Well, I don’t want to go into the specifics of my “heavy hitter” scheme but let’s just say, $20 per bottle and $10 per butt wipe? If I use it myself, then there’s no profit. 
3 Likes
I don’t understand this. If I’m stuck without grocery shopping for a month, I’m going to run out of fresh fruit, bread, and dairy items - stuff with no shelf life. I’m only panic buying toilet paper and bottled water if I’m expecting the complete breakdown of society - where once things are gone, they’re gone forever. Even with 4 kids in the house, being isolated to the house wouldn’t have a negative effect for a good 3-4 weeks anyways, except for those fore-mentioned items (and besides the inevitable ‘cabin fever’ from bring couped up, of course).
I don’t think there’s anything particularly novel about what we have in the house, but does this make me one of those crazy prepped types?
Hmmmm
Strictly FYI, nonfat milk and some cheeses can be frozen for long periods of time, thawed, and consumed without drama or any loss of quality. I do this all the time because of the distance I must travel to purchase those items. Only get to the store every three to four weeks, longer in winter.
Also re: fresh fruit . . . . still consuming apples picked from my own trees last fall. Applesauce, apple pies, apple cake, apples cooked up in oatmeal, apples for salads . . . you name it . . . all still prepared from last year’s apples stored where it is very cold . . but not freezing. Let 'em freeze and they are gone. 
4 Likes
Oh, yeah - the apple trees growing up provided enough apples to have them year round. Plenty of times young Glitch was sent to the root cellar under the garage, to re-stock the apples and potatoes in the kitchen. But here, it’s store bought options only. And the apples do hold well, I was referring more to lettuce, strawberries, melons, bananas, etc that do have a shelf life of about a week (if you’re lucky).
And I know you can freeze dairy products - we do have a freezer door full of yogurt tubes and lots of sliced cheese. Much like the fresh produce, it’s more the variety of stuff we typically have on hand rather than not having any at all.
If I started putting fresh strawberries or gallons of milk in the freezer just to stock up on extra, I would feel like I was “prepping” because that’s the only scenario where it’d ever get used.
Some is quite perishable. But romaine lettuce, contained correctly, lasts easily for several weeks. It’s the only variety of lettuce we eat.
1 Like
I don’t understand the hoarding up. How much TP do you run through in 2 weeks? And beyond TP, you’d need a lot more stuff to last two weeks, including tons of perishable stuff unless you’re ok with eating junk for 2 weeks.
Plus, can’t you just get your groceries delivered? I mean down here, local grocery stores will deliver for $5-10 fee. If I’m quarantined two weeks, I’ll first go through my current supplies then order maybe slightly more than usual to get me through the rest of that period. Or I could get free trial of Shipt say. Extra cost would be pretty minimal.
1 Like
Delivery workers likely to have beer virus. Same with produce, I think people figure they’re getting a last round of it before sick people contaminate it all. I think the stockpiling is mainly to not catch it. Not sure how the hoarders will stay completely off grid for months/years though.
3 Likes
I think the big fear is shortages, not merely running to the grocery store. I’ve experienced it today for disinfectant wipes - Walmart and Sams are out of stock online, only available for in-store pickup if your local store happens to have any left. And the handful of remaining sellers on Amazon with any have $15 multi-packs listed for $60+. When supply is based on (for example) 1 out of every 25 shoppers buying a package, when 20 of 25 shoppers are suddenly scarfing it up, the inventory ain’t lasting long.
2 Likes
I ordered some Amazon brand last Saturday. Of course they’re out of stock now. My local wamart marketplace had all of them in stock on Monday, it was just the water that was all gone. I would guess these are all temporary shortages though.
2 Likes
As do I. But if you buy into the hype, new supply is going to keep being sold as quickly as it comes in, to the lucky few who happen to be in the right place at the right time. And even that’s only if manufacturers can maintain their production volumes.
3 Likes
I have some extra 3M masks and rolls of toilet paper. I will only sell to the highest bidder. Only gold and ammo accepted for payment.
I’d hate to see the volume of masks and toilet paper you have, to be so confident you have extra.
4 Likes
Campbells is seeing more soup business because of the coronavirus. The below article is from the Wall Street Journal:
#### Campbell Soup swung to a profit in its latest quarter. Sales fell 0.5%.
PHOTO: JUSTIN SULLIVAN/GETTY IMAGES
*By *
Annie Gasparro
Updated March 4, 2020 4:22 pm ET
Campbell Soup Co. CPB 0.72% said retailers are stocking up on its namesake product and other canned foods in response to the coronavirus epidemic, a boost to the beleaguered food maker’s sales.
The soup giant, which also sells crackers, cookies, nuts and other dry goods, said Wednesday that retailers are also buying more of its less popular items such as SpaghettiOs and Swanson canned chicken. Campbell said it is treating the epidemic as it would a storm or other natural disaster, making sure it has extra ingredients and finished products on hand in case of temporary port or factory closures.
“We made the decision last week to produce more where we had the flexibility, to strengthen inventory levels,” Chief Executive Mark Clouse said in an interview.
He said Campbell is talking to retailers as the epidemic and the U.S. response evolves. “We are all trying to figure out what this means, and what it’s going to look like,” Mr. Clouse said.
He said Campbell has gained ground in the latest quarter by investing in better ingredients and more marketing of its soups. Campbell’s shares were up 10% to $52.72 on Wednesday after the company raised its profit expectations for the fiscal year ending in July, citing stronger earnings momentum in recent months.
Grocers and other retailers have said some consumers are buying up staple foods and cleaning supplies out of concern the virus’s spread will leave them stuck at home. Some stores in densely populated cities such as New York and San Francisco have run out of long-lasting foods such as Jif peanut butter and Kraft macaroni and cheese. Target Corp. said Tuesday that it is seeing a surge in such buying, but that it doesn’t expect the rush to have a material impact on its earnings this year.
Sales of Campbell’s soups and other products also rose when Hurricane Sandy hit the East Coast in 2012, during hurricanes in Texas and Florida in 2017 and ahead of winter storms last year. The company said in each of those instances that the sales bumps didn’t materially boost earnings overall.
Last summer, Mr. Clouse said the company should do more to market its soups as a smart part of preparation for events like blizzards. But on Wednesday he added that he doesn’t see the virus as a business opportunity. “We are trying to be supportive during a very difficult situation,” he said.
Campbell’s U.S. soup sales increased 1% in its most recent quarter. Last fall, Campbell’s U.S. soup business gained market share for the first time since 2017, thanks to more marketing for those products.
“We are attracting younger households,” Mr. Clouse said. “Frankly, this is a trend that many believed was not possible.”
Like other food makers, Campbell has been investing more in advertising and promotions in stores. As a result, Campbell’s cost of marketing, advertising and store promotions rose 7% to $237 million for the quarter. That has helped Campbell win back shelf space that it had lost during years of lackluster results, Mr. Clouse said.
Campbell has also expanded its snack business following a 2018 acquisition of Snyder’s-Lance pretzels and nuts. In the recent quarter, Campbell’s snacks segment, which includes Pepperidge Farm Goldfish crackers and Kettle Brand potato chips, posted comparable sales growth of 2%.
Overall, the company on Wednesday posted a profit of $1.21 billion, or $3.97 a share, compared with a loss a year ago, for its fiscal second quarter that ended Jan. 26.
Adjusted earnings were 72 cents a share, ahead of the 66 cents a share analysts polled by FactSet had expected. Sales fell 0.5% to $2.16 billion for the fiscal second quarter, topping analysts’ expectation of $2.15 billion.
As a result of the stronger quarter, Campbell raised its outlook for adjusted earnings in fiscal 2020 by 5 cents to a range of $2.55 a share to $2.60 a share.
—Dave Sebastian contributed to this article.
Got soup?? 
I picked up a can of German vegetable soup at Aldi. Sure hope it’s good!
Well, I disagree. I been fairly consistent on the impact of this and we are weeks (minimal) from coming out the “other side”: of this. My crystal ball says we are in for some longer term pain.
Oh, since I’m in the area of that nursing home…We are all told to work form home until end of the month. Amazon and Microsoft nearby also did the same. On the upside, the traffic is way better than usual but malls and restaurants are nearly empty and I don’t see a turn around for them anytime soon. The economic impact will ripple through and impact other part of the country.
4 Likes
My husband went to the Dr today for his 4 mo exam. The receptionist asked him questions beforehand, had he taken any trips out of town lately, many more unrelated to his usual exam. He even had to put on a mask while in the waiting room. Very unusual…
Later on we went over to Costco to pick up a few items. What a crowd! People buying t-paper & loading baskets to overloaded conditions. I couldn’t wait to get out… 
Our Dr. said things are getting out of hand. Really no more than Flu symptoms. People just need to take care. Wash hands & stay away from people as much as possible.
The flu comparison that’s common makes me cringe a bit. The best current data says this is 20X more deadly than flu and also tend to spread easier but all that is still be determined. A lot of people in their 30s and 40s die of this and that’s almost never heard for flu.
Nope, I don’t get why people stock on TP either. Since I’m a FWer, I already have my stock of TP that will last me a long time.
8 Likes
So what they’re saying is, if you start to feel sick, then go buy masks, medicine, and whatever else you need. When it turns out to be Corona and they ask you why you’re not wearing a mask, you say that you didn’t want to spread your germs at five different stores but they were all sold out of masks. 
1 Like
Sounds as if you’re in western Washington. That is sort of “ground zero” for the virus here in the USA.
Where I live: zero impact. It’s business as usual.
That could change, of course. But population density here is very low, and what people we do have don’t go flitting all around the world . . . . life here is too good . . . . there is no need.
1 Like
You’re insinuating that people travel because life where they live is not good enough. That’s ridiculous. People whose life isn’t good enough usually can’t afford to travel. And people who don’t and have never traveled are missing out on a few things, including a more limited understanding of the world and its peoples. IMO.
Also it only looks like “ground zero” because an unfortunate elderly person got infected at an assisted living facility. It’s probably everywhere already, because the world couldn’t or wouldn’t do what China did, shut down and blockade entire cities and force everyone to stay home. The numbers of confirmed cases and deaths are about to blow up and shoot way past the numbers in China.
5 Likes
I have wondered over the years why some folks exhibit wanderlust while others are spared. Don’t claim to know the answer with certainty. Only know that right now, with this virus spreading, I’m more at ease among folks for whom remaining at home has always been their chosen course.
2 Likes