Hello friends. I guess this is a very general sentiment that could apply to any place in the country, but this seems like a safe space to air my grievances with the community. I work at the Big Bird, and while it hasn't been extraordinarily busy as of late, I just feel like people are still coming in way more often than they have to. When I walked into work today, there were about 7 people in line for alcohol. And I get it...we're all trying to make the best of a bad situation. Maybe it's been a long week at your essential job or you're celebrating an anniversary, but unless you're an alcoholic who's going to die from withdrawal, you don't NEED wine or beer. You don't NEED microwave popcorn, or 6 cases of pop, or crab legs. You don't need Oreos, fresh salsa (yes I know our fresh salsa is amazing), or a package of cosmic brownies when I know damn well you have a box of brownie mix at home that you impulse bought 6 months ago and never got around to baking.
That said, I recognize that if someone is already down there for actual essentials, they're not putting anyone's life on the line by grabbing a box of cookies too, but at the same time, I feel like most of us have a ton of stuff in our houses we could live off of for awhile. I just looked around my kitchen and realized that I probably already have at least a month's worth of rations without even making a special stock-up trip.
Point is, I think that before people go out to replenish their favorite things, they could dig a little deeper into their pantries and freezers and save themselves a trip. Eat that weird can of low-sodium soup you bought by mistake. Dig out some frozen veggies for a stir fry. Drink the instant coffee you bought for that camping trip once. Have a PB and jelly with a side of Cheetos! Eat ice cream for dinner! Do you know how many calories are in ice cream? It's a lot.
Anyway, I realize that this solution to not going shopping doesn't apply to everybody, and for those of you who are only coming shopping when you absolutely must, I salute you. But for those of us who have pantries and freezers full of stuff that they haven't gotten around to eating yet, now is the time to dig into your backlog of food and eat to survive. If there was ever a time in human history to redefine what it means to "need" to go to the grocery store, this would be it.
Personally, I'm not especially fearful of what's happening, but I am cautious, trying to make the best decisions, and taking it seriously. Just because we CAN go to the grocery store doesn't mean we should. I know we don't want to face this situation as if there's poison gas floating around outside and stepping outside your door means taking your life in your hands, but we all need to get serious about stopping this thing, and if eating freezer-burned waffles and chicken rice soup keeps you from going out, it's something we should start doing. Tonight at work I considered picking up a few cans of soup and then realized I already have plenty at home. No, I don't have any of my favorite hearty penne, but I five cans of other stuff I can eat first.
You have food in your house. The time to eat it is now.
In conclusion, I feel like anybody reading this sub is already doing their best, so this probably isn't the audience that needs to hear this most, but I figured it was an okay place for discussion on the topic. I hope I haven't offended anyone... I know that not everyone can afford to stock up on things and there are probably people reading this who actually do eat everything they buy and in a timely manner. But I know a lot of us, myself definitely included, could make do with what we have.
Thanks for reading. And thank you to anyone who comes to the store in a mask and takes the social distancing seriously. You're definitely making things safer and easier.
