The Dr. Pepper situation is almost certainly linked to specific bottling companies and therefore just their territories. Depending upon what other brands these individual bottling companies handle and what proportions of their volume is in each brand, supply for a single brand could vary a lot. Shifts from restaurant etc. to home consumption have made changes in the relative proportions of fountain syrup to packaged product. The cited article notes that the parent company did not respond to CNN's query concerning the impact of the aluminum beverage can shortage.

Dr. Pepper has been pretty much of a niche product in the Chicago area but more of a mainstream product in areas such as the southern plains states. I note that responses to the tweet linked in the CNN story that have some location information seem to be from Kansas and Texas.

I don't know anything about the soft drink industry, but I assume this is all because Dr. Pepper is out there on the front lines, pulling 14-hour shifts to keep us all safe. God bless our heroes.

The Jewel on Skokie Blvd continues to deteriorate in terms of safety and courtesy and today was the last straw. I am trying to decide where to shop going forward, so I am hoping to hear which grocery stores have felt the safest in during this mess. I would be thankful for any recommendations.

AmyBailey wrote:The Jewel on Skokie Blvd continues to deteriorate in terms of safety and courtesy and today was the last straw.

Are you talking about the one a block south of Golf Rd in Skokie? I access from the NE via Gross Point, so I don't think of Skokie Blvd with it.

I agree it's pretty crappy like most Jewel locations, just doing the job because it's close to where you are. I don't really care about virus safety measures, I just wear a mask and don't crowd up next to people, but haven't noticed anything out of the normal here.

Fresh Farms is a better store (both, Touhy is better than Golf IMO), but it's a crowded each-man-for-himself atmosphere, not for those prioritizing social distancing. Whole Foods probably has the best protocols, but their selection is awful, just not good stores at all.

bweiny wrote:

AmyBailey wrote:The Jewel on Skokie Blvd continues to deteriorate in terms of safety and courtesy and today was the last straw.

Are you talking about the one a block south of Golf Rd in Skokie? I access from the NE via Gross Point, so I don't think of Skokie Blvd with it.

Yes that is the one.

Two days in a row, I visited two different Costco locations: Mettawa and Glenview.

Yesterday at Mettawa, there was only two pallets of Kirkland toilet paper. I talked to the manager who indicated any toilet paper leaves quickly. Yet there is not the demand from five months ago, so they get smaller quantities than in the past. They did not have any paper towels.

Today at the Glenview location, there was bountiful quantities of Charmin, Kirkland and Scott toilet paper. A few people who saw toilet paper in my cart inquired where I found it. I did not look for the paper towels.

At the Glenview location was the first time I encountered a self-ordering fast food paid by credit card. If you wanted to pay cash, you had to chase someone down. There was no proof of Costco membership required to order from the food court. At least for now, you can buy from the food court freely.

Regards,
Cathy2

I don't go to the Skokie Blvd. store that often. I think I have been there once since the pandemic has started. I have found out that there are less crowds early in the morning or after 7:00. The problem is that when you go in the evening they might be out of what you are looking for.

It seems like all of the stores are slacking on their COVID protocols. Although I have heard Trader Joe's is the best. When I was in the Whole Foods in downtown Evanston last week, I saw a sign saying the maximum occupancy is 77 people. I am sure there were more than 77 people in the store, and all of the aisles are supposed to be one way, but a lot of people don't follow the signs.

I go to Jewel and the farmer's market more than any other place. I went in Walmart on Monday for the first time in over two months, and people there do not social distance, and it appears they do not limit the number of customers in the store like they did back in June. I only go to Jewel because it is the closest to me. It is no where near you, but the Plaza Del Lago store in Wilmette is my favorite store. The only reason I don't go there more often is because the store is smaller, and does not have everything I buy. I go to the Chicago Ave. store the most, but only because it is the closest store to me. The Green Bay Wilmette store has some stuff that the Chicago Ave. store does not have, and their produce section is better.

I find that I don't go to the store as often because I don't feel comfortable at Jewel. When I go in the evening though it is easier for me to social distance. When I went to the Evanston farmer's Market last Saturday, I saw some large groups there that were not social distancing that were probably in their 20's. Those are the people getting the virus now. Hope this helps, Nancy

I finally found the Mr. Clean dish washing gloves I've been looking all over for at Walmart on Monday. Apparently they are a hot item during the pandemic. I also got a bottle of clorox all purpose with bleach trigger spray. I have not bought many cleaning supplies since the pandemic started, and I am almost out of my Fantastic. I did not realize how hard the trigger spray bottles are to find. I finally found the clorox at Walmart because somebody was stocking the shelves. Now the only other thing I am looking for is baked tortilla chips. I used to buy Totito's baked chips at Jewel and they quit carrying them. I finally called up Frito Lay today, and I was told they have temporarily suspended production of them. It sounds like this is similar to the limited availability of pop varieties.

For the person who had the problems at the Skokie Jewel concerning COVID concerns, I suggest that she post on Jewel's Facebook page, and they will contact the manager, and make him aware of what is going on

Read the next reply.

[nothing referred in because I don't want to encourage quoting!] But, were you to shop at a Jewel - Osco, you would find some sale items, and some items which were unavailable.
To go back a few responses here, in Chicago, the supply of Dr. Pepper is unchallenged. The plant which packages Dr. Pepper is owned by a corporation which has a percentage of its ownership resident in Koenig-Dr. Pepper. It is in Northlake.
In much of the U.S.A., Dr. Pepper is a guest tenant of that vicinity's Coca-Cola | Pepsi-Cola packager. Those are the areas where Dr. Pepper's availability is being threatened. Not in Chicago.
As I scrawled in another thread on LTHF, when Dr. Pepper | 7-up | Royal Crown beverages {not termed "soda"- nyaaaha} are put on sale at Chicago area supermarket, it includes beverages that a 'National' article might note is not being offered across the rest of the U.S.A.
Dr. Pepper will not die. Regardless of the political party possessing the Presidential Office of the U.S. of A.

Dear Mr. Ronnie_V, I respectively offer that Kroger offers items which -frequently- are the equivalent of what are on offer at the higher-priced grocery chain(s) you seem to frequent. Which you will not learn because you adhere to the belief that 'low price = low quality'.
Price = Quality no longer applies in the general food store market. If you want to continue to ignore the lower-priced chains, including Kroger | Mariano's, it is your call. But I think you would miss out on values therein.

I went to Trader Joe's Evanston store tonight, and they have the best COVID prevention program of any store in the area. I just could not see myself buying 100% of my groceries there though. I buy 90% of my produce at the Evanston Farmers Market, which has one of the best COVID prevention programs out of all of the farmer's markets.

Hi- I just looked at my Sister Annette's Facebook page for her farm Fruit Acres, and it got down to 24 degrees on her farm in Michigan on 5/9, and so she only had 25% of a cherry crop, and she has 50% of a peach crop. Last year she got done in by the polar vortex, and she only had 50% of a cherry crop, and 25 % of a peach crop, and she had more peaches than anybody else in SW Michigan. She will have more apples than anything else this year.

She was going to upick peaches this year, but after her experience upicking cherries where 90 % of them were gone in one day on a Monday, she decided that she would not be able to socially distance people in the peach fields. She is going to upick apples though, because she does not get as many upick customers for apples.

It is just as well she is not upicking peaches this summer because there has been an unusual demand for peaches at her fruit stand, and she has been selling 1/2 bushels for people that want to can or freeze peaches, but she is considering limiting sales of 1/2 bushels of peaches, because she is having problems keeping them in stock at her fruit stand. She says that a lot more people are canning this year. She is still going to sell 1/2 bushels of #2 peaches, and smaller quantities of her #1 peaches.

There is a recall on some California peaches too this year because of a salmonella outbreak, and they are harder to find in the grocery store right now. Normally I buy my peaches at the Evanston farmer's market from Linda Koeningshof who has a farm about 3 miles from where I grew up. Her farm is called K & K Farms. I can often get #2 peaches from her for $3. When I went there last Saturday though at 11:30, she was all out of peaches, and I had to buy them from somebody else.
Hope this helps, Nancy

With many struggling to buy food during the pandemic, grassroots efforts have stepped up. ‘It’s my motivation to get up in the morning.’

https://www.chicagotribune.com/coronavi ... l#nws=true

A strange phenomenon has emerged near Amazon.com Inc. delivery stations and Whole Foods stores in the Chicago suburbs: smartphones dangling from trees. Contract delivery drivers are putting them there to get a jump on rivals seeking orders, according to people familiar with the matter.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles ... f=s4jM8V8F

We have an early September lead for outrageous disregard for mask/social distance/common sense/regard for others.

Walking out of Fresh Farms Niles today out of the corner of my eye I spy . . . A wafer thin Asian man of indeterminate age listing slightly to the right carrying a crumpled bag walking toward FF spit on the street, no mask obviously. He then coughed, spit again, and went for the grocery entrance. I mention Asian as this dude was straight out of a 20's Charlie Chan movie, character/opium den extra.

There was an employee moving carts at the door who attempted to stop him, Mr. Opium blew right past. No idea what transpired after that but I'd guess they took him in the back and beat the living snot out of him. (not really)

At which point she dispensed a 45-second cloud of flatulence that told of Maypo instant oatmeal, beans and out of code smoked sausage. Hint of full-sour pickle rounded out the mix.

No mere crop-dusting, a full fledged mustard gas banned by the Geneva Convention deadly cloud. Not a hint of recognition on her part, business as usual as she teetered slowly along pushing her cart.

A) Gary- you crack me up!

B) I never before had known of
a "Fart-Analyzer-Pathologist", also being trained as a BBQ/Smoker expert as well. Clearly, a new line for your
LinkedIn Profile of experiences and skills.

C) Aren't "The Elderly" supposed to be granted certain-"privileges" /"comps"/"gimme's" for having reached that point in life?
Like- "Boops-ing" without- havin' to excuse
their inexcusable sudden unplanned and unannounced case of flatulence?

D) You still- crack me up!

7 Ways the Pandemic Has Changed How We Shop for Food. Oranges and frozen foods are being snapped up. Shelves have fewer choices. And customers are steering their carts in surprising new directions.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/08/dini ... virus.html

Hi,

I almost never go to Target, but found myself in their Highland Park store yesterday.

Walking through housewares, I was struck by random empty shelves and merchandise displayed to distract it was under stocked.

I thought to myself I better do my Christmas shopping earlier than I normally do. At least this location had a picked over feel to it. Or maybe it is an indication the priority is for online shopping.

Regards,
Cathy2

At the establishments I go to, everyone wears a mask and is social distancing. I try to go to a store as little as possible.

toria wrote:At the establishments I go to, everyone wears a mask and is social distancing. I try to go to a store as little as possible.

MOST of my groceries are ordered by my friend online from the local Kroger affiliate OR Walmart stores and are picked up curbside.

However, every Sunday night at 8:30 pm, I head to my local 99 Only store to pick up discounted produce and other grocery items. Yes, I do head to the store at a time where there are at most 10 customers in the store and five staff members.

When I need to go to a larger store, I use Google and pull up a location that will tell me roughly how large the crowds are at a given period of time. For Winco Foods, I try to head there 10 pm - 2 am when no one is there other than employees. For the local Mexican market, I get there between 7-9 am when there are no crowds.

I head to the large supermarkets and shop in-store only about once per month.

=================

By the way, now that my freezer is full, my pantry is overflowing and my refrigerator is tight, I have not been noticing any shortages

This is Illinois, but not Chicago, so mods move elsewhere if decided. We recently moved to my partner's hometown way down South in the state. To a town I have been visiting since we met over twenty years ago. And, while having spent most of my life in the big cities in our country AND having lived until the age of sixteen in Houston, TX...I spent a lot of time in the country on our family's ranches and farms...I was a legacy camper at a Summer camp, now ashram in the Hill Country that was originally homesteaded as a writers workshop by the three legendary Texas naturalists. I have milked a goat, or two.
We are still waiting on our stuff to arrive from New York City. Thankfully, what was at first a source of consternation turned out to be a boon: my partner's mom didn't entirely empty the house when she moved. Back to the thread: this is a dying town, was before the pandemic, moreso now. We were here last December and the terrible IGA was attempting to shore up profitability by offering beer, wine, and liquor. Unheard of for this area. God forfend! Well, apparently their god was unimpressed. They closed. Food desert town in America's heartland, you betcha. Now we have gas stations, and a well-stocked Family Dollar to choose from unless we have time to travel to the towns that have living IGA's, Walmarts, etc. Of course not many wear masks here, because, ain't no-one gonna tell me what to do! And, besides, this is all anti-Trump! I fall back on the family farm and oven-drying tomatoes and bhut jolokia. I want my dehydrator! Confit, I've been making, moles, salsas. Freezing all kinds of stuff because we have one of those giant freezers. And, pickles. Of course pickles. I made a brilliant steelhead trout with lemon butter dill(nothing special there) with lima beans fresh from the farm. Good things.

Sure, you go to the grocery store for milk, bread, frozen foods and chips. But how about shopping for the latest shoe fashions while you're at it?

Hy-Vee, a Midwestern supermarket chain, announced on Monday that DSW shoe outlets are opening in six of its grocery stores in Minnesota. Shoppers will be able to try on shoes, then order online.

https://www.npr.org/2020/09/21/91532622 ... pad&f=1001

Hi,

The Highland Park Library's cookbook club selection is on Jewish food.

It's been a while since I made chopped chicken livers, so I went out to buy chicken livers. I certainly would buy some, if I could find any.

I first stopped at Mariano's, where after reviewing the poultry section, I asked where chicken livers may be. The clerk advised they have chopped chicken livers, but no chicken livers. He thought it was odd, too, and believed they had discontinued ordering them.

At Woodman's today, I could find beef liver, but no chicken liver. A clerk advised they have had erratic deliveries of chicken livers. They were better stocked for the recent Jewish holidays, but he hasn't seen them since. A delivery was expected this evening, but he doubted any chicken livers would be included.

He began to apologize, so I told him there was none at Mariano's, too. I suggested we just chalk this up to another odd issue in this very weird year.

I remember LAZ was rather fond of chopped beef liver. I think I will hold out for chicken.

One the plus side, I did find pint size Ziploc freezer bags. Before I encountered them, I found Ziploc offers a Disney Frozen themed lunch bag. At least in Ziploc bags, Woodman's was fully stocked.

Regards,
Cathy2

You might find chicken livers as one of the more ethnically diverse grocery stores. I can remember looking for lamb shanks at Jewel and being told they were very seasonal. Then I went to Harvest Fresh, which is very Eastern European, and they had loads of lamb shanks. I would imagine the same might be true of chicken livers. The owners of Garden Fresh are Israeli, so they might have chicken livers.

Happy hunting.

Hi,

I bought fresh chicken livers at Shop and Save on Archer yesterday.

My sister commented she finds chicken livers at Jewel in the freezer section. I will have to remember to look when I am there next.

Regards,
CAthy2

Cathy2 wrote:Hi,

I bought fresh chicken livers at Shop and Save on Archer yesterday.

My sister commented she finds chicken livers at Jewel in the freezer section. I will have to remember to look when I am there next.

Regards,
CAthy2

I bought fresh chicken livers at the Wheeling Fresh Farms this morning.

Dave148 wrote:

Cathy2 wrote:Hi,

I bought fresh chicken livers at Shop and Save on Archer yesterday.

My sister commented she finds chicken livers at Jewel in the freezer section. I will have to remember to look when I am there next.

Regards,
CAthy2

I bought fresh chicken livers at the Wheeling Fresh Farms this morning.

That would have been my first place to look.

If they don't have them, Sunset in Highland Park will get them for you with a day or 2 notice.

I am starting to see hot bars at places like Whole Foods and Mariano's. I think that I would rather buy food that is prepackaged at this point.