‘If coronavirus doesn’t get us, starvation will’: A growing number of Americans say they can’t afford to stock up on groceries
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
She waited until the third Wednesday of the month, the day her Social Security check landed in the bank, before she got into her Nissan and drove to the local supermarket in search of a few basics: spaghetti, ground beef and distilled water for her sleep apnea machine.
But by the time she’d arrived, all of those items were gone. It had been over a week since the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had urged Americans like her — older, with chronic health conditions — to “stock up” and stay home because of the deepening coronavirus crisis, which was upending every aspect of daily life and shutting down entire cities. The president even went on TV to urge people to avoid gatherings of more than 10.
But like millions of Americans on fixed incomes, who rely on social security, disability checks or food stamps to buy necessities each month, Brown doesn’t have much of a choice. It is nearly impossible, she says, to stock up on food, medication or other necessities beyond what she would normally buy.
“Of course I would’ve liked to buy groceries sooner,” said Brown, 69, a retired courtroom clerk in Burlington, N.C. “But I’m only getting checks once a month. Once that’s gone, I’m broke until the next one comes.”
Across the country, already-struggling Americans are being urged to buy more at one time and embrace social distancing to help slow the outbreak’s spread . At the same time, supermarkets are getting picked over, as panic-stricken consumers snap up rice, pasta, beans and canned vegetables — the kind of inexpensive staples that Brown has learned to stretch into a month’s worth of meals.
White House officials are considering various emergency measures to help Americans, including sending $1,000 checks directly to workers in coming weeks. But while that money may provide temporary relief — and enough cash to pay for groceries and other expenses short-term, many say it would not provide long-term security at a time when jobs are drying up and the economy teeters toward recession.
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I say Richard Burr buys her groceries for the next six months.
I’ve been saying for weeks. Folks not being able to work will lead to as much deprivation as coronavirus.
Strange that there is enough food, but not enough money to buy it. That is a moral failure.
Btw, being malnourished increases the likelihood of infection and inability to treat illness many times.
Sometimes.
When our local CVS had a fully-stocked milk refrigerator, I thought I'd hit the mother lode. Some foods can be hard to find here on some days. Canned foods, potatoes, milk, and eggs are hit-or-miss. There might be none one day, and plenty the next.
Here most meat products are gone. Can't find ground beef and no chicken. Did find some Bubba burgers. Found some odd brand lunch meats.
There are shipments and like you said, kinda hit and miss.
Honestly I think most of the hoarding is about done. Only so many rolls of TP or cans of beans one can have in stock.
I think that will even out soon enough, then the problem will be people have no money and no job.
As well, we will see TONS of food thrown right out in the garbage. People may buy all kindsa stuff, but will not use it. Wait and see.
Our local food places ( for us, Hugo’s, Sam’s Club etc.) have put up signs on all their products the last couple of days that say “one item only”.
When I went to Food Lion a few nights ago, the woman checking out in the next aisle had mounds of red meat on the conveyor belt. Like half of what Food Lion generally keeps on its shelves. She had two grocery carts overflowing with that, chips, and soda. Unless she was feeding an army, she couldn't go through that much food in two weeks. I wouldn't have the freezer space for that much meat, unless I'd already thrown out everything in my deep freeze.
And those limits - my mom was complaining about a man she knows who went to Sam's. They had a 2-per-customer limit on toilet paper. He bought 2, then sent his wife in to buy 2 more. They live alon. Four Sam's-sized packs of toilet paper is way more than they need.
It's repulsive.
Mom had to bite her tongue while the TP hoarder was talking. He was so proud of himself.
Yeah - we've had a couple of folks at Albertson's who walked out with THREE SHOPPING CARTS full of food. Now, there's a "one-item" only policy at Walmart, Target and Albertson's.
Walmart's doing a two item limit up here, shelves are still pretty barren anyway. The latest shortage I've noticed is bacon, now that's a tragedy!
Don't see how they can now justify work requirements for food stamps.
I don’t either. Doesn’t make sense.
Restaurants have already started laying off employees, since many states are closing down eat-in establishments. And as food service workers don't exactly make bank, they're unlikely to have been able to put money aside to support themselves for extended unemployment.
These are the folks that will reap the reward of coronavirus, whether they are infected or not.
I wonder how many of these business are going to have to close the doors for good.
Then people will have no jobs to go back to.
That worries me, too. Chain restaurants will probably be fine, especially fast food places that have always had drive-through. Local mom-and-pops are going to struggle. A locally-owned restaurant near my office is closed for now. Five years ago, they shut down for 4 or 5 months due to severe flood damage. I don't know if they can survive 2 lengthy shutdowns in such a short period.
I sure hope that restaurant reopens
Me, too. Their burgers are pretty tasty.