[M T]

We all are having to adjust to the changes in our lives to accommodate dealing with the threat of infection.  I thought I'd start a thread to collect experiences that may help others.

I'll start with one I experienced recently:   Walmart pickup confusion.

My wife & I don't go to stores.  We use Instacart for groceries and online ordering for other things.  We needed to renew some supplies that we couldn't get through either of those options.  For some products, the best way to get them was from Walmart, but they wouldn't deliver them.  

For these products, Walmart advertised curb-side next-day pickup and we used it.  It worked well. We drove up and they brought it out and dropped it in our trunk.  

The only problem was that one of the two products we needed had gone out of stock since we ordered it the night before.   So, we ordered it again and drove to the pickup area at the appointed time.  This time, we were told it was being held for in-store pickup.   UGH!!!   Of all the stores to go into, Walmart would be the last store I'd want to go into.   (I did go in.  The clerk put on her mask (having it off was a No-No!!) as she came out of the store room area.  She then had to go to 5 different bins to collect my 5 different items (delay, delay).   I then had to walk the gauntlet of all the people checking out (but I didn't have to check out).

I spent time later trying to figure out why we had to go into the store.   As best I can tell, there are 3 different "pickup" situations.
1)  Logged in, with your local store set, you select items that are marked "Pickup".   This resulted in a pickup location some 13 miles away from our local store.  I didn't check out under that situation.
2)  Logged in, with you local store set, and you go to where you set your local store (left, just below "Pickup and Delivery") and select "Pickup today".   This resulted in the in-store pickup.
3) Logged in, click on "Pickup and Delivery" (top left), and select a time for the pickup.  This resulted in the outdoor pickup.

---

I am a big fan of Consumer Reports.   These are behind a paywall, but I hope you already are a subscriber.

CR post topics under "Share Your Story" for members to say what they experienced.
Some of the topics:
Covid-19 testing
Covid-19: Flying Safety
COVID-19: Contact Tracing   Would you download and use a contact tracing app if one were available?
COVID-19 Auto Loans  Are you worried about affording your car loan or dealing with your lease?
COVID-19 & Credit Card Payments  Are you worried about paying your credit card bills?
COVID-19 Crisis   Have you been helping out in your community during the COVID-19 crisis? Got any ideas/lessons for others?
etc.

The Flying Safety is full of people's experiences flying on different airlines.  If I had to fly, I'd certainly review that before booking.

Unfortunately, CR is not putting dates on these postings, so you can't easily know what is stale information.

[M T]

We all are having to adjust to the changes in our lives to accommodate dealing with the threat of infection.  I thought I'd start a thread to collect experiences that may help others.

I'll start with one I experienced recently:   Walmart pickup confusion.

My wife & I don't go to stores.  We use Instacart for groceries and online ordering for other things.  We needed to renew some supplies that we couldn't get through either of those options.  For some products, the best way to get them was from Walmart, but they wouldn't deliver them.  

For these products, Walmart advertised curb-side next-day pickup and we used it.  It worked well. We drove up and they brought it out and dropped it in our trunk.  

The only problem was that one of the two products we needed had gone out of stock since we ordered it the night before.   So, we ordered it again and drove to the pickup area at the appointed time.  This time, we were told it was being held for in-store pickup.   UGH!!!   Of all the stores to go into, Walmart would be the last store I'd want to go into.   (I did go in.  The clerk put on her mask (having it off was a No-No!!) as she came out of the store room area.  She then had to go to 5 different bins to collect my 5 different items (delay, delay).   I then had to walk the gauntlet of all the people checking out (but I didn't have to check out).

I spent time later trying to figure out why we had to go into the store.   As best I can tell, there are 3 different "pickup" situations.
1)  Logged in, with your local store set, you select items that are marked "Pickup".   This resulted in a pickup location some 13 miles away from our local store.  I didn't check out under that situation.
2)  Logged in, with you local store set, and you go to where you set your local store (left, just below "Pickup and Delivery") and select "Pickup today".   This resulted in the in-store pickup.
3) Logged in, click on "Pickup and Delivery" (top left), and select a time for the pickup.  This resulted in the outdoor pickup.

---

I am a big fan of Consumer Reports.   These are behind a paywall, but I hope you already are a subscriber.

CR post topics under "Share Your Story" for members to say what they experienced.
Some of the topics:
Covid-19 testing
Covid-19: Flying Safety
COVID-19: Contact Tracing   Would you download and use a contact tracing app if one were available?
COVID-19 Auto Loans  Are you worried about affording your car loan or dealing with your lease?
COVID-19 & Credit Card Payments  Are you worried about paying your credit card bills?
COVID-19 Crisis   Have you been helping out in your community during the COVID-19 crisis? Got any ideas/lessons for others?
etc.

The Flying Safety is full of people's experiences flying on different airlines.  If I had to fly, I'd certainly review that before booking.

Unfortunately, CR is not putting dates on these postings, so you can't easily know what is stale information.

[Farm93]

MT

I use Wal-Mart pick-up all the time.  
Their substitution algorithm is awful, so I never permit substitution.
Their produce is often sub-par, a business model choice I understand.   However, that allows them to dump a lot of the undesirable leftovers on the curbsiders.

My pre-COVID shopping pattern included going to a store with a strong reputation in produce, but the store I supported had one of the first few cases of COVID in my area.   So I haven't been back, though I am sure other stores likely have had COVID cases too by now.  It probably is hard to overcome that stigma as the first store with COVID in your area.   

The curbside process works like a charm, especially once you have an ordering history.
The team loads everything in a minute or two into the rear of your vehicle and you can get items across so many categories of retail outlets.
I certainly understand why so many retailers were not happy when they were forced to close while Walmart got to sell all kinds of non-grocery items as a grocery store.

Creating curbside for grocery apparently is not easy, as even now most food stores in my area don't offer it.  And that's too bad.   I really prefer the curbside model to the walk-in/pick-up model.   Both are better than the stroll/browse/shop model right now IMO.

When force to go in a store I try hard to visit as early in the day as possible and use the electronic self-checkout to avoid meeting up with friendly service industry staffers that are required to interact with hundreds or thousands of people each day.

[Farm93]

MT

I use Wal-Mart pick-up all the time.  
Their substitution algorithm is awful, so I never permit substitution.
Their produce is often sub-par, a business model choice I understand.   However, that allows them to dump a lot of the undesirable leftovers on the curbsiders.

My pre-COVID shopping pattern included going to a store with a strong reputation in produce, but the store I supported had one of the first few cases of COVID in my area.   So I haven't been back, though I am sure other stores likely have had COVID cases too by now.  It probably is hard to overcome that stigma as the first store with COVID in your area.   

The curbside process works like a charm, especially once you have an ordering history.
The team loads everything in a minute or two into the rear of your vehicle and you can get items across so many categories of retail outlets.
I certainly understand why so many retailers were not happy when they were forced to close while Walmart got to sell all kinds of non-grocery items as a grocery store.

Creating curbside for grocery apparently is not easy, as even now most food stores in my area don't offer it.  And that's too bad.   I really prefer the curbside model to the walk-in/pick-up model.   Both are better than the stroll/browse/shop model right now IMO.

When force to go in a store I try hard to visit as early in the day as possible and use the electronic self-checkout to avoid meeting up with friendly service industry staffers that are required to interact with hundreds or thousands of people each day.

[Mick]

Their produce is often sub-par, a business model choice I understand.   However, that allows them to dump a lot of the undesirable leftovers on the curbsiders.

Same is true for florists.  If you purchase flowers for delivery online, best of luck to you.  The commercial web sites contract with local florists who may -- or may not -- have what you want.

My sons use www.bloomsters.com .  I've never used it, but they get Mrs. Mick flowers 3x a year or so, and she's never been disappointed.  I, on the other hand, have used most of the divisions of FTD, and they're very much hit and miss.

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When force to go in a store I try hard to visit as early in the day as possible 

I do the same for optometrists, physicians, dentists.  Get that first appointment in the a.m.

[Mick]

Their produce is often sub-par, a business model choice I understand.   However, that allows them to dump a lot of the undesirable leftovers on the curbsiders.

Same is true for florists.  If you purchase flowers for delivery online, best of luck to you.  The commercial web sites contract with local florists who may -- or may not -- have what you want.

My sons use www.bloomsters.com .  I've never used it, but they get Mrs. Mick flowers 3x a year or so, and she's never been disappointed.  I, on the other hand, have used most of the divisions of FTD, and they're very much hit and miss.

---

When force to go in a store I try hard to visit as early in the day as possible 

I do the same for optometrists, physicians, dentists.  Get that first appointment in the a.m.

[M T]

I'm sure many of us have been unable to get together with family.  Even if we felt safe to spend time with my kids in SoCal, the challenges of traveling safely are daunting.

Even so, we are reading bedtime stories every night to our grandkids via Facetime.  While it isn't the same as being there, we get to see their daily development, and they get to know us too.  Besides, it gives our daughter about an extra hour to do the things she needs to do.

---

Bill Plaschke, sports writer for L.A. Times, wrote a personal description of having COVID-19.  He has not taken the disease lightly.
He describes the probable event where he got it (two dinners with friends, spaced out per the CDC guidelines) and the fear of dying because of it.  He describes the isolation of being alone with the disease where no one else can help.

I wish he'd also described the more administrative aspect of the disease: the interaction with the health department, support or lack of it by the health department, any contact tracing that happened (he doesn't say he was every considered a close contact; he just describes the first symptom).

[M T]

I'm sure many of us have been unable to get together with family.  Even if we felt safe to spend time with my kids in SoCal, the challenges of traveling safely are daunting.

Even so, we are reading bedtime stories every night to our grandkids via Facetime.  While it isn't the same as being there, we get to see their daily development, and they get to know us too.  Besides, it gives our daughter about an extra hour to do the things she needs to do.

---

Bill Plaschke, sports writer for L.A. Times, wrote a personal description of having COVID-19.  He has not taken the disease lightly.
He describes the probable event where he got it (two dinners with friends, spaced out per the CDC guidelines) and the fear of dying because of it.  He describes the isolation of being alone with the disease where no one else can help.

I wish he'd also described the more administrative aspect of the disease: the interaction with the health department, support or lack of it by the health department, any contact tracing that happened (he doesn't say he was every considered a close contact; he just describes the first symptom).

[oregontim]

We'll see how it goes, but yesterday we set up a book club for our four older grand kids, 17 to 14 years old, cousins from three families, in Oregon and New York. The kids take turns choosing the book, and we meet monthly in Zoom. Not sure that will work (teenagers and books?) but they were all four positive when we talked to them about it. Of course it's possible they are just humoring us. I'm crossing my fingers.

The grand kids have been one of the toughest points of the pandemic for us. Several live close and before the shutdown they had blanket permission to come over to watch TV or just escape their parents and other siblings whenever they wanted. We miss that.

[oregontim]

We'll see how it goes, but yesterday we set up a book club for our four older grand kids, 17 to 14 years old, cousins from three families, in Oregon and New York. The kids take turns choosing the book, and we meet monthly in Zoom. Not sure that will work (teenagers and books?) but they were all four positive when we talked to them about it. Of course it's possible they are just humoring us. I'm crossing my fingers.

The grand kids have been one of the toughest points of the pandemic for us. Several live close and before the shutdown they had blanket permission to come over to watch TV or just escape their parents and other siblings whenever they wanted. We miss that.