In the Aisles: Searching for toilet paper

How am I picking where to shop during the coronavirus crisis?

Frankly, it comes down to the retailer that is the least crowded with the best likelihood of having the greatest selection of products that I need.

That, of course, includes toilet paper, a product that I went searching for on Monday and took me through three different supermarkets and a drug store to find. But, in the end, I found it, neatly placed with many other packages of TP in the paper aisle, almost as if there was no crisis and no seeming shortage of paper goods.

Now, I estimate that the 40 or so rolls of TP that I have will be enough for me and my 22-year-old son, just back from his shuttered college, for about two months. Yes, he seems to use a lot of the stuff, and I am not exactly sure why.

More importantly, it seems that people in my town are starting to join together to help out during the shopping experience. Several have offered to shop for me; others are scouting out the best stores for the best supply of products and the smallest crowds.

Together, we are doing the best we can to get through the crisis and, with the retailers’ help, the shopping experiences have been pretty good thus far. It just takes some creativity, patience and the willingness to maybe make a couple of stops to get what I need.