Mad dash on Hoboken supermarkets

Hoboken people, calm down. Our supermarkets are not closing, and you can practice CDC-recommended 'social distancing' as you grocery shop. Look, even locked-down Italy is keeping their supermarkets and pharmacies open. 

Now that you're calm, run like hell to your nearest supermarket before the toilet paper sells out! 

Yep, this terrifying photo of empty shelves at ShopRite was posted on Facebook - not one package of toilet paper left! 

Last night at ShopRite

To be honest, the rush on supermarkets is silly. Really. But the fact is, what are you gonna do when you run out of toilet paper 'cause your neighbor stockpiled enough to wipe every ass in the Sixth ward? 

Exactly. So, this morning  (9:30 AM) I went to ACME for a couple of things, including toilet paper. I want to report that there was plenty of food on the shelves- and produce. Bags of salad were low... but still there were plenty of fresh veggies and fruit.  (Hey, cheapskates! ACME is having their excellent $1 sale: baby carrots, sweet peppers, and mushrooms!) 

ACME at 9:30AM

The meat section was somewhat ransacked, but expect it to be restocked throughout the day. 

The dairy section was full; there was no discernible difference today than on any non- pandemic shopping day.  However, the toilet paper section was pretty much cleared out. Fortunately, I grabbed one of very few packages left on the shelves; pricey and labeled 'deluxe' (does your arse know the difference?)  

Oh yeah, the store was packed. There was one line and five cashiers open. The line turned at the frozen food section. 

My spot at the end of the line, in the frozen food section.  

The line was the longest I've ever experienced at any supermarket, but it moved quickly.  No more than a 10 or 15 minute wait. 

So, there you go, people.  This  morning, I found PLENTY of food- fresh and frozen- and it's going to be re-stocked. The fact that panicked folks appear to be stockpiling certain items is, in my opinion, making things worse than they have to be. 

So, please folks. Pace yourselves. We are going to be living like this for a while. 

A reader sent me the photos below, taken at ShopRite yesterday afternoon.

Yesterday afternoon at ShopRite