Note: This post is longer than usual, but I thought it might be helpful to read through the details of our excursion to the grocery store. I have no way of measuring the effectiveness of our approach or whether it is even necessary. As always, proceed at your own risk.
Although we are in good shape as far as food and supplies go, we hoped to buy fresh produce and fill in a few other gaps … with dare I say it … a trip to the grocery store. We want to eat well but also want to do what we can to avoid getting this virus.
We read articles about how to shop safely during the coronavirus pandemic. We tossed ideas back and forth. Much of our strategy is based on guesswork.
I was in favor of curbside pick-up at the store or home delivery. Dale was skeptical of quality and wanted to see what stores actually had in stock before subscribing to that plan. Personally, I was not worried about getting a bruised cucumber considering the alternative.
My next favorite option was going early. Our favorite store announced they would be open from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays for those 65 and older. Dale is 70, so he qualifies, but I am 64. I didn’t imagine they would check IDs at the door, but we’re the sort who never have more than 10 items in the 10 items or less lane.
If they did check IDs, I would say I was his caregiver. Ha!
Dale envisioned a line of old people at the door starting at 6 a.m., and he could not see how that was particularly safe. Under normal conditions, he goes to that store almost daily, and he said the least crowded time was about 2:30 p.m. I trusted his judgment and said OK.
The other question for any in-store experience is whether you go solo or together. Most of the articles I read said go alone. Dale is theoretically at higher risk, but he was itching to go. I was worried about him touching stuff. We ended up going together.
I have one tiny bottle of hand sanitizer, but I have a box of vinyl disposable gloves. Antibacterial wipes are nowhere to be found, but I made a little batch of makeshift wipes by soaking paper towels in a mixture of water, isopropyl alcohol and coconut oil. I divided the folded stacks, stuffing them into quart-sized Ziplocs.
Although I have no idea whether the wipes actually work, it seems like they should. Perhaps better than nothing.
I did not take a purse but wore a raincoat with big pockets. I had three cloth shopping bags, a Ziploc of makeshift antibacterial wipes and my tiny bottle of hand sanitizer. Two disposable gloves, just in case. Dale had two gloves as well.
We did all our eye-scratching, throat-clearing and generalized spewing before we got out of the car. No face-touching until after we got home and washed our hands. We pulled into the parking lot, which was mostly empty! My guy knows his store.
We agreed in advance Dale would wear gloves to push the cart around and open refrigerated cases. I would not wear gloves, but I would be the one to touch the food and put it in the cart. My thinking was if I had worn a glove and touched a contaminated product and then touched the next product, the glove wasn’t much of a help.
I had the list divided into general areas of the store – cheese, milk, meat, condiments and produce. That’s the route we would normally take anyway. We had a plan of attack, and we executed with precision.
There were 20 items on our list, and we were done in 10 minutes. It was like we were on Guy’s Grocery Games, where the winner has to find all the items on the list while the clock is ticking.
With the exception of paper goods and some cleaning supplies, we were pleased with availability. Granted, we aren’t looking for frozen pizza. We got everything on our list:
- Whole milk mozzarella
- Sliced Swiss cheese
- Yogurt
- Pickles
- Sauerkraut
- Green olives
- Black olives
- Ground meat
- Dish soap
- Olive oil
- Triscuits
- Pretzels
- Broccoli
- Ginger root
- Iceberg lettuce
- Avocados
- Cucumber
- Zucchini
- Cilantro
- Apples
There were a few other shoppers, but no one got close. There was no one in line at our check-out. The clerk asked if we found everything we needed, and I said, “You seem to be out of hand sanitizer.” That got a good laugh. Gee, I hope laughing doesn’t spray germs!
Anyway, we got out of there. I unloaded the bags into the trunk. Dale dropped off the cart and removed his glove before opening the car door. I gave each of use a healthy squirt of hand sanitizer. When we got home, I brought the groceries in from the car.
I put the bags on the floor not the counter, and we washed our hands. I had placed a beach towel on the counter, and I unloaded the bags into the towel, using my wipes to clean the items with non-porous packaging.
Then I threw the grocery bags and the towel into the washing machine.
Geez, I think that’s it. We were both happy it was over. No real way to know at this point whether it worked, but it seemed safe to us. We did the best we could based on what we think we know.
I have no images from the war zone, but I added a picture of Dale’s yeast rolls, which were tender golden pillowy puffs of perfection. This is why we care about food and shopping!
We are continuing to discuss our grocery shopping options, including online ordering. Our neighbor, who is much younger, also offered to shop for us. As for meals, we’re looking at what’s the most perishable, and starting from there.
Washing cloth grocery bags is a great idea. I have a bunch I dont use anymore. I will get them out of the pantry.
When I took Chemistry in high school and college, I was the one who always had a successful experiment the first time. I learned that all the others failing was contaminating their work and I have carried that lesson forward always.
I was always the taskmaster insisting that things like mayonaise, peanut butter, pickles, jam, cottage cheese, or all the like are never contaminated. You put a knife in the jam and put it on the toast? You cannot put that knife back in the peanut butter or jam jar. So I have been feeling like a contagious contamination expert, doing similar things as you. I always have a box of nitrile gloves handy and I change them out quickly as required.
Good to hear of your trip. I haven’t been to the grocery since this madness started.
Dale said he was reminded of his Army chemical warfare training!
While I cannnot say in the current climate always, I have been doing curbside pickup for well over a year and produce and meat are always exceptional. You can put down al kinds of things like “make the bananas as green as you can get them” and “Let me have one ripe and one unripe avocado please”. I have not leavt my abode except to walk in two weeks but I have scrips ready at te store so I need to figure how to do that and stay six feet away from the cashier.
This is great information, Barb. I will let Dale know we can provide input on the items. Thank you!!
We went to a local cvs this morning and scored a nine pack of toilet paper. We felt like we won the lottery!! I am getting a root canal this Friday…not fun but an emergency. Toothache has been going on for weeks. Picked up Valium to take beforehand and the side effects from the drug sound scarier than the procedure. Will be happy to get that over and done with. You reminded me to wash my grocery bags…been meaning to do that. Thanks and stay safe and healthy.
Just what you needed right now. A root canal. I hope it goes as well as those things can possibly go. Do they offer Nitrous oxide? That’s a sweet little buzz if you can get it. Valium is essential.
Suzanne, don’t be too concerned about the root canal, really. Once they’ve numbed you, you won’t feel a thing, and the recovery isn’t that bad. I’ve had five of them (yep!), and have never needed to take anything stronger than Tylenol plus afterward. And even that just for a day or so.
The virus needs to be neon orange so we can see it. Sounds like you took lots of precautions. I’m a fan of the grocery pick-up if that is your next adventure.
Neon orange is a great idea. I think we’ll probably do the grocery store pick-up next time.
Thank you for a great post. It’s very helpful to learn how others are handling this situation. Always read your blog but this is my first comment. Your well-planned outing provided additional guidance for this single to handle a needed grocery outing.
Thank you, Deb, and welcome! We probably over-planned, but who knows? If Dale had gone by himself, he was thinking about one exposed hand and one not exposed hand, almost like when he is breading something. One hand for the breadcrumbs and flour, and the other hand for eggs. It’s that military thing.
I anticipate going through your routine tomorrow, when I head out for groceries. Just came back from picking up a prescription and I feel dirty, even after thoroughly washing my hands and everything I brought into the house.😩
Deb
This is hard. Hope your excursion goes well!
Shopping is positively nerve racking right now for sure. Hubby and I are using the ‘divide and conquer’ method. He covers Trader Joe’s via their early senior hours, and I cover Aldi, which has just normal hours where I live. I normally prefer Sprouts for our produce, but am trying to get my produce instead at Aldi’s in order to eliminate another stop.
I did move to an every-two-week shopping plan for now, and have simplified our menu significantly in order to make it work. We are very, very light meat eaters, so half a chicken breast will feed us both, and then some, so what chicken I have in the freezer will last us a long, long time.
I’m having fun being a bit creative with some of the one-offs in my kitchen. Today I made an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink quinoa, dousing it in in olive oil and red wine vinegar dressing. And I scoured the internet for how to use up one cup of leftover ricotta cheese, so a ricotta cheese poundcake is currently in the oven, and it smells divine.
Do we want this crisis over – freakin’ yes! However, we have definitely had some nice moments as a result of our life needing to slow way, way down for the duration. Hey – do you think they’ll ask seniors to continue to self isolate once the working folk return to their places of business? Boris Johnson has advised seniors in the UK to prepare for up to FOUR months of self isolation(!).
We have had fun cooking, and we have a lot of food in reserve. I suspect Dale is going to insist on going back to the store, but I am pleading for online shopping. I think he might cave!
Ricotta cheese poundcake sounds amazing!
I was only a little worried about quality if I ordered for delivery BUT now I am hooked! We have Sprouts a local produce/healthy store, and 9 days ago I ordered on line and got my groceries 2 days later.Everyting they picked for me was pretty much like I would have done for myself.Not that I care. ,I reaaaaallly do not want to go out in public and we will not.
I got one order for our local Kroger/Fry’s and it was a big order.. a few days before THAT and it was a “pick up” I only had to open my trunk from from seat and they tossed in the bags.Soo easy. After that we decided to stay home.
Both stores offer options online for substitutions if they are out of something and that has been ok.They both were out of a few things.. that’s ok too..I’m not going to go from store to store I will improvise.
My FUTURE order for fresh foods was ordered today from Sprouts but not avail to be delivered till next Sunday—5 days out.I am ok with that. I only need a few fresh things.Right about then.
Sooo —delivery for us from now on. It’s easy.It’s good. It’s safer than walking around a store.. maybe you’ll give it a try..
Wishing you and your husband good health and equanimity!!!
Thank you for sharing your experience. This helps me convince Dale online is the way to go.
My state is on “stay at home” orders” so I had decided to have groceries delivered. I was flummoxed, though, because of one item – a special hand lotion for the eczema on my hands, which of course is totally flared up due to disinfectant wipes and constant hand washing. So I braved the 7 a.m. seniors only hour at the grocery store. Store was not at all crowded, and people were respectful of keeping their distance. I bought everything on my list (except, of course, the hand lotion, which they didn’t have!), and a few extras. So now I will hop on Amazon and make that purchase, and probably tomorrow I will place a delivery order, because our stores are on a week delay for deliveries. I loved reading the measures you took and will implement some of them when I next venture out. I’ll bet you’re glad you are now growing your own weed!!! Wish it were legal to do that here.
I was against going back to the store, but as long as people are mostly isolating, it seems OK. If all these people decide to go out by Easter like this thing is over, then I would think the stores would be far more risky. We’re going to watch it closely and see what looks the safest for the conditions at the time.
My new plant is growing nicely, but it won’t be ready for harvest until early June. We’re reasonably well-stocked until then. I do plan to keep one growing at all times!
I have not been to the grocery store since this started. Tim has become our designated shopper. We wipe down everything he gets and I throw away the bags. I also wipe down the counters and wash my hands thoroughly. We could try pickup but delivery is out of the question because that would currently take a week!! Interesting times. Stay safe.
I’ve been putting together a list of items we might need a week or two from now to see how this pick-up and delivery thing goes.
Oh Dear.
I’m doing more or less the same like you. My husband is high risk patient so I’m going alone to the grocery store. In such times it helps, that I have always been a hamster.
We have a long daily walk, good food and wine and hope for the best.
Stay safe, Donna & Dale.
Have you tried Kimchi, the Korean Sauerkraut? I can get a very tasty one at my local Asian market. It’s full of flavors from garlic, chili and dried shrimps and we eat a bit every day. Very healthy.
It is good to hear from you, Barbara! I read Germany seems to be weathering this better than most countries. My best wishes for continued good health.
We love kimchi, but we’ve never purchased it from the grocery store. Dale made some, and then we had it at restaurants, of course. I think it’s time to put some on the list! One delicious dish you might want to try is kimchi fried rice with an egg on top.