No soup for Suzy, or any other shopper not overreacting to the Coronavirus. If I’d had a paper towel I could have dusted those empty shelves, but the store didn’t have any of those either. No paper towels, tissues, napkins, or toilet paper. I wasn’t really surprised they were out of TP, I mean, the news has been telling us for days how much the Coronavirus makes people poop!
No, actually, the news hasn’t said that because the virus doesn’t do that. For some reason though, the majority of us are acting like it’s the Zombie Apocalypse. And while the Zombie Apocalypse would indeed scare the sh!t out of me, I still don’t think I’d need dozens and dozens of rolls of toilet paper.
I did discover some good news though. The wine section was completely stocked.
Naturally, I stocked up. I can survive without soup, but going without vino is a no no.
This whole thing is crazy though, isn’t it? Scary, too. The small businesses on our main street are suffering, restaurants are closing (my son was about to start working at Outback Steakhouse when boom, it closed), kids are home from school and many parents are wondering how they’re going to feed them — and not just because supermarkets like mine have almost no food in them. If I was a waitress at Outback, I’d have no income right now.
So, a few thoughts.
If your restaurants are open, tip well. God knows how long before the staff will be unemployed. If they’re closed but offering dine out services, order from them once a week if possible. If your favorite local shop or boutique has an online presence, support it that way. If it doesn’t, call and inquire about curbside service. Many of the small businesses here are offering it and it works just like ordering take out: you call and order, and then simply pull up, the shop owner brings out your purchase, and you drive off.
Right now, we need to do all we can to keep our communities — and friends — afloat. And that means getting creative, and leaving a little toilet paper for other people.
