Dan Antion

Target Senior Hours – #1LinerWeds

“Are you going to brush me?”
Success

All the stores identified as offering groceries around here, Costco, Stop & Shop and Target are allowing people 60 years old and older the chance to shop early in recently stocked and disinfected stores. Disinfected, perhaps, but stocked is a misnomer, as many shelves remain as bare as they have been for weeks.

However, by visiting all three of these stores, I was able to get the items on our list, including some toilet paper for an elderly neighbor. So, as I once again try to inject a little levity into the situation, without making light of the facts, I offer a parody below. But first, as my one liner, I think I should add:

“Apologies to Robert Browning”

Oh to be in Target
Now with toilet rolls
And whoever waits near Target
Sees, the checkouts unaware
That the door marked only for handicapped
Round the corner was earlier unlocked
While the seniors sang behind wobbly carts
In Target – Now!

This post is part of Linda G. Hill’s fun weekly series One-Liner Wednesday. If you have a one-liner, I’d encourage you to join in on the fun. You can follow this link to participate and to see the one-liners from the other participants.

My favorite puddle.
My point & shoot camera didn’t focus fast enough, but I like this image.
Maddie, those guys are working in the park, and that car on the left is a cop. We’re not going in there.
The flag in Veterans Park – windy day
They installed the porta-potties, but the soccer nets aren’t moving.
Maddie’s neighborhood nemesis
Costco was metering the flow of seniors into the store.
We got about 4″(10cm) of snow yesterday, followed by rain.
“Yes, Maddie, I’ll shovel your deck.”
Miss Maddie in the snow.
MiMi still at rest.
The Chinooks are based at an Army Air Transport base at the airport in town.
“Slow Joe picked a great time to start playing baseball.”
One of our early robins – not too happy.
The ball field is no longer ready to support a game.

80 comments

  1. My shopping is normally limited to short runs to closest regional grocery store locations.

    Though I made a trip to Costco a few weeks ago and my son has not stopped giving me grief about how quickly I inhaled a 3-lb can of Kirkland-brand peanuts.

    I’m convinced the label had a typo, and the servings per container value…38 is actually a typo that was supposed to be “3.8” or maybe “.38”

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  4. I haven’t yet taken advantage of the early shopping hour for seniors, but I have been to Costco and experienced the lineup to get in, and the eerily quiet store once inside.

    When I’m at home in my quiet bubble, it’s easy to forget the outside world and believe that all is well and normal beyond the front door. Venturing out is a different matter and always leaves me feeling a little creeped out.

    Be well, Dan. Hugs to the furry ones 😀

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    • I don’t think I’ll be trying the senior hours again. Old(er) people can be grumpy. This was the worst group of people I’ve seen while shopping, and they really weren’t stocked any better. I just wanted to get out.

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      • The stores keep saying their supply chains are solid and there are no shortages … and yet the empty shelves tell a different story.
        Having said that, I’m not in danger of starving any time soon, and I could easily live for a while off my body fat 😉

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        • Ha ha – I think we all could, Joanne. I’ve heard that, if the hoarders are satisfied, things should start to return to normal soon. Two local grocery chains say they’re seeing a return to normal buying patterns. Of course, that could be because the shelves are bare, but…

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  7. Miss Maddie looks like she is weathering this situation quite well. :-) I just returned from my first senior hour grocery shopping experience. There was a line at 5:45 a.m. to get into our local grocery store with everyone grabbing a cart outside so they were ready to go and it helped maintain some distance. I honestly think I was the only person who wasn’t grabbing toilet paper and paper towel which were rationed to two each. Eggs are now rationed, and there are still certain shelves still empty like pasta, flour, and canned meats. There was a line to check out like the day before Thanksgiving. I went through self-checkout. As I went through the store, I stopped to thank each person which was the very least I could do. Now, coffee and reading blogs. :-)

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    • Yep. I think I’m going to go back to my mid-morning shopping time. It was less stressful. We have what we need, I can stay in for a good break. I have been thanking everyone for being there to help us get through this. We buy our eggs from a local farm. That was also on yesterday’s list.

      Enjoy the coffee. Maddie is sleeping in today (using me as a pillow).

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  8. We have taken advantage of the “senior shopping hour” too, but like you said, shelves unfortunately are just as barren. I did find one quart bottle of Clorox and one container of an unknown brand of disinfectant wipes. Yaaaayyyy!!

    I love the picture of Maddie sprinkled with snowflakes, and the one of MiMi oblivious to the weather. Beautiful shot of Maddie’s neighbor.

    I too like the shot of the blurred plane! It’s neat.

    We got very little snow….lots of ice. It finally melted yesterday and we saw some welcome sunshine. Gloomy, dreary, rainy here today. Well heck, no big deal. I don’t have to go out in it. Anything I need isn’t on the shelves anyway, and all doctors cancelled our appointments!! I’m going to look at it like an “unexpected school snow day” and try to be excited about it!! Lol.

    My “M” sends hugs to your “M’s”, and to you and the Editor and Faith. Be safe.
    🐾Ginger 🐾

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    • Thanks for the good wishes, Ginger. All the M’s reciprocate.

      We are well, and, anything we don’t have is surely something we don’t need. Maddie is sprawled out across my legs and the couch as if I’m part of the furniture.

      Take care. The sun will return.

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  10. I love that these stores are offering senior shopping hours. Our local grocery stores, along with Target, are doing the same. I think this would be a good practice year around, or at least during flu season. 100 bonus points for your awesome poetry.

    Yay for the toilet paper! You’re a good neighbor, Dan.

    I like the unintended artsy photo of the airplane. Sometime those are the better shots. Give the furry kids a few pets from me and have an awesome Wednesday.

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  11. I went shopping the other day for a few items and noticed several things that I wanted were out of stock. I make bread on a regular basis, and there was no flour or yeast.

    I’m not sure if people are planning to stay away from the stores for the next six months, but I saw a family with three full carts of groceries.

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  12. Wal-Mart had more toilet paper than Target. It was unreal how all the shelves at Target were empty and they all had signs stating only one item per person. So when was the last time they restocked? I hardly ever go to Target so was dazzled by the redesign of the store. Being retired, no more make-up for me, but their make-up counters are beautiful. I digress….. Do you see the older gal on the walker any more? That cat is a cutie–looks like all three of mine. Maddie with snow in her hair is so lovely. Take care, Dan.

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    • We haven’t seen the walker lady for a long time. I hope she’s just waiting for warmer weather. Maybe she’s in your state scaring Florida dogs.

      Maddie does not like that cat – at – all !!

      Target rearranges their shelves so often. I think it’s to force you into looking around. I didn’t try Wal*Mart, but we’re OK for now.

      Maddie is enjoying near daily walks. Before they closed the schools, we didn’t walk during the week due to the buses and then the other neighborhood activity. Now, there’s nothing but a few other walkers, and none of them are getting close to us.

      Take care, Lois.

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  14. I wonder if the dollar stores are also out of tp and other necessities, people always think of going to the big box stores first. I myself haven’t checked in a couple of weeks. Luckily, we had just stocked up before this thing hit.
    I am proud of you that you get out and walk even in the cold, you are much braver than me! I’m feeling very lazy these days, but now that it’s warming up here in Texas, I’m going to make more of an effort. My knee has been giving me pain, but it’s still recovering from the surgery last year. I swear by this Tumeric Curcumin with Bioprenene! Unless I cheat and eat sugar or drink alcohol, it really keeps the inflammation and pain down!

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    • I usually avoid the big box stores, except for the few things we always buy in bulk (TP, paper towels, AA batteries and coffee). I’ve been finding most of what we need at the local grocery.

      I hope your knee relaxes a bit and lets you walk. It’s good exercise, and if you want more, you can walk more. I have one bad knee. If I wear a compression sleeve on it, I can usually prevent it from hurting. If I forget, it hurts for about a day.

      Take care!

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  15. I can’t risk going out so my wife runs the errands. From what she has seen it sounds like the situation around here is pretty similar to what you’re experiencing in terms of what’s left on the shelves.
    The hoarding and involuntary selfishness driven by fear is so disappointing but hey, everyone copes with stress in different ways I guess. One thing I am certain of is that there’s going to be tons of food wasted through all of this panic buying.
    Stay safe out there Dan :-)

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    • You’re right about the food waste, Norm. A man in the grocery was asking the butcher how best to freeze all the ground beef he had purchased. The butcher told him “while you can freeze ground beef, I wouldn’t freeze it for more than a week or two at the most. It loses its flavor very quickly.” The guy shrugged off the advice. I see people loading up on flour and yeast and wonder if they’ve ever baked in their lives or if they were planning to unpack the bread machine they got as a wedding gift 15 years ago.

      I hope you can both stay healthy and ride this out.

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  16. Thanks for the report on the Senior’s shopping. As you know I have been banned from shopping (pre Covid-19) It was nice to know how it went. I suspected it would not be worth the wait time. The snow looks like more of misery than a blessing. I can’t figure out why Robins don’t just spend the month of March with the rest of the snowbirds. Imagine the flying conditions heading North and then when they get to the destination they have lousy weather. Enjoyed the photos and Miss Maddie with her snow “do.”

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  17. Glad to hear you were successful getting what was on your list. The last two mornings we also woke to fresh snow but it melts by the afternoon.
    Just thought I would share some insight regarding empty store shelves. It may not be the same everywhere but this is what I’ve been told by our son who works for a food transportation company. Supply isn’t an issue, it’s trucking companies are days behind. Stores that use to get supplies say once a week are now requesting daily shipments which means extra runs and often fewer supplies to each store just so everyone gets some items. But, some companies are starting to help each other try and get caught up. The issue is not all truckers can just step in because there are strict safety guidelines and courses needed to haul food. Hope this helps with understanding more on this subject. Take care and stay safe.

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    • Thanks for that information. It makes sense. I make it a point to thank all the people in the store. Please extend my sincere thanks to your son as a representative of that critical industry.

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  18. Thanks for the tip, Dan. We seniors need to stick together! :) Robert Browning was my mother’s favorite poet (she was an English teacher). Even the revised version brought a lump to my throat. Thanks!

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    • I’m glad to hear that someone was a fan. I struggled with Browning in a poetry course I took in college, but I like his poems, and I remember them.

      As for the senior hours, I think the experience varies from store to store, so your mileage may vary. I’m going back to 10:00 am at the smaller of three grocery stores in our area.

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    • You might be right Suzanne. I’m going back to my later hours. There were far too many grumpy folks in the store with me at Costco. I’m going to assume (out of kindness) that they just didn’t like getting up early.

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    • Ha ha – I’ve been doing the shopping. I’d send him anyway, the other customers were a little grumpy. I like the idea that the store was cleaner, but I liked the crowd at 10:00 better.

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  22. These days I’m not sure whether to laugh or cry at all that has become our daily adventures. Snow? I forget it is still cold up there Dan. We have had perfect bech weather, just not able to make a beach trip. Not that they are closed to foot traffic. You just never know what kind of crowds there will be. Sigh.

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  24. He-Man went to Costco earlier this week during the “senior” time. There was long queue inside the store and he asked an employee about it. It was the queue for TP! In early March we opened a new package of TP so as we do we picked up another one that week. I am so glad that’s our shopping habit!!

    I hope everyone has what they need by the time we open the new pack so I can buy my regular pack.

    I hope you and the family stay well!

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    • We are the same way, Deborah. We’ve always bought certain things in bulk. I think the shipping will settle down soon, and if the panic buyers have been satiated, maybe we can get back to normal.

      We are well, I hope you are and can stay the same.

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  25. I love that some stores have carved out senior hours. I don’t like the idea of seniors in stores at all but supplies are necessary so at least they can decrease the risk. Stay well, Dan!

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    • I qualify as a senior, but our neighbor is in his mid-90s. He went to the store himself, but there was no TP, so we offered to get some for him. He says he has enough (New Englanders are a stubborn lot).

      I really didn’t like shopping during that time slot. I find that people are nicer around 10:00am.

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  27. Although it’s commendable that the stores are being helpful to seniors, there seems to be a flock of them who are the hoarders that are contributing to the lack of items on the shelves. Are they really that afraid of running out of something? Or are they doing it because they are naturally greedy? By the time they have to share the shopping with the rest of humanity, the stores are bare because of their gluttonous activity. Both my husband and I are seniors, and we have been in the grocery store at that early hour to hopefully buy some of the items we’ve been having trouble finding. We have seen these hoarders in action. Our store finally put their foot down and are only allowing so much of any product to leave the store with one person. What has possessed the human race?

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    • I decided not to shop during the senior hours. The older people I was with in Costco were mostly not nice people. I don’t know if it was the stress, or the fact that they had to get up early, or that most of them drink decaf – in any case, it wasn’t a fun “we’re all in this together” kind of group. Our stores have been enforcing limits for over two weeks. Reasonable limits, in fact, I think they could ratchet them down a notch. No one needs two 45-packs of toilet paper.

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  29. I think Robert Browning would heartily approve! Well done, Dan. I have yet to go shopping during senior hours. I still have two rolls of toilet paper on hand, so I’m not panicked – yet. Miss Maddie needs her deck!

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  30. I think Browning would approve. He wishes HE’d had Target (and tp and indoor plumbing for that matter).
    I like the airplane in the trees, too.
    Glad you were able to help your neighbor :D

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    • Hahaha – he would enjoy those luxuries. I’m glad people like the airplane. I feel much better about including it. Our neighbor’s son brought him some TP, but we told him this pack is here if he wants it.

      Take care.

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