OT: COVID-19- March 17 2020 - No politics! Read post #1

[HernzNation]

I'll just say Clarington, so suburbs.

It was a zoo in there too, but the last couple of days (ok last 2 days) it has quieted down quite a bit.

Compared to last Thursday (like the Thursday of.....well March 12th) is when shit got crazy at my store that night and then through the weekend, just a total shitshow and sales were up 3x as usual (and our store is the top selling store in our region apprently)

But yeah, just the last two days I'm seeing things are a lot calmer, customers are calmer, product is coming in but it's not being hoarded like before.

What's it like where you work and are you in a more populated metro location? Are people showing up to work? (Walmart loves to hire high school kids who don't give a f***, impossible to get fired here there's always several employees at a time who just show up whenever they feel like it, management does nothing, doesn't cut their hours, there's a guy on our schedule who hasn't showed up for a shift in 3 months and he hasn't yet been fired, but apparently they're gonna do it soon lol)

I'm near the dixie/dundas location in mississauga, if you're familiar. It's right next door to a costco, which isn't helping matters. Went in a few days ago and it was a scene from a worldstar black friday video in the states. Total chaos. My fear is if that scene is a microcosm of our society when things become increasingly bleak and desperate; social order beginning to break down. Maybe I'm just a pessimist but this virus isn't going away anytime soon. It's bound to get much worse. Far worse than we're able to comprehend or willing to digest right now. I hope I'm wrong.

 

[yubbers]

I think this is what you would call a case of the police and media making an example of someone to help society.

An "optics" arrest if you will. AKA, don't f***ing do this if you have COVID or else!

I don't have a problem with it, even though I don't think this person has broken any laws, the example is potentially important to make.

There are common sense calls. If you knowingly have the virus and ignore a quarantine period......that's a choice you're making to endanger others.

 

[CelticDruid]

British Columbia has recorded another 76 cases today up to 424 and on track with Italy.

Hospitals to be overwhelmed in a few weeks.

B.C. doctors call for stricter coronavirus measures, say province on track with Italy

 

[ruaware41]

Come on who didn't know what was going on?

Why people keep thinking it is up to everyone else to babysit / save them from their own decisions.

Why do you think Canada has obligations to people who leave the country?

I lived overseas for a couple years, and not once did I ever think Canada was responsible for my decision to live overseas. It was my choice!

Wrt your first question did you read my last paragraph? Why should someone who left before covid19 was a thing be put in the same boat as the selfish pricks who went recreationally during a full blown pandemic. Up until the end of January our authorities were barely talking about it and the few articles that were there were a few leftists talking about how the racism from this is way worse than this miniscule virus that's no big deal (gotta love those folks, they miss no opportunity).

I think Canada has an obligation to its citizens even if they go on vacation. I don't see why that is unreasonable. Their decisions for a lot of them wasn't predicated on a full blown pandemic taking over the world.

 

[Burnie97]

I'll just say Clarington, so suburbs.

It was a zoo in there too, but the last couple of days (ok last 2 days) it has quieted down quite a bit.

Compared to last Thursday (like the Thursday of.....well March 12th) is when shit got crazy at my store that night and then through the weekend, just a total shitshow and sales were up 3x as usual (and our store is the top selling store in our region apprently)

But yeah, just the last two days I'm seeing things are a lot calmer, customers are calmer, product is coming in but it's not being hoarded like before.

What's it like where you work and are you in a more populated metro location? Are people showing up to work? (Walmart loves to hire high school kids who don't give a f***, impossible to get fired here there's always several employees at a time who just show up whenever they feel like it, management does nothing, doesn't cut their hours, there's a guy on our schedule who hasn't showed up for a shift in 3 months and he hasn't yet been fired, but apparently they're gonna do it soon lol)

Like I said earlier... thank you for doing your job... but what the f*** with these other kids...



I'd kick his ass if he worked beside me... minimum wage... doesn't matter ... wtf... dude should be fired.

f*** the 3 month shit... if you can't stock a shelf.... get the f*** out... yeah I actually spelt that out... in words.

People forget how privileged we are to even make a few bucks... have food on the table... water... shelter. Its there if you look for it... and absolutley there is circumstances I support welfare and social programs ... but... if you CAN work... work.

Maybe 3 months ago someone like me told him to f*** off... and Walmart doesn't want a lawsuit.

 

[Pookie]

if you are warned do you disregard the warnings?

Depends on the nature of the warnings, I guess.

I’ve travelled throughout Europe on business and leisure over the last 5 years.

Canadian Government (travel.gc.ca) has generally issued an advisory for each of my trips indicating “exercise a high degree of caution.” This was a function of the risk of terror attacks. This was for countries like France, Germany, Denmark, Spain, Portugal, Ireland and England.

I had to go in most cases. And chose to go in others.

If something happened while I was there, I’d like to think that I could find help within the Embassy.

This year... we were scheduled to go to the UK at the end of June. We’ve already cancelled the tickets.

So ... I guess I sometimes listen to warnings and other times choose not to live in fear.

 

[MSZ]

I can give you a tip, assuming other Walmarts are like mine, your best chance to get toilet paper is probably around 8;30-9;30pm at night. Walmart (like all grocery stores now) do their dry-grocery stocking overnight, and the order will usually start coming in around 8pm.

The other best time to shop, is upon opening of the store obviously. Especially for produce like berries etc. It comes in overnight and when it's gone it's gone because that's all we have.

Also, stuff like bread, chips, pop, is brought in by an outside vendor/worker, so don't bother Walmart employees about bread, they have no control or access to anything that isn't there.

Also meats, if it's empty it's because we don't have any. Same with any frozen foods, milk, all that stuff. We get what we get and that's all there is. But in produce we often have things in the cooler that has been overlooked, or not enough workers, so it doesn't hurt to ask produce workers for something (you can even ask them if they have anything fresher, and they might be nice enough to go in the fridge and get you what you're after but super fresh)

I believe all Walmart locations will be closed at 8pm starting Monday. I assume that I would be able to grab some TP around 7?

 

[ruaware41]

I believe all Walmart locations will be closed at 8pm starting Monday. I assume that I would be able to grab some TP around 7?

In for response

 

[SmoggyTwinkles]

I believe all Walmart locations will be closed at 8pm starting Monday. I assume that I would be able to grab some TP around 7?

I read Walmart USA is doing this (or is already) but haven't actually heard that Walmart Canada is.

But I'll be glad if they do, simply because I'm scheduled to work 3-11 on monday and then 10-6;30 on Tuesday, and I'm old (41) and like my sleep

And YET, me and other colleagues were talking about it, and shortening business hours probably actually means more customers congested into a smaller time frame.

I don't think it will actually help with the outbreak and possible the opposite. The shorter time period a store is open, the more customers you will have within that shorter time period.

Seems like a money saving idea for the corporations while pretending like it's for the good of society, I don't buy it personally (but like I said I'm cool with it selfishly) aka a way to cut hours/wages of workers while still doing business (and creating another semi-panic, which is great for business in any grocery store as I've now witnessed, sales up 300 %)

 

[SmoggyTwinkles]

I believe all Walmart locations will be closed at 8pm starting Monday. I assume that I would be able to grab some TP around 7?

If these reduced hours are actually happening (funny that non-walmart employees would know this before me) I can't say that this would change the time that we usually start receiving our next days order at night, which usually seems to start happening around 8pm or a bit later.

So the best time to hit the store is upon opening, as no one has had the ability to buy it and the overnights have stocked everything to max.

 

[MSZ]

If these reduced hours are actually happening (funny that non-walmart employees would know this before me) I can't say that this would change the time that we usually start receiving our next days order at night, which usually seems to start happening around 8pm or a bit later.

So the best time to hit the store is upon opening, as no one has had the ability to buy it and the overnights have stocked everything to max.

I actually saw that from walmart.ca, so this is as official as it gets.

https://www.walmart.ca/en/customer-memo?icid=home page_HP_Sliver_Customer_Memo_WM

I do agree that shorten hours isn't really a good idea from a public safety standpoint.

 

[HSF]

The government needs to do this for all healthcare workers

 

[SmoggyTwinkles]

There are common sense calls. If you knowingly have the virus and ignore a quarantine period......that's a choice you're making to endanger others.

Yeah I'm saying I agree with the arrest and making an example of this person.

 

[SmoggyTwinkles]

The government needs to do this for all healthcare workers

Loblaws and Metro both pay into a union, this is their way (the corporate owners) of appeasing the unions that represent their employees. Danger pay basically. But don't be fooled, Loblaws and Metro are absolute shit companies. I worked at Loblaws for 5 years part time, paid a union, and got paid minimum wage, while having to pay union dues.

I don't know, I live in Oshawa, grew up here, and I thought that being in a union meant you had power to make more per hour or salary etc.

Blew my mind when I moved to Toronto for a couple years and I was in a union but making minimum wage. Loblaws is a shit company believe me.

 

[Duke Silver]

Getting threatened by the Liberals through the Health Minister. Classy Justin.

That's what you took from this?

You're lost.

 

[yubbers]

That's what you took from this?

You're lost.

How else can I take it? That's not some boring presser update. That's a serious thing for the government to say. And a health minister is generally not the messenger for such messages.

 

[Bluelines]

I'm near the dixie/dundas location in mississauga, if you're familiar. It's right next door to a costco, which isn't helping matters. Went in a few days ago and it was a scene from a worldstar black friday video in the states. Total chaos. My fear is if that scene is a microcosm of our society when things become increasingly bleak and desperate; social order beginning to break down. Maybe I'm just a pessimist but this virus isn't going away anytime soon. It's bound to get much worse. Far worse than we're able to comprehend or willing to digest right now. I hope I'm wrong.

The old saying is nothing like a wedding or a funeral to bring out the worst in people, well you can add pandemic to that list. Our supply chain, has more than enough supply to sustain our country. What the problem is one jackass decides ME ME ME ME ME is the only person that matters, buys an exorbitant supply of food, toilet paper, etc. and then the next person sees this and thinks hey if he/she is doing it, I better not be the guy/gal left behind and then they mimic stupid behavior, and so on and so on and so on.

I wouldn't say social order is breaking down, I think we are seeing peoples true nature in a state of crisis, selfish , self centered, narcissistic. Our society has evolved into a me first, screw the next guy mentality, this was happening way before the Covid-19 crisis. The snowflake everyone gets a medal my boy/girl is the best/smartest helicopter parent mentality, has raised a generation of soft, selfish, narcissistic people. I hope something good comes out of this experience, I hope we as a people gain a higher respect for others and love for others and realize the world does not revolve around the person looking back at you in the mirror.

The virus is not going away anytime soon, it will be cyclical and many experts say this will be a August/September thing until we see a flattening of the curve.

What is problematic is Canada is taking care of our business, we are doing a good job of mitigating this pandemic. To the south they are struggling. The US has 10x the population of Canada but 20x the number of Covid-19 cases. What happens south of the boarder is bound to affect Canada, the US sneezes and we poop our pants.

If we as a country don't behave like Canadians and put our fellow countrymen first, we don't have a country, we have a bunch of "Me's", kindness, compassion, thoughtfulness, patience is something in short supply and something we need to find in ourselves.

On the National , they broadcast a report of how Quebec banned visitors from entering the hospital, they showed one woman, yelling and screaming, pounding on the glass door to get in to see her parent(s). What is this woman going to do for her parent(s), if she was able to help IE: she's a Dr or Nurse, she would already be on the other side of those doors. All she wants is to satiate her own need to be with her parent(s) and she is willing to put everyone in that hospital at risk to do so. Aside from being a distraction to the healthcare professionals, what function does she perform? People have to realize for maybe the first time in their life, they need to STFU and be invisible. It not about YOU it's about WE.

 

[ronzigato]

This post is probably somewhat sad, but it's real world scenario.

I have an uncle, 77, he's had heart issues on and off for a few years. Had an issue yesterday, had to be taken to the ER. The doctor told my aunt that he is pretty certain my uncle will not be coming home this time. Although they've had no known virus exposure, they have to assume they're infected. So my uncle is likely to die in the hospital in the next day or three while my aunt is at home inself isolation for 14 days now. Hospital is on lockdown, so his daughters can't see him either. Really sad end to the life of a good guy.

Obviously the precautions and lockdown and procedures are the right way to go. But getting caught in the shitstorm with an unrelated illness is the shits.

Anyway, not posting to garner sympathy, just to give some insight into what it's like to be hospital bound with illness.

 

[Bluelines]

This post is probably somewhat sad, but it's real world scenario.

I have an uncle, 77, he's had heart issues on and off for a few years. Had an issue yesterday, had to be taken to the ER. The doctor told my aunt that he is pretty certain my uncle will not be coming home this time. Although they've had no known virus exposure, they have to assume they're infected. So my uncle is likely to die in the hospital in the next day or three while my aunt is at home inself isolation for 14 days now. Hospital is on lockdown, so his daughters can't see him either. Really sad end to the life of a good guy.

Obviously the precautions and lockdown and procedures are the right way to go. But getting caught in the shitstorm with an unrelated illness is the shits.

Anyway, not posting to garner sympathy, just to give some insight into what it's like to be hospital bound with illness.

Dude I'm truly sorry for the pain you are going through, I wish the best to you and your family. Hope is not a bad thing, all you can do now is be present and support your family the best way you can in these scary times.

 

[Bluelines]

The government needs to do this for all healthcare workers

I would think there is some sort of "danger pay" clause in their contracts.

 

[the squared circle]

I was mentioning to my wife and kids yesterday that instead of shortening the hours, Walmart and Costco should be open 24 hours and maybe have a log in online where you can book your shopping time, that way it ensures only a certain amount of customers would be in the store at once. I would have no problem booking at 3:30 am shopping time at Costco

 

[Bluelines]

I actually saw that from walmart.ca, so this is as official as it gets.

https://www.walmart.ca/en/customer-memo?icid=home page_HP_Sliver_Customer_Memo_WM

I do agree that shorten hours isn't really a good idea from a public safety standpoint.

Think about the people who work in public, do they have a greater or lesser chance to contract Covid-19 if they work more or less with the general public? In may cases people who work in the public are just not going to work, leaving their place of work grossly understaffed, in the situation where you can't safely operate, it is the prudent thing to do to think about the safety of your workers first.

 

[Bluelines]

I was mentioning to my wife and kids yesterday that instead of shortening the hours, Walmart and Costco should be open 24 hours and maybe have a log in online where you can book your shopping time, that way it ensures only a certain amount of customers would be in the store at once. I would have no problem booking at 3:30 am shopping time at Costco

Do you want to be the person working till 330am, working close quarters with the general public, not knowing if the person you are servicing is contagious? My son works retail and I can tell you his safety is worth much more to me than a strangers ability to buy fresh fruit or produce.

The prudent thing to do is shut every store down, put all shopping on line and have a delivery system in place. I get from a logistical standpoint smaller mom and pop stores might struggle with this but at that end of the day its about health and not profit.

 

[ronzigato]

Dude I'm truly sorry for the pain you are going through, I wish the best to you and your family. Hope is not a bad thing, all you can do now is be present and support your family the best way you can in these scary times.

Thanks man. Hope is definitely essential to everyone's existence and mental health in times like these, whether is just dealing with the day to day, or circumstances on top it. Wishing all the best to you and yours.

 

[Bluelines]

Depends on the nature of the warnings, I guess.

I’ve travelled throughout Europe on business and leisure over the last 5 years.

Canadian Government (travel.gc.ca) has generally issued an advisory for each of my trips indicating “exercise a high degree of caution.” This was a function of the risk of terror attacks. This was for countries like France, Germany, Denmark, Spain, Portugal, Ireland and England.

I had to go in most cases. And chose to go in others.

If something happened while I was there, I’d like to think that I could find help within the Embassy.

This year... we were scheduled to go to the UK at the end of June. We’ve already cancelled the tickets.

So ... I guess I sometimes listen to warnings and other times choose not to live in fear.

Interesting... for each of YOUR trips they issued an advisory... "Attention general public @Pookie is traveling.... so you might want to avoid travel.... " What are you not telling us about your covert life?