Stocking the cupboards in the event of a pandemic in the USA

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Great. So because of the food hoarders, the rest of us won’t be able to do a normal grocery run. Thanks guys. ?

I think real hoarding must be happening in certain areas, not all over the place.

I'm in an urban area outside of DC that now has a fair number of confirmed coronavirus cases, and lots of morbid speculation about working from home. But my stores all have everything except for hand sanitizer.

My dollar stores have plenty of hand sanitizer, and huge amounts of the ingredients you need to make your own sanitizer (alcohol, aloe vera gel).

Maybe it's in areas where most shopping is at big box stores? I'm also in an urban area with both big grocery stores and tons of bodegas. The only shelves I've seen empty are hand sanitzer and lysol spray at my local CVS (but they still had other disinfectant sprays). All foods are still completely stocked.

FWIW it sounds like the Target, Walmart, Costco type places - and to some extend Whole Foods and TJs -are MUCH worse than the regular Harris Teeter or Safeway/Giant type of stores.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When this is all said and done, I am going to really enjoy reading an analysis of all the companies that made money off of the mass hoarding, and all of the donation centers that received a glut of donations.

Every time I see a new product recommended on any site I wonder if someone is trying to shill their product or a local food bank is hoping for a certain item to come their way. (And then I give into my panic and order random product #287. Because of course I need ____ if quarantine happens)

I have probably a month worth of food. None of it is going to expire or be donated. We are going to slowly eat it all. So I'm not spending any extra money, its just time shifting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you have kids in college, are you telling them to prep a little? I venmo'd my 19 yo some cash and a list and told her to go to Target.

I just Amazon'd everything straight to them.

If they close college, kids can nor stay in doorms.

[Anonymous]

While you suckers have been buying up all the toilet paper and hand sanitizer, I’ve been stockpiling all the frozen dumplings from Costco mwahahahahaaaaaaa

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When this is all said and done, I am going to really enjoy reading an analysis of all the companies that made money off of the mass hoarding, and all of the donation centers that received a glut of donations.

Every time I see a new product recommended on any site I wonder if someone is trying to shill their product or a local food bank is hoping for a certain item to come their way. (And then I give into my panic and order random product #287. Because of course I need ____ if quarantine happens)

I have probably a month worth of food. None of it is going to expire or be donated. We are going to slowly eat it all. So I'm not spending any extra money, its just time shifting.

You will but I guarantee people buying can after can of green beans aren't going to eat them. People stocking up on rice and lentils who otherwise eat them maybe 1x/mo aren't going to suddenly going to start eating rice and daal for months after things return to normal just to use them up. Which is why I'm wondering why so many people just seem to be buying what they see everyone else buying. I've seen very few people stocking up on produce or frozen vegetables - compared to cans of soup or ramen or oatmeal. I realize fresh produce can't keep forever but it does last a week or 2 and some things like potatoes last longer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When this is all said and done, I am going to really enjoy reading an analysis of all the companies that made money off of the mass hoarding, and all of the donation centers that received a glut of donations.

Every time I see a new product recommended on any site I wonder if someone is trying to shill their product or a local food bank is hoping for a certain item to come their way. (And then I give into my panic and order random product #287. Because of course I need ____ if quarantine happens)

I have probably a month worth of food. None of it is going to expire or be donated. We are going to slowly eat it all. So I'm not spending any extra money, its just time shifting.

You will but I guarantee people buying can after can of green beans aren't going to eat them. People stocking up on rice and lentils who otherwise eat them maybe 1x/mo aren't going to suddenly going to start eating rice and daal for months after things return to normal just to use them up. Which is why I'm wondering why so many people just seem to be buying what they see everyone else buying. I've seen very few people stocking up on produce or frozen vegetables - compared to cans of soup or ramen or oatmeal. I realize fresh produce can't keep forever but it does last a week or 2 and some things like potatoes last longer.

We bought ramen, but also potatoes. There’s a balancing trick to doing this that non-preppers don’t know. You have to think about multiple factors and circumstances under which you can eat what. Potatoes keeps long time, but they can also take long to boil or bake. Ramen takes a few minutes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Has anyone found weird places with hand sanitizer? That’s the only think I didn’t get and I’d like to have one for my purse and car.

I found some at Staples.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When this is all said and done, I am going to really enjoy reading an analysis of all the companies that made money off of the mass hoarding, and all of the donation centers that received a glut of donations.

Every time I see a new product recommended on any site I wonder if someone is trying to shill their product or a local food bank is hoping for a certain item to come their way. (And then I give into my panic and order random product #287. Because of course I need ____ if quarantine happens)

I have probably a month worth of food. None of it is going to expire or be donated. We are going to slowly eat it all. So I'm not spending any extra money, its just time shifting.

Same here. I just stocked up our freezer and pantry. Doubled the items that we normally purchase and added items that were already opened but typically purchase as needed like laundry detergent.

At least I won’t have to shop for about a month outside the produce/dairy aisle.

[Anonymous]

So in desperation after finding empty shelves everywhere, I bought the store brand of disinfectant wipes, only to find out later, they are useless with coronavirus.

Not wanting to venture out to only find more empty shelves, I looked online. Amazon price gouging, Target sold out online and in stores, etc. I ended up finding them on Staples and they will be delivered on Monday. Anxiety diverted...at least for now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Has anyone found weird places with hand sanitizer? That’s the only think I didn’t get and I’d like to have one for my purse and car.

I am PP who works in a town with +for the virus. Some ladies were saying in the lunchroom that they have been buying the small bottles from hair salons. YMMV.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So in desperation after finding empty shelves everywhere, I bought the store brand of disinfectant wipes, only to find out later, they are useless with coronavirus.

Not wanting to venture out to only find more empty shelves, I looked online. Amazon price gouging, Target sold out online and in stores, etc. I ended up finding them on Staples and they will be delivered on Monday. Anxiety diverted...at least for now.

Keep looking, I feel like small shipments of hand sanitizer ARE starting to come in. The Walgreens near my office downtown got a shipment on Wed and then again on Fri. Both were small -- the Wed shipment was sold out by 10 am. The Friday one lasted until around noon. I say pick a few stores and look in them consistently and you could catch a shipment.

[Anonymous]

What about milk? Has anyone bought powdered milk? Is it okay to eat with cereal and in coffee in a pinch?

We go through a lot of milk in my house. We would miss it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When this is all said and done, I am going to really enjoy reading an analysis of all the companies that made money off of the mass hoarding, and all of the donation centers that received a glut of donations.

Every time I see a new product recommended on any site I wonder if someone is trying to shill their product or a local food bank is hoping for a certain item to come their way. (And then I give into my panic and order random product #287. Because of course I need ____ if quarantine happens)

I have probably a month worth of food. None of it is going to expire or be donated. We are going to slowly eat it all. So I'm not spending any extra money, its just time shifting.

You will but I guarantee people buying can after can of green beans aren't going to eat them. People stocking up on rice and lentils who otherwise eat them maybe 1x/mo aren't going to suddenly going to start eating rice and daal for months after things return to normal just to use them up. Which is why I'm wondering why so many people just seem to be buying what they see everyone else buying. I've seen very few people stocking up on produce or frozen vegetables - compared to cans of soup or ramen or oatmeal. I realize fresh produce can't keep forever but it does last a week or 2 and some things like potatoes last longer.

I can’t possibly be the only person with a small stockpile of cabbages.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When this is all said and done, I am going to really enjoy reading an analysis of all the companies that made money off of the mass hoarding, and all of the donation centers that received a glut of donations.

Every time I see a new product recommended on any site I wonder if someone is trying to shill their product or a local food bank is hoping for a certain item to come their way. (And then I give into my panic and order random product #287. Because of course I need ____ if quarantine happens)

I have probably a month worth of food. None of it is going to expire or be donated. We are going to slowly eat it all. So I'm not spending any extra money, its just time shifting.

Same. Needed to restock products that we use all year anyway, hate shopping and usually try to buy cleaning, paper products and non perishables in bulk. We have plenty of storage room, was going to do it this month for the rest of the year, now it's done. Time shifting ....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What about milk? Has anyone bought powdered milk? Is it okay to eat with cereal and in coffee in a pinch?

We go through a lot of milk in my house. We would miss it.

We go through a ton of milk so I’ve got a multi-layer stockpile going. First layer is regular gallons. Trying to keep 2-4 on hand at all times. Second layer is UHT organic half gallons. I have five cartons and they are good through the first week of May. Third layer is ALDI tinned evaporated milk. Good for a few years, 55 cents each. Fourth layer is powdered milk, plus quik powder to make it palatable to kids. I really only have this because Sam’s was clearancing it out and I can use it in bread baking.