r/Assistance • u/karan405 • Mar 14 '20
META I've been thinking a lot about people who can't afford supplies during a quarantine. The rest of us need to think about them and STOP hoarding fellow human beings... Thank you...
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u/xsullengirlx BANNED Mar 14 '20
I live in Washington where things have been super crazy, and I've been on medical leave from my job (still employed, just trying to get my health in order) and have only had enough income to pay my rent with about $75 left over for expenses every month. That doesn't leave much for food/prescriptions/dog food/gas and utilities... but I've been trying to make it work. However, I have *just* barely enough to get by, and when they say "Stock up for 2 weeks" I have to laugh, because I never have enough extra these days to stock up. I usually run out of food/TP etc... This month I've been trying to sell clothing and stuff on Poshmark/Ebay/Etsy and when I FINALLY got enough extra to go to the store to try and buy some cheap extra TP, bread, potatoes, rice, peanut butter, soup.... it was all sold out! I tried hard to stock up but it's basically impossible for some people to achieve when everyone's hoarding things. Makes me sad to see the comments here who say "survival of the fittest!" because I'm a young person who just wants to survive, too. :/
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u/babewithamobilityaid Mar 14 '20
I don’t have much spare myself but, how can I help? Do you have an amazon wish list you could link with some essentials on that people could send you to try & help?
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u/hating_crickets Mar 14 '20
If you’re near Renton, Amazon is giving away free groceries. 851 Houser Way N Ste A. Starts at 9am-11am TODAY. Wishing you the best!
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u/JodiLee420 Mar 14 '20 edited Mar 14 '20
There are a lot of threads to help with this sort of thing- r/assistance, I think is one...jst for an example. People are very giving, you would be surprised. Do a search. Also, if its dog food I need there are pet food pantrys all over. I don't have much, either, but if u need something small I could help...except with toilet paper...I can't even find any extra for me ATM!
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u/donttextspeaktome Mar 14 '20
Umm... you mean the sub you’re on?
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u/JodiLee420 Mar 15 '20
Oops, I meant to make tge point that there were others, guess it didn't come out that way.
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u/xsullengirlx BANNED Mar 16 '20
Thank you so much for the advice. I've never posted for assistance here before, but I have been researching local food banks and such - I know they give out dog food too, but my pup is now on prescription liver care food (I have a prescription card for him, but they sell it at Petsmart and on Chewy), so I can't give him anything else, it's a very strict diet (and expensive too). I might end up needing to make a post here if things keep getting worse, I don't get paid again for nearly 2 weeks.
I couldn't find any TP either, luckily I have a neighbor who gave me 4 rolls! I hope things get better for us all soon.
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u/seaboard2 [Amazon aficionado] Mar 14 '20
...Most of us givers here don't hoard, and users who do never come back to this board...
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u/Neverenoughlego Mar 14 '20
You hush...I just bought 12,500 5.56mm rounds....and 7000 rounds of 9mm
UPS guy is going to shit a purple ferret.
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u/karan405 Mar 14 '20
I know and I am appreciate of that fact... But I just went grocery shopping and I felt sorry for humanity seeing people acting like animal's... No ettiquetes, no concern for the elderly and disabled... Just Capitalism 101...
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u/seaboard2 [Amazon aficionado] Mar 14 '20
What you saw in line at home is NOT what is here on this board. Why post it here? We don't need this message, maybe try r/talesfromthecustomer
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u/stitchmidda2 Mar 14 '20
People either seem to be doomsday prepping and buying a shitton of stuff expecting the world to end, or they are buying up stuff thinking they will resell it at 10x the cost. Or we have the worst of all which are the people that dont take this illness seriously and are just bitching and moaning that their cruise was cancelled or their kids are home from school or they want to break quarantine to go to a bar, etc. Ive seen all of those scenarios in real life yesterday alone. God forbid we try to protect people's lives and you have to go without your sporting game for a few weeks.
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u/VanLifeCrisis Mar 14 '20
Capitalism from the manufacturer to the trucker to the store is whats going to refill those shelves in a week.
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u/oilisfoodforcars Mar 14 '20
capitalism is going to be what keeps the sick restaurant worker going in so they can pay their rent and bills and infects even more people.
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u/LillyTheElf Mar 14 '20
Oh yes, weve got stay home if ur sick signs but we'd have no staff if we did that. Everyones got a cough sniffles etc of some kind.
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u/dukesinatra Mar 14 '20
For those that fall victim to bulk-buyer's selfish actions, when an item is completely sold out, consider ordering what you need directly for the manufacturer's website. Additionally a quick Google search (or Bing if you're that guy) can yield valuable coupons and promo codes.
TP was sold out all through Charlotte the other day. I ordered 60 double rolls of Angel Soft through their own website for $28 and that included shipping.
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u/thebig1988guy Mar 14 '20
I am under quarinteen I actually just posted about this I can get big amount of supplies from my employer at cost.
I'll gladly get it to people at cost
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u/TittyBeanie Mar 14 '20 edited Mar 14 '20
Yes, thank you! We're in the fortunate position to be able to go to the in laws if we need to. But I was in a bit of a panic last week because we don't have the money to just go out and spend on bulk buys, or even food shop in the middle of the month.
I feel for those in the UK who have to use the food bank etc. They're really struggling.
Here come the downvotes. Can someone explain to me what the actual problem with OPs post is? Because I'm confused. Are we seriously advocating for the privileged few buying out all the supplies in stores, so that those who live paycheck to paycheck (if they even have a paycheck) can't have any of it when they do get money?
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u/modpodgeandmacabre Mar 14 '20
I’m stressed out with all of this! We make just enough to qualify for nothing and not enough to pay everything. So for me in the middle without $ I have no way to stock up. I also can’t take days off without the money coming from my check. So I’m stressed about care centers closing next 😳
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u/insideoutsideorange Mar 14 '20
Anyone in the UK struggling poundshop.com has just restocked. I've brought some soap and stuff which is going straight to the food bank.
Delivery is £4.95 but I'm willing to cover that for someone who's desperate or if they are doing a food bank shop too.
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Mar 14 '20
Thank you this is helpful - I've been unable to buy soap for a few weeks and we're almost out of soap and sanitiser so ive just ordered from them, had no idea about that website. Well done and thank you for donating to the food bank as well, I wish I was in the position to do the same!
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u/insideoutsideorange Mar 14 '20
Awh you should've posted on my other thread hun, would've covered the postage </3
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u/lisha25 Mar 14 '20
Me and my mother both work in housekeeping, it’s so scary right now just doing our job. We’re also losing business like crazy, we depend on tips that we get from the generosity of those that leave them. We usually do pretty good, but right now we’re almost dead and having a hard time. On top of that we cannot find hand sanitizer anywhere around here (Va), we also just cannot afford to stock up on two weeks of essentials right now, it’s just honestly so hard and scary just working. I hope everyone stays safe out there and thank you for the ones who think to help others who’s work is affected.
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u/Darth_RomansPA REGISTERED Mar 14 '20
I completely agree. I FINALLY found some toilet paper after about 2 hours of searching. There was 5 packages left. I thought I'll grab them all since it's like gold currently. Then I stopped and thought "No, I'll only buy 2. We won't use all 5 right away." At that moment I noticed a lady with 2 kids walk in and grab a pack...then she opened her purse and looked in it. Put the pack back because it was a more expensive brand and couldn't afford it. I bought her 2 of the remaining 3 packs. She didn't ask or expect it. I thought she was going to cry she was so thankful. I leaned down and told the 2 boys to take care of their mommy and to be sure to keep washing their hands and to have a good day. Honestly to me it wasn't a huge deal. It was toilet paper of all things! In that moment I made a huge impact on someone's life by just doing a little gesture. I hope everyone gets the chance to do something so small but changes someone's life for the better!
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u/aehernandez336 Mar 14 '20
Yeah I'm super stressed about stocking up. I have 2 kids and dont get paid until Friday. 😢
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u/galebird Mar 14 '20
Someone like you would blanket judge myself or my spouse when you might have seen us shop this week. You discount that some of us have reasons. You don't have a child with such a limited diet and such severe aversions that he will starve or dehydrate himself if we don't make sure what's in house is what he can deal with. This isn't "well he's just picky". I'm picky. He's in another dimension.
We had 4 gallons of milk, his main beverage. We had 3 loaves of bread, because peanut butter and jelly is one of the few reliable meals. We had a lot of rice and gluten free pasta, because my husband has celiac disease. That's just part of it.
Are there some people being insane? Yes. But I can't get on too high a horse when there's likely plenty more in situations like mine terrified they won't be able to get specifics that keep their loved ones fed and well.
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u/Givemeallthecabbages Mar 14 '20
I want to do a big shopping trip for my local food pantry—our state just closed schools and kids won’t be getting lunch. But I imagine what people will think of me and my cart...while for me personally, I have all the TP and pantry items I need. I bought a bag of potatoes just in case.
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u/Decidedly-Undecided Mar 14 '20
Your story is why the rest of us need to be more mindful. I don’t judge anyone in the store stocking up because I don’t know their story. Maybe they are at high risk. Maybe they are shopping for a food bank. Maybe they are helping an older relative stay safe. But I’ve been telling people I know to be mindful of their need vs the need of those that could die if exposed.
Do I want to catch COVID-19? No. I have asthma, things could get bad for me. But I’m 30. I’ll be ok. My 90 year old grandmother with congestive heart failure and several other chronic conditions would not be ok if she gets it. My friend with celiacs will not be ok without specialized food. People like me need to slow down on their own stock piling so others are able to. That’s the point of this post I think.
Stay safe out there. I hope you and your family are doing ok.
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u/Godzillamask Mar 14 '20
I fully agree with you. However it's been so bad you kinda have to stock up. Even Walmart is completely barren. I have been kinda going off the two week thing. As long as I have enough supplies for 2 weeks I think im good. They will get re stocked soon I hope.
But let's say you just went to the store to re up your regular groceries because you have been ignoring the shortage. You would be f$#ked
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u/Moon7of9 Mar 15 '20
So here here’s some sort of cheap pasta I’ve found online. It’s not fancy and shipping is 15 bucks but for 20lbs of pasta it’s 10.99 so in total 26 bucks could get you through a week or two. Like I said not fancy but cheap. https://www.webstaurantstore.com/penne-rigate-pasta-20-lb/112RIGATE20.html
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u/zwagonburner Mar 14 '20
I'm in the upper peninsula of Michigan and my area is out of TP, among other things. 🙄 They don't even know why they are hoarding, except OMG PANNNNNNIC because other people are. Lol.
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Mar 14 '20
I’m in SE Michigan and it’s the same here. Bare shelves all around for pretty much everything. People are in an outright panic, you would think it’s Black Friday.
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u/Decidedly-Undecided Mar 14 '20
Also in SE Michigan. I don’t have the money to stock up. I’m a little scared when I go to the store next week I won’t be able to buy the food I need. I shop two weeks at a time. That’s what I’m able to do. My aunt sent us a picture of the TP shelves the other day. Completely empty.
My daughter and I have a slightly elevated risk since I have pretty bad asthma and she has a chronic health condition, but I don’t believe I am one of the few that could die from this. I won’t be stocking up, but I’d like to be able to shop as normal. However, my 90 year old grandma that has several chronic health conditions including congestive heart failure and diabetes needs to stay inside and safe. She does need to stock up. If every slightly below middle age, perfectly healthy person is buying up all the supplies then she can’t do that and she could be put at risk.
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Mar 14 '20
When you do go, check out ethnic food aisles. I found my rice and beans in those aisles because the other aisles were out. I only bought what I need for my disabled husband and my elderly parents. People were doing Costco sized shopping trips, it was absolutely jaw dropping how greedy and selfish they were being. I got smacked with carts twice.
We’re going to be eating a lot of homemade bean burritos, tuna noodle casserole and egg fried rice. People weren’t really going after these ingredients, I was pretty surprised! Fruit and vitamin C pills are all gone, if you’re near a Kroger check out their health food section. I found Emergen-C there for my parents, no one had even touched that aisle. A plain multi-vitamin will do the job for healthy adults.
It’s pretty crazy out there but I found the easiest time to go was early evening weekday before everyone is off work yet since we’re not quarantined. Opening hour is a mad house, closing hour just as bad. Avoid! 😨
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u/Decidedly-Undecided Mar 14 '20
I try to hit store around 11am to avoid big crowds in general. Is this still viable or should I wait until a little later? I’m doing a lot of pasta and tacos. We make our own pasta and tortillas so I need flour and eggs. I make my own sauce too so fresh or canned tomatoes will work too! All of this is so crazy... I actually have a bunch of vitamin D since I have a deficiency. I’ve been taking it for a couple months now and got a good deal on it so I have like 2k pills still (I take 1 5000UI every other day).
My grandma lives in a retirement community that cooks meals for them already. So as long as their kitchens have food, she’ll be able to eat. But her meds, and sanitary supplies she still needs.
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Mar 14 '20
You might just miss the crowds, they show up at 6am for the TP. There was plenty baking/cooking supplies, including eggs. People wanted easy boxed stuff, not really from scratch cooking. Canned tomatoes were getting snapped up, probably for easy chili. You might have luck with fresh though, people only wanted fruit, not perishable vegetables(I guess they’ve never heard of canning), the panic luckily isn’t going to affect your shopping too much for food but the pharmacy sections were cleared pretty badly. Might need to order those online or try multiple stores.
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u/Decidedly-Undecided Mar 14 '20
Thank you so much! That helps a lot! I can start planning shopping more effectively.
This year the plan was to reno the back yard to grow a bunch of tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers to can and even more spices. make my own tomato sauce, salsa, sloppy joe mix I will be canning. But it just don’t have the garden yet.
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u/zwagonburner Mar 14 '20
It was fine here until people started reporting it. I live in a small area, so a lot of people kind of panicked and headed to the stores.
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u/sps2011 Mar 14 '20
Yeah it’s been really hard for me for this very reason. I haven’t been able to truly get the things I need smh.
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Mar 14 '20
True. Been waiting to get paid to buy some essentials and there are non left at stores nearby 😔
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u/justbearit Mar 14 '20
I’m in the US won’t get money till the 3rd of next month. Cried all day yesterday.
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u/Brandon_partain Mar 15 '20
They just ran out of laundry detergent at all the stores I go to and I just feel like crying right now. I only have a half a bottle full and am now trying to find a bottle online. People are starting to disgust me with their greediness. Shame on them!!
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Mar 14 '20
[deleted]
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u/TittyBeanie Mar 14 '20
I don't think you're understanding what OP means.....or maybe I'm not? I didn't read it as a criticism of us who ask for help. I saw it as a warning that the people who come here and ask for help are the most vulnerable and likely to be affected by people hoarding and panic buying.
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u/babydoll3714 Mar 14 '20
I did read it wrong and thanks for clarifying.
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u/TittyBeanie Mar 14 '20
That's ok, it seems like a lot of people felt the same. I was genuinely worried that I'd missed something vital though.
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u/Tuck-n-Wheels13 BANNED Mar 14 '20
Honestly! Comment of the day and internet. There are some real selfish people in the world.
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u/thebrightorangedawn Mar 14 '20
It's like Y2K all over again except this time with hand sanitizer.
It has become a sport for me to just sit and watch cause I have nothing else to do.
Currently stuck in a Winco parking lot due to being homeless, living out of my car with a revoked license due to a "seizure" that I had all the way back in December after suffering 2 back to back concussions. It wasn't a seizure. The doctor waited until February 25th to report it. My doctor is refusing to release me even though I'm homeless, living in my car, and haven't had any more episodes of fainting. My gym is 3 miles away and I risk driving (once a week) but if I'm caught I lose everything and go to jail for 6 months, but I need to shower. I will never understand how doctors can be so callous and cruel when they're supposed to be helping people.
I was going to post this later as it just happened this morning, but this seems like a good spot to start...
I'm on my last few wipes. So I head in to the dystopia that grocery stores have become. Ml
A mombie got pissed that I was buying baby wipes and had my service dog with me. She was dealing with her sperm demon that was screaming and going nuts. I grab one of the two remaining packs. Then I hear-
Mombie: Excuse me I need those
I look at her cart with her crotch goblin in it and she already has something like 5 packs. I didn't count but it was a lot.
Me: Yeah, so do I and it looks like you already took most of what's left.
Then she goes "Do you even have a baby? Your dirty dog doesn't count".
I wanted to deck her so bad. But assult isn't worth it. I was only going to buy one pack, but I quickly, before she could realize what was happening, grabbed the last one and said "I guess you'll have to make do with the amount you have already hoarded" and walked away.
Pick up a sandwich from the deli and a fancy soda cause unless I buy booze unless when the night manager is there cause she has carded me so many times before she never does now (my wallet was stolen) and I get in line.
From behind me I hear someone say really defeated how they're now going to have to deal with another zoo (the store looked like black Friday had arrived, they had all except 3 checkstands going out of 18 total +6 self checkouts and I've never seen them have more than 5-7 maybe 8-9 if it's right before a holiday). I turned around to offer her one of the two I had when would you believe it, Mombie was right behind the people behind me glaring at me. I gave her my sweetest, snarky smile and loudly said "Hey I couldn't help but to overhear your conversation. I grabbed two but I can make do with one for now. Would you like my second parkage?
The lady looked like she was going to start crying right there. She hugged me and profusely started thanking me. I told her it was no problem and that I hope it helps get you through for the time being.
All the while Mombie kept fuming worse and worse as the convo continued.
Screw Mombies and the horders and if you're both, you can go eat rocks.
And for the record, not all mothers are Mombies. But if you think you're entitled to special treatment because you got knocked up, then shoved or had a kid cut out of you, you're definitely a Mombie. Same goes for the Daddicks that think they deserve special treatment because they reproduced. I don't mind letting someone go ahead of me if their kid is being difficult, but to automatically assume that what will happen. Naw, but that's a cool story bro.
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u/mindmischief1 BANNED Mar 14 '20
exactly what i've been saying. i was recently laid off and i have two kids. the schools just announced yesterday they are gonna be closed for two weeks. i start a job next week but omgggg. these kids eat soooo much when they're home. 😬 all the stores here are sold out of tp, disinfectant, etc.
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u/jacyerickson Mar 14 '20
Yes, thank you. I am more worried about running out of supplies than the virus I think.
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u/justbearit Mar 15 '20
I’m running out of food, have less than a half a bottle of laundry detergent but I don’t have kids so no big deal I can’t go grocery shopping till next month oh wait I do get $16 in food stamps in a week. Fun times
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u/toomanygirls99 Mar 14 '20
How do you hoard human beings?