Just made my first trip out for anything since this stay-at-home started other than my weekly grocery trip. I did wear a mask. And I used disinfectant wipes.
First stop Petsmart. I tried their curbside pick-up. You cannot call in your order you have to go online to their website. OK. According to their site the store I use did not have the dog food I wanted in stock. They were supposed to have the doggy waste bags brand I use (extra thick) but that was not available for curbside pick-up. So I had to go inside. They did happen to have the dog food I wanted, even in the 47 pound bag.
But they did not have the waste bags I typically use (the ones their website said were in stock in that store) so I chose another brand, also extra thick. A bag of dog bribes (treats) and I was good to go. Checkout was OK, at least she wore a mask and laughed at my joke.
Next stop was Lowe's. I was able to find what I wanted. Self check out was a bit more crowded and uncontrolled than it had to be but not too bad. Just be patient.
I went by Walmart since I was in the area. I didn't need anything in there but there are a couple of nice-to-haves I get there. There was a line of about 30 waiting to get in. Some of those 30 were individuals, some pairs, each well spread out. That Walmart is obviously trying to manage the social distancing and limiting how many are allowed inside. I did not stop, not for a couple of nice-to-haves.
Next and last stop was the grocery store where I get my alcohol. Yes in south Louisiana you get your booze in a grocery store. The grocery store we now use for our weekly grocery hopping does not carry my brands, so I got a two month supply. Also a couple of other items my wife wanted that were not at out regular grocery yesterday. They had a lady stationed at the entrance spraying and wiping carts. The cashier wore a mask, but only when she had a customer. It wasn't that crowded.
I already knew you cannot trust any online inventory of what is actually in the store. That is an old lesson. I had another one reinforced. I called that Petsmart yesterday when I noticed they did not have that dog food. The lady that answered the phone said she thought they had a couple of big bags, did I want her to put it aside for me. I said no, I'm not coming by until tomorrow. When I called this morning I got a guy. He insisted that he could not put an order together for me, I had to do that online. When I explained the online problem he was gobsmacked. He actually stuttered duh, duh, duh a few times. No help whatsoever. While some people evidently think that every employee of Petsmart, Walmart, Tractor Supply, Wendy's, or any other chain are clones and act exactly alike, I found out long time ago that some are a lot more helpful than others. It depends on who you get.
Now a rant. My typical toddy is Jack Daniels Black. The grocery store we now go to carries Jack Honey, Jack Fire, and Jack Apple. No Jack Black. To me that shows how warped we Americans have become. You can't stay with basics, things that work. Everything from a snickers bar to Jack has got be re-branded and updated. It has to have some kind of twist or tweak. Basics and standards don't cut it anymore. I know that makes me an out-of-touch old fogey but I consider that your problem, not mine.
to the fullest....
