The Coronavirus Panic Thread

[Smapti]

Today started out the same as yesterday, but it actually started calming down at around 3 PM, and for the rest of the day the lines were back to normal for a busy Saturday. I've been told that there was a crowd of about 50 people waiting to get in when we reopened this morning, and the freight crew was only just getting out when I got in at 10:30. I don't usually share stuff that would explicitly identify the Store (though some of you can deduce where I work from the stuff I've said about it), but to give you an example of the extent of the madness, this is what the line looked like at one point, and there were points when it was even longer.

We got shorted about half of our delivery last night, though, so our shelves are still shot. We sold out of eggs at 2 PM and the TP we got sold out in under an hour. Some of our delivery didn't even show up until 11 AM, which meant that the assistant managers and the store manager (who showed up in his street clothes and worked a 12 hour shift) were stocking shelves while we were getting slammed with lines to the back of the store. The corporate office sent a lot of big wigs out to help the stores with stocking, though - we had the district manager and the regional VPs of deli/pizza, bulk, and bakery helping us out, and the store in the Next Town Over had the CEO himself stocking shelves.

We're not really sure how long the current phase of the panic is going to go on for and we're all very tired, but the customers have been surprisingly understanding and appreciative (except for one idiot who told me it was "f*****g r******d" that the cart room was empty before storming off). The district manager has authorized OT up to 4 hours a day per employee, and we're not forcing anyone to work OT, but lots of people have been jumping at the opportunity. We're gonna be closing overnight to clean and restock at least for the next week.

I spent pretty much the entire second half of the shift trying to clear the floor of abandoned carts, garbage, and assorted debris. We're gonna be sorting go-backs for weeks.

[csquared]

The Wife was talking with a clerk at one of the local grocery stores. Panic set in around 6:00 PM Thursday. The store closed at 8:00 PM. The last customer was checked out at 10:15 PM.

She was there on Friday. The place looked like it was hit by a plague of locust.

[DGoddessChardonnay]

It's been equally insane at the Litter Box . . . Thursday was steady but Friday we already looked like we were being invaded by the Doomsday Preppers all damn day long (or at least until I left right before 3.)


We've been out of hand santizer for 3 weeks now . . . still don't know from our DC when it's coming back in (although next week's ad planner shows some supposed to be coming and featured in a bin display.)


Toilet paper was still in good supply Thursday afternoon but by Friday when we opened, it was all gone except for some of the single 1 ply rolls. We sold our last 2 bottles of rubbing alcohol, as well as the last of the hydrogen peroxide, Lysol spray/wipes/bleach - massive holes on the shelves so far that you could stretch out and take a nap in some sections.


All 6 registers running almost all day/Customer Service busy and it got to the point where they had gotten out the Mobile POS system and had it set up to help clear out the lines. Managers in a panic (Sarge, our Ass Man, came in on his day off and was breaking down the grocery pallets in the back room after the truck came around 1 and I had 2 Pepsi guys rushing pallets of Aquafina up front to set up because we had run out of water.)


We're all running around trying to get the normal stuff done as well as try to keep stocked, yet not good enough for our managers. I've run 2 liters of Coke products to the shelf yesterday morning because they were slap empty, then my account manger took it over a short time later when he came in - I think he stayed at least 90 minutes not only to make out the order for Tuesday's delivery but also fill holes.


Yet my managers want to whine I'm not keeping up . . .


Yes, Corporate has us doing extra cleaning now . . . the front end registers have to be wiped down now every 2 hours - belts/pinpads/keyboards/bagging areas - the whole nine yards. Just waiting now to see if they will start closing early for extra cleaning and replenishing as other chains in our area have already been announcing since yesterday.


Our governor has declared a state of emergency and has now ordered all public schools to close for 2 weeks. Our county has declared a state of emergency as well and a lot of events have been canceled/postponed.


The men's ACC championship games at our local coliseum were at first being played with no fans, but by Thursday the league and all the teams decided to cancel the rest of the tournament for the season. Our new performing arts center was set for a grand opening soon - that has been postponed. Even events in other part of the state have been canceled or postponed.


Not sure what will happen tomorrow . . . although we haven't had any reported cases in my county, last count was 23 statewide.



yet we grocery store workers have to still go in . . . we're the band that played on while the Titanic sunk.

[SimonF12009]

The company which my store is in are now considering letting 24hr stores close between midnight and 6am in order to let the staff restock the aisles before the horde take everything

[Monterey Jack]

Had to stand in the foyer for 2/3rds of my shift today manually wiping down carriage handles with a spray bottle filed with sanitizer whenever a customer wanted one. And tomorrow the store's new hours go into effect, closing at 8:00 PM instead of 11:00 for the foreseeable future (likely to give the overnight people a chance to re-stock in demand items).

[workerbee222]

In our state, three cases are 'presumptive positive,' three more 'preliminary positive' cases. Young Boss wants to close the store. The plans are for me to be paid either way. I guess. Old Boss is weighing having me come in on a limited basis (he's not as freaked as Young Boss) Old Boss and I are the oldest employees (he's 73, I'm 63). He reminded me I'm the only one who does what I do. I reminded him it would be more likely for me to cross the street without looking and get hit by a car than to catch anything.

On another front, several local ballroom dance venues have opted to close until at least the end of the month. One in particular has struggled since the founder's death several years ago, going from a schedule of classes and dances four nights a week to being open one night a week. This may be it's swan song.

[mjr]

I'm fortunate enough to have a position where I can work from home if need be. We've been told to work from home for the next two weeks.

Which I kind of like, especially since I probably wouldn't mind a full time remote position anyway, in most cases.

[YamiNoHime]

My son's school has just closed for 2 weeks. Concerts, plays, and sporting events are cancelled. I have to go to work. Being a medical biller is not all fun & games

[Seanette]

Next time I'm at Hades Annex, it'll be interesting to see how many people made it. A significant portion of my co-irkers have young children, so child care is going to be a HUGE problem for people pulling minimum wage.

[Android Kaeli]

The Grocery Store I work at now [not the Supermarket, I'm no longer there as of last October] is out of toilet paper, hand sanitizer, and a few other things, has been for a few days now. I grabbed two bottles of sanitizer per manager request on Friday as soon as I got in since I worked my last mid shift of the week then, bought both and gave one to my coworker who said he was trying to find one but couldn't. So far I've fielded a couple of questions as to when TP is coming in but as I don't work the general floor nor do the ordering, I have no idea when it's coming in.

I do have a good amount of frozen and canned goods in case there's trouble ahead, as it seems like everyone is now starting to shift from toilet paper to actual food. It was very busy at the registers when I left at shifts end, everyone seems to be in the 'let me get food now!' phase.

[Food Lady]

I bought a pack of toilet paper two weeks ago and I normally do when the first one is half out. Also bought a gallon of alcohol for use in my spray bottle for sanitizing and stain removal, and for homemade countertop cleaner, as I always do. I buy things in bulk not because of panic but because I don't like to have to buy it often and don't like recycling mulitple bottles. I have no idea why people are hoarding TP or paying more for sanitizer when good old alcohol is cheaper. My stocking up consisted of 4 cans of two kinds of meat. I guess I would stock my pantry and freezer better if I had more time to shop but I work 60 hours a week. I can manage that better now that I'm working from home than if I was still going to the office. I almost wish it could be a permanent thing.

[Racket_Man]

My soon-to-be new workplace has implemented a new (and rather interesting) option, called "no-contact deliveries", where as long as you prepay on the website in advance, the driver will leave the delivery on the doorstep, move back to their car, phone them to say "You can come out to pick up your order" and then leave once the order has been picked up.

I am waiting for my pizza company/franchise to do this. until then I keep going washing my hands and pens frequently.

Went to store cause it is my normal shopping day BUT since everything in my state seems to be shutting down I did get more that I normally would. At Wal-Mart I encountered a LOT of empty shelves ie. t-paper, bottled water, bread, soup, canned meals, freezer meals, etc.

I went to the more regional grocery store (think Boomerang for those in my area) and they had empty shelves BUT still had water and t=paperlots of fresh meat and prep'ed up meat, sea food, sliced meats, fresh made pasta salad stuff (if you have had them YYYYUUUUMMMMMM)

So there is a difference why WHO KNOWS?????

[Seanette]

Grocery delivery is a great thing, IMO.

[Smapti]

Today was only as busy as a typical Sunday, which is still surprising since we were completely out of milk, bread, bottled water, or paper products, and had almost no fresh meat, produce, or canned or frozen foods. The warehouse and our vendors are basically running a full day behind schedule, and it's going to take awhile for everyone to catch up before we can get fully restocked. The Store has put up posters saying that we're not accepting any returns except for safety/quality issues, in an attempt to stop people from panic-shopping and trying to bring it back later.

The panic is about to enter Phase 3 here, though - our governor has ordered most entertainment/leisure venues (bars, nightclubs, movie theaters, gyms, casinos, etc.) to close until the end of the month, and all restaurants have to close their dining areas and do takeout/drive-thru/delivery only. Grocery stores are exempt, so we'll be staying open. I don't know whether this is going to trigger another round of panic-buying or whether people are finally going to start staying home in their fortresses made of bottled water and toilet paper.

[Dreamstalker]

The mayor has issued bans on gatherings of more than 25 people--a lot of my favorite stores have gone to numbered entry/appointment only. The subway is a ghost town.

We all just got 'furloughed', effective yesterday. The store is staying open, but staffed with a skeleton crew--salaried managers only. They're keeping us on the books but at zero scheduled hours, able to pay $100/week and that shouldn't affect UI should any of us want to file. Existing benefits (vacation, health care) should not be affected. We will all be contacted when they decide to ramp up again. In the meantime we have one free meal per week at the restaurant and can take advantage of a one-time 50% discount grocery purchase. We plan to use that for fresh meat and fish.

The thing that sucks in this is that they won't pay out accrued sick time. I get that as a general policy, but this is a one-time situation and a lot of the employees could really use that money (it's earned time and it's not like they're paying it out every year).

Mom thinks she's coming down with something...I hope to hell it's not more than a bad cold (she got a flu shot).