Grocery Stores, Did You Ever Consider Setting Shopping Hours For Those That Are Working As An Essential Employee In That Category? Just A Thought...

I am considered an essential employee where I work. I even have an official letter stating this in the event I would be questioned if it ever came to a Shelter in Place mode. What I do find frustrating at times is when a person is still working their full-time job and they get off of work there tends to be items not available on the shelves when they shop. Let me give you an example if I may. I saw today the weekly ad for a local grocery store. I was planning on making baked Italian sausage with green peppers and mushrooms. I already had the sausage. I just needed to get the brand I really do like, Bertolli Vineyard Marinara with Merlot Wine to bake them in. I also needed fresh mushrooms and a green pepper. How do I make this, easy. I poke holes in the sausage so the juice bakes out and flavors the dish. I did sauté fresh mushrooms I cleaned and sliced and green pepper strips in a little bit of oil and near the end I had just a twinge left of white cooking wine I added to it. I placed the sausage and the sautéed vegetables in a baking dish and baked them in the oven on 400 degrees until they browned. You then pour some of the sauce over them and bake them until done. I also prepared a little bit of angel hair pasta to be the base of this meal. Good thing I stopped at Bargain Hunt I was able to get some sauce there, not Bertolli but Classico Organic Roasted Garlic (the hidden blessing was it was only $2.00.) I had to fix up the taste of that sauce a bit with seasoning and parmesan cheese to doctor it up. I made enough for 2 meals so no cooking tomorrow.
Back to the story main focus. I went specifically to this store to purchase a jar of the sauce it was on sale 2/$4.00. I figured I could also pick up the other 2 items at the same time. Guess what? The advertised item was bare on the shelves and just the sale signs were there. Really? People that are not working at this time can you please save a little bit of stuff for those that have hours they have to work and cannot be shopping all day long in grocery stores. I have been there before when I worked for an organization in which they would furlough us and we would be called back to work. I know what it is like having to go at the time and stand in line at the agency to apply for your unemployment. I know the feeling of applying for food stamps and being incredibly grateful for even the slight amount of monthly allotment given to me. I never qualified for receiving a cash stipend of any sort. I learned a great lesson in being humble. I really did not like having to go to local grocery stores where they knew me and then pay with the food stamp debit type of card. If I may be honest with you I would go to stores not near me and I would wait for the moment of opportunity when there weren't lots of people in the check out line to go through and pay with the card given to me. I learned to get over it and look at it as a temporary blessing bestowed upon me if I chose to apply and accept it. I even had a balance left on my card when they would call me back from furlough and I asked what do I do with it? The worker was most kind and said use it up that it was already approved so use it. I did.
I understand having time on your hands and wanting to get out of the house to go shopping. I get it but please leave some items for us that cannot shop during the daytime hours and have to rely on very early morning or after work hours or on the weekend. That is why I am not too pleased with Publix changing their opening store hours to 8:00AM. Not hours conducive to people working full-time (at least some of us that are already at work.) can you please go back to opening hour of at least 7:00AM?
Teleworking is great when it works. When the system stops and you cannot get back into it do you know what I am required to do? Try to fix it within an hour and contact your boss during that hour with updates. If it does not work then I have to drive into the office and finish my work day. Sometimes I do not mind it because I can actually get paperwork done that cannot be completed at home. So many are working in this capacity that I think it overloads and you can tell when others are coming into the system. I learned this early on to get ready in the morning as if I was going to work in the event I had to actually go to my work location. On the days when it runs smoothly it is so nice @ home. I think I drink more water then when I am at my work location. I have a nice sized patio window that lets the light in and it is really nice on nice days to open up the patio door and hear the birds chirp and sing off and on. I think I have to change my hummingbird nectar this weekend. I have not seen any hummingbirds yet so I need to make sure the nectar is fresh for my little friends when they do return. I wonder if they will miss me when I move. They will probably find another feeder with nectar in it for them to enjoy. What is really nice about teleworking is if I feel like laying down on the couch during my lunch I do, I rest and then refreshed when back to work. Sometimes I listen to the radio or music and I actually found it quite refreshing one morning to just pray in tongues (internally that is) while I worked.
We all have a part to play in this season of time in which we are living in. Take the time to bless others and not just yourself ok. I went out and purchased and brought in snacks for our snack drawer at work. It was looking petty lean the last time I checked on it. I also blessed a supervisor with a package of King Arthur Chocolate Chip cookie mix for their children to make as a project while home from school. I bought this before the safer at home stuff going on because I was supposed to attend a ministry weekend that was re-scheduled and then re-scheduled again for a much later date due to this virus stuff. I do not know if Holy Spirit will take me there for that particular weekend. My plan originally was Holy Spirit wanted me to bake the chocolate chip cookies for the pastors children to enjoy. What child does not like chocolate chip cookies? So, see in all of this there was purpose for me buying that cookie mix many weeks ago. Children will enjoy it just not the children I thought it was intended for. Do not get frustrated with the changed plans of God for there really is purpose in it and just go with the flow. Yes, you may be inconvenienced a bit but be thankful for the clerk when you inquire about hand sanitizer in the store. You are already in line checking out and they say they have some. They so graciously go and get the limited amount of two for you so you can then finish checking out. Hats off to Publix for that happened to me recently.
Do you know what I have found interesting? I have acquired and actually crave eating apples. I tend to like apples in the Fall or I make applesauce with them. Not now, I enjoy the crisp bite into an apple and savor the taste. I am also enjoying making a salad with dinner (I did this all the time when the children were at home with me), not a fancy one either. Romaine lettuce, Campari tomatoes, sweet onion sliced, avocado (sometimes I will slice fresh carrots in it too) and my homemade vinegar/oil dressing. Oh how could I forget the parmesan cheese I sprinkle on top. Do not ask me how I make it because I guesstimate how much garlic salt, pepper, vinegar and oil. I am running low on red wine vinegar and I had to use apple cider vinegar tonight. I have been making myself eat bananas too. I actually sliced some banana with fresh sliced strawberries a couple of times this week.