I’m putting together tomorrow’s post and I’m hesitant to throw this one out. I don’t want to be an alarmist, but the ‘gitchy feeling’ has infected me for three days now, and I’ve been doing extra prepping.
I’m not a conventional prepper. I’m not holding out for the apocalypse. I’m more in the “have a couple months of food/stuff you’d normally use over that time on-hand, rather than rely on the grocery store to supply you for the conventional three days.” It’s uncomfortable, and possibly insane, but I’d rather be viewed as an alarmist fool than let someone go without a head’s up.
I went to Costco today, significantly earlier than I otherwise would have. We live on the edge of Deep Blue Hell and they were demanding masks again. I took their mask, walked three steps, then pulled it down beneath my nose for the rest of my shopping excursion. Nobody said anything, even in the checkout lines and final security check. It’s all kabuki, but at Costco they’d brain you with a 12-pack of soup, not just a single can.
The meat and alcohol sections seemed okay, but *everywhere* else felt looted. Any staple goods were half-empty. The freezer section was practically barren. It was… disconcerting. It might just be my local Costco: They have been undergoing freezer renovations for a few months now, so maybe they are just letting stock run low because they are in the final phases of construction. But…
Look, if you aren’t current on food then go out tomorrow. Go out now. Get gas. Have your vehicles on full tanks. First thing tomorrow is fuel and staples we normally stock from the grocery store. Things feel weird. Something is off. And I refuse to believe I’m the only one.
Otherwise… why is Costco so empty?
Tempest in a Teardrop: The Churchians 
Same here. Sort of a “center cannot hold” feeling.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sigh. I stocked up on everything last January. I was so prepped.
Then, around May, I thought, eh, I guess nothing is happening–and we used it all. (Well, much of it.)
LikeLike
I kinda thought we had until the 2nd week of September to reload but it appears showtime is going to start early. Even if we’re crazy, we *know* prices are only go to ramp up from here.
LikeLike
I saw a video on Twitter–a guy was dumping oil on dirt roads. He filmed it. He had been told he needed to lower his oil reserve by some honcho, and when he asked someone else in his state, they told him to obey the order.
He said that he had met farmers who had been told to Agent Orange their fields and one who was being paid to mow down his crops.
That combined with all the pickup trucks sitting around because they can’t get a chip from China…
LikeLike
Yep, we’re probably watching similar vids. I haven’t seen anyone ordered to salt their fields but I have seen some show the letters the ag department sent them to destroy crops. It’s insane. I’d think the ongoing drought would give them pause.
LikeLike
Similar. Our local Costco also seems lightly stocked.
I’ve got a week or two extra food stashed. Need to up my game.
LikeLike
We try to keep about two months (with a possible third if we ration heavily) of staples on-hand. The intent isn’t to outlast the apocalypse it’s to not have to journey out into the scrum during the first week of total panic. Whichever week that might be…
LikeLike
You’re doing the right thing. Every time I go to my local grocer or the drugstore, I see gaps and holes.
The supply chain took a major hit during the pandemic, plus the significant flooding in China. One of the issues is that even if you’ve got food (grown in the U.S.), the factory won’t have cans or labels (made in China). Even if everything had gone back to normal, we’d be seeing reverberations (the bullwhip effect) for some time.
To make it worse, Just-In-Time inventory means stores don’t maintain stockpiles in the back anymore. Everything is stored at major distribution centers rather than locally and must be delivered by truck.
No truck drivers, no deliveries.
Everyone should keep a few weeks to a few months of necessities on hand. Then, when crunch time comes, it can be managed more easily.
Remember: 9 meals away from revolution.
LikeLike
Nine meals *at most*.
It’s not just food, it’s the oddball stuff you suddenly just need. Starter fluid. Itch cream. Batteries that drain rapidly. Drain unclogging voodoo substances. Living in a third-world nation rather sucks. Who could have guessed?
LikeLike
Same thing here, with grocery and other stores. Some staple items are pushed front on the shelf, but if you look sideways through the gaps you can see there’s nothing behind them – maybe one case there. I was able to get canning lids at a local hardware store, which helped a lot.
Something else to look for – buttons, zippers, needles and thread. Seams and fasteners break.
LikeLike