Did a major shop (has been 3 weeks of a family of 4 eating almost exclusively at home- takeout twice- I’m proud of us!) at the Waltham Market Basket today. Rainy 8:30 am on Monday at a larger store- I played my cards right and there was no line. It’s a bit of a drive from my Somerville home but I felt like it was worth it. Employees wearing masks (almost all correctly), almost all customers distancing and wearing masks (what’s up with you 3 people who couldn’t even drag out a bandanna at this point?!), aisles indicated as one way flow which was largely observed. Didn’t deal with deli or meat counters.
Things were very well stocked, still a limit of 1 4-pack of toilet paper, but nothing else was limited. I did not find KA Flour, but that seems to be the Holy Grail. (ha ha). I followed someone’s tip - I believe from here- and loaded groceries bagless back into my cart, then into my reusable bags in the parking lot. Was it a bit more work? Yup. Am I glad not to have to throw a million thin film plastic bags in the trash. Yup. Worth it.
So has Forge. My understanding of the KA flour situation is that they’re having issues with packaging for retail sales, but are still supplying in bulk to bakeries, etc.
Sadly, Wagon Wheel is no longer an outdoor market. Anyway, it was quiet and comfortable shopping inside, with maybe three or four other shoppers, and they were pretty well stocked. Along with the produce, deli and dairy, they fresh hamburger, chicken and sausages, and they still had cryovac Dom’s meats despite the closure. (I forgot to check the fish counter.) Employees were wearing masks and gloves and giving customers space.
I drove by Wilson just to check it out. At 11:15, the parking lot was about 1/3 full, so not too bad.
I accomplished another biweekly—that’s once every two weeks—shop at Market Basket.
On this run, I was a bit later than my 8:00 AM-ish target. I was still early enough not to have to wait outside to enter, but I still regretted my tardiness. Folks who are less self-aware about distancing had started to arrive. Most people are mindful though. Points off for me running late!
Supplies were good on most items. Yeast? Nope, not yet.
In-store chatter was about the impending meat shortage. One of the workers commented that he expects to see supplies run short soon. I didn’t need anything but the cases looked full enough.
More paper towels and TP than I have observed since this craziness started.
The cleaning aisle was full, though substantially populated by off-brand cleaning products that were unfamiliar to me.
In an unexpected twist, I spied cheeses that I’ve never seen in MB. A Point Reyes Blue, a Point Reyes TomaTruffle, and a small round of French Brillat-Savarin somehow jumped into the cart. Fancy treat night ahead!
My wow moment came at checkout. The cashier and bagger said they’d tie the tops of the grocery bags destined for my neighbor (for whom I shop) so that I could easily tell our two orders apart. Really considerate.
I continue to be impressed by the agility of Market Basket through all this.
After reading it I went straight to the Saxelby website, Jasper Hill and Cato Corner farm and ordered several cheeses, concentrating on ones that will live long lives. So I sadly passed up several soft ones, such as Winnimere, that I would normally eat now in their short seasons. The Cato Corner site mentioned that several of their cheeses were in a stronger than usual state, and, rather sadly, they were offering beef products for the first time.
Thank you for the explainer. My first thought was that the cheeses probably found their way to MB because restaurant
and hotel dining isn’t happening.
I hope that the cheesemakers are able to recoup enough by selling to outlets such as Market Basket, which I’ve read is known for good relationships with its vendors.
My son and daughter-in-law just made a run to Bianco’s in Medford for curbside pickup. They said the store was definitely on top of things. A woman showed up without a mask and they gave her a hard time. (I’m not sure if she went back and got one.) I had placed an order yesterday by phone, which they grabbed for me. Cryovac house sirloin tips (which we rarely eat but should be fun on the grill as a treat), cajun turkey tips, hot Italians and breakfast sausage. They were efficiently friendly on the phone and at pickup.
Not sure which MB you are talking about, but if you are in the Waltham area, Domenics (the Italian shop known for great sandwiches) is selling fresh yeast, flour, and sourdough starter. Available via their online menu (we got Grubhub delivery), but I’m sure you could order and pick it up yourself too.
We got some starter, just turned out a batch of english muffins with it (which also required ordinary yeast, which we also got from D’s.) They came out great, going to try a tartine-style country loaf next.
I saw that Domenic’s is adding some Italian pantry items soon, maybe even guanciale. So I’m gonna keep an eye on them—could be a rewarding drive for me if pickup would be possible.
Farmer Dave’s has sporadically opened their East Street farmstand in Tewksbury, as well. And kudos to them for recently offering a load of bruised-but-usable potatoes and apples, for free, to those in need.
fwiw, at HMart this morning there appeared to be no extensive shortages in the meat department. There were a few gaps, but it didn’t look extremely bare or anything.
It seems like the media is doing their best to create a meat shortage. If they keep pumping out misleading headlines they will become a self fulfilling prophecy.
While there be some hype, I’m assuming there’s a factual basis to stories such as these that talk of, say, some Costco locations limiting meat purchases, or Wendy’s locations that have run out of hamburgers.
Some grocery stores have limited meat purchases because people see these stories and then rush out to jam their freezers full of meat or line up at the drive through for a triple burger. It is this behavior that causes or exacerbates any supply chain constraints. it’s a vicious cycle, fueled by the media and people being hysterics on social media IMO.
