Is anyone else feeling guilt over having your stuff delivered?

[LuckyCharms]

I'll be 62 this year. I have a laundry list of conditions that will certainly lead to my death if I contact COVID-19. So, I quarantine myself 99 % of the time. I go outside for only three reasons:

1) To walk my dog on the adjacent golf course if there are absolutely no people on the course.

2) To sit with my dog in the fenced backyard.

3) To pick up my prescriptions once a week. My store has numbered parking spots for prescription pick ups. You pull into a spot, call the phone number on the sign, give them your credit card number, and wait in your car for someone to bring your prescriptions out to you. You hold your ID up to your window, and the person will leave the scripts on your hood. They then leave, and I put my mask on, go out and retrieve them, and get back in my car and drive home.

I used Walmart grocery pick-up ONCE. I liked it, but it is next to impossible now to reserve a time for pick-up. The one time I did use it, I felt terrible for the young kid who had to load up my trunk.

I've been using instacart now. I hate it, They fee the shit out of you, and usually royally screw up your order. Regardless, I feel terrible that someone has to essentially "take care of me". It's usually some young person, putting themselves at risk, just to bring me my shit. So even if they do a crappy job, I'll tip the hell out of them.

Despite my chronic illnesses, I'm a maniac DIYer. I've been told by several pros that I'm better than 90% of the contractors out there. I take pride in that, and I don't mind bragging about it. It's what keeps me going, and it's what keeps me from slipping into a depression.

Since every time I go outside I feel like I am in a Twilight Zone episode, I've been looking forward to doing a few outside projects to force myself to get some sun. I've spent every day of the past 5 years improving my home. It is finally where I want it to be, so fucking around outside doing some landscaping, etc. would be like taking a nap for me. I need to buy a few things to do these projects: 2 bags of sand, and 3 bags of soil. In addition, I need about 6 bags of water softener salt.

Home Depot is one mile away from my home. There is no way I'm walking in there. I went online today to see if I could get the stuff delivered. I tried to order the sand and soil and they had none that could be delivered. So I just resigned myself to the the fact that the outside projects will not get done. The water softener salt is cheap, maybe $6 a bag, but they wanted $79 to deliver it. I said fuck that, so I went to Lowe's site. They wanted $69, so I ordered the shit online to be delivered, and they don't tell you until after you check out that they basically have no idea when they can get around to delivering it.

So I paid over $100 for a few bags of salt. I just put in 2 new bathrooms this year. The water here is very hard. If I go without a softener for a few months, the hard water will destroy the guts of my new fixtures. So I kind of didn't have a choice in paying the delivery fee.

Now here's the thing. I have several friends who are younger than me who consistently offer to pick up anything I need. I say thanks, but no. I cannot see having someone put themselves at risk (especially since it is not their job to do this). I have so much guilt for having to depend on other people to bring me my stupid shit. I have guilt for the instacart people. I have guilt for the truck driver who has to bring me my softener salt. I have guilt for my friends who are offering to help me. If times were normal, I would have no guilt at all. I do favors for people on a daily basis, gladly. I don't think twice when people return the favors. That's the way life should work. But asking someone to take care of my crap during a pandemic is eating at me.

While I'm typing...another thing that is not talked about often...my health conditions require regular monitoring. I'm due for two series of lab tests, and two related appointments. NOPE! No way I'm walking into a lab or a doctor's office. Hell, my primary care is only doing phone visits at this point. The conditions I'm talking about here, however, are treated by specialists. I have no idea what to do about these two appointments, so I'll have to make some phone calls tomorrow to get some advice.

That's the end of my little rant. I know everyone else has the same problems. In fact, most people have worse problems. So as Joe Walsh sings "I can't complain but sometimes I still do".

And the thing is...things didn't have to be this way. People just want to live their lives without worrying every 5 minutes about dropping dead. I'm not a worrier, but I now find myself worrying about everything. What are these people who lost their jobs going to do? How are homeless people staying safe? Why are people walking around without masks? What about the people that can't only not get their food, but they can't AFFORD food?

Trump has done this. This is his fault. A normal Joe/Jane with a few ounces of common sense would have handled this pandemic 1000% better than Trump is. Many lives would have been saved if ANYONE else was in charge. The bitterness and white hot hatred that I feel for President BigBrain cannot be expressed in words.

[jberryhill]

1. Whatever it takes to get you through this

Don’t feel guilty about it. Period.

[DownriverDem]

14. How come you have

to pick up your prescriptions once a week? It seems you should be able to get more pills than that. I had a virtual appointment with my doc last week, but no blood draw because of not wanting to go into a lab. I'll wait and hopefully I will be able to get it in July.

[Hortensis]

27. Yes. My doctor writes me 90-day supplies at my request,

and I now use an on-line pharmacy that sells at good prices and has refills delivered my home. Since the cumulative price is pretty high, I require they put the package in my hand and get my signature.

Of course that's for dosages that are stable.

[LuckyCharms]

35. I think you meant to post this to me...

It is because my insurance does not pay for a 90 day supply unless you go through their own mail order system, which by all accounts, is a horror show (late prescriptions, etc.).

[LizBeth]

2. You are paying instacart wage. They NEED you to pay their rent. I probably couldn't let someone

do my grocery shopping unless it is just like some oranges and gallon of milk and bread. I would not feel bad about a small amount at all.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

3. Yes, kind of, because I am able to stay safely in my house

while other people are out and about, exposed to the virus so they can deliver my stuff. I don't have any serious health conditions but I'm in the older, more vulnerable age group, so I'm staying home. I tell myself that it's the right thing to do, not because I'm saving my wrinkly old ass for myself - nobody else cares; I have no spouse anymore and no kids, so if I croak for whatever reason the cats will eat me before anyone notices I'm not emptying my mailbox or picking up the newspaper - but because if I don't get sick I won't be a burden on the health care system and I won't spread it to anyone else. This fact assuages the guilt somewhat, but I am enormously grateful to all those people who make my own lockdown possible.

And yes, although the virus would have come here no matter who was president, it wouldn't have been this bad. So much of the chaos and disruption and death could have been avoided if someone normal had been president. George Bush would have done a better job and he's a nitwit. But Trump is in a whole different category of nitwits. Everything he's done has been first to pretend there wasn't a problem and then, when it became obvious that there was a problem, to find someone to blame, all the while making the situation exponentially worse. Sitting alone in my house, brooding and stewing over the whole mess, knowing that it didn't have to be like this, is tremendously stressful. We are all going to be half-crazy when this is over. If it ever is.

[Midnight Writer]

4. Service folk are safer out and about delivering than they are working in a crowded store.

And you gotta eat.

Your choices are go out, order delivery, or stop eating.

[mopinko]

5. i'm grubhubbing a lot, but i am tipping double.

i got caught w an empty rental in need of a lot of work. i have 2 good buddies that work for me, and they kept working for a while. but one has a high-risk wife, and she put her foot down. i didnt want to lay them off, but i didnt want to push them, either.
now supply issues are cropping up.

i have really resisted ordering anything i dont need, tho. some of those commercials for online retail are making me nuts. i really dont want to order something from anyone who isnt making a point of telling me what they are doing to keep their workers safe. wayfair will never get a dime out of me, ever.

[AZ8theist]

6. I am so sorry for your situation.....

But two things:
1. If your friends are offering to help, swallow your pride and let them. If they can get around, PROTECTED, they can help. That being said, are there not material businesses near you who can deliver dirt and rock? Here in AZ, all you have to do is make a call, buy the rock or dirt on the phone, and a couple of days later a dump truck leaves the load in your driveway.

2. Trump is a FUCKING IMBECILE. I used to live in NJ and work in NYC and KNEW DECADES AGO that Doturd was the dumbest human on the planet. Nothing but a two-bit con man. If he didn't inherit $400 MILLION from his old man, he would now be hustling timeshares on a Brooklyn street corner. So MY FUCKING DOG would have done better at this pandemic than Doturd.

Any other human would have handled this 100000000000000000000000000% better than this moron.

I don't object to your point, just your calculation.

Hang in there..........better times will come in January 2021 when President Joe Biden is sworn into office.

[LeftInTX]

10. Yeah in San Antonio, it seems you can have soil delivered fairly easily

Lucky Charms may be able to have a friend pick up that rock salt.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

7. Many lives would have been saved and much disruption avoided, if we had a president.

My son picks up groceries for his household and mine. We order online for no-contact pickup at the store. He says it goes smoother at Kroger than Walmart. It takes two trips for him and two for me to get us about a month's worth at a time.

I've ordered nails and mixed nuts through Amazon. I can get 4 cans of Planters "heart healthy mix" there but only 2 from Walmart. The nails are about the same cost as Lowe's, for the ones Lowe's carries, but they get delivered to my door from Amazon. Job security for the UPS drivers.

My project is an extension on my garage to house my little tractor and other things. If the rain quits long enough, I'll get something done this year. I had enough lumber stockpiled, but not enough nails for either hammer or nailgun. The last batch will take until May 11 to get here. Plenty for me to do until then.

I have to assume the people delivering the goods are aware and prepared. For all I know, it's the work that keeps them sane through this. We all cope in our own ways. (I know people who prefer 'cozy' apartment dwelling; I wouldn't survive in one).

Take care of yourself and try to do something that interests you every day.

[LeftInTX]

11. I've heard that Lowe's does curbside.

Office Depot does curbside. They had my order ready with in 9 minutes of placing the other!

Sure curbside problem doesn't work for a dishwasher, but nails or small items..go for it!!!

https://www.lowes.com/l/store-pickup.html

[LuckyCharms]

19. oooooh thank for this!

I'll have to see if I missed this when I ordered from my local Lowe's.

[crickets]

25. Home Depot has curbside pickup as well.

I have used it twice so far for things I needed for my yard and garden, and it was wonderful. I ordered, paid, and got a receipt online, they let me know by email and text that the order was ready, and the goods were deposited in the truck bed after I showed ID. There's a special spot in the parking lot where you wait, so it was easy to deal with. Service was fast and cheerful, and I didn't have to touch anything at the store or get near anyone.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

41. I don't do Home Depot. See their trumper co-founder Bernie Marcus.

[crickets]

44. Small town choices are sometimes limited, but thanks for the heads up! nt

[LuckyCharms]

39. It seems like 6 months ago, I had a ton of different gauge

nails for pneumatic nailers, but I just finished up a bunch of trim work and door installations, and used most of them up. I would have been happy to mail you some if I didn't deplete my supply, because I'm never picking up a nail gun again

Good luck with your projects!

[LisaL]

8. Why would you feel guilt?

You are staying home so the virus can run out of hosts to infect.
By not going to stores you are doing what you should be doing to stop the spread of the virus.

[LuckyCharms]

18. Because I'm a reformed Catholic lol.

The guilt is the last thing to go away.

[LisaL]

29. I have everything delivered right now and feel no guilt about it whatsoever.

I use amazon (prime and regular) and doordash. I feel like I am doing my job by staying home. And delivery people are getting a tip. So it's a win win as far as I am concerned.

[cate94]

33. Haha

I was going to ask you that! Guilt, I know all about it.

[Skittles]

49. because those people delivering increase their own exposure to covid

that's why

[LeftInTX]

9. Your fixtures can survive hard water for several months

I live in San Antonio where our water pH is about 8.5. It's bad here. If I don't use Lemi-Shine in my dishwasher, my dishes come out with dusty, white chalk powder on them. It's so bad that caliche builds up on everything. Right now I have a glass framed print that already has a caliche film building on it. Even our household dust is white. You go outside and you will see chalk. Even the fossils are chalk. I made hubby throw away a bunch of 50 million year old fossils because they were chalk.

You should have seen my microsprinklers..LOL (I ditched them...LOL)

Hard water will take it's toll, no doubt about that. We don't have room for a water softener. Here's what I do: Lemi-Shine, make a paste and let it sit over night and rinse. Keep Lemi-Shine soak off of metal fixtures. The acid is weak, but over night is what does the work. Rinsing mild acid won't harm fixtures. (Limeaway doesn't work on my surfaces like tubs and showers and sinks because our water just has tooo much calcium..I previously used phosphuric acid, but it's EPA banned)

Dishwasher...always add Lemi-Shine. Fixtures...The gasket at the base of a sink fixture is vulnerable to both hard water and acid. You could apply a thin layer of petroleum jelly to protect. We've lived here 25 years and yes, it has taken a toll, but it doesn't happen overnight.
Take showers instead of baths. (Take less of them, you aren't working or interacting with people anyway..)

Wipe tub with towel after use. Spritz with some vinegar. (I always wait until it gets read bad and just do the Lemi-Shine paste over night) Yes, hard water will take it's toll on shower heads, but once again, we need to get a new one ever 10 years or so. We always get a cheap one.

I really don't think a few months will ruin your new fixtures.

(As posted up thread, maybe you can get someone to pick up the rock salt for you. It isn't an emergency)

[LuckyCharms]

16. Thank you for the tips. I appreciate it. Here is

my experience.

Before the water softener, I've had two bathroom faucets where both of the handles blew completely off and hit the ceiling. This caused two floods on my first floor. Flooded all of the hardwood in my kitchen and dining room with a few inches of water. Miraculously, the hardwood mostly survived intact.

I talked to two different master plumbers about what happened. There were two causes:

1) Water pressure from the street line was two high. I cured this by having an expansion tank added to the hot water heater.

2) Washer and mechanism handle compromise due to hard water mineral buildup in the faucets. Granted, they were not the best faucets, but they weren't the cheapest either.

For visible surface areas, I used to have pretty good luck with Lime Away. I would use it regularly on mineral deposits that I could see, and I would remove my aerators and soak them in Lime Away overnight. For my shower heads and hose bibs, I would rig up a container filled with Lime Away and attach the container with rubber bands and let soak. For some reason, in this house, the hard water destroys the faucet guts very quickly.

I do wipe down the shower daily, and weekly I use some spray on stuff that works really well (forget the name...I just did a quick look and can't find the container...If you want to know the name, let me know and I'll go find it).

I'll look into the Lemi-Shine that you mentioned. Even though I probably don't have a real need for it now, I would like to take a look at it. Always good to learn something new, and I may be able to provide that info to other people with hard water problems. That's really interesting about the chalk-like dust. I know someone in San Antonio...I'll mention this next time I talk to her.

I appreciate the time you took to type out your useful post. Have a good day!

[bucolic_frolic]

12. Glad to see perspective on others' lives

so thanks for posting. We're all isolated more than at any time in our lives.

DIYer? Wish you were near.

[mcar]

13. I do not feel guilty about it at all

I'm 61, hubby is 62. We are in good health. But, I'd far rather use the option of home delivery of my groceries than go to the store every week or so. I'm reducing my risk, reducing the risk of my infecting others and giving someone work (and a healthy tip). It's keeping the stores less crowded, too.

On my few forays out (curbside wine pickup at the local liquor store), I see that the grocery store parking lots are almost as full as in normal times. I've seen unmasked families, including kids, walking into Big Lots like it's just another day - why can't one stay home with the kids and the other do the shopping?

I'm worried too about our poor and homeless population - for our small area, it's a lot of people. The local food banks and churches have teamed up to provide weekly food pickup, including from a local dairy that was throwing their milk away until the food bank contacted them.

I get angrier and angrier every day at these stupid people protesting, idiots on our Florida beaches and our incompetent leadership. The very idea that IMPOTUS is inciting violence makes me .

[Amishman]

15. Not really, those delivery jobs are likely going to automated away in 10 years or so

Glad they can make a living that way right now.

[MerryBlooms]

17. Don't feel guilty, we're all doing the best we can,

you're doing all the right things to protect yourself and others. When people offer to help me, like moving bags of soil or heavy planters, I let them. We arrange day/time, and I make them a treat- fudge, quick bread, a quiche, etc... And one of my cards. It makes people feel good to help others, and if they get a treat after, they're very happy.

Don't get down on yourself. A lot of us are having to get a bit creative when it comes to our spring yard/garden/home routines and projects.

[womanofthehills]

20. The kid who brings the groceries out at my local Walmart

Seems to really like his job. He was smiling and bragging about getting groceries for 100 people the day before. Only problem I’m having with him - is he’s not good at distancing. He is also bringing out big bags of soil for people. Our hardware stores in NM have outside pick up.

[Alex Blaine Layder]

21. Instacart is worth it. For people like me.

I'm 74, diabetic/insulin, dizzy with a gait problem, bad back and foot pain, using a rider cart in the market, and had a 50-year heavy cigarette habit, 7 years quit now. I have no younger, healthier people offering to help with my groceries. So I'm now waiting for my 3rd Instacart delivery, about 1 a week. It adds about $10.60 per order with their fees and my tip, no matter the size of my order. Well worth it for someone like me. Obviously at $10.60 I do wait until I have say at least around $40 to buy. In the first 2 orders the only 'problems' were an item the shopper couldn't find, and a selzer he upsized to a 2 liter. Pretty good, in other words. The pay for the shopper/driver is decent, see https://gigworker.com/how-much-does-instacart-pay/ and that's before tips. I don't know about their health insurance, so I don't know about feeling guilty.

[left-of-center2012]

24. I used Instacart once

Here the Instacart employee did the shopping and delivery.

But when they did not have an item I wanted, say 2 Thomas's English muffins, he substituted 1 of another brand.
I'd prefer substitutions be of a similar quantity.
The store was out of couple other items, and he did not substitute with any item.

I've used Walmart delivery for about a year. Locally they use DoorDash.
The Walmart staff picks the items, DoorDash does the delivery. And Walmart is very good about substitutions.

If Walmart is out of stock on a smaller package, they'll substitute with a larger size for the price of the smaller one.
Or if you order generic (to save money) they may substitute with a more expensive brand at the generic price.

[crickets]

26. Each Instacart item has a preference option for second choices.

You can specify the same number of items for a different brand or leave a message with more specific instructions. There's also an option to show that you don't want a substitution. When you choose something, click on it and look at the description page instead of just choosing an item/# and pressing add to cart. Inconveniently further down the page is the spot for choosing your substitution preferences, so it might be easy to miss if you don't know it's there. Also, there's a preferences link next to the items listed in the cart.

The only problem I've had is getting the 'no substitution' command to stick, so I just leave the 'do not replace' instruction in the comments section in preferences.

If you follow along online as your shopper is picking things, there's also a spot where you can chat with your shopper in real time. I've had a couple of shoppers chat with me to make sure that they're getting what I want, and it works well.

[left-of-center2012]

22. Hell no !

"Is anyone else feeling guilt over having your stuff delivered?"

Again, Hell no !
I'm 74 with multiple health issues. Been getting groceries (and prescriptions) delivered for about a year.
I'm physically unable to walk around a grocery store, up and down the aisles, or stand in line to get in a store these days.

I had a Walmart grocery delivery this morning.
Paid a $7.99 delivery fee and a tip for $139.00 of groceries, paper products, etc.

Locally, Walmart uses DoorDash to deliver:
"Most DoorDash drivers who post videos to YouTube claim that they earn between $7-$10 per delivery (plus tips),
and they average 2-3 deliveries per hour."

[Bengus81]

23. Nah...I still just go get it myself

At one of Wally Worlds small Market place. They have restrictions on entering the building,keeping people distanced. I know where everything is,can get it quick and out the door. Really never close to anyone. Go early and the place isn't that busy. Across the street at Dillions their elbow to elbow.

To bad for them.............

[MissB]

28. Nope no guilt.

Mostly I’m doing curbside pickups which are no contact.

I’m also getting amazon pantry deliveries which are no contact. Those tend to be 2-day delivery timeframes (it’s not amazon fresh). I use that to stock up on dry goods that I’ve decided I’m running low on or otherwise want to stock up on.

I’m also using a young person from Nextdoor. They are a college student and I presume they have bills to pay and can’t otherwise get a job right now. I know they go to college out of state. I pay thru Venmo after receipt and they charge me 20% on top of the cost of groceries which is what I tip the amazon pantry delivery person (or Grubhub/DoorDash).

[crickets]

30. I feel a little guilty, but I figure overall I am doing the right thing.

The fewer shoppers in the store, the fewer germ sets running around to infect anyone. I am keeping my distance from others and not contributing to germ load. I have noticed my shoppers all have masks now, which is good.

Whether I order from Instacart or not, those employees are shopping and delivering for someone. It might as well be me, I tip generously, and I make a point of thanking the shoppers in person through the porch storm door. It's the best I can do in a suboptimal situation.

[camartinwv]

31. Instacart has $99 yearly subscription fee

Instacart has $99 yearly subscription fee. If your order is over $35 during the year, you get delivery free if you subscribe. There is a feature on Instacart app where for each item you select, you can specify a replacement or say no replacement. That way you do not end up with off the wall best matches. You should not feel guilty about using Instacart. Where I live they have hired a bunch of people because of demand and those people are very grateful because they were laid off from other jobs. If you have masks or can make masks, give them to them so they can protect themselves. I happened to already have masks because of pollen season so I have been giving them masks. I put them on a table on my porch and tell them to grab them from behind my grated door. I plan to start making masks soon for that purpose.

[Hortensis]

32. No. LuckyCharms, it's far safer for everyone that people stay

at home or in their cars and NOT go in stores. That definitely includes the guys who load my groceries into the car while I stay inside it. I only get out to open the door they will need before they come out and, after they're gone, I get out again to close it.

And absolutely the checkers, who are typically middle aged or older, and whose work is really unacceptably hazardous these days. THAT's when I feel guilty -- when I shop in stores myself. My exposures are brief and I get to leave, while theirs are all day/all workweek/all epidemic.

Btw, we needed two 40-pound bags of salt for our well last week, so I put 2 bags on my on-line WalMart order, and those were loaded in my car with the groceries.

[pandr32]

34. I appreciate that you shared this

A little insight into your personal situation makes you more real. I'll bet many of us relate to your struggles trying to avoid the virus and the guilt you feel over putting others at risk. Such is the state of things today.
I am amazed at how many DIY projects you have completed during a 5-year time-span. I think we need to try harder in this house.

[LuckyCharms]

37. Thanks for your comments, and please leave your house alone unless

you are younger than me. Mine came out stunning, but I destroyed my body in the process. DIY is not for old men lol.

[LuckyCharms]

36. UPDATE: Thanks to LeftInTx

I found out that my Lowe's does indeed have curbside delivery, and this DUer just saved me $70 in delivery fees.

[RhodeIslandOne]

38. We all have to do what we can.

[kimbutgar]

40. I'm 64 and I go out once a week to shop.

Standing in line for 45 minutes sucks but I usually get what I need. I used to do Costco every week now we do it every other week. And I have discovered that produce farmers market stores are a great place to shop instead of supermarkets.

I’ve never used those delivery services but I feel I live in a third world nation depression era now standing in line.

But shouldn’t feel quilt if you are high risk health wise stay inside and be safe.

[totodeinhere]

42. I am feeling no guilt whatsoever to be doing things that could very well save my life.

What is there to be guilty about? Of course I am going to do whatever it takes.

[spinbaby]

43. I swear I've developed agoraphobia

I did go to the grocery store this morning for the first time in a month. My son had gotten groceries for me once a couple of weeks ago, but he lives an hour’s drive away and has limited time. Delivery and curbside pickup are booking a week ahead. The curbside Website for my usual grocery store was missing many of my standard grocery items. So I decided to brave it. It was like planning a military campaign figuring out the optimal time, getting together a list, mask, gloves, wipes. I remembered to leave my bathrobe by the washer, so I could strip down there and head to the shower before even putting away groceries. The store was uncrowded, well stocked, and organized, but the customers that were there all seemed to be old people fingering the produce, ignoring distancing, and going the wrong way down aisles. I could FEEL the contamination in the air.

I have to go for a mammogram in the morning and I’m way more anxious about going to a medical facility than I am about the suspicious mass that makes the mammogram not optional.

[csziggy]

45. My experience with Lowes and Home Depot for deliveries or store pick up have been good

But there are some things they are not set up to deliver.

I've only had orders delivered when the items are not kept in stock locally. One large order of lights came in five separate deliveries, via UPS and FedEx with one via USPS. The USPS delivered items needed to be returned - they were in a padded envelope and one of the things was obviously previously returned (not in the complete original packaging, taped shut, parts missing, and one part broken) and Lowes took it back no problem.

You can order and pay things online for store pick up and name someone other than yourself to pick up the order. I've done this for my husband to pick up - since his last name is different than mine, I make sure he is an authorized person when I place the order. Then one of your friends that has offered to help you can pick up your order, and drop it off outside your house. That means little risk for either you or your friends.

[nolabear]

46. Nope. I support workers and tip well. It's a plus.

[UTUSN]

47. I don't have delivery but *do* sense it as tinged decadent. I understand the safety of it.

[Texin]

48. To answer the OP's question: No, I don't.

I'm 65 (and 66 is approaching and I hope I make it 'til then). I've been ordering online for groceries - most of them for delivery onto my porch. I'll order curbside pickup when I'm comfortable that is touch-free and placed in the trunk of the car with the receipt in one of the bags. I'm ordering wine and my husbands vodka online for curbside pickup. I did feel some guilt at first about endangering those who are facilitating me and my husband and, to be honest, I get twinges thinking that the young delivery people are out there on the front lines, but in reality, these people need a paycheck. Their regular jobs have been slashed and they still have rent checks and utility bills and car payments and every other expense that people have on a daily basis. They need to eat and feed their kids if they have them, so they're helping those of us who are trying to keep this virus at bay because we are older with health issues and they're just trying to take care of the bills as best they can. It's not a win-win situation, really, for anyone right now. I do tip freely, and I'm glad that this has been created on those delivery apps, and I found myself chiding my husband last week for not adding a tip, and it shamed him into adding one then and for future deliveries.

[tirebiter]

50. I don't feel guilty about much of anything

Why start with this?

[amcgrath]

51. If the store will bring your order out to the curbside,

Having a neighbourhood kid might be a good idea - without wishing to be patronizing, kids who show some initiative and concern for the people around them should be encouraged - and if their offers are rejected, they may just drop that part of their nature.

Alternately, you might find a local cab company who have a driver happy to do a delivery, I'm sure they aren't making much money right now, so a fare might be welcome - especially if its one that doesn't involve them having to carry a passenger. Depending on where you are, the fare will likely be lower than the store delivery price.

Thirdly - and this isn't anything you can do something about right away, just something i thought i'd share to further dismiss some Americans fear of public healthcare. As well as having national healthcare for hospitals and doctors, it also works well for prescriptions. - Obviously with one healthcare "body" to deal with, drug manufacturers can't really play hardball, which is why our costs are so low.

Also, because doctors aren't trying to create fees, a renewable prescription will usually run for a year. With the price of medication, it is easy to afford to buy several months at a time, saving on dispensing fees at the pharmacy.

On the very first day that "social distancing measures" were announced in Canada, one of the very first things the PM announced, was that people on long term prescriptions, would not need to renew them until after the crisis is over. I'm sure in the States this would've caused uproar, as doctors would lose fees, but here, it is a no-brainer - people shouldn't have to go into a doctors surgery where they may come into contact with somebody wth the virus.

I don't say any of this as a way of gloating, or criticizing americans way of life. I just hope for our own sakes that enough of you will recognize the benefits and push your government towards doing something.

There have been rumblings that the US government may pay for some patients treatments, but with the way the system is there, this will mean government crippled by the insane cost of treatment . A patient here on aspirin for a week might cost the government a penny or two, there it could be $50 dollars a dose

Good luck with getting through this with as little inconvenience and stress as possible, hope you can find a reasonable way to get thing you need - and that includes things like soil. A past time is not a frivolous item when you are confined to your home and garden

[LeftInTX]

54. One of my Schedule IV drugs was auto refilled

This is the first time!

It's a benzodiazapam...(The RX is tracked by the DEA, it doesn't require a triplicate or anything, so it's on the lower end of scheduled drugs)

Schedule IV

Schedule IV drugs, substances, or chemicals are defined as drugs with a low potential for abuse and low risk of dependence. Some examples of Schedule IV drugs are:

Xanax, Soma, Darvon, Darvocet, Valium, Ativan, Talwin, Ambien, Tramadol

[smirkymonkey]

52. Not really. My delivery is contactless. They drop it off on a table and I go down and

pick it up. We do not come in contact with each other and I bleach spray everything down when I get it. It's much safer than if they had to come in to face to face contact with a customer.

I always tip them very well because I appreciate what they are doing. They can go all day without ever having to come into contact with a customer. It's much safer that actually having to work at a store.

[IronLionZion]

53. Stores are dangerous places to go these days

so the fewer people go, the better. That's where delivery comes in. Professional delivery workers should probably have a process and equipment to keep them safe through this. As long as you're doing a no touch delivery where they drop it off in front of your door, it's probably not too much risk to either of you. You're providing employment plus tips to a person who wants/needs the money. If only delivery folks went to the store instead of customers, it would be somewhat safer.

I toyed with this dilemma before calling a plumber a couple weeks back. I try fixing things myself if I can but didn't know how in this case. He was so grateful for the work because fewer customers have been calling plumbers into their homes these days. Social distance, masks, gloves, etc. so it was safe enough. Pictures and texting helped plan it out efficiently so he could make one trip to the hardware store to get the right parts. No touch payment through Venmo. Cash is dirty.

But otherwise it doesn't matter much what you do, someone will always say you're wrong. So do what you have to do while being mindful of impact to others. I shop at small stores and avoid the big crowded ones with long lines. I also hold off on going as long as I can. I purchase takeout food now and then and go pick it up myself instead of delivery. I figure since I'm young and healthy, I can spare the risk to the delivery person. Some of my elderly neighbors did need help with some shopping so I picked up some things for them and left it on their doorstop, no touch. Facebook makes it easy for folks to post requests and offers on our building's group. Venmo or Paypal are great for payment.

I could easily be an asymptomatic carrier. I have no idea without testing. Anyone could be. My allergies and sneezing don't help matters, so I avoid people as much as I can just in case.

[LeftInTX]

55. Love this thread!!!

I love sharing resources at a time like this!!

[Recursion]

56. From a societal standpoint delivery is better than everybody going and getting stuff

I think that's important: there's less person-miles traveled and less total potential for exposure if people get things delivered, which is better for everyone. The delivery dispatch systems are good at figuring out the way to use the fewest person-miles possible to make the deliveries; that was instituted for cost savings, but it has a safety benefit now too.