Nancy Schimmel's thoughts on grocery stores (Grocery Stores)

I don't know how to run a grocery store, but if I were Matt I think I would have a Millenium Sale in early October before the Halloween-Thanksgiving-Christmas rush, featuring canned goods, flashlight batteries, bottled water, first-aid kits, firewood, etc. and telling people this is just-in-case stuff for possible power outages in early January. Some people would dismiss this as just another sales ploy, but many would buy, and they would not then be clogging the aisles in late December, plus Matt would have time to restock. His big job would probably be to convince the whole chain to do this, but that could be his action for the greater good.

He could also talk to his local government and service agencies about laying in cases of supplies at bulk rates for their homeless shelters, battered women's shelters, etc, because these folks can't stock up for themselves. And I guess he would need to get together with others in his community who would support him on this.

I would like to know that my grocery store manager is as aware and concerned as Matt is. I have sent my local guy an e-mail and he thanked me for the info about Cynthia Beal's site (Red Barn Natural Grocery),

http://scribble.com/y2k/

but I have no idea whether he really gets it.

Nancy

-- Runway Cat (Runway_Cat@hotmail.com), February 02, 1999

Answers

This was an interesting article/insight. The first part (not shown in the post above, but on the site), shows that the manager would not put his life in jeopardy just to sell a can of beans to us. I would have to agree with him. Any or all of the probable interruptions in services would put workers of such places (grocery, convenience, hardware, appliance stores etc) in peril.

-- Mr_Kennedy (y2kPCfixes@motivatedseller.com), February 02, 1999.

RC - Great post. I would only add my opinion that NOW is the time to initiate neighborhood awareness for the same reason. The more people stock up today, the more time the stores have to resupply. Mary

-- Mary (SWEEP6@prodigy.net), February 02, 1999.

Good ideas. The more I mention stocking up now to coworkers and family, the more doubts I put into those who plan to wait until late 1999. Some are starting to joke about buying something soon. No. Now is the time. If enough Y2K "preppies" trigger the grocery stores to stock more food, then more will be available to others when they realize the Big One is going to hit. And it will hit HARD.

However, if there is a sudden, unexpected collapse months before DEC99, then all bets are off with mob stampedes.

-dinosaur

-- dinosaur (dinosaur@williams-net.com), February 02, 1999.

Yes, this principle of "priming the line" really can work for some things. I've had only one source of soybeans, which I consider a good prep food, the local Oriental grocery store. Surprisingly, for most of my GI time, they have not stocked many bags on the shelf. I had to make frequent trips, buy 'em out of their meagre stock, and return again and again. But in the past month, finally, their inventory system seems to have caught up! Now when I go in, there are up to 100 bag always on the shelf, no matter how frequently I shop there (now buying other things, pretty saturated on soybeans). Far more than before, always available. It shows the principle in action!

-RCat

-- Runway Cat (Runway_Cat@hotmail.com), February 02, 1999.

Hello, RC.

Soybeans are not big in northwestern Ohio. I'm buying converted rice. The grocery stocking clerks give me odd looks, but I consider their reactions as simple bemusements. Stock up now! You won't regret it later when the REAL panic happens.

-dinosaur

-- dinosaur (dinosaur@williams-net.com), February 06, 1999.