I Went to Wal-Mart During the Coronavirus Pandemic.  This is What I Saw (with Pictures) 

Right Now, as it Happens, on...

CORONAVIRUS TIP-LINE EMAIL:  [email protected]

[03/16/2020 |  JACKSONVILLE, FL  |  09:20 AM] 

Freedom Takes a Backseat to Coronavirus Pandemic

Today, those of us in the United States woke up to a ton of new restrictions on our daily lives in an effort to combat the pandemic that is COVID-19.  

In Florida, public beaches will be off limits. 

The Federal Reserve cut interest rates to right near zero, something that has not been done since the height of the 2008 financial crisis. 

A handful of other states began tamping down on the rights of their citizens, closing restaurants, bars, and gatherings over 25 people at all, including churches.  

This is what suspension of the US Constitution looks like as we dive deeper into the pandemic panic.  

Real-World Effects are Surreal

So, to get a better idea of what reality looks like under this pandemic, I took a trip to Wal-Mart last night at around 9 PM. 

I was immediately greeted by an announcement that store hours had been cut, currently shaving one hours off of the normal night hours.  As I walked in, it was apparent that the major retailer chain and the largest physical retailer in the world would be unable to meet the demands instigated by the novel coronavirus pandemic.  

The following photos document the food/medicine departments of a Super Walmart during the first week following the declaration of the pandemic.  

Wal-Mart Shelves Go Bare of Essential Disaster-Related Supplied, Food, and Medicine as Panic Buying Takes Over American Life

The allergy/cold/fever/flu medications have been hit pretty heavily.  The few products that are left have very limited supplies.  This is to be expected during any respiratory illness pandemic, so I was not that surprised to see this.  

This is the pain reliever/fever reducer section, like acetaminophen and ibuprofen.  As you can see, it has been hit pretty hard.  While there are still some supplies left, the Goody's and BC headache powders were still in large supply.  I bought a couple of packs.  

One of the eeriest sights of the trip occurred when I reached the paper products aisle.  Toilet paper and paper towels are all gone.  The aisle is completely bare, as you can see.  

Toilet paper has been one of the hardest products to keep on the shelves during this pandemic.  A combination of patients with diarrhea, people who are preparing, a shortage of tissues, and a bit of selfishness have all been factors contributing to the empty toilet paper aisles nationwide. 

This is the snack cake section, like Little Debbie products and Rice Krispy Treats.  Because these products are packed with preservatives, they have very long shelf lives.  This makes such snack products very popular disaster food, but I have never seen an empty aisle until now, even when facing a direct hit from Hurricane Irma.  

Surprisingly enough, there was a nice supply of water left.  Gallon jugs are just about gone, so customers are stuck buying single-serve plastic bottles.  Of course, this goes against everything I believe in (plastic pollution is a huge cause for me), so if you have to buy single-serve bottles, try to fill them back up and put them in the freezer so you have extra ice if you need it.  

The cereal shelves were just about completely bare, with several random bags and boxes spread about.  Want Fruity Pebbles?  Too Bad! 

I settled for Kix and Honey Bunches of Oats and accepted the fact that cereal will probably be scarce for a little while to come.  

Here is a canned food aisle, with the shelves just about completely bare.  This was to be expected, due to the long shelf lives associated with canned goods.  

Conclusion

It looks pretty bleak, folks -- especially when you step back from the situation and realize that these restrictions have been in place for less than a week.  Wal-Mart could not withstand a week against pandemic coronavirus, and people across the world are allowing the situation to bring out the worst in them.  This was evidenced by a stabbing that occurred in Australia, where a man stabbed a woman over toilet paper!  

My prediction is that we have not even seen the tip of the iceberg with regards to the scarcity of goods we are seeing on the shelves.  Complicating matters is the OPEC cartel and its moves to tank the price of oil, meaning that our gas is under $1.90/gallon where I am locally (Florida).  

Furthermore, Bitcoin value has dropped to under $5000 (BTC/USD), erasing billions of dollars of wealth from the world.  

A perfect storm seems to be gathering, and it is clear that life will likely be changing permanently, kind of how it was changed following the 9/11 attacks.  

I wish you all the utmost in good health as well as good vibes.  

CORONAVIRUS TIP-LINE EMAIL:  [email protected]

If you anything related to COVID-19 that you would like me to cover, please send me an email here.