Paul Goldfinger,  Editor@Blogfinger. net

Ft. Myers, Fla.    3/22/20.

I stopped by Publix at 7:50 AM this morning hoping to dash inside, while keeping 10 foot distances, to get some paper toweling and, if I were really lucky, some toilet paper.   I’m not one of those people who are filling up their closets with toilet paper, but to grab a few more rolls while I’m in the neighborhood…You know, the Europeans have long called Americans barbarians for using toilet paper instead of bidets, but that would bi another story.

But I found a line of people outside, dutifully standing 10 feet apart while chatting amiably. So, I thought, “What the heck” and I got on line. Then the door opened, and the line surged forward, and once inside the doors of the lobby, the line collapsed into people close together.  The ranks quickly broke as people claimed a cart.

The guy in front of me began to swiftly wipe off his cart handle with a wipe.  Then he turned to me and offered to wipe my handle.  (How can I describe this any better?).  So he did and we moved forward.  I  stayed behind him.  I could hear an employee at the front of the line offering one bottle of hand sanitizer to each person, but when I got there, about 2 minutes after arrival, they were all gone.

As I entered the store I thought I would follow the people to paper goods, but they all scattered in different directions.   As I headed in the paper goods direction, I noticed that nobody had toilet paper or paper towels in their carts.  Then I got to the aisle and found out that those shelves were empty.

So I grabbed a pack of (substandard) everything bagels and went to checkout thinking, “I just exposed myself to Corona and all I got were 6 bagels…what a deal!” The checkout lady told me to get on line again tomorrow, but come earlier.  I’m thinking, “No way!”

I went back to my car and rubbed some of Eileen’s famous homemade hand sanitizer on my hands and then drove to Walgreen’s to pick up a prescription. There was one car in the lot—excellent! …and as I got out, the window rolled down and a woman said, “They don’t open till 10.”  Oh!   So I went home to continue my isolation.

It turns out that the use of toilet paper has not increased in America since the virus hit.   It’s just the hoarding that’s the problem. The paper industry is increasing its output.  According to the NY Times, sewer lines across the country are becoming blocked due to flushing of paper towels and disinfectant wipes.  And, I am told, even “flushable” tush wipes can be problematic..

And,if you think you can get this stuff, including hand sanitizers, on line, you won’t have much success.  You might be able to order items in short supply, but with delivery in April.

And the Times also reports that Fed Ex, UPS and other large delivery services are being challenged by sicknesses among their employees all the while the demand for online deliveries is exploding.  Maybe those fast deliveries will be challenged.

Also, there are new categories emerging of hard to get items including bottled water.

Another side effect is when your spouse spends a good part of her isolation time reading God knows what on her phone.

There is a new and important source of Corona information for New Jerseyans:    COVID19.NJ.GOV/

We might also note that the demand for news and the multiplication of news sources is extraordinary, but it can also make you crazy figuring out what to pay attention to.

Stay tuned to Blogfinger for all the news that’s not fit to print, but is OK on the Internet.