Realization sets in: A lot of snow coming
![Market Basket lines in Brockton](https://www.universalhub.com/files/styles/main_image/public/new/brockwait.jpg?itok=-zr50Vgo)
Still plenty of Pringles at the Brockton Market Basket. Photo by Jim Corbo.
UPDATE, 12:35 p.m.: 60-minute wait to check out at the Chestnut Hill Star Market.
From the Big Y in North Quincy to the Roche Bros. in West Roxbury and the Stop & Shop in Dedham, area supermarkets are jammed with residents realizing they need milk, eggs and bread.
Also, getting word from Jenny M. that while the Brighton Whole Foods has plenty of milk and bread, they are OUT OF BANANAS!
@universalhub @FrenchToastAlrt
French toast level is very high at Wegman's Chestnut Hill. pic.twitter.com/fPpJkI7DGv— The Jaded Gardener (@JadedGardener) January 7, 2017
#frenchtoastalert high at #SalemMA Market Basket. Lines starting at back of produce. Fortunately, cart crashes minimal. @universalhub pic.twitter.com/7DoGf2P4Al
— Drew Russo (@DrewRusso781) January 7, 2017
Liquidfjords reports from the Alewife Whole Foods:
Parking lot is full over to the staples. Not enough carts/baskets. Saw someone w/a Petco cart in there.
Ad:
Comments
Got the robocall from the Town of Wakefield
at 10:30 - Parking ban in place from 4 pm today to 12 noon on Sunday. Started snowing here about half an hour ago - light but steady snow.
City of Boston
We got the robocall (and the woman really does sound like a robot!) from Boston stating that "There is a winter storm warning in effect. The forecast calls for snow accumulation between 8 and 12 inches. No parking ban in effect at this time." Curious that Boston has not implemented a parking ban yet, esp. if we get the higher end of the predicted amounts.
Well ...
This isn't Loon Mountain.
What number?
I just got a call blocker which works very well, but I'd like to white list the Boston reverse-911 number. How did caller ID identify this call?
617-635-3050
617-635-3050
Lecil
Hi Lecil - the number on my phone is 617-635-3050 (for the Boston robocall).
Simple answer
Okay, it's a two parter
1. If they declare, all those who park on streets that are snow emergency arteries will have to find a place for their cars. That ain't easy.
2. Space savers (I was going to write more, but I fear whatever I write will cause a huge discussion.)
Chelsea Market Basket
I posted this on another thread, but this one seems a bit more appropriate...
This was posted about an hour ago to the "What's Happening Chelsea, Ma" Facebook Group in regards to the Chelsea Market Basket.
Crazy!
Poster's Note: Sorry for the screen grab of Facebook. Can't directly embed links on Uhub from Facebook, nor does the security of that group allow me to link to the post, but if you're a member of the group, you can click here to see the original post.
Discussion of the long lines
Tristan Howard: srsly why does this keep happening, we know better than this.
Shawn: I don't know. 78 was almost 40 years ago. Get over it.
I don't understand why this keeps happening...
8-12 inches of snow may be a lot, but it will not incapacitate the city for any substantial amount of time. Even somewhat more than 8-12 would not incapacitate things for all that long. A day or two of inconvenience at the very most most and all would be business as usual. People know this. So why is there this consistent mass hysteria with people acting like they will be snowbound for weeks?
In this case, probably two factors
First is that a lot of people go shopping Saturday morning, so the stores would be kind of full anyway. The other is that people were caught off guard by this particular storm. A couple days ago, the weatherpeople were all saying we might get an inch out of this storm, no big deal (granted, with an asterisk at the end about how we still need to watch the storm). It was only yesterday morning, really, that they started saying we might see a tad more than that - finishing up on the 11 o'clock news with revised totals of 8-12 inches, by which time it was too late to rush to the store.
Result: 60-minute lines.
one more factor
A lot of people usually go shopping Saturday afternoons but didn't want to be out in heavy snow so moved up their trip by a few hours.
Very glad I decided to go to the store after work last night!
You shop on Saturdays?
The lines at 10 am were the normal 12 noon lines. Saturday's is always busy and people probably just all went earlier and in a far smaller time window.
Panic is when you go shop before a Thursday storm but your normal day isn't until Sunday anyways. Starting to feel the "look at everyone panicking"crowd is worse than the actual panicking people.
Heh
@ChelseaScanner on twitter keeps reporting on fights breaking out "Thunderdome". Either people cutting express lines, or people fighting over last items.
It really is like the Hunger Games there sometimes...
right?
It's bad enough on a good day.
LL Bean
Line was very, very long at LL Bean as everyone realized they didn't have boots.
Which LL Bean?
Legacy Place
Upscale winter storm double - long line at LL Bean AND Thanksgiving level lines at Whole Foods.
Long lines
One has to remember that the upper class (and those aspiring to upper class) operates on a "just in time" lifestyle. i.e. if one has the money they expect to be able to get things just when they need them, neither sooner nor later.
Problem is that most don't have enough money to truly operate this way.
Urgent need for printer ink
Jon Chesto reports:
???
I mean wtf were they buying??!? Unless someone has some printing to do, or some collating... I'm purplexed at what they would by today for the storm.
K-cups and Twizzlers? I dunno
K-cups and Twizzlers? I dunno man, people have weird priorities but those stores do have coffee and junk food, and some might need other supplies to work from home for a while.
I always seem to find fresh milk, short lines, and sometimes even parking at the Super-88. I'm not above Lactaid in a pinch. Like you'll even notice the difference once it's baked into a quiche.
That was my greatest life-hack one bad winter in Seattle, the Japanese grocery was never short on dairy.
P.S. If anyone knows a local source for coffee jelly.. :( I check Ebisuya and Super-88 every visit but no dice yet.
Rosi markets not overwhelmed
Plenty of people out and about all around the village, but there was no franticness - actually quite the opposite, as people seemed to be taking the time to enjoy our first legit snow of the year and chat with friends and neighbors. (OK, there was a sort of ridiculous line for Exodus bagels at the winter Farmers Market, and Fornax bakery was packed - but it's always packed on weekends).
Oh yeah, and *lots* of people heading towards Fallon Field with sleds and saucers in hand.
Here's what gets me
In addition to the media overall talking about this for a while, you posted on this over a day ago.
Still planning my trip to Roches tonight, though a Sunday trip to the store is not out of the question at this point.
Postscript
We hit Roche Brothers at about 8 tonight. The drive to and from were good, and the store was pretty empty. We had a blast. We even ran into neighbors. 2 lanes open with no waiting.
I would say that more people should shop for groceries at night, but then it would be bad for us who hate crowds.
Trader Joe's on Boylston in Back Bay
Only about 10 minutes to get through the line at TJ's on Boylston in Back Bay at 12:30... more crowded than usual, but cashiers were fast. Cashier mentioned that there were about 30 people lined up outside to get in when they opened at 9am. No mass hysteria over milk and eggs. Customers remained calm.
I imagine
That's because most urbanites live walking distance to stores and don't get "snowed in" unless the storm is so bad it causes the stores to close and interrupt deliveries for more than a day or two.
If you live in the city, you don't need to stock up any more than your normal grocery trip.
NW 'burbs
Donelan's in Acton was packedat 11am, 20min lines at the registers.
Would have gone last night but had to work a closing shift at the Staples in town.
Alewife WFM
Several years ago, I stopped into the Alewife WFM on a Saturday after a shopping trip and it happened to be the day before a snowstorm.
It wasn't pretty.
As for me, I bought what I needed, at Stop & Shop, yesterday. They had plenty of bread, milk, eggs and yes, a full display of bananas.
That's what it looks like
That's what it looks like regularly during lunch on a weekday.
Wait people still go to the
Wait people still go to the Chestnut Hill Star Market since Wegmans opened? Weird. Once Weggies opened I've never been back and haven't missed it