Holy cow, was COSTCO busy today.

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Just went to Costco to poick up final medications (yes, it was stupid) and I have never seen the crowds like it before. Lines of carts streaming back into the store down all main isles. Contents? While some carts had the usual run of the mill things, many seemed to be overloaded with cases of bottled water, soup and toilet paper. I guess it was about a three day supply. Who would have thought?

-- smfdoc (smfdoc@aol.com), December 30, 1999

Answers

smfdoc--Well this is what we've been waiting for, people prepping. Been to WalMart everyday to check out the inventory. Zippo water, propane cylinders, lanterns, flashlights, 5-gallon gas cans, oil lamps, and oil. No matches and auto oil in low supply. Saw people walking out with several packages of TP. Price gouging is in full effect. Longs Drugs lamp oil (smallest bottle) $4.99 (WalMart's $1.97). Propane cynlinders $3.99 ea for Coleman ($1.89 WalMart). Oil Lamps $14.99 (WalMart $8.99). WalMart had canned milk for .50, canned pumpkin .40, Wesson oil .98, but people were grabbing it up. Overhead people on the scanner today saying they were going to stock up before the others got the same idea. My husband and I cracked up! Also, gas stations were very busy, reg. gas still $1.29/gal.

-- bardou (bardou@baloney.com), December 30, 1999.

Same at COSTCO in Santa Barbara. THere were pallets of bottled water stacked in various aisles throughout the store. The store was packed at 1300 yesterday. I didn't see any shoppers who hadn't taken at least one box of 2x2.5 gal water. Lots of the large carts with five or six cases of water. Lots of boxed soup, ramen, beans, rice. I didn't see any panic. Just late preps.

The gas stations locally are seeing no unusual activity. No unusual activity at the NG/Reserve Center. No new or extra vehicles.

-- Darby (DarbyII@AOL.com), December 30, 1999.


Went to BJ's

Funny scene - mostly regular shoppers though the parking lot was jammed like a Saturday. Man in front of me had 6 cases of bottled water and lots of batteries. When other people in line saw his stuff they ran up and asked him where the water was located so they could get some.

-- ExCop (yinadral@hotmail.com), December 30, 1999.


I was envisioning long lines at Costco but to my surprise it was light. Oh, did I mention that there was a "problem" with phones to access ATM and CC transactions so that weeded out a few folks. Went to the Home Depot store afterwards, same problem. My last stop was Best Buy electronics who had the same problem but they were letting people charge up to $150 with ID. Gives me chills thinkin what those places will be like shortly. Nobody in southern CA has a friggin clue!!

-- omega (yorb@linda.calif), December 30, 1999.

Radio Shack in Paramus was unable to take credit cards at the register. Every CC purchase had to be called in using the same single phone mounted on the wall about 2 feet above the heads of the salespeople (duh!). Salesman said they had to do this all day.

-TECH32-

-- TECH32 (TECH32@NOMAIL.COM), December 30, 1999.



Aldies and krogers overflowing! Quite funny really. I was happy I was just doing my normal grocery shopping. Saw one guy yelling about some a box of canned tuna...he needed some canned tuna!!!! People topping gas tank off. I'm done and settled in waiting to see what will happen...only been waiting for a year and a half for this event! Spouse is on official y2k/terrorist watch. If things get really bad they will fly via helicoptor to sites. ( that's scarey isn't it??) My friends sister tried to fly in from the south and airforce would let her fly...didn't want her to take a chance...hmmmmmm

-- Moore Dinty Moore (dac@ccrtc.com), December 30, 1999.

Like that one guy said, people weren't going to look around until after they pulled there head out of Santas ass.

-- Guy Daley (guydaley@bwn.net), December 30, 1999.

I'm used y2k as an excuse to buy two new surf casting rod/reel combos today. Saw one family walk out of Sports Authority with 5 (yes, five) full cases of the 1lb propane bottles. Most everyone else had one or two. Probably 30 cases left by the time I left. Good supply of Coleman fuel too. Only display models left for the stoves. Good prices. REI in Berkeley was doing a brisk business in backpacking foods and stoves. Running low on fuels. Good prices here too. Home Depot was down to 5 - 1 gal cans of kero, no gas grill or larger propane tanks.

Here's something interesting...

San Francisco's Market Street (lower section between Embarcadero and 5th Street for those in the area.) has huge trailer-style generators connected to 4 - 1000 watt spotlights like one sees at nighttime construction sites. Power or no, a good part of downtown will be lit up. Many stores/ businesses boarding up with plywood. Feels strange after all the festiveness and "all's well" excess of the Christmas season.

Good luck, y'all !!

-- CA 4x4 (4x4@my.house), December 30, 1999.


In a way it's kinda funny, feeling a little smug about the whole thing...

Actually finding out that a few people I work with that I thought were DWGIs have started poking their heads out of their shells, not cracking jokes when I mention something about another glitch reported, more explosives stolen, etc...

The worst of the bunch, well, when I stopped by the supermarket to replenish my beer stash, what did I see but his wife and mother loading the SUV with enough groceries and bottled water to feed a small army for a month...

The herd isn't stampedeing, but their eyes are getting bigger and their starting to sniff the air....

-- C (c@c.com), December 30, 1999.


New signs through-out grocery store here in rural Oklahoma. No Refund On Purchases. Check-out girl said it was because people were buying so much stuff.

-- grannyclampett (don'thave@clue.com), December 30, 1999.


Hey Granny!

Here in Toronto, Ontario area, ventured out for the gas top up. No line ups. Went to the discount grocery...no water on the shelves, but PLENTY of everything else. In fact, hardly anybody out at all at that time, 10:00 am. Local Walmart has not had much in water containers or fuel for weeks. Will check out Canadian Tire tomorrow. Last time I was in, Monday of this week, they had plenty of generators and fuels in stock. Not many camping supplies at that time, though.

-- Jed Clampet (Jed@bugtussle.com), December 30, 1999.


Greetings friends and fellow Hoosiers. Great to hear from you all. Was really bummed out about the forum ending. Started lurking other forums and heard this one was back up. Here in Indiana the local Meijer store was business as usual. Probably only 10% prepping by eyeing carts. Coleman fuel, 1lb propane tanks, all propane and coleman stoves gone. A few propane lanterns left. Batteries plentiful and on sale. Bottled water, TP. and baby formula took heavy hits, but some product still on shelves. Biggest congregations of people hanging around the deli waiting on party platters and such. All quiet at the pumps also. Local army surplus store had plentiful supplies.

-- trafficjam (road@construction.ahead), December 31, 1999.

At COSTCO in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, there were pallets of water and people with toilet paper and tunafish cans in their carts. Just when I thought, "Good, finally!" I saw several folks with empty carts save for one weird item like a cast iron bird bath or an electric rice cooker.

Things that make me go "hmmmm"...

-- Sara Nealy (keithn@aloha.net), December 31, 1999.


My local Safeway in mainland Britain is heaving with people. I've never seen the car park more than half full (even on Christmas eve) but now there's queues to get in. Dunno what they're buying.

-- Servant (public_service@yahoo.com), December 31, 1999.

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