Now I’m getting worried...about food....

Even though you placed the order a week ago, they don't reserve the groceries for you at that time. They fill from what is in the store the day of pickup. Just because your store is out of those items now, that doesn't mean they have been out of them for the past week.

Sadly, I think it is harder and harder to get delivery. It's really challenging for the people that really need the delivery, like my mom who just finished chemo.

Honestly, I would go if you just need to get a few things. Wipe off your cart, wash your hands before and after you go in and keep your distance from others. I know a lot of places are swamped with pick up orders and I honestly think that going and being cautious is fine. Wash your hands when you get home, wash your hands after you put your groceries away, wash your fruits and vegetables, wipe off any metal cans, and I think you’d be fine.

I would go in person if you can. The thing to remember is that they're just going to fulfill exactly what you have (perhaps a slight variation on size or brand) but in reality if you got there and they were out of spaghetti you would probably just buy linguine instead....they're not going to make that change on the fly, they'll just say they're out of spaghetti. I've given up on pick up right now, figure I can brave the store every 7-10 days and hope for the best (yes, we have more than 10 days worth of food but as long as we're healthy we don't want to dip too deep into our reserves b/c what if at some point we aren't healthy and need those reserves).

Don’t forget most stores are imposing limits now.

I stopped at 1 store yesterday, and you were limited to 1 pack of meat per person. Not 1 chicken or beef, but 1 pack of meat total.

While I do understand limits, I have a family of 6, so 1 pk of meat isn’t going to cut it. I did however get a freezer yesterday so now I have more options for things. I have plenty of grocery stores, at least 50 in my local area, but they are just bare right now.

I would do in person shopping. I love using shipt to bring me my groceries normally. But I don’t want more strangers touching my food, touching the bags, pitting it in their car (after they’ve been to various other houses) and then to me. Maybe I’m overthinking it and panicking, but I don’t care.

Also, I can see from the app that shoot is currently slammed because people don’t want to go out. And, based on what we (and our friends have observed in the past 3 days) there is some panicking happening at the grocery store since the governor announced shelter in place. 1 friend went before the order came out. She reported that all the shelves were stocked. I told my husband, and he said he would go later that afternoon. The order came out in that time frame. He got to the store and said it was insane, stuff was missing and there were long lines. 😖

Hopefully after this week everyone will have acclimated again and the grocery store will get a little bit more normal.

I tried to order from Walmart last weekend and there were no times available for Sunday or Monday, and no options to choose a day after that. So, I went to the store. I have disinfecting wipes in my car and used one to wipe the whole cart. I also used hand sanitizer myself before going in and as I left. I was aware not to touch things that I wasn't going to buy.

I have seen posts from others saying that low risk people should do the shopping themselves and leave the spots for delivery or drive up for those who are higher risk. That makes sense to me.

Are you immunocompromised? Maybe someone in your community can shop for you.

I've never done curbside pickup or grocery delivery before, but wanted to try. We're both immunocompromised and self-isolating. Our last grocery store trip was 2 weeks ago, and we're running low on fresh food.

I talked to a friend who lives in the area about the state of the stores. We have HEB, Kroger, and Food Town. HEB and Food Town both are constantly packed with shoppers and picked over, but Kroger seems to be less crowded and have more in stock. So I placed a big delivery order from them late last week that should come this afternoon. It was the only slot available between delivery or pickup. I'm hoping I put a diverse enough selection and large enough amount of things on the list that we'll get a good bit of it, but what we get, we get, and make do with.

We've been trying to set up prescription delivery but may not get it going before we need refills. If not, DH will pick prescriptions up at Kroger, and whatever other things we need.

We *can get by on emergency nonperishable food, but it wouldn't be healthiest as most nonperishable food is processed in some way. And we need fresh food to stay as healthy as possible. But if there's just not enough to be had, I have some healthier pantry options. And multivitamins.

I went to the store yesterday and was surprised at how slow it was and how well stocked they were. There were some shelves that were still picked over (pasta, veggies, fruits, but there were options. I never go down the aisles with TP or cleaning supplies so I don't know what those were like). The produce was well stocked, just missing my nice selection of mushrooms (although they did have some sliced white ones).

People are calling for a mandatory shelter in place here in Iowa, but it doesn't sound like that's in the works yet so that could be why the store was in good shape.

Right now IC and the like are not the best options as many IC workers are filling multiple orders per trip.

Yes, these days you have to go in person. Try going at the crack of dawn whenever they open. I was at my grocery store at 5:45 a few days ago waiting in line for their 6:00 opening. There were about 15 of us in a well-spaced line (the shopping carts provide a natural spacer, lol). At my stores you pretty much have to go with just a general idea -- "deli area" (the section where they keep lunch meats, kielbasa, etc.), "dairy", "produce", "canned", "meat" -- and not with specifics such as "boneless skinless chicken thighs". Bring home what you can find then cook from that. Last week for protein I brought home two bags of frozen meatballs and some kielbasa. And a couple of days ago when I went to look for toilet paper for my mother I randomly found boneless skinless chicken breasts. Normally we don't eat breasts, but we will be eating them in the coming weeks. 

Unless you are extremely immuno compromised, I would go to the store and get what you need. The food is there so there is no point doing without if you don't have to. I went to Central Market on Monday afternoon and they were very well stocked, especially in fresh produce and fruits. Meat and fish departments looked like any normal day. All other products were mostly stocked. Might not be the brand you usually buy, but they have things. There was plenty of flour, sugar, etc. for baking. The only thing they are still out of is paper towels and toilet paper, like everyone else it seems.

One thing I liked is that they are limiting the number of people in the store, as well as putting distance stickers on the floor throughout so that people will keep at least 6' apart. I'm making a trip every 6 days for fresh items, just making sure to wipe my cart down, use antibac. wipes when I get in the car. When I get home wash with soap and water, then wipe all the groceries down and wash my hands again. So far so good.

I haven't tried delivery but I haven't had much trouble getting groceries in person - I shoppped last Saturday at Aldi and Publix. Milk was out, I didn't look at bread, flour was only speciality flours, pasta was primarily gluten-free (which worked out well for us as our house is GF), the paper aisle was empty. There was fresh produce and meat but limits on meat and selection wasn't as broad as usual (esp. at Aldi). I don't buy convenience foods but those shelves and freezer sections were pretty empty

I think it's necessary to be a little open-minded on what to buy but there's no shortage of food in general.