Got FOOD? I just got home from grocery shopping(9pm) at Albertson's here in far northern California. Most of the bread, potatoes, toilet paper, and all the water was GONE. What about where you live?

-- johan (reisch@c-zone.net), December 31, 1999

Answers

I just got home from grocery shopping(9pm) at the closest grocery here in the SF Bay Area. There was plenty of bread, potatoes, toilet paper, and bottled water left.

-- Nahoj (hcsier@enoz-c.ten), December 31, 1999.

Red Bluff, Ca. Pretty crazy! Wall of TP at food for less all out early in day then filled agine. Bread gone. Canned food was a mess. I didn't need anything just went to look. Then of course filled a cart. I was in line 30 min. The lines went back and up into the store. I asked the checker if it was this way all day? Said yes. She was pissed because she got called in on her day off. About every 4th cart was a "prep" cart. Still alot of full carts. People looked scared. This is a big warehouse kind of store. I looked at the top of the shelves on my way out(where they store inventory) And it was all water! Almost all the carts had water.

-- Hatti (klavine@tco.com), December 31, 1999.

Here in So. Cal, same thing Hatti... glad I prepped early, tho my potatos are starting to sprout...

-- Carl (clilly@goentre.com), December 31, 1999.

I have been to the store twice today. In the morning there was no more water at the HEB here in Northwest Austin, Tx. The sign said that due to excessive demand there would be only intermittent availability. They have been low on water but not out several times in the last month. They did have 6 gallon cannisters for storing water and so I bought one.

This evening there were tons of people, the canned goods were very low, the toilet paper and paper towels were gone. They had Evian water instead of the gallon and two gallon drinking water jugs and there were not any more 6 gallon water containers. The people in front of me were joking about y2k but neither was prepping.

-- Willy Boy (Willy@home.in.bed), December 31, 1999.

plenty of stock in Santa Barbara and Ventura. But lot's of people at the supermarket today (more than usual- but then it's NEW YEARS PARTY time here

-- hunchback (quasimodo@beltwor.com), December 31, 1999.

I'm in eastern Ventura County, California. I also shopped at Albertsons today, and they were crowded.....almost every checkstand going with at least four or five people in line. The store was well stocked except for water. The water was almost gone.

-- Linda (lindasue1@earthlink.net), December 31, 1999.

continue this here:

http://hv.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=0029pH

-- anonymous (anonymous@anonymous.com), December 31, 1999.

I'm tired... Long, long day at work today, but a few thoughts...

My boss laughed at the pallets of 1 gal and 2.5 gal drinking water I had in the backroom a month ago. It will be gone tomorrow.

I've contacted a local distributor of water. He's promised to bring me a truckload tomorrow. "But I can't guarantee it," he said. "We're running low too."

I'm out of Sterno. I'm out of D-cell batteries. I'm out of Parmalat!

I'm out of the 16.4oz Coleman propane cannisters. I'm out of lamp oil. I'm out of the 28# jugs of Scoop Away kitty litter!

Spent the day on the floor. To hell with paperwork. People seem kind of...frazzled. Everyone's talking about this Y2k thingy. "Do you carry kerosene?" "Do you have any more flashlights in back?"

People were pulling cases of Arrowhead 2.5 gal drinking water off the pallet as we stocked it. We instituted a limit on all 12+ roll toilet paper SKUs (four, in case you were wondering).

The pharmacy was swamped-- 500 scripts today when we average 200-250. We now have a sign taped to the monitor of the ATM. It reads: "Sorry. Out of cash."

Less than 24 hours now.

A few weeks ago, we had plenty of water. We had plenty of StarterLoggs. We had plenty of StarKist brand light chunk tuna (in water!). Where were these people then?

My boss wasn't laughing when I talked to him this afternoon.

GG

-- Grocery Guru (canstacker@anon.com), December 31, 1999.

Hatti, Just got up and saw your post, I grew up in Red Bluff, or as we affectionatially(sp) called it Dead Bluff. Have you always lived there? Lil Red

-- Lil Red (schoolhouse@jps.net), December 31, 1999.