We are running out of toilet paper but, we will always have candy!
Last evening, as a strong reaction to having read the gazillion news sources on COVID19, I rushed to the nearest Walmart in the hope of stocking up. I did not plan to hoard or even buy extra. I just realized that in the frenzy of managing work, working from home and my toddler, I had forgotten to shop for groceries for the week.
As my husband and I walked through empty isles, one thing was apparent. Fear was rampant in the community. Bread, rice, canned food, bottled water, toilet paper, packaged frozen vegetables, frozen meals, frozen meats, paper towels, sanitizer, cleaning sprays and practically anything we had on our list for this week was gone!!
As we scavenged the isles, I couldn’t help but remember the overflowing goods in this Walmart from just a few weeks ago. The news of Seattle becoming the next Wuhan or maybe the nationwide lockdown has sent all of us in a race against time to stock up on all the essentials as if the Ice Age or the Drought or even an Earthquake was on its way.
Then, we walked past the candy isle.
It was plush, full and untouched!! As if the world had forgotten that this consumable item was even on display. From the February Valentine’s stock to the Easter bunnies, all the hearts and eggs were on a pretty display. A few isles down, dog food was stocked up as always walking through Toys, Bedding, Home goods felt like life was just normal!
So let’s sum this up. Worst case, we will all be sick with the flu but, on the bright side, candy and all the nice to have goods will be in surplus. So in case you’re tired of eating that same cereal every day during your self-quarantine weeks, you can always try your hand at some new candy flavors or even ice cream.
Are we running into a recession? Are we going to be all locked down forever till we run out of food and supplies? Are we going to be stuck at home with high energy kids craving our attention?
The choice is ours. Clearly, the crowd has signaled they’re not interested in candy. And with that, I wonder what else continues to be right about the world? For instance, we can all still enjoy our family walks and with work from home, new moms can now breastfeed their infants. With everyone online, all your coworkers and friends and family are more accessible than ever before! Guess what? No more excuses because we have nowhere to be but, online! ;) Right?
I came home weary late last night, car trunk loaded with food, drinks and even Soda which I don’t usually buy. I wondered if this was going to be the new norm. If the grocery chains would always be behind demand while fearful consumers continue to out-buy each other. If we would all be fearful of dying of hunger and hoard toilet paper and all kinds of foods. I truly have no answers and we can all make our conclusions based on data models, news trends and insights.
Just the one thing we can count on it seems ;) Even if that did happen, there will be plenty of candy and ice-cream and all the non-essentials to make sure we’re all just fine.
