Lines outside food stores, rationing give us frightening glimpse of coronavirus' impact

SUNDAY, MARCH 22, 2020: At the Super H Mart Shopping Center in Ridgefield, N.J., an employee of the Korean supermarket wiped down the handles of shopping carts as customers applied hand sanitizer or put on gloves. Free weekend food samples were suspended indefinitely.

Gas falls below $2 a gallon,

 but many people stay home

TODAY, MARCH 24, 2020: At the ALDI in Hackensack, N.J., customers lined up before the supermarket opened at 9 a.m., as an employee wiped down the handles of shopping carts in an enclosure, below.

NO DELIVERY: But customers who were told on Monday the store gets a shipment of toilet paper at 6 a.m. every day were disappointed to find the delivery wasn't made and no toilet paper was available.

WAWA ON ESSEX: Many stations along Essex Street in Hackensack, near Route 80, were selling regular gas for about $1.95 a gallon, but there were no customers at those stations or at the Wawa, above, where the price was about $2.05 a gallon.

COSTCO WHOLESALE IN TETERBORO: This afternoon, the parking lot of the Costco Wholesale warehouse in Teterboro, N.J., had plenty of room for members' cars.

POLICE ON HAND: Although police were on duty outside the entrance, the number of shoppers entering the warehouse wasn't being controlled. Employees were wiping down the handles of shopping carts and there were other measures inside to maintain social distancing.

TOILET PAPER: There was a limited supply of toilet paper for sale, and plenty of bottled water, below. I don't know whether Costco had more toilet paper than what was on display.

PLENTY OF FAVORITES: I filled my cart with organic brown eggs, bottom right; Chobani Less Sugar Greek Yogurt, frozen Wild Gulf Shrimp, the Ultimate Fish Stick, made from wild-caught Pollock; Maine Lobster Ravioli, organic agave syrup and Organic No-Salt Seasoning. Other items included Jarlsberg Lite Swiss Cheese, a 3-pound bag of raw California almonds; and 2 hand-crafted soups. A package of toilet paper was below the basket.

SOCIAL DISTANCING: A clear plexiglass barrier has been erected between employees at the register and Costco members, above and below.

CHECKING YOUR RECEIPT: At the exit, the Costco employee didn't take and mark my receipt, as is usually done, but just glanced at my cart and then at the receipt I held out, and nodded for me to leave.

Binge-watching Netflix, Trump touching his face, other precious Covid-19 moments

Cartoonist Dave Whamond of Cagle.com says most of us "have been training for this our entire lives," referring to coronavirus pandemic measures, including binge-watching Netflix.

"When D.J. Trump talks, people listen" (and the stock market takes a dive) is yet another timely cartoon from Whamond, whose work has appeared in magazines and newspapers.

On Feb. 28, the president labeled 

the new coronavirus 'a hoax,'

but just 2 weeks later -- on a Friday the 13th -- declared
 a 'national emergency'

Cartoonist Daryl Cagle of DarylCagle.com has President Trump violating the first rule of personal hygiene during the coronavirus pandemic, touching his face, in a variation on the "See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil" cartoon.

From Adam Zyglis, Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist for The Buffalo News, on the need for social distancing during the pandemic.

The panic buying and rationing of toilet paper by Americans who were "scared shitless" of the coronavirus, in the words of political satirist Bill Maher, was illustrated by cartoonist Steve Sack of the Star Tribune in Minnesota.

Cartoons by Jimmy Margulies, above and below, illustrate the sad state of our health-care system, and the danger posed to workers' pensions during the coronavirus pandemic.

Margulies cartoons also can be seen on his Facebook page.

Cartoonist Joe Heller of Cagle.com illustrates the dilemma of Americans who were urged to stay at home just as gasoline prices fell. Heller is the editorial cartoonist for the Green Bay Press Gazette in Wisconsin.

My gym closed, line at Costco is too long, so how am I supposed to get any exercise?

CORONAVIRUS PANIC BUYING: Lines to check out at the Costco Business Center in Hackensack today were short, compared to Saturday, above and below. The warehouse was still out of toilet paper, but had bottles of spring water, as well as purified water. There was no spring water available in half-liter bottles on Monday.

WATER LIMITS: Costco members were allowed to buy only one pack of bottled water today.

The spread of Covid-19 endangers

older Americans in other ways

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

HACKENSACK, N.J. -- Since I retired a dozen years ago from a sedentary night job on a newspaper copy desk, I've relied on food shopping and the gym to get my exercise and stay healthy.

In 2012, I supplemented the gym and food shopping with volunteering at a hospital, pushing patients in wheelchairs and doing other chores that required a lot of walking. 

I've covered from 2 miles to 3 miles during a 4-hour volunteer shift on both Wednesdays and Fridays, according to the app on my smartphone.

But the spread of the coronavirus has changed all of that, and now I find that only food shopping provides me with the opportunity to exercise.

As I've always done, I've boosted my steps by parking as far away from the store entrance as possible.

No more volunteering

First, the hospital cancelled the volunteer appreciation lunch and award ceremony scheduled for April, then closed the Volunteer Office altogether.

This week, my gym closed. 

And this morning, I drove into the parking lot of the Costco Wholesale in Teterboro, N.J., only to find a line of shoppers (100 to 150 is my guess) with carts lined up in the rain single file, waiting to be allowed into the warehouse.

Costco decided to limit the number of members in the store at one time, and Teterboro police were on duty to make sure shoppers complied.

Instead of waiting in that line, I walked over to the nearby Walmart, waited on a short line inside the store, and an employee gave me a 12-roll package of toilet paper, which cost about $8.50.

Costco in Hackensack

So, on the way home, I stopped at the Costco Business Center in Hackensack, where I live, and picked up:

A 10-liter bag-in-box of extra-virgin olive oil from Spain, two large bottles of 100% grape juice, a pack of half-liter bottles of Poland Springs natural spring water, a smaller pack of Poland Springs flavored, zero-calorie seltzer; and a 2-pound package of organic Mejdool Dates.

The Business Center also was out of toilet paper, Lysol wipes and other cleaning products.

Counting steps

According to the Health app on my smartphone, I've done .65 miles or 1,500 steps so far today.

In February and so far in March, I've averaged 1.1 mile a day, but my average surely will be less now that I no longer have volunteering and an occasional visit to the gym to supplement food shopping.

On Sunday, I stopped at the Aldi near my home for jars of organic salsa and cans of organic tomatoes, the latter for Pasta with Garlic, Tomatoes and Oil with vegetables I plan to prepare tonight.

Later that morning, I drove to the Super H Mart in Ridgefield, N.J., for the fresh, wild-caught fish we prepare for our Sunday dinner.

On Monday, I also shopped at Whole Foods Market in Paramus, N.J., where I get most of the organic produce and organic pasta we eat, but found many empty shelves.

Message from Costco

Not long after I posted this, I saw this message from the CEO of Costco on controlling the number of members in the warehouse:

Dear Costco Member,

As the global effect of coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to evolve, Costco is firmly committed to the health and safety of our members and employees, and serving our communities. We are closely monitoring the changing situation, and complying with public health guidance.

As many of you have noticed, we’ve experienced a surge of business during this time. As a result, we’ve taken steps to control the number of members in our warehouses and asked that members and employees practice social distancing.

We’ve also reduced some services.

We’ve increased our protocols in sanitizing surfaces, including shopping cart handles, merchandise shelves, front-end belts and registers. Limits have been implemented on certain items to help ensure more members are able to access the merchandise they want and need. Our buyers and suppliers are working to ensure in-demand merchandise as well as everyday favorites are available in our warehouses.

 As new information becomes available, management is keeping warehouse staff well informed so they can respond swiftly and appropriately. While the circumstances continue to change and we modify our operations as necessary, we thank you for your patience and cooperation. As new developments occur, be assured we are committed to taking care of our members and employees and to our mission of providing low prices, quality merchandise and exceptional service.

We extend our sincere thanks to Costco members and employees worldwide for their ongoing support and loyal dedication during this challenging time.   

Thank you,Craig Jelinek, President and CEO, Costco Wholesale

CHECKING TWICE: At the Costco Business Center, an employee, left, checks what's in your cart against your receipt before you are allowed to leave the warehouse.

UPDATE: Closed and cancelled are words of the day as coronavirus panic intensifies

ONLY THE ESSENTIALS: In response to the coronavirus, the food court at the Costco Business Center was closed. A favorite item was the 18-inch pizza with vegetables for $9.95.

Toilet paper sells out because

 people "are scared shitless"

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

HACKENSACK, N.J. -- Public schools were closed on Friday out of "abundance of caution" as more cases of the coronavirus were reported in Bergen County, the most populous of New Jersey's 21 counties.

So, we made a small list and my wife, who didn't have to report to work as a school-crossing guard, drove over to the Costco Business Center for a handful of items, including bottled spring water and toilet paper.

Meanwhile, I dressed for my usual 4-hour stint on Fridays as a volunteer at a nearby hospital.

When my wife got to Costco, she couldn't find any shopping carts outside or in the lobby. She entered the warehouse, only to find it packed with shoppers.

She seemed to be saying the panic buying was even worse than what I encountered when I made a video on March 7:

See: Panic buying at the Costco Business Center

 in the time of the coronavirus

She saw other shoppers without a cart following those with a cart to their vehicles so they could take the cart from them, enter the warehouse and shop.

She returned on Saturday, but the warehouse still was out of toilet paper and bottled spring water.

I shopped today at Aldi in Hackensack and the Super H Mart in Ridgefield, N.J.

See: Coronavirus Food Shopping:

 Did H Mart suspend free food samples?

Volunteer office closed

Meanwhile, I went to Lowes in Paramus, N.J., on Friday to discuss a fence project for our home, then set out for the hospital where I have been volunteering twice a week since March 2012.

As I was leaving Lowes, I went to see if the store had any toilet paper (the shelf was empty), then stopped to ask a cashier if more was due to come in.

She asked, as have many people, why people are buying so much toilet paper, and I related a joke I heard from satirist Bill Maher last Friday night:

"[Toilet paper is] the first thing that sells out  because people are scared shitless.

"There's even a new song about it by that new band, 'Panic at Costco,'" Maher cracked.

As I was driving on Cedar Lane in Teaneck, I got a call from the hospital informing me that so few volunteers showed up on Friday the volunteer office would be closing.

I went in on Wednesday, and got a good workout pushing patients in wheelchairs, fetching blood from the Blood Bank and taking specimens to the lab.

No patient visits

But on Wednesday, because of the coronavirus, I wasn't able to visit any patients recovering from open-heart surgery, as I've done as a member of the hospital's Visiting Hearts program since March 2012.

I joined the volunteer program after recovering from my own open-heart surgery for a new aortic valve in September 2011.

National emergency

President Trump declared a national emergency on Friday, two days after a confused and confusing televised speech in which he mistakenly said no goods from Europe would be allowed into the United States.

The president's initial response minimizing the virus, also known as COVID-19, and his many lies and false statements caused the stock market to tank and oil prices to drop.

The Nov. 3 presidential election can't come soon enough for millions of Americans who have seen the nation torn apart by Trump's racism, praise of white supremacists and tax cuts for the 1%.

Meanwhile, for the second year in a row, New Jersey homeowners like me are only able to deduct $10,000 of their property taxes from what's due the federal government (that's only half my yearly bill).

Read: During pandemic, try to laugh 

to keep from crying

Read: So how am I supposed to get any exercise?

Most autos in Consumer Reports' Top 10 emit deadly tailpipe emissions, kill people

DEJA VU ALL OVER AGAIN: Although the Tesla Model 3 is shown leading the pack on the cover of Consumer Reports' annual Auto Issue, the editors don't pick the upscale all-electric sedan or any other vehicle as the best of the best. 

Editors again ignore impact on climate,

pollution, 58,000 premature deaths a year

By VICTOR E. SASSON

EDITOR

HACKENSACK, N.J. -- To Beth Gardiner, an environmental journalist writing in The New York Times, "the acceleration of climate change" is "frightening."

But in this year's Auto Issue from Consumer Reports, the only concern is how fast cars, SUVs and pickup trucks accelerate.

As a longtime subscriber, I'm shocked by how the editors of the leading consumer publication in America continue to ignore the impact of Big Oil and millions of gas-engine vehicles on the environment.

Nor do they ever acknowledge that tailpipe emissions cause 58,000 premature deaths annually in the United States alone.

This year's Top 10 picks include only one zero-emissions vehicle -- Tesla's Model 3 -- and no preference is expressed for gas-electric versions of two others on the coveted list, Toyota's  Camry and Avalon, over the conventional gas versions.

First EV in 2018

The first all-electric car that made the magazine's Top 10 list was the Chevy Bolt in the 2018 Auto Issue.

But in 2019, Consumer Reports editors reversed course, trashing Tesla and listing only three gas-electric hybrids in the Top 10 list.

Two years earlier, a 20-plus-year subscriber took the editors to task for ignoring the environment:

"I am writing ... about something troubling that I just realized," Charles Dunn of Fairfield, Conn., said in a 2017 letter.
"Nowhere in the past 10 years have I read anything in CR about climate change and the effects that the products reviewed ..., namely automobiles, among others, have on the environment.
"This bothers me even more because while mileage ratings have gone up in some classes of vehicles, they are still very poor for SUVs and pickups, which a majority of consumer are buying.
"If CR cares about our global climate future, it's imperative that CR hold manufacturers accountable for improving mileage standards and offering more hybrid-electric vehicles."

Climate deniers

Today -- three Auto Issues later -- the editors are campaigning for better gas mileage, but don't mention the environment, the climate crisis or air pollution as their chief concerns.

"A Trump administration plan to lower automotive mileage targets for future model years ... would result in hundreds of dollars in added costs for consumers, according to a new U.S. Senate analysis," CR's Jeff Plungis wrote in January.

On the welcome page of the April 2020 Auto Issue, the editors cite only their "preoccupation with safety and quality," not the environment.

Of course, when you ignore a vehicle's impact on climate, any warmed-over crap with a smelly internal-combustion engine can shine.

OVERALL SCORES: The Tesla Model 3 gets an overall score of 80, but Consumer Reports gives higher marks to other Top 10 picks, notably the Toyota Avalon, a large sedan (93); Kia Telluride, a 3-row SUV (92) that gets only 21 mpg; the Subaru Legacy, a midsize sedan (87); and the Subaru Forester, a small SUV (84).

'Safety and quality' 

The editors call their Top 10 Picks "the most exceptional new cars on the road today," but one look at the gas- mileage figures will have a Prius owner or a EV enthusiast like me howling with laughter at the suckers who fall for CR's hype.

Only 2 out of 10 gas-engine cars get more than 30 mpg: The Toyota Corolla (33 mpg) and Toyota Prius, a hybrid (52 mpg).

Toyota's Avalon, a large sedan, is listed at 42 mpg, but that's for the hybrid version mentioned in the text. 

The editors don't even urge readers to buy the Avalon hybrid over the gas-engine version.

Subaru obsession

Long-time readers of Consumer Reports know how obsessed the editors are with all-wheel-drive Subarus, despite noisy engines, poor gas mileage and the lack of a gas-electric hybrid in the model lineup until recently.

The 2020 Top 10 list includes the Subaru Forester, a small SUV; and the Subaru Legacy, a midsize sedan, both of which get a pathetic 28 mpg.

On the editors' Best + Worst Lists, the best 3 are Porsche, a small manufacturer of very expensive, gas-guzzling sports cars, sports sedans and SUVs; Genesis, a luxury model from Hyundai; and Subaru.

Tesla is listed in 11th place, an 8-place improvement from the 2019 Best + Worst Lists.

The bottom 8 of 33 brands listed are: GMC, Alfa Romeo, Jaguar, Cadillac, Land Rover, Jeep, Mitsubishi and Fiat.

Under Best Owner Satisfaction, Tesla's Model 3 leads all sedans for $45,000 to $55,000. 

The Tesla Model S leads sedans over $55,000, and the Tesla Model X is 5th on the list of SUVs over $55,000. 

Marketing and hype

In the editors' welcome to the 99-page issue, they write:

"Marketing claims abound, but CR is uniquely qualified to advise you because we never accept advertising, and we anonymously buy every vehicle we test, to the tune of $2 million each year.

"We've also made changes to address the fact that the world is in the midst of an automotive safety revolution," a reference to advance driver-assistance systems that can "automatically brake to avoid hitting another car or a pedestrian."

But when Consumer Reports ignores the tremendous impact of cars, SUVs and pickup trucks on the environment, air pollution and premature deaths, the nonprofit fails readers and makes a mockery of its investigative tradition.

CR is no different than Motor Trend, Car & Driver and other fan-boy magazines or YouTube channels like Redline Reviews, all influenced by free car loans, junkets to exotic locations to see new models and other forms of bribery.

Read: The coziness of auto writers,

 manufacturers and car dealers

Read: Can writers be objective

 when they get a free ride?

LONGEST EV RANGE: Teslas top the list of 2019 and 2020 models.