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Comparative Experience Shopping in the Time of Covid

Comparative Experience Shopping in the Time of Covid
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  • Post #61 - July 9th, 2020, 2:53 pm
    Post #61 - July 9th, 2020, 2:53 pm Post #61 - July 9th, 2020, 2:53 pm
    At least bread flour and yeast are a lot easier to find right now. I think it is too hot for people to bake bread, but right now there is a shortage of aluminum cans because people are drinking pop and beer at home instead of at a restaurant. I've also heard that there is a run on sweet corn this summer. People are staying home to eat, and everyone knows how to fix corn. I suspect that if people want corn at the farmers market in a few weeks, they should get there early. I don't know if they are going to make people buy a dozen ears of corn this summer at the market. I hope not. I only buy six ears of corn at a time. I am sure the farmers will not let people pick out their own corn. Hope this helps, Nancy
  • Post #62 - July 9th, 2020, 6:08 pm
    Post #62 - July 9th, 2020, 6:08 pm Post #62 - July 9th, 2020, 6:08 pm
    NFriday wrote:I've also heard that there is a run on sweet corn this summer.

    Just before the fourth, Jewel had it at 79¢/ear, and what they had was scrawny. We did without.
    What is patriotism, but the love of good things we ate in our childhood?
    -- Lin Yutang
  • Post #63 - July 9th, 2020, 6:46 pm
    Post #63 - July 9th, 2020, 6:46 pm Post #63 - July 9th, 2020, 6:46 pm
    NFriday wrote:At least bread flour and yeast are a lot easier to find right now. ...
    I'm noticing a lack of cake mixes now. I'm guessing that production of those was reduced for flour production. Not that I use that many, but the selection around here is definitely lacking.
    The thing about quotes on the internet is you can not confirm their validity. -- Abraham Lincoln
  • Post #64 - July 10th, 2020, 11:52 am
    Post #64 - July 10th, 2020, 11:52 am Post #64 - July 10th, 2020, 11:52 am
    Still no bread flour in the stores I've been in lately, but I did find a package of Bob's Red Mill vital wheat gluten (VWG) so I could pump up the gluten content of my AP flour. The VWG package I bought was one of only two left yesterday at Jewel. I paid more per ounce than my brother, who's got a lot of experience with breadmaking, said I should have, since I can get VWG online, but I just wanted to get some and get on with my pizza dough and bread making. If I have better luck than I've had in the past, I'll buy more at a better price. My brother sent me detailed instructions on proportioning.
    "Your swimming suit matches your eyes, you hold your nose before diving, loving you has made me bananas!"
  • Post #65 - July 10th, 2020, 12:40 pm
    Post #65 - July 10th, 2020, 12:40 pm Post #65 - July 10th, 2020, 12:40 pm
    I just checked, and Target does not carry KA bread flour. I was surprised. They carry the AP, whole wheat and white whole wheat flour though. I know there are not a lot of Walmart fans here, but Walmart carries White Lilly bread flour on line, and yes they have it in stock. I am not sure if they carry it in their stores. I don't go to Walmart a whole lot. If you order it online though you have to spend $35 before you get free shipping.
  • Post #66 - July 10th, 2020, 1:13 pm
    Post #66 - July 10th, 2020, 1:13 pm Post #66 - July 10th, 2020, 1:13 pm
    NFriday wrote:I just checked, and Target does not carry KA bread flour. I was surprised. They carry the AP, whole wheat and white whole wheat flour though. I know there are not a lot of Walmart fans here, but Walmart carries White Lilly bread flour on line, and yes they have it in stock. I am not sure if they carry it in their stores. I don't go to Walmart a whole lot. If you order it online though you have to spend $35 before you get free shipping.

    Target does carry KA bread flour, I've bought it there before. They just hide it on their site if it is limited or out of stock. Here's the listing for it:

    https://www.target.com/p/king-arthur-fl ... A-14777576
  • Post #67 - July 10th, 2020, 1:47 pm
    Post #67 - July 10th, 2020, 1:47 pm Post #67 - July 10th, 2020, 1:47 pm
    Plenty of KA flour at Target in Highland Park. YMMV
    Never order barbecue in a place that also serves quiche - Lewis Grizzard
  • Post #68 - July 12th, 2020, 9:11 am
    Post #68 - July 12th, 2020, 9:11 am Post #68 - July 12th, 2020, 9:11 am
    Oreo-Maker Mondelez Plans to Kill One of Every Four Products

    https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles ... r-products
    Never order barbecue in a place that also serves quiche - Lewis Grizzard
  • Post #69 - July 12th, 2020, 3:58 pm
    Post #69 - July 12th, 2020, 3:58 pm Post #69 - July 12th, 2020, 3:58 pm
    Dave148 wrote:
    Oreo-Maker Mondelez Plans to Kill One of Every Four Products

    https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles ... r-products



    That way they can introduce another 50 varieties of Oreos ...

    I wonder when they last came up with something original.
  • Post #70 - July 13th, 2020, 12:45 pm
    Post #70 - July 13th, 2020, 12:45 pm Post #70 - July 13th, 2020, 12:45 pm
    Online food prices jump as food companies struggle to meet demand

    https://www.marketwatch.com/story/onlin ... =home-page
    Never order barbecue in a place that also serves quiche - Lewis Grizzard
  • Post #71 - July 13th, 2020, 5:49 pm
    Post #71 - July 13th, 2020, 5:49 pm Post #71 - July 13th, 2020, 5:49 pm
    jlawrence01 wrote:That way they can introduce another 50 varieties of Oreos ...

    I wonder when they last came up with something original.
    Well, they copied Hydrox for the Oreo, so have they come up with any original, ever?
    The thing about quotes on the internet is you can not confirm their validity. -- Abraham Lincoln
  • Post #72 - July 16th, 2020, 7:43 am
    Post #72 - July 16th, 2020, 7:43 am Post #72 - July 16th, 2020, 7:43 am
    Mariano’s and other Kroger grocery stores stop giving customers coin change. Citing a coin shortage at the Federal Reserve, the grocery company is loading coin change onto loyalty cards or encouraging customers to round up for charity.

    https://chicago.suntimes.com/business/2 ... oin-change
    Never order barbecue in a place that also serves quiche - Lewis Grizzard
  • Post #73 - July 16th, 2020, 12:13 pm
    Post #73 - July 16th, 2020, 12:13 pm Post #73 - July 16th, 2020, 12:13 pm
    I was just at the Skokie Boulevard Jewel - Paying with cash at the self checkout is no longer an option...
    "Goldie, how many times have I told you guys that I don't want no horsin' around on the airplane?"
  • Post #74 - July 17th, 2020, 7:34 am
    Post #74 - July 17th, 2020, 7:34 am Post #74 - July 17th, 2020, 7:34 am
    In a social-distance-minded economy, countless sectors are being forced to innovate – grocery shops in particular.

    https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20 ... or=ES-213-[BBC%20Features%20Newsletter]-2020July17-
    Never order barbecue in a place that also serves quiche - Lewis Grizzard
  • Post #75 - July 18th, 2020, 8:34 pm
    Post #75 - July 18th, 2020, 8:34 pm Post #75 - July 18th, 2020, 8:34 pm
    HI,

    I was at Jewel, Costco and Trader Joe's today. At all three locations, I paid with cash and received change. From reports here and there as well as on the news, I was expecting to pay with plastic.

    I tend to grab any cart lingering in the parking lot to bring into the store. At Costco, I was asked to leave my cart to be cleaned and please take another cart. At Trader Joe's,
    I was greeted by someone who oversaw cleaning the carts. When I left, I placed my cart by the entrance to be cleaned.

    Jewel around noon had seemingly more people than Costco around 3 pm. I went late enough to Trader Joe's, there was no line.

    Costco had no bricks of cheddar cheese. Only choice for toilet paper and paper towels: Kirkland. Scott toilet paper was available yesterday, but not today.

    I called Costco's food court as I walked in to order a pizza. There are now two choices: pepperoni or cheese. I went with pepperoni, because my family would not understand a cheese-only pizza. They offered a 12-minute wait, which I shifted to 30 minutes. It was ready when I was. If you buy a drink and want a refill, they will provide a fresh cup.

    I have not been to Trader Joe's since February. When I wanted to checkout, a guy waved me over to his lane. Then I watched him move shopping bags from one check-out lane to another. I really wasn't sure why all this jostling. It appears I arrived at the hourly change-over from one lane to another to allow for sanitizing. I guess I will be better prepared for the future.
    Cathy2

    "You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
    Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways,
  • Post #76 - July 18th, 2020, 11:12 pm
    Post #76 - July 18th, 2020, 11:12 pm Post #76 - July 18th, 2020, 11:12 pm
    The Jewel on Chicago Ave in Evanston when I was there last night had a sign that if you were paying with cash, you could not use the self checkout. They also had a sign as I entered the store asking for people to bring in their change they have at home and customer service will pay you the equivalent amount of money in bills. Aldi's also asks you to charge your order, unless you can pay with exact change. Whole Foods will not take cash. The only places I pay with cash is the Evanston Farmer's Market, because there are a few people there that charge you extra if you charge your purchase, but most of the farmer's there accept credit, and if I am buying something from them, I will charge it.
  • Post #77 - July 19th, 2020, 8:22 am
    Post #77 - July 19th, 2020, 8:22 am Post #77 - July 19th, 2020, 8:22 am
    Last Thursday, I had a meeting cancel at the last moment so I changed clothes and raced up to Racine, Wisconsin to meet the Georgia Peach truck( Tree-Ripe Fruit). Afterwards I went to Blain's Farm and Fleet ( this is where the truck was situated) I was greeted by a gent leaving the store with his mask in hand who called out to me that he hated wearing masks. Inside, everyone had a mask on that I saw, although I don't recall it being a store requirement. They have a decent old-timey candy selection. I picked up a pack of gum drops ( I gifted them because I suspect they have gelatin in them although it wasn't on the label) and the classic lemon drops shaped like little lemons.

    My next stop was Woodman's EDITED: in Wisconsin. Again, there was no signage requiring a mask.
    Inside, there were a lot of folks with masks on so I did not feel odd. But there were a lot of folks without masks on as well. It felt so odd seeing unmasked folks chatting with each other and roaming the aisles.

    I needed to fortify so I stopped at the Starbucks just opposite of Woodman's before heading back to Chicago. There's a sign on the door requiring a mask for service. I subsequently learned that Starbucks has a national policy on wearing masks. I also learned some of the other major chains do, including Walmart starting tomorrow(this is the primary grocery store for many people across the country in less-densely populated areas), Target, Costco(since May), Aldi, Albertson, Walgreens,CVS, Albertson, Schmucks, and Kroger. https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/20 ... 446365002/

    This is going to be interesting.
    Last edited by pairs4life on July 19th, 2020, 12:56 pm, edited 1 time in total.
    Ava-"If you get down and out, just get in the kitchen and bake a cake."- Jean Strickland

    Horto In Urbs- Falling in love with Urban Vegetable Gardening
  • Post #78 - July 19th, 2020, 8:26 am
    Post #78 - July 19th, 2020, 8:26 am Post #78 - July 19th, 2020, 8:26 am
    Comfort Viewing: 3 Reasons I Love ‘Supermarket Sweep’
    In an era of toilet paper shortages and lines outside of supermarkets, this vintage free-for-all, now on Netflix, feels oddly gratifying.

    https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/17/arts ... ticleShare
    Never order barbecue in a place that also serves quiche - Lewis Grizzard
  • Post #79 - July 19th, 2020, 8:50 am
    Post #79 - July 19th, 2020, 8:50 am Post #79 - July 19th, 2020, 8:50 am
    Dave148 wrote:
    Comfort Viewing: 3 Reasons I Love ‘Supermarket Sweep’
    In an era of toilet paper shortages and lines outside of supermarkets, this vintage free-for-all, now on Netflix, feels oddly gratifying.

    https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/17/arts ... ticleShare


    Sort of similar is Guy's Grocery Games, where chefs run through the store picking up ingredients and then compete in creating dishes. There's all sorts of wacky things like you're only allowed to shop in odd or even aisles, sometimes you have a price limit, sometimes you have to use some absurdly small bag. The cooking part is actually fairly standard FoodTV fare. Then at the end the winning chef needs to run around the store to find specific items and the more they find within the time limit the larger their prize.
    Hey - it fills some time in endless days at home.
  • Post #80 - July 19th, 2020, 10:15 am
    Post #80 - July 19th, 2020, 10:15 am Post #80 - July 19th, 2020, 10:15 am
    HI,

    Woodman's in Buffalo Grove has signs at the door reminding the local government declares mandatory mask wearing.

    I took Mom to a doctor's appointment last week. I handed her a mask to put on while I got a wheelchair. Yes, she could walk there, but it is quite a distance. When I wheeled her into the office, I saw wide eyes on people's faces. Mom still had the mask in her hand, but not on her face. If you do not wear a mask, you get quite a few looks reminding you of your social responsibilities.

    At Costco yesterday, while I was checking out the man behind me was suddenly at less than arm's length. I looked at him, then gently reminded, "If life were not so weird presently, I would not mind. Please move back." He was very apologetic and moved back.

    Regards,
    Cathy2
    Cathy2

    "You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
    Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways,
  • Post #81 - July 22nd, 2020, 1:00 pm
    Post #81 - July 22nd, 2020, 1:00 pm Post #81 - July 22nd, 2020, 1:00 pm
    I went to the Buffalo Grove Farmer's Market two weeks ago. The larger vegetable/fruit stalls were crowded. Waiting around for people to check out did not work since there was really no queue/line type of system. I am probably better off going to some kind of farmstand like Didier Farms.
  • Post #82 - July 22nd, 2020, 8:39 pm
    Post #82 - July 22nd, 2020, 8:39 pm Post #82 - July 22nd, 2020, 8:39 pm
    Hi- I have never been to the Buffalo Grove Farmer's Market, but I took a look at their Facebook page, and it looks like they only have seven farmer's selling fruits and veggies. At the Evanston market we don't have the problem of people bunching up. In the first place, we have a much larger market, and we have a lot more people selling produce, and the only farmers that have a line have things under control so people are social distanced and are in a well organized line. We do have one farmer who's line seems to be longer than anybody else's, but there is a person at the front of the line letting people in the tent to purchase the produce. The first couple of weeks they had problems controlling the line for Nichols, but then the market manager decided to move Nichols to a different location nowhere near the entrance, and that seems to work a lot better.

    You might post on Buffalo Grove's Farmer Market Facebook page, and mention which farmers did not have organized lines. Most of the people that control the crowds at the Evanston market are city employees. It sounds like Buffalo Grove has mostly volunteers managing the crowd, but does seem to have somebody in charge of the market. Maybe if you went later, the crowds would not be as bad, although I noticed that the market is only open from 8:00-12:30, where as the Evanston market is open from 7:00-1:00. You might also try going to a different market such as Paletine on Saturday. Hope this helps, Nancy
  • Post #83 - July 25th, 2020, 12:13 pm
    Post #83 - July 25th, 2020, 12:13 pm Post #83 - July 25th, 2020, 12:13 pm
    NFriday wrote:Hi- I have never been to the Buffalo Grove Farmer's Market, but I took a look at their Facebook page, and it looks like they only have seven farmer's selling fruits and veggies.

    Nancy, thanks for your advice. I have tried the Lake Zurich, Barrington, and Buffalo Grove Farmer's Markets, but not Palatine. I tried going to the Buffalo Grove Farmer's Market again at open. It was better since it was less crowded.
  • Post #84 - August 2nd, 2020, 8:18 am
    Post #84 - August 2nd, 2020, 8:18 am Post #84 - August 2nd, 2020, 8:18 am
    Nichols Farm just posted on Facebook that they’re at Big Star Wicker Park until 11am donating unsold produce to anyone in need.
    Never order barbecue in a place that also serves quiche - Lewis Grizzard
  • Post #85 - August 5th, 2020, 9:37 pm
    Post #85 - August 5th, 2020, 9:37 pm Post #85 - August 5th, 2020, 9:37 pm
    Dave148 wrote: Nichols Farm just posted on Facebook that they’re at Big Star Wicker Park until 11am donating unsold produce to anyone in need.
    According to Eater Chicago, it seems a behind-the-scenes machination had Nichols Farm ejected from the Wicker Park Farmers Market.
    Valuable links for survival, without the monetization attempt: https://pqrs-ltd.xyz/bookmark4.html
  • Post #86 - August 10th, 2020, 3:18 pm
    Post #86 - August 10th, 2020, 3:18 pm Post #86 - August 10th, 2020, 3:18 pm
    How toilet paper and avocados help explain the grocery store of the future.
    https://www.fastcompany.com/90537994/ho ... the-future
    Never order barbecue in a place that also serves quiche - Lewis Grizzard
  • Post #87 - August 11th, 2020, 2:45 pm
    Post #87 - August 11th, 2020, 2:45 pm Post #87 - August 11th, 2020, 2:45 pm
    Kroger to build web marketplace to compete with Amazon and Walmart = https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles ... on-walmart
    Never order barbecue in a place that also serves quiche - Lewis Grizzard
  • Post #88 - August 11th, 2020, 3:06 pm
    Post #88 - August 11th, 2020, 3:06 pm Post #88 - August 11th, 2020, 3:06 pm
    Dave148 wrote:Kroger to build web marketplace to compete with Amazon and Walmart = https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles ... on-walmart

    Haha, excellent. It'll be super convenient to avoid Kroger without even having to leave the house! :D

    =R=
    Same planet, different world
  • Post #89 - August 12th, 2020, 7:43 am
    Post #89 - August 12th, 2020, 7:43 am Post #89 - August 12th, 2020, 7:43 am
    Add Dr Pepper to the list of pandemic-induced shortages. Like toilet paper before it, the popular soda is widely unavailable in some parts of the US.

    https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/11/business ... 7227659091
    Never order barbecue in a place that also serves quiche - Lewis Grizzard
  • Post #90 - August 12th, 2020, 9:58 am
    Post #90 - August 12th, 2020, 9:58 am Post #90 - August 12th, 2020, 9:58 am
    Dave148 wrote:
    Add Dr Pepper to the list of pandemic-induced shortages. Like toilet paper before it, the popular soda is widely unavailable in some parts of the US.

    https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/11/business ... 7227659091

    Odd, because Dr. Pepper was a Jewel loss leader last week priced at 39 cents a bottle when you purchase four bottles.

    Regards,
    CAthy2
    Cathy2

    "You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
    Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways,

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