Life during the pandemic (Mentor, McDonald: sales, houses, buying)

[WRnative]

It may be useful to have a thread to post observations, tips, etc., about life in Ohio during the pandemic.

This thread was inspired by a short morning drive today. I, perhaps very stupidly, went to McDonald's drive-through this morning to get breakfast, especially a large McDonald's coffee. Coming home, I noticed this line of traffic stretching out into the street and wondered what was causing it.

As I drove by, I noticed that there must have been a double line of cars waiting to get service at the drive-through windows of a Huntington Bank branch. With bank lobbies closed, this is the new alternative for those needing assistance, although some banks will schedule person-to-person appointments if requested. There must have been 30-40 cars waiting for service.

One concern that I have is whether retail outlets will close before I am able to buy tomato and other plants for my garden. This may seem insignificant, but if farm production is interrupted, backyard gardens may be very important to the nation's food supply in 2020. In WWII, home gardening was greatly encouraged and these gardens were referred to as "victory gardens."

Also, gardening is a great time-consuming outdoor activity when everything else is closed.

I've spoken with store personnel stocking shelves and they tell me that they aren't even receiving shipments of canned vegetables. It's possible that all stocks are exhausted and won't be replaced until after this year's growing season, unless supplies are available from other countries. Only canned spinach () was on the canned vegetable shelves of a local Meijer on my last visit. BTW, I like canned spinach; I use it in quiches and as a bed (fried with onions) for fish and even on frozen thin pizzas. I normally have no use for canned carrots, but with the possibility that fresh carrots may be in short supply at some point, I wish I had many cans on hand.

I also wish that I had bought a free-standing freezer, something that I had considered for years. When I was at Costco last week, I noticed that store was sold out of the small chest freezers (I don't want a chest freezer) always in stock.

[ZnGuy]

There is no shortage of food, only shortage is logistics, getting food to stores. I always keep 3-4 mos of steaks, chicken, pork, vegetables ..and alcohol, cigars..

[greenvillebuckeye]

There is no shortage of food as is mentioned. Some grocery chains down here in South Carolina have begun to intentionally hold back on releasing product on to the shelves to combat panic buying.

[joe from dayton]

OP, the stock of vegetables is not exhausted, and food production is running as normal.

[WRnative]

Originally Posted by WRnative

I've spoken with store personnel stocking shelves and they tell me that they aren't even receiving shipments of canned vegetables. It's possible that all stocks are exhausted and won't be replaced until after this year's growing season, unless supplies are available from other countries.

Originally Posted by joe from dayton

OP, the stock of vegetables is not exhausted, and food production is running as normal.

Read more carefully. I didn't say that supplies of vegetables are exhausted. E.g., I haven't noticed shortages of frozen vegetables, such as broccoli. In contrast, the canned vegetable supply chain seems exhausted at Meijer and perhaps other grocery chains. Why do you dismiss the possibility that canned vegetable supplies may be difficult to replenish absent the purchase of vegetables from other countries or until after the North American growing season? Please explain if you have an objective reason for confidence that the canned vegetable supply chain is not exhausted in the U.S.

Admittedly, my speculation was based on the explanation of one shelf stocker at Meijer who said supplies of canned vegetables aren't even arriving at Meijer's Mentor store, and on the fact that every grocery I've visited for over a week had empty canned vegetable shelves, paralleling the shortages of disinfecting cleaners and alcohols. The obvious difference between vegetables and the latter two products is that it's unlikely there is a shortage of raw materials, just a tremendous surge in demand, for the latter two products.

If supplies of frozen and fresh vegetables remain adequate, then there will not be a vegetable crisis in the U.S. Thankfully, Ohio is a large producer of seasonal vegetable supplies.

As I don't normally buy canned vegetables, I missed the reported shortage of canned vegetables that took place last summer. Given the abnormal surge in demand due to the COVID-19 crisis, it wouldn't be surprising that the supply of canned vegetables is exhausted four months earlier than in 2019.

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-...egetable-items

Hopefully farmers and farm workers experience a low incidence of infection, and we're able to bring in our normal supply of temporary farm workers from other countries this year. I wonder if there are shortages of vegetable seeds as prescient Americans prepare to plant much larger gardens this year. Also, there may be shortages of canning supplies.

Just thinking logically, so thanks for your comment.

[joe from dayton]

As you said, your speculation was based on the comments of a single shelf stocker at the store -- it was not based on anything anyone in the production of canned food, or the supply chain has said, which makes it pretty easy to dismiss the comment.

[WRnative]

Originally Posted by joe from dayton

As you said, your speculation was based on the comments of a single shelf stocker at the store -- it was not based on anything anyone in the production of canned food, or the supply chain has said, which makes it pretty easy to dismiss the comment.

When the shelves for a product are empty for a week or more, it's clear that the supply chain for the product is overwhelmed. Surely, you understand this reality.


So the question with canned vegetables, as there is a finite supply of vegetables in North America and by March they likely all have been processed unless new supplies are being harvested in Mexico, Florida, CA, etc., is whether the supply for this season has been exhausted. I documented that this occurred in July 2019.


Why do you dismiss the possibility that the supply of canned vegetables perhaps is exhausted when the shelves are bare? You've provided no evidence that the supply of canned vegetables is not exhausted, even though shelves are devoid of product.


Regardless, I bought the last two cans of canned carrots on the shelves of my Giant Eagle during the senior hour today. I've noticed that large cans of certain vegetables generally are widely available, notably of yams.


If a month from now, if the canned vegetable shelves still are empty, we'll know that the supplies for this season are exhausted. I don't know when new supplies will reach the market from FL, CA, or other nations, particularly Mexico.


As I have a large supply of canned tomatoes, I haven't paid attention to the availability of processed tomato products. I've seen no shortage of fresh tomatoes, where supplies now in my area are sourced from Canadian greenhouses or from Mexico; I've been able to buy Roma tomatoes for around $1-1.50/lb. Ohio is third largest producer fresh tomatoes, but dwarfed by CA, and clearly new supplies from Ohio won't be available for many months. It seems persons aren't hoarding fresh vegetables, although this somewhat possible if persons have vacuum storage systems or actually can purchased vegetables; the former is a larger possibility based on my discussions.


https://www.statista.com/statistics/...tes-in-the-us/

[WRnative]

To shelter in place for weeks at a time, persons should consider purchasing boxes of almond milk or soy milk from Costco or elsewhere. These products can be stored for several months and don't spoil as rapidly as milk once individual cartons are opened. Powdered milk may be another option, but it may be in short supply.

As Gov. Dewine doesn't expect the epidemic to peak in Ohio until the first week of May (see post 4 in the following thread), perhaps supplies should be built up in order to shelter-in-place, never leaving the home, between mid-April and mid-May. Certainly consider the possibility of home delivery and curbside pick-up services for groceries.

//www.city-data.com/forum/ohio/...l#post57661305

And, IF the lockdown is ended before the epidemic peaks, the danger of infection may increase considerably for several weeks.

[ohioaninsc]

My stock of Bourbon, Rum, Gin, and Vodka is all being depleted...I hope liquor stores can remain open...I think we all need that.

[WRnative]

Originally Posted by ohioaninsc

My stock of Bourbon, Rum, Gin, and Vodka is all being depleted...I hope liquor stores can remain open...I think we all need that.

Aren't a lot of the state liquor stores inside grocery stores these days? I know I've seen them inside Giant Eagle stores. If so, I presume they would remain open. Profits on state liquor store sales go directly to the secretive JobsOhio, in many ways a Republican state-funded slush fund, so state liquor stores likely will be the last retail outlets closed in Ohio.