Sparse Supplies

So, we just had a department conference call at work to discuss expectations and what's happening. I'm part of the IT department so it was all us nerds talking about work from home expectations, personal responsibility flexibility with family and kids being home too and so on and so forth.

Someone brought up a question about where to find supplies for cleaning the office spaces. That morphed in to talking about where to find stuff at home since, apparently, there's quite a few people who are in need and have to do without because of panicking people hoarding supplies.

So I figured I'd share this.

Non-traditional places you can go that are more likely to have stuff:

Toiletries and Bathroom Paper Products
- Small corner stores, gas stations, mom & pop sized shops
- Janitorial supply companies (might need to sign up for an account)
- Small home improvement stores like Ace Hardware or True Value or a local privately owned hardware store.

Cleaning supplies, Paper Towels, Hand Sanitizers
- Pet Stores
- Home improvement/hardware stores
- Auto parts stores
- Janitorial Supply Companies

Bottled Water
- Liquor stores
- Hardware Stores/Home Improvement stores
- Auto Parts stores
- Farmers Markets/Produce Stands



Where I live in NJ, stuff like hurricanes are a real and normal occurrence and often times they are bad enough to cause panic and make people run out and hoard stuff. Every time I’ve had to go get stuff and found that supermarkets, pharmacies, dollar stores and even the wholesale club type stores like Sam’s or Costco are out of everything, these have been my go-to’s and I have been able to get everything I need to get by at these alternative places. I usually keep these a secret because I don’t want my supply alternative to be stripped clean on me! These are different times, though. For example, I walked into an Advance Auto Parts store on Monday to get a new headlight bulb for my truck and they had a pallet’s worth of bottled water and stacks of paper towels sitting there almost untouched while everyone else is out of it. It was their normal “spring season” supply too so it was stuff they carry regularly.

So there’s some ideas for you. Spread it around if you think it will help. Add to it if you have some ideas too. Hopefully if you need something, one of these pans out for you.

Also, if you need laundry detergent or dishwasher detergent, check Home Depot or Lowe's. I've been in both since the panic started and my local ones have had stuff available.

Also, a local chain of liquor stores here has fridges with milk, eggs and other common perishables too. I was in one on Monday afternoon and they had full fridges. They also had a full rack of bread and Entemann's baked goods. Cases of soda too.