Coronavirus in Massachusetts (Boston: salaries, housing, paycheck)

[redplum33]

Originally Posted by redplum33

InstaCart workers are going on strike Monday. They say they're risking their lives and want $5 extra for each order.

Originally Posted by yesmaybe

Do they really think people will actually pay that?

It would be from Instacart. And I don't think it would get passed along to the customers. InstaCart already has obscene markups.

[yesmaybe]

Originally Posted by redplum33

It would be from Instacart. And I don't think it would get passed along to the customers. InstaCart already has obscene markups.

I will admit I've never used any of those delivery services. If the markup is that much that $5 is NBD I would just brave the hordes.

[redplum33]

Originally Posted by BostonMike7

$5 more? I certainly would if I can get a time slot.

Mike, try Whole Foods via Amazon Prime. As forum member porterhouse pointed out, leave the time slot page open and refresh it every so often. It has worked for me. A time slot will open up.

I'd also recommend adding a lot of stuff to your cart. More than you probably want...because when a time slot eventually becomes available, you have to grab it and go directly to checkout and place the order. Product availability very likely will have changed and a bunch of items will get yanked from your cart. There's no opportunity to add more stuff; the time slot will be gone if you try to.


Edited to add: And unlike some other grocery delivery services, you can't make any changes after you place the order. The only option available is to cancel the entire order.

[Urban Peasant]

Originally Posted by OutdoorLover

There isn't enough personal protective equipment to go around for healthcare workers, and there aren't enough ventilators to go around for patients. And the reality is, this epidemic is still accelerating in the US, so we can expect both of those situations to grow worse over the coming week.

Word has it that our president ordered the Federal Government to horde ventilators and medical supplies so that he can dispense them to friends, allies, and governors who are willing to kiss his feet. Then to governors who got on his bad side, they get nothing until they change their ways.



https://kvia.com/your-voice-your-vot...al-government/


https://www.boston.com/news/politics...dical-supplies


https://www.businessinsider.com/coro...upplies-2020-3



Whether it is true or not, I find it loathsome for any politician to play politics right now during such an emergency. It shows that we're no different than the dictatorships in other parts of the world that Americans have so long condemned, where you have to be an admirer or supporter of the dictator to get anything. Granted some governors too probably want to horde supplies and the fact that there simply aren't enough supplies and equipment being manufactured around the clock to meet demand, the combination of supply shortage, high demand, and political partisan warfare is going to worsen this situation even more in many places.

[redplum33]

Originally Posted by yesmaybe

I will admit I've never used any of those delivery services. If the markup is that much that $5 is NBD I would just brave the hordes.

The markups vary depending on the grocery delivery service. From what I've seen, InstaCart has the highest markups. Peapod is next. Whole Foods through Amazon Prime doesn't markup at all. I don't think Walmart Grocery does either.

But, yeah, the markups can be pretty high. Generally speaking, a $100 order (not including the tip) placed through InstaCart or Peapod would probably cost $70 to $75 if you went to the store.

[porterhouse]

Originally Posted by Bridge781

It is kind of gross but I’ve never heard that people who have dogs are more likely to get sick.

I've seen studies that it's actually the opposite. Children who grow up in houses with dogs and other animals have more robust immune systems as the pets slowly introduce them to natural elements in this day and age of antibacterial everything. The legitimate concern with dogs is them jumping up on your bed and introducing a deer tick. As much as I hate putting pesticides on my dog, you've got to do it, even in the winter now.

Originally Posted by yesmaybe

Do they really think people will actually pay that?

Normally I am very aware of managing fees and tips from delivery services. However I have been tipping grocery delivery people generously. They are putting them selves at risk so I don't have to endure crowds at the stores. I am more than happy to pay a bit more.

Originally Posted by redplum33

when a time slot eventually becomes available, you have to grab it and go directly to checkout and place the order

^^ This. If you go back to add another item or 2, the delivery window will likely be gone. Via PrimeNow we have gotten a delivery window they same day we wanted one every time. It is also important to realize there are 2 different fulfillment options via PrimeNow, via Whole Foods and Amazon. They often ofter the same things, but I have had much better luck with delivery windows from Whole Foods.

We have also used Instacart a few times. Instacart windows tend to be 5+ days out currently. However you can select first available. For instance I placed a Costco order on Tuesday and the next window was for Sunday (3/9). By selecting First Available I got notification on Thursday that my order was being shopped and it arrived that evening. With Instacart you can add items and edit the cart up until the time it is being shopped. You can just keep adding to a running grocery list. Our Costco order via Instacart was pretty much exactly what we ordered. However, a Wegmans order had many more substitutions and items unavailable than a Whole Foods order via PrimeNow. Once that order was being shopped it was like a video game approving or rejecting suggested substitutions.

It take a bit of work, but I have no complaints about being able to get everything we need via grocery delivery services. Also I have found the PrimeNow packaging to be sealed bags and generally better packed than Instacart. Happy to answer DMs if anyone needs assistance with this.

Originally Posted by Urban Peasant

Word has it that our president ordered the Federal Government to horde ventilators and medical supplies so that he can dispense them to friends, allies, and governors who are willing to kiss his feet.

Oh, come on. This is not what those links say. Posting stuff like this is plain irresponsible.

[Shrewsburried]

Originally Posted by porterhouse

Oh, come on. This is not what those links say. Posting stuff like this is plain irresponsible.

Indeed. A good number of the outbids likely went to FEMA, which means those resources are likely to to come to MA if and when the situation worsens. FEMA has committed thousands of ventilators to NY at the time of me typing this.

However, this is not me forgiving the president for his incompetence elsewhere (i.e., calling it a hoax when China, northern Italy, and Iran were clearly suffering deeply from the virus).

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by Shrewsburried

However, this is not me forgiving the president for his incompetence elsewhere (i.e., calling it a hoax when China, northern Italy, and Iran were clearly suffering deeply from the virus).

That has been debunked, he never said that. But keep listening to frauds like AOC and her cohorts at CNN, whatever...

[Urban Peasant]

Originally Posted by porterhouse

Oh, come on. This is not what those links say. Posting stuff like this is plain irresponsible.

Well I'm sorry if I ruffled anyone's feathers but the articles and the comments are there for everyone's interpretation.

Anyways, perhaps I should have posted my message on the political forum instead so I shall say no more about it

[redplum33]

Originally Posted by htfdcolt

Thank you. Calling this is "Chinese virus" reminds me of how HIV was called the "gay men's disease" for so many years at the beginning.

This is also not accurate. This was explained several hundred posts ago.

A high level person in the Chinese government posted a tweet suggesting that coronavirus originated in the US, and that the US military brought it to China. That's when Trump started referring to it as the "Chinese virus" - to make it clear that the rumor was wrong and that it originated in China.