! But still...

BTW, my local Stop and Shop just announced they will be open from 6:00 - 7:30 am, before the store regularly opens, for people 60 and over only. Now there's an excellent idea!

walrus

 

[chazmo]

dread, what year is your F-512?

 

[adorshki]

Al, take care. That CA announcement is clear that grocery stores, pharmacies, etc are remaining open, so the the reaction is over the top. And as you said, the opposite of what people should be doing regarding "social distancing" is what they end up doing. It's impossible to account for how people react to this stuff. You've got power, you've got water running, groceries and pharmacies open - even take out food! But still...

Restaurants have been off the menu (pun intended) for a while due to need to manage sodium intake and most of 'em aren't geared to be able to tell you that. (the fast food joints are good with nutritional info but their sodium counts're off the charts)
I stay pretty well stocked anyway, it's primarily the wasted time waiting in line and the prolonged exposure.
Did I tell you about the time a couple of years ago I watched a little kid (like 3 or 4) mouth an apple in the store and then watched her mother take it out of her mouth and just put it back on the stack?!?!?
Yeah I gave her a loud piece of mind so other shoppers would hear and then reported it to the store manager for "cleanup" at least.
Oh yeah, she was on her cell phone instead of paying attention to the kid.
Hopefully the public shaming cured that, and I'd been washing my vegetables when I get home for a long time before that. but, as you say, still....

BTW, my local Stop and Shop just announced they will be open from 6:00 - 7:30 am, before the store regularly opens, for people 60 and over only. Now there's an excellent idea!
walrus

Yeah, couple of chains have announced that out here and if in fact I'm forced to stay home that might actually be a window of opportunity for me, but have only seen the action referred to as for "seniors".
Will do a little digging to see who qualifies at given stores on my list.
Came in this AM to find a company letter to print out to show peace officers to justify being on the road going to work, just in case I'm actually stopped.
(At least when one has short hair and wears a tie and drives a black four door they call you "sir" and don't run you for warrants.)
Our company also sells items used by health care institutions as well as items necessary to support other businesses so we get the exemption.

 

[fronobulax]

After all, every once in a while one of my customers does come up with a sudden panic need

I thought you sold a different kind of paper

Thanks for letting us know. Someone would miss you...

 

[dreadnut]

dread, what year is your F-512?

Long story, Chaz - it is a 1981, but I sold it a few years back. I just couldn't play it very long before the pain would start in my fretting hand, especially playing barre chords. The action was nice and low but the neck and fingerboard were too wide for my short fingers.

It sounded like a Steinway, though! I still miss it on "Nights In White Satin..."

 

[chazmo]

What a honey. The early 1980s were tough years in the acoustic business. I'll be Guild didn't make many F-512s then.

 

[dreadnut]

I didn't think I'd ever sell it but times were tougher then and I couldn't cost-justify keeping a guitar I couldn't play.

Here it is side-by-side with the DV52:

 

[adorshki]

I thought you sold a different kind of paper

Thanks for letting us know. Someone would miss you...

All kinds of paper, even shipping boxes and butcher wrap...but thanks!

Just got the schedule: Tuesdays and Fridays off, but as mentioned will likely come in for my emails anyway and can only do that from here.
I'm in a gray area being technically in sales but as a "Telemarketer" have a dedicated office for phone/email necessary for work and am not required to be on the road, as the "Outside Sales" reps are.
And those guys don't get the stay-at-home mandate.
I also enter my own orders which isn't possible from a smart phone, as it would create a security hazard for our inventory control and billing software.
Silver lining is that Tuesdays and Fridays are 2 of the worst commute days of the week so I can come late/leave early, and hopefully get shopping done too, when crowds're at a min.
Anyway, enough about me except for it being a snapshot of one worker's experience here in Sillycon Valley where work-from-home has been given lip-service for years anyway.
Roads have been empty yesterday and today, though..and Safeway by my work had the panic buying crowd last night, too.Have also wondered if they're picking up the Costco biz because Costco restocks on a different model than Safeway, so when they're out they can be out for extended periods.

 

[Grassdog]

Stores here are now putting "max 2 per customer" limits on all the stuff that's being hoarded up. A friend told me some woman was trying to buy up 30 boxes of spaghetti in the line ahead of him and when the cashier informed her "only 2 per customer" the lady threw a fit and made a scene. I think someone should have slapped her.

 

[walrus]

As of now, here in MA, or least where I am in MA, not bad in the grocery stores. I went to 2 different stores yesterday, my wife went to a third one today. Empty shelves for TP, sanitizer, etc, but not that crowded. Lots of people, like me yesterday, just buying a few things they would normally be buying. So for now, we are good.

walrus

 

[adorshki]

Stores here are now putting "max 2 per customer" limits on all the stuff that's being hoarded up. A friend told me some woman was trying to buy up 30 boxes of spaghetti in the line ahead of him and when the cashier informed her "only 2 per customer" the lady threw a fit and made a scene. I think someone should have slapped her.

"Please step away from the pasta, ma'am"

Tranquilizer guns are altogether more civilized.

 

[MLBob]

some woman was trying to buy up 30 boxes of spaghetti... and when the cashier informed her "only 2 per customer" the lady threw a fit and made a scene.

Maybe she was doing the annual Spaghetti dinner fundraiser at her church :highly_amused: :highly_amused: :very_drunk:.... underground of course.

 

[beecee]

It's incredible here. My wife saw two women she knows...parents of my daughters friends...arguing over a large package of TP last weekend. Its been nutyy here for about 10 days. People are hoarding bottled water!!!! We have the best tasting tap water on earth and people are hoarding bottled water!!?? Why?

We have 2 front line chains here Wegmans and Price Chopper. Wegmans can best be described as the suburbanites destination whereas Price Chopper is more "urban"...excellent stores btw, just tough to compete w/Wegmans.

Anyhoo. Wife went to get weekly ration of kitty litter and pet foods. Nothing on the shelves...NOTHING. She needed a few other items as well I said write me u a list and I'll find it.

So I go to Price Chopper...shelves are pretty well stocked. Got everything we needed. See Local Mgr, tell him the Wegmans out of stock situation. He says..."our customers are poor...poor people can't afford to hoard"..

Here is a Price Chopper in Cortland NY yesterday. Price Chopper is the go to supermarket in Cortland

 

[chazmo]

Pretty nutty, beecee. I hope people calm down fast, but the move to shut down restaurant dine-in is possibly going to cause some panic.

 

[adorshki]

Pretty nutty, beecee. I hope people calm down fast, but the move to shut down restaurant dine-in is possibly going to cause some panic.

Especially among the seniors who're used to getting the early bird specials at the all-you-can-eat buffets.
Not that I know anything about that.

 

[chazmo]

I hear that some of the supermarkets are opening to elderly folks which will give them access to restocked shelves and isolate them from us "young" whipper-snappers carrying the disease. In all seriousness, I think this is a brilliant idea. I wish the breakfast places (donut shops and breakfast/lunch restaurants) were able to do the same thing with eat-in.