STOCK THE CLOSINGS
I like bringing up new
problems for the survivalist to stress over.
It makes me feel all important and smart and what not. Not that I’m claiming to be, just that it
makes me feel that way. Okay, so you all
know I’m not the worlds biggest optimist.
I like my moods like my women, strong and black ( “Airplane” movie
reference ). But I did allow a small ray
of hope to creep into my life when Wal-Mart announced its store closings. Please, dear Baby Jesus, if not those anal
whores at Wally, SOMEBODY, anybody, close down a couple of stores in this town
( besides sushi restaurants or women’s clothing stores ) so I can cut down on
the number of grocery stores I have to visit for pick-ups. Just as I got some idea of the living hell
Prego bitches go through when I worked the casino humping thirty pounds of low
slung coins for a ten hour shift, I’m beginning to know how it feels to be our
grandfathers working in a coal mine or some such. Exhausted at the end of the day and that
tiredness carrying over to the next, with never an end in sight. If I found solace in alcohol it would be
okay, but long ago I felt that my life was much too valuable to waste any more
of it in professional drinking. If some
volume of generosity does not decrease this year, I’m going to have to consider
finding another job. I’d rather keep
this one-the BS is there, but on a lesser scale. As is the boss blindness.
*
However, something popped
into my head while I was busy wailing to the heavens beseeching Baby
Jesus. It is all fine and dandy to
celebrate the destruction of the American retail landscape for my sole gain. It is all about me, after all. But in my haste I almost forgot that the
wrong store might close and leave me without certain affordable items. For instance, at one time I had a certain
craving for a candy ( I can’t even remember its name, now. It was like Sweet Tarts but with a hard
coating on the outside ). I’m not always
a huge sweet fan, but at times when my protein intake is low or I’m needing
more calories I do pig out on it. I
could not find that sum-bitch candy anywhere else except Family Dollar. Wally pretended to carry it but was always
out, which to my way of thinking is a waste of retail space and heating and
cooling, not to mention labor, and nothing but a tease. I shopped once a month and never did they
have it in stock for me regardless of which week I selected. Of course, once I found it at Family and
stocked several months worth I stopped craving it and moved on to Milk Duds or
whatever. The point isn’t that I’m
fickle but that the retail paradigm has been breaking down for years and it
should not surprise us that it gets worse.
I decided it behooved me to start stockpiling certain items in
anticipation of closures. Before we get
to the collapse we have to worry about rolling shortages.
Much, much more
breathtaking wise council next article.
END
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* By the by, all my writing is copyrighted. For the obtuse out there
It can be amusing or upsetting, depending on where you see it from. I got a taste of both. You see I live in a big city right now, with a Kroger a half mile away and a WalMart two miles away, with a Publix right next door and Super Kroger (Marketplace) less than a mile away from that. We have a Food Lion and various other stores too. My BOL had a Piggly Wiggly, Save A Lot and what I thought was a WalMart Market Place that just opened a year ago almost to the day. Well a few months back when we went up there to chill for the weekend, I noticed the Save A Lot closed. I figured WalMart did them in. Went up there Saturday the 30th and what do I see. The WalMart closed and couple people sweeping over by the dumpster. I pull in and ask WTF? Not so crudely, though. Seems their story lined up with the news paper that was in my mail box when I finally got there. It wasn't a WalMart Market, but an Express. They closed all 100+ of them nation wide. They are 14,000 sq/ft foot print. Ironically I pass two brand new WalMart Market Places 40,000 sq/ft and a full WalMart on the way to BOL, but they are between 35 and 40 miles away. So now we only have a 10,000 sq/ft Piggly Wiggly for groceries in town and their prices are high compared to WalMart. I was a bit pissed to say the least, because we are trying to move permanently to BOL here soon.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe Sav-A-Lot closed. I thought they were indestructible. I always shopped there instead of Wally for food. Much cheaper ( of course, really poor then, so "much" might be marginal to you and others ).
DeleteThat candy sounds like Spree. I used to love that stuff.
ReplyDeleteThat's it! Thanks, it bothers me when I have Blond Geriatric moments.
DeleteMy philosophy is -- If it has a reasonable shelf life and you use it, stock it until the shelves sag.
ReplyDeleteIf anything, you'll save money because of inflation.
Idaho Homesteader
There are simply too many benefits to over stocking all everyday use items that it would be foolish not to. Of course, at the same time work on minimizing what you need to stock.
DeleteAgreed, as a rule I have been buying multiples of everything for a few years now. 5 years ago I was buying 10 paks of Ivory bar soap at $3.00 a pack, then price creep set in and it jumped to $3.50. So I bought 5 packs. Couple months later they were at $4.00, so I bought 10 packs. I'm going to hit them today and clear the shelves of a few hygiene items I use regularly. Paying attention, I found out I use 1 bar of soap in the shower every 21-23 days. I currently have about 6 years worth on hand. I want at least 10.
Delete"If I found solace in alcohol it would be okay, but long ago I felt that my life was much too valuable to waste any more of it in professional drinking."
ReplyDeleteI was at the same place a few years back James. There comes a time where one must sacrifice recreation for a longer and better quality of life, and generally speaking, there aren't that many elderly alcoholics.
"If some volume of generosity does not decrease this year, I’m going to have to consider finding another job. I’d rather keep this one-the BS is there, but on a lesser scale. As is the boss blindness."
We're the same age James, and the only advice that I would give is to be sure and have something lined up before leaving, and leave on good terms so that if the new job sucks worse, you might be able to sneak back into the old one. I'm the unemployed minion, and I've only received a few responses to my applications for setting up an interview, and they went no where. I am now going to be working at home from my PC, but the pay will be very low. Fortunately for me my bills are minimal.
Reentering the job market makes me nervous. No bills, but could I stay in town with the old lady without a job? Best to just hang on for dear life at this job as long as possible.
Delete“Best to just hang on for dear life at this job as long as possible.”
DeleteUnless the job sucks royal mule member James, I'd highly recommend this. For it may very well be the last job that you ever have? I knew that once I was laid off, that I would be in big trouble as far as ever securing anything halfway decent again, and so far I have been right. The only reason that it's not worse than it could have been for me is that I'm a single dude, and only have myself to worry about. Had I been wiser with my finances, I could easily have been in a situation right now in which I would have no worries at all, as I could have been fully retired at a young age. But that's water under the bridge now.
It used to be, dreading finding a job was the PITA facture. Now I think it is my reptillian brain screaming out in fear that is a bad idea. Although sometimes it is hard to tell as I hate the whole search process.
DeleteHere in the U.S. of A. we've become accustomed to having whatever we want, whenever we want. Good to recognize that this is an abnormal state, not the other way around. There used to be seasonal fruit and veggies, and many other supplies were sometimes available, sometimes not. Special ordering items was actually special, not a routine internet things one did with a few clicks. At some point in a resource contraction curve, it is not feasible or affordable to ship fresh watermelon from South America to your local supermarket so you can have watermelon in January.
ReplyDeleteEven at three times the price, I have a hard time believing we still truck up so much winter variety produce.
DeleteI'd also like add that while a somewhat physical job might keep a fellow fit. A very physical job tends to take its toll on the body over time, and as you age, unless you're Jack La Lanne, who probably would have lived to be a 150 had he only gotten a pneumonia shot.
ReplyDeleteHard to draw the line between just physical and very physical. Since work loves to increase your efficiency relentlessly.
DeleteThat's where I'm at right now. How do you determine how much is too much? The action I did 5 years ago that has me in surgery recovery right now, was something I had done hundreds of times before. How was I to know my body had changed (aged)? Or, how do I even know my age had anything to do with it. All of this is causing me to consider something an older freind told me a friend told me a few years ago when he was rebuilding his dock on his pond, "Take lot's of breaks!". I now have a better understanding of what he meant. Take it from me, it's far better to live with hard work goals unachieved than to deal with the potential consequences. Play it safe. Me first, you second.
DeleteMy work involves long periods of nearly sedentary (driving ) with shorts periods of heavy exertion pushing pulling heavy equipment. I think I'd be better off with steady physical labor. I'm sure that's the reason I have spine trouble. Almost to the point I can quit and get by with part time work. I want to be able to move in my last year's.
ReplyDelete"I want to be able to move in my last year's"
ReplyDeleteJust strap a shotgun to each of your wheelchairs arms. Problem solved. :)
Yes, but did you remember to stock a couple of wheel chairs in your preps? and is the terrain favorable enough to allow them to work. I have experience with wheel chairs, and I can say with absolute certainty that there is no place that they would be superior to your own two legs, and many places where they are so inferior to your own two legs you might as well give up.
Delete