Essential/Nonessential vs. Safe/Not safe

[tarheelmjfan]

Well, It's always concerned me because I've lived in poverty and clawed my way out. It's not something I want to go back to or see others fall victim to through no fault of their own. So if that was meant to be some sort of snarky comment implying that I'm only concerned now, it missed its mark.

It wasn't aimed at you personally, but there are many people who never cared about everyone having a place to live, food to eat & healthcare, before this happened. I know several of them personally. I'm hoping the situation will wake them up & make them start to care more about the less fortunate. Everyone deserves those things.

 

[kaytieeldr]

I just listened to Gov Abbott and his

I'm going to ask - just ask - that when people quote governors, could you please include the state? Thank you for your consideration.

 

[choirfarm]

I'm going to ask - just ask - that when people quote governors, could you please include the state? Thank you for your consideration.

I'm sorry.. I did when I posted info on another board. So Gov Abbott is Texas

 

[choirfarm]

It wasn't aimed at you personally, but there are many people who never cared about everyone having a place to live, food to eat & healthcare, before this happened. I know several of them personally. I'm hoping the situation will wake them up & make them start to care more about the less fortunate. Everyone deserves those things.

This is true. Many are just clueless. They do not see it. When my kids went with us to Africa, Honduras and served in homeless shelters, they definitely have a different point of view than some of their peers.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

This is true. Many are just clueless. They do not see it. When my kids went with us to Africa, Honduras and served in homeless shelters, they definitely have a different point of view than some of their peers.

You can also see plenty of that in the US. Not everyone is clueless many people simply don't care.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

So you need legislation to force you to help those who need it.
You might want to stop trying to shame others then.

LOL - thanks. You are always good for a laugh. Thanks for lightening my day.

 

[choirfarm]

You can also see plenty of that in the US. Not everyone is clueless many people simply don't care.

Yes, the homeless shelters we serve are in the Us. Sorry didn't make that clear. I don't know... I guess I think more people do care.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

Yes, the homeless shelters we serve are in the Us. Sorry didn't make that clear. I don't know... I guess I think more people do care.

Yes, there are a lot of caring people in this country. Sadly, the people I'm referring to stop caring, when they think it will negatively affect them financially even very minimally.

 

[luvsJack]

I don't know, how do we pay for the military budget and corporate bailouts?

Ok got to ask. Are you saying we don’t need a military? Please tell me that is not what you are saying.

 

[kaytieeldr]

I'm sorry.. I did when I posted info on another board. So Gov Abbott is Texas

Thank you! Now, if you had mentioned Texas' (strange) Lieutenant Governor, I would have known the stzte immediately . I think I could match five current Governors to their respective states, and three of those are in the Northeast.

 

[b2k1121]

Ok got to ask. Are you saying we don’t need a military? Please tell me that is not what you are saying.

No, but we spend more than the next 7 highest spending countries combined.

 

[LongLiveRafiki]

It's what I've been saying all along, but everyone attacks me for what I say.

Social distancing has brought us individuals physically closer than ever.

Close all the store except a few. Everyone in all the stores are now packed into a few stores.

Close the few stores early to clean, as if anyone really thinks some $8/hour people who are suppose to clean the entire store but probably a hap hazard swipe of a filthy rag across 10% of the surface. Now everyone that shopped from 8pm on until either closing or in the middle of the night have to go when the stores are already packed.

I totally agree with the bolded statement you made. My routine used to be to do one big grocery trip a month with maybe a small second trip half way through the month to replenish drinks, bread, and fruit. Both trips would be somewhere between 11pm and 3 am, and I was able to get all my stuff from one store while basically no one else was in the store. It meant that I spent less time in the store, interacted with no one, and could leave the kids at home.

Now with the reduced hours, I'm stuck going during the day when the masses are there, I have to bring the kids most of the time since DH is working, and I spend significantly longer in the store due to the larger crowds. The stores are supposedly operating under reduced occupancy limits, but I seem to constantly be within arms reach of someone in any aisle. Back when I could go at night, it was rare to see 3 people in the entire store, including employees. At my local Walmart, employees are frequently stocking items on shelves during the day which causes bottle necks and leaves people having to squeeze in between employees, pallets, and other customers to grab something off of a shelf or make it through an aisle. Plus with people panic buying and stores frequently being out of things, it has meant I have to do more than 1-2x/ month shopping trips and having to go to multiple stores each time just to get what we need.

I encounter far more people now than I did before all of this started and I'm sure I'm not the only one.

 

[mjkacmom]

I totally agree with the bolded statement you made. My routine used to be to do one big grocery trip a month with maybe a small second trip half way through the month to replenish drinks, bread, and fruit. Both trips would be somewhere between 11pm and 3 am, and I was able to get all my stuff from one store while basically no one else was in the store. It meant that I spent less time in the store, interacted with no one, and could leave the kids at home.

Now with the reduced hours, I'm stuck going during the day when the masses are there, I have to bring the kids most of the time since DH is working, and I spend significantly longer in the store due to the larger crowds. The stores are supposedly operating under reduced occupancy limits, but I seem to constantly be within arms reach of someone in any aisle. Back when I could go at night, it was rare to see 3 people in the entire store, including employees. At my local Walmart, employees are frequently stocking items on shelves during the day which causes bottle necks and leaves people having to squeeze in between employees, pallets, and other customers to grab something off of a shelf or make it through an aisle. Plus with people panic buying and stores frequently being out of things, it has meant I have to do more than 1-2x/ month shopping trips and having to go to multiple stores each time just to get what we need.

I encounter far more people now than I did before all of this started and I'm sure I'm not the only one.

Our stores are limiting how many go in, much less crowded. I haven’t been in a store in over 6 weeks thanks to online shopping and instacart. Sure, I might have to get up early to get a time spot, and direct online shopping with the stores is now impossible, but we are still managing.

 

[MamaLema]

Not sure I understand the difference between essential and non-essential businesses being open. So it's OK to go int Walmart, usually PACKED around here and mingle with all the people buying food and clothing, but NOT OK to go to my local electronics or similar store that normally only has 1-2 people in it anyway.

Is your Walmart not limiting the number of people in the store? All our stores that are open have lines to get in and 6ft markets to stand on. Inside they are very strict about distancing and have one way aisles. You can’t even put your items on the belt until the customer in front of you has left. You also have to wait for the belt to be disinfected. I wouldn’t feel comfortable going into any store that’s crowded.

 

[luvsJack]

No, but we spend more than the next 7 highest spending countries combined.

Yes we do but that is an extremely simplified comment. There is way more to it than that and reasons for that. It’s not unnecessary. And you have to look at the details of what our budget includes and what those other countries include to get an honest comparison.

 

[rotlex]

Is your Walmart not limiting the number of people in the store? All our stores that are open have lines to get in and 6ft markets to stand on. Inside they are very strict about distancing and have one way aisles. You can’t even put your items on the belt until the customer in front of you has left. You also have to wait for the belt to be disinfected. I wouldn’t feel comfortable going into any store that’s crowded.

They are doing this as of this past week, but honestly, it doesn't matter much. It's Walmart. In our area that pretty much means people don't follow the rules anyway. I guess the whole point of my original post was wondering why we are having some supposed non essential businesses close that generally have very few people in store at any given time, yet we still allow the massive chains to stay open.

 

[luvsJack]

It's what I've been saying all along, but everyone attacks me for what I say.

Social distancing has brought us individuals physically closer than ever.

Close all the store except a few. Everyone in all the stores are now packed into a few stores.

Close the few stores early to clean, as if anyone really thinks some $8/hour people who are suppose to clean the entire store but probably a hap hazard swipe of a filthy rag across 10% of the surface. Now everyone that shopped from 8pm on until either closing or in the middle of the night have to go when the stores are already packed.

That is exactly what our governor said about letting some non essential stores open with curb side service. It will ease up the pressure on the stores that stayed open and spread out the people.

Also, I told Dh much of what you were saying when I went to the Dollar General the other day. They were limiting it to 20 people in the store. They use the buggies to keep count (only 20 buggies, can’t go in without a buggy). Except, they were not wiping the buggies down so first problem. And then when you get inside all 20 people are on the same 4 aisles!! No one is buying household decorations, towels, birthday party stuff, make up, etc. Everyone was buying pet food, cleaning supplies, paper products and junk food. All on the same side of the store, all the same 4 aisles. They were trying but honestly they were doing absolutely nothing.

 

[Christine]

They are doing this as of this past week, but honestly, it doesn't matter much. It's Walmart. In our area that pretty much means people don't follow the rules anyway. I guess the whole point of my original post was wondering why we are having some supposed non essential businesses close that generally have very few people in store at any given time, yet we still allow the massive chains to stay open.

I agree with you that much of these safety measures have backfired. I'm not normally a Walmart shopper so I can't comment. I went to Walmart at the very beginning of this and there weren't any rules and it seemed to be fine. My neighbor goes weekly and I'm hearing some horror stories from him so I just won't go.

I normally shop at Wegman's grocery store every Sunday morning. I'm there by 8AM and it's generally easy going. Now they have reduced hours and at any point in the day that I've tried to go there people are on top of me through the whole shopping trip. I realize a lot of the reduced hours are to give employees a break but it has caused more "gathering" of people than I've ever seen. I've again changed my shopping tactic to try to go to the grocery stores that were least popular when all this started (Food Lion for instance). I seem to get some space there so that's what I'm sticking to.

I do think some of the smaller stores could be open with enforcement of # of people in the store and I guess that's what we'll get back to at some point.

 

[amylevan]

At my local Walmart, employees are frequently stocking items on shelves during the day which causes bottle necks and leaves people having to squeeze in between employees, pallets, and other customers to grab something off of a shelf or make it through an aisle.

Our local grocery store reduced its hours to “allow time to sanitize and re-stock”. I went shopping yesterday, and at least 2 aisles were blocked with employees and pallets stocking shelves. We’ve got 1 way aisles, limiting numbers in the store, and I still couldn’t move in some of the aisles. Why aren’t they stocking at night or early morning when they said they were? And since it doesn’t appear they are stocking during the closed hours, are they even sanitising?

 

[jlwhitney]

Is your Walmart not limiting the number of people in the store? All our stores that are open have lines to get in and 6ft markets to stand on. Inside they are very strict about distancing and have one way aisles. You can’t even put your items on the belt until the customer in front of you has left. You also have to wait for the belt to be disinfected. I wouldn’t feel comfortable going into any store that’s crowded.

Walmart and Target here are limiting, but I have yet to see a line. Target can have 344 people in it, they have a sign on their door. Walmart tracks people going in and out. It has felt the same busy overall. Right before Easter both were packed, but under there limit.

I don't know about the belt thing at walmart since I always do self check out. Target you can put stuff on right away and same with publix. Only publix has tape for one way aisles, but no one pays attention because honestly its stupid and just causes people to take longer, since most people don't shop every aisle.