Anyone seeing a slowdown due to coronavirus?

[Val47]

The reality is becoming... that the world will shut down. Temporarily. One thing that is wonderful about mankind - we are resilient, and will bounce back from this very bad thing. We just need to be patient and vigilant about stopping the spread. I have a child, and now she doesn't have school for over a month. This is wierd for sure. I'm being honest with her - this is weird, but we will be ok. Our little household of 3 will be fine - we just need to be responsible and practice good hygene, and for now, kind of stay home - like we usually do. odd coincidence that i have the next week off - completely unrelated to the virus. We have to have the carpet in our studio replaced due to a drunk driver plowing through our windows a few months ago. Strange timing that I wont be working this week, and now my kid has no school - until the end of April. April will be "take your kid to work" month - for me

 

[decalman]

I think everyone in the United States is going to be end up being forced to take a sabbatical. Close the doors, stay home..we'll all meet back here in May.

If your going to close the doors,YIKES leave your shoes on . Pass the gas mask.

 

[James Burke]

It's very slow today...phones not ringing, no emails... People are worried and pre occupied about where to get more toilet paper!!!

Perception IS reality, and both of the stores I visited tonight were completely out of TP...however, I was the proud winner of the last 9-pack of Charmin. I held off until 9pm this evening hoping to avoid the rush, but as the night wore on, the store actually became more crowded....unlike anything the store personnel has ever seen for a Saturday night, one worker reported.

While I was there, special notices went up on the doors and at the cash registers. Both of our major 24hr grocery chains announced that starting tomorrow (March 15th), they will be operating on limited hours (6am-11 pm for Walmart and 7am to 10pm for Kroger) until further notice. The gal at the register said it was to help with "the extra cleaning, and to stock the shelves".

I'll be honest...I stocked up for 2 weeks, which isn't something I normally do but given the unknowns I guess it's better to be safe than having to fight the Black Friday equivalent just for necessities.

So, after visiting both grocery stores tonight, here's what I noticed in our sleepy little town in Southern lower Michigan:

1) On similar items, Walmart's shelves were a lot more barren than that of Kroger. Given the fact that WM is the price bully, that's to be expected.

2) But within the confines of Walmart, it's the lowest priced stuff that has cleared out first. Quick-fix meals in a box, frozen foods, frozen pizzas, bread, and PB&J were mostly nowhere to be found.

3) My guess is that once the "higher priced" stuff at Walmart is finally depleted, shoppers will trek across town and begin repeating the same process at Kroger.

4) And finally, our only stand-alone independent grocer (albeit, the highest prices in town) has been on the radio this week announcing an extra "5% off, customer appreciation sale"...in hopes of bringing the same carnage to his shelves. If (and when) the aforementioned stores do sell out, he just may get his wish.

One thing's for sure...we've never seen times like these, and one thing that has kept me grounded lately has been visiting our local cemeteries (I do stone engraving). It surely helps keep things in perspective. Along with that, I have a new baby granddaughter due the first week in April, so I'm riding fairly high on optimism and good vibes.

JB

 

[James Burke]

Here it is in black and white: https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/14/business/walmart-store-hours/index.html

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

If your going to close the doors,YIKES leave your shoes on . Pass the gas mask.

I took a swipe at you and this is the best you can come up with? A jab about stinky feet?

 

[AGinVT]

I do not think a Democrat is capable of creating a good hoax, from what I see that Joe Biden has to be told who he is in the morning and Bernie has to figure out what he is going to promise people that is going to be free for that day. Sorry Toad but what I have observed is that liberals are just too stupid and have a rough time trying to figure what sock goes on what foot before they put on their velcro sneakers. They just like to criticize the President for everything that is wrong with the world including why sock manufactures do not sew on L and R.

The fact is that, we the people, democrat or republican, don't know the extent and reach of this virus. Bottom line is, it's not worth being stubborn and calling it a liberal conspiracy. Plenty of dummies on both sides of the party line, but if there's even a chance that this could be another Spanish flu or worse, hundreds of thousands of Americans could die, not to mention the rest of the world's population. Unfortunately, our administration's delay in taking this threat seriously, will cost lives.

I hope it is being blown out of proportion, liberal conspiracy or not. Otherwise, we are in for some very rough days and denying that possibility is right up there with the necessity for velcro sneakers.

 

[Gino]

Really.... ?? the spanish flu ?? Something which hit over 100 years ago, when medicine and knowledge of these things were in their infancy stages ?? C'mon, get a grip on yourself. There is nothing being held up by this administration, compared to what obama did when the swine flu hit. How many did he let die or get infected before he swooped in ?? If you listen to one side of the fence, ya have one number. If ya listen to the other side, ya get another number. Truth be told, he still delayed far longer than Trump did, no matter how ya look at it.

Now, is not the time to be splitting hairs over time lines, but getting your own act together and helping, rather than weeping. Do your diligent part and stay safe and healthy and what happens..... happens. We won't know what's going on til this thing passes. Then, we just prepare for the next chinese disastrous flu from some made up animal or fruit. Yeah, now they're blaming US troops taking this to the chinese. For crying out loud, they're the enemy. What makes you think anything they tell us is gonna help us ??

 

[AGinVT]

Really.... ?? the spanish flu ?? Something which hit over 100 years ago, when medicine and knowledge of these things were in their infancy stages ?? C'mon, get a grip on yourself. There is nothing being held up by this administration, compared to what obama did when the swine flu hit. How many did he let die or get infected before he swooped in ?? If you listen to one side of the fence, ya have one number. If ya listen to the other side, ya get another number. Truth be told, he still delayed far longer than Trump did, no matter how ya look at it.

Now, is not the time to be splitting hairs over time lines, but getting your own act together and helping, rather than weeping. Do your diligent part and stay safe and healthy and what happens..... happens. We won't know what's going on til this thing passes. Then, we just prepare for the next chinese disastrous flu from some made up animal or fruit. Yeah, now they're blaming US troops taking this to the chinese. For crying out loud, they're the enemy. What makes you think anything they tell us is gonna help us ??

Spanish flu was simply a reference to a virus that wasn't taken seriously by many at first and killed tens of millions worldwide. Maybe the CIC calling the coronavirus “their new hoax” didn't help, but here we are.

Yes times are different and no, I am not weeping, despite a good chunk of the population still laughing off a pandemic. I'm not buying truckloads of TP, but I am keeping my distance when possible and washing my hands more than I did before the spread. We are helping our local hospital and clinics with short notice informative signage and I have put forth precautions for my employees when dealing with the public. Truth is, nobody knows how this will turn out. Hopefully it will be in the rearview in a matter of weeks, but not likely if people shrug it off as a conspiracy.

 

[WildWestDesigns]

Hopefully it will be in the rearview in a matter of weeks, but not likely if people shrug it off as a conspiracy.

Unfortunately, which one is closer to everyone's memory, something that was really horrific or something that was more or less really overblown (I believe that there was actually a study in the Journal of Medicine on that very thing in 2010)?

The is a problem with trust factor of where all information is coming from. It doesn't help that you have some areas of that saying that's that are different then the others. You have some saying that despite there being some cases in the area, that the overall chance of infection is low and then you have others that are calling for more draconian measures of isolation (both of these from where I read them were coming from medical professionals).

There is just a likely of the case of people using this to bolster whatever narrative that they want as there is this is really a serious threat.

I firmly belief that to a certain extent that there is very little trust and that can be dangerous depending on how it turns out. If it is another "chicken little" incident, that's going to do far more harm for when there is a real true situation.

Have to remember with the Spanish Flu that was right around the end of WWI. War times bring about their own unique situations as well, especially wars that are massive in scale and not just a "little" civil war skirmish.

 

[Fred Weiss]

Fed cuts interest rates to ZERO

 

[GAC05]

Welcome to Monday.
Virus is here, 3 cases so far, they've been here since the first of the month. All government and private schools are closed until further notice. The Catholic church has closed up shop. Military bases are still open and it looks like they are going to try to keep it that way for at least a little while - they put out a 'Show us your ID but we're not going to touch it' policy at the gates.
Toilet paper situation is good but I think I did not stock up on enough beer.
Can't wait to see what Tuesday is going to look like.

 

[dypinc]

Anyone who didn’t take it seriously can hardly be blamed with the media being hysterical and the democrats trying to blame Trump from day 1.

 

[TimToad]

Now that ideological lines have been drawn on how seriously people intend to take precautions, we'll just see where the numbers go in another month or two.

If clear majorities of "liberals" or Democrats are taking extra precautions and heeding the advice of the medical experts and a clear majority of those on the right believe that it is a liberal driven hoax, despite absolutely ZERO scientific or factual evidence of such, you and your blind tribalism have the perfect petri dish to see just which side ends up with more cases.

Please participate in the experiment with fervor. Sacrifice yourself for science and your party loyalty.

Go out, eat, drink and be merry among your brethren. Swap spit, sneeze and cough freely, its all a hoax. Get on a plane, take a cruise, its dirt cheap to travel right now.

Go for it. In a couple months we'll see who the stupid ones are and whose wearing the correct socks. The numbers are doubling almost every day. Roll the dice. I dare you.

Just remember, that we ALL, left, right, liberal, conservative, etc. pay the taxes to bail out the dumb asses who don't take this seriously.

So when, you test positive, get sick and even if you survive, you lose 20% of your lung capacity PERMANENTLY as is being reported in other countries, don't come whining to the rest of us who took it seriously and could see the differences between it and the flu.

Or when your kid's babies get it because you thought only old people get it, we'll all send "thoughts and prayers".

 

[TimToad]

Anyone who didn’t take it seriously can hardly be blamed with the media being hysterical and the democrats trying to blame Trump from day 1.

The only media being irresponsible in all of this is FOXnews and now they've fired Trish Regan who was peddling the Democrat driven hoax narrative. All the other media i see are bringing bona fide medical experts and researchers on the air to try and educate people to the risks. The numbers are exploding and the differences between it and the common flu in lethality, long term lung damage to survivors, viability of the virus on surfaces, community spread even where nobody has travelled are rising, etc.... A little hysteria is only natural for a bug this unpredictable.

Who else should we blame for HIM closing the CDC's infectious pandemic section in 2018?

Who else should we blame for HIM ignoring the career medical experts at the CDC who in early January warned him to issues a travel alert to those over 60?

Who else should we blame for HIM turning down the offer of over 1 million test kits from the WHO in early February?

The buck stops somewhere and it usually stops at the top, when you empower someone to make executive decisions.

 

[TimToad]

Spanish flu was simply a reference to a virus that wasn't taken seriously by many at first and killed tens of millions worldwide. Maybe the CIC calling the coronavirus “their new hoax” didn't help, but here we are.

Yes times are different and no, I am not weeping, despite a good chunk of the population still laughing off a pandemic. I'm not buying truckloads of TP, but I am keeping my distance when possible and washing my hands more than I did before the spread. We are helping our local hospital and clinics with short notice informative signage and I have put forth precautions for my employees when dealing with the public. Truth is, nobody knows how this will turn out. Hopefully it will be in the rearview in a matter of weeks, but not likely if people shrug it off as a conspiracy.

Throwing caution to the wind for ideological purposes seems about as smart as hitting oneself over the head with a hammer to kill a mosquito. Extraordinarily out of proportion.

Simple precautions are no longer enough. Its too well distributed among the population already. It is mutating and evolving at a rapid clip and few experts know where it will end up.

Those laughing off the risks or letting their partisan imaginations run wild are unfortunately not isolated to where only they and their kind might succumb.

In less than two weeks time, it has spread to every single state and alarming signs of community spread even with no evidence of foreign travel or exposure to others are being reported. Who the f^&k, wouldn't start taking that at least a little serious?

An infant in London tested positive yesterday and from the reporting I'm seeing, the moron in charge there has about as much of a clue on how to handle it as the one here.

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

We are helping our local hospital and clinics with short notice informative signage

By "helping out" do you mean taking their money in exchange for a product or service?

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

Fed cuts interest rates to ZERO

I still can't believe we went from calm waters, all-time highs everything is peaches and cream.. to bear market and now QE in less then a month.

The Fed is just pissing in the wind at this point. They should of just stayed out of it for now and see how things blow over. They can't really do anything to help this situation. Their last .5% drop caused the market to pop 1% for about 15 minuets and it fell right back where it came from and went lower. They really need to reserve these tools to use in calmer waters. Let things fall where they will and THEN start manipulating things to kick us back into gear.

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

Now that ideological lines have been drawn on how seriously people intend to take precautions, we'll just see where the numbers go in another month or two.

If clear majorities of "liberals" or Democrats are taking extra precautions and heeding the advice of the medical experts and a clear majority of those on the right believe that it is a liberal driven hoax, despite absolutely ZERO scientific or factual evidence of such, you and your blind tribalism have the perfect petri dish to see just which side ends up with more cases.

Please participate in the experiment with fervor. Sacrifice yourself for science and your party loyalty.

Go out, eat, drink and be merry among your brethren. Swap spit, sneeze and cough freely, its all a hoax. Get on a plane, take a cruise, its dirt cheap to travel right now.

Go for it. In a couple months we'll see who the stupid ones are and whose wearing the correct socks. The numbers are doubling almost every day. Roll the dice. I dare you.

Just remember, that we ALL, left, right, liberal, conservative, etc. pay the taxes to bail out the dumb asses who don't take this seriously.

So when, you test positive, get sick and even if you survive, you lose 20% of your lung capacity PERMANENTLY as is being reported in other countries, don't come whining to the rest of us who took it seriously and could see the differences between it and the flu.

Or when your kid's babies get it because you thought only old people get it, we'll all send "thoughts and prayers".

I attended church today via Zoom video conference in my office. We learned about not dividing people into "us" and "them".... It is only "us"

An Us versus Them mentality will always create a polarizing effect, never bringing people together, but only separating people more and more. Healthy conversation will never happen in such a context.

You like reading, so check this out: https://www.sermoncentral.com/pasto...-there-is-no-us-or-them-there-is-just-us-2562

 

[Gino]

It's all about extremes with you, huh toad ??

The time you've been on this forum, you are barely tolerable, but you are fun to play with. However, these latest outbursts of yours prove beyond a doubt, you have eaten wa-a-a-a-ay too many gummy bears in your life.... probably other things, too.

You make everything about you. Is this how you raised your children ?? Or were you selfish with them, too ??

Say what ??​

 

[AGinVT]

By "helping out" do you mean taking their money in exchange for a product or service?

Helping out means putting higher paying deadlines aside to focus on fast turnaround signage in a state of emergency pandemic.