The olive bar at the Whole Foods by me (in Elmhurst) is back to normal, with the caveat that there is a clear entry and path around the bar so that people don't bump into each other. Didn't even register to me as to if the hot bars were open again (they've been closed since March).

Hi,

Jewel in Highland Park no longer has floor stickers directing one-way traffic in the aisles.

The parking lot now has ten parking spaces devoted to picking up grocery orders. I did not see any spot used as I walked in or out.

Jewel had frozen chicken livers. The price for gizzards was $3.49. If that applied to livers, too, they can keep them.

Regards,
Cathy2

Cathy2 wrote:Jewel in Highland Park no longer has floor stickers directing one-way traffic in the aisles.
Cathy2

I hope more places do away with this convention. I understand why it seemed like a good idea, and applaud the attempt. In my experience, however, it is very confusing, and I have lost count of how many times I have forgotten to look and caught myself going the wrong way down a one-way aisle. The important issue seems to be the distancing, and it doesn't matter from which direction we enter an aisle, the key is how we separate ourselves once we encounter others

Cathy2 wrote:Hi,

Jewel in Highland Park no longer has floor stickers directing one-way traffic in the aisles.

Are you sure it's permanent? They pull them up to scrub the floors. OTOH, Mount Prospect didn't have them on Saturday either, so they either use the same floor plan schedule or it's a change in policy.

HI,

I was in Lake Forest Jewel, too. No one-way stickers, though there were still the six-foot separation stickers on the floor by the cashiers.

Regards,
Cathy2

shorty wrote: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.

They have always had an ick factor just like any buffet that had nothing to do with the pandemic for me.

Basically, if I wasn't there first or watched some employee just fill it I passed pre-pandemic anyhow with some totally limited exceptions. I have had ick-factor issues with buffets forever. For whatever reason, I would also seem to always see someone or something gross occurring so that reinforced my feelings.

Pilgrim’s Pride to Pay $110 Million to Settle Charges of Fixing Chicken Prices.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/14/busi ... m-share-v1

"In 2019, Pilgrim’s Pride reported $11.4 billion in sales. It said the $110.5 million fine would be recorded as a “miscellaneous expense” in its next quarterly report."

$11.4 billion / $110.5 million = < 1%

I was in the Whole Foods at downtown Evanston yesterday, and they still had the arrows on the floor. Their aisles aren't as wide as Jewels are, and so it is harder to pass somebody going the wrong direction. One thing that I liked is that as I entered the store, they had a sign posted reminding people to wear their mask correctly.

The last time time I went into Sam's Club a few weeks ago, I was there for probably only 10-15 minutes to pick up a prescription and to purchase a box of Swiss Miss cocoa mix, and I passed at least 10 people that were not wearing their mask correctly, including one employee. I felt like going up to them to ask them to cover their nose, but if I did that I could be there all day stopping people. I wonder if Sam's Club and Walmart still limit the number of customers in the store? When I was in Sam's Club last month, the checkout line went all the way to the back of the store. People were kind of social distancing , but still. I decided I did not want to get in line there. This was on a Saturday.

NFriday wrote:I was in the Whole Foods at downtown Evanston yesterday, and they still had the arrows on the floor. Their aisles aren't as wide as Jewels are, and so it is harder to pass somebody going the wrong direction. One thing that I liked is that as I entered the store, they had a sign posted reminding people to wear their mask correctly.

The last time time I went into Sam's Club a few weeks ago, I was there for probably only 10-15 minutes to pick up a prescription and to purchase a box of Swiss Miss cocoa mix, and I passed at least 10 people that were not wearing their mask correctly, including one employee. I felt like going up to them to ask them to cover their nose, but if I did that I could be there all day stopping people. I wonder if Sam's Club and Walmart still limit the number of customers in the store? When I was in Sam's Club last month, the checkout line went all the way to the back of the store. People were kind of social distancing , but still. I decided I did not want to get in line there. This was on a Saturday.

Assuming you have a smartphone, put the Sam’s Club app on it. You scan each item into the app as you shop. When you’re ready to leave, pay with a credit card in the app. You show the QR code as you exit the store. Easy peasy and no lines. There’s free WiFi in the store.

Harrison’s Poultry in Glenview on Waukegan just south of Lake-should have plenty of chicken livers. Call ahead.

Grocery prices are down from their COVID-19 summer peaks. But here’s why your food bills are still stubbornly high.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/business ... 7#nws=true

Chicago-area grocers stock up to ward off shortages as COVID-19 cases rise. ‘We’re always chasing one thing to the next.’

After shelves were emptied of goods like toilet paper, canned food and hand sanitizer at the start of the pandemic, Chicago-area grocery stores and suppliers are stocking up to avert shortages as coronavirus cases rise in Illinois.

Hi,

At Costco Mettawa yesterday, they are limiting purchases of toilet paper and paper towels to one each.

At Jewel the other day, I saw people buying these same products. I felt a Pavlovian itch to buy the same. I resisted until I got home to take an inventory, then decided I may be month or so early, to pull the trigger.

I have enough dishwasher detergent to get through mid-January. I am ok on the stuff needed to make life pleasant.

Regards,
CAthy2

I am down to my last package of toilet paper, and so I should buy some the next time I am in Jewel or Sams Club. I was afraid that people were going to start hoarding again.

I changed my zip code at Jewel to get the $.49 bag of spinach, and I got charged $2.50 for it, and so maybe they figured out what people were doing, and stopped it. I did get $5 off $5 purchase as one of my personalized deals, and when I got charged $2.50 for the spinach, I got pushed over $100 for purchases, and so I did become eligible for a reward, and so it evens itself out.

I just discovered that for people who get the $5 off $50 though, it is $50 before sales and coupons are deducted. Somebody at a Facebook group I post on, got a personalized deal of $2.49 a pound for a roast that was $55 before the personalized deal, and then got lowered to $19. She then had a $5 off $50 coupon which she was able to use, and a $7 off a $7 meal purchase, and then she used a 10% off on your next purchase that she got when she got her flu shot. She got a $55 roast for under $6

Patel Brothers has temporarily closed its Devon Ave location. https://chicago.eater.com/2020/5/12/212 ... oronavirus

Hi- In case people don't know about it, all grocery stores in Illinois will be limited to 50% capacity starting tomorrow 11/20. It says that department stores will be limited to 25% capacity, so does Target, Sams Club, Costco and Walmart fall into the department store category?

No way would I go grocery shopping the day before Thanksgiving, or even this weekend. I knew the governor had to do something soon. There were 46 people diagnosed today in Evanston.

There was supposed to be a farmers market in Evanston on Saturday which was going to be totally outside, but then the health department decided to cancel it because the numbers are so bad. Some of the farmer's are setting up at the site of the summer market this weekend, but it is strictly pre order, and you have to stay in your car, and prop open your trunk, so they can place your order there.

I just found out that the big box stores such as Target, Walmart, Sams Club and Costco will be limited to 25% of capacity.

So...I bring to our small Thanksgiving this year, my old skool green bean casserole(stocking up now), my simple small potatoes with butter and a shitload of flat leaf parsley(again, stocking up), and, I have persimmon puree from the farm, thinking muffins with a berry compound butter(so as not to compete with any cranberry compote that could appear).

Has anybody been to any of the big box stores such as Costco, Target, Walmart or Sams Club since they got knocked down to a maximum of 25% of capacity yesterday? I assume Jerry's is down to 50% of capacity, but I imagine the lines there are long too.

NFriday wrote:Has anybody been to any of the big box stores such as Costco, Target, Walmart or Sams Club since they got knocked down to a maximum of 25% of capacity yesterday? I assume Jerry's is down to 50% of capacity, but I imagine the lines there are long too.

Costco at 7PM yesterday was pretty normal, not much crowd (we were there mainly for the optical shop). Jewel right after was pretty empty, there were more people stocking shelves than customers. Neither had TP, but we're OK for a month at least.

Hi,

I think people anticipated something like this might happen. Whereas back in March, it was a shock to the system.

I expect people planned ahead just in case this may happen.

I did buy a big bag of garlic last week, so I am good.

Regards,
CAthy2

Cathy2 wrote:Hi,

I think people anticipated something like this might happen. Whereas back in March, it was a shock to the system.

I expect people planned ahead just in case this may happen.

CAthy2

I will be the first to admit that both my freezers are very full. My pantry is currently overstocked with canned goods including canned beef and pork should we encounter another "shortage" due to the pandemic.

I find it troubling when the meat packing industry warns us of a pending meat shortage and then notes in their SEC filings that they have shipped 2-3x their normal exports to other country. Currently, I am carrying a 3-4 months supply of meats as I am currently cooking for 3-5 people each day.

Here in Southern Arizona, I am getting overwhelmed this year with the amount of surplus produce this year. In the past week, I have received:

2 Watermelons
3 Honeydews
8 cucumbers
15 Persian cucumbers
20 yellow squash
10 zucchini squash
6 eggplants
4 grey squash

and 2 cases of 12/17 oz Muscle Milk. What that stuff is, I have no clue.

Fortunately, I have found homes for most of the produce.

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

What is troublesome to me is that when the pandemic seems to get worse, the retailers start to compress their hours. For the past two months on the rare occasion that I hit a supermarket these days, I like to hit the dollar store at 8:30 pm on Sunday night and the Kroger store at 10:30 pm. By shopping at "off hours", I am generally the ONLY customer in the store.

Where do you get all of the produce for free? I just picked up lots of produce today that one of the farmers that comes to Evanston was selling in bulk. Since the farmer's market that was supposed to take place yesterday, got cancelled because of the pandemic, he was given permission to sell his stuff only by preorder, and I had to drive up in my car and get in line, and give him my sheet with my name, and whether I was doing bulk or CSA pickup, and then I propped open my trunk, and somebody put it all in my trunk. It all cost me $103 though. It only took me 5 minutes to get in line and get my veggies though.

I might go to Jewel and Valli tonight or tomorrow afternoon though. It has been 9 days since I have gone to the grocery store.

NFriday wrote:Where do you get all of the produce for free? I just picked up lots of produce today that one of the farmers that comes to Evanston was selling in bulk. Since the farmer's market that was supposed to take place yesterday, got cancelled because of the pandemic, he was given permission to sell his stuff only by preorder, and I had to drive up in my car and get in line, and give him my sheet with my name, and whether I was doing bulk or CSA pickup, and then I propped open my trunk, and somebody put it all in my trunk.

Borderlands Food Bank offers a program called "Produce On Wheels - With Out Waste" that provides up to 70# of produce for $12 in markets in Phoenix and Tucson. Since most of the produce produces in Western Mexico is shipped through the Port of Nogales, AZ, there are major produce distribution centers just north of Nogales in Rio Rico. When the brokers cannot move the produce due to demand (or oversupply), they donate or to this charity for a tax deduction.

Borderlands gets rid of the produce in three ways. First, it ships produce to a variety of food banks in the western states. Second, it distributes produce to Arizona families through their POW-WOW program. Also, it operates an independent food banks in BOTH Nodales, AZ and Nogales, SN.

In addition to getting produce to those in need, the charity has substantially reduced the solid waste disposal in Santa Cruz Co., AZ.

I get produce free through a number of friends who buy a carload of produce in Nogales and know that a couple of my friends and I cook for our elderly neighbors who can no longer cook

Over the course of the year, we get a lot of food from neighbors who we provide with produce. We get food from snowbirds who are heading home and want to clean out their refrigerators. We also do a lot of "share the wealth." If one of us in our circle of friends some across a great deal, we text each other and give everyone a chance to get in on it.

Kid Charlemagne wrote:The olive bar at the Whole Foods by me (in Elmhurst) is back to normal, with the caveat that there is a clear entry and path around the bar so that people don't bump into each other. Didn't even register to me as to if the hot bars were open again (they've been closed since March).

When the outbreak first occurred in Arizona, all bulk food was discontinued. Two of the chains have handled it differently. Sprouts, the "natural" grocery had their employees bad all the bulk foods and have continued to do so. Winco Foods closed down their bulk food department for several months when they cut back their operating hours. Now they are back to 24 hours and bulk food is back as before.

We prefer 24 hour groceries as the crowds are pretty minimal at 2 am. Seriously.

The onset of the coronavirus pandemic and the sudden lockdowns that followed ushered in a seismic shift in consumer behavior and unexpected changes in the food and beverage industry landscape. Many homebound Americans began drinking more alcohol -- a trend that has remained steady for the past several months.

https://www.smartbrief.com/original/202 ... urce=brief

Hi,

I was in Woodman's in Buffalo Grove about 10 days ago. The checkout area was set-up for a surge in panic buying: you had to begin checkout from one-end only. Any aisles leading to check-out were taped off to obligate you to enter the check-out funnel from one direction only.

This same set-up was how Woodman's was arranged for months and finally dismantled during the summer.

There was no panic buying surge evident. I have a feeling many are prepared enough so they do not need to.

Regards,
Cathy2

Cathy2 wrote:Hi,

I was in Woodman's in Buffalo Grove about 10 days ago. The checkout area was set-up for a surge in panic buying: you had to begin checkout from one-end only. Any aisles leading to check-out were taped off to obligate you to enter the check-out funnel from one direction only.

This same set-up was how Woodman's was arranged for months and finally dismantled during the summer.

There was no panic buying surge evident. I have a feeling many are prepared enough so they do not need to.

Regards,
Cathy2

As of this morning, the surge setup is no longer. The did however have your $.99 bags of bananas.

I was in Hagen's Fish Market this afternoon. For much of the summer all sales were through a window opening to the parking lot. They now are using the main store with a limit of five customers. When a sixth person tried to come in, he was asked to wait outside, which he did.