Tags
2 hours early, costco, ignorance, long lines, paper towels., perspective, shortages, success, the new normal, toilet paper, USSR, Waiting in line
So I got up and headed straight to Costco, thinking ‘almost two hours before it opens, should be fine’.
Ha!
The line is remarkable. Goes completely around the building. There are A LOT of people on front of me and even more behind. The look on people’s faces as they slowly drive by the line, realizing how many people are actually in it is both amusing and sad at the same time. Surprisingly I am ok with just standing here, waiting for the store to open. If I can secure these items, it will be a bit of a relief to both newmom and I.
This reminds me of the pictures I used to see as a child of lines of people in front of basically empty stores in the old Soviet Union to buy basic necessities. Being a child at the time I had no idea of what I was really looking at. No concept of that reality these people lived in. Now here I stand in line for paper products and maybe a couple of other items with no guarantee of success.
Amazing how perspective changes with age. Back then I could not comprehend what I was seeing, now I feel a lot more sympathy to their plight. To say this sort of thing is not what entire countries normal daily lives are like would be blatantly ignorant. I am blessed to live where I do, to have the things available to me that I do and realize especially in these days that any complaining I do is useless noise.
UPDATE: I was fortunate to be close enough to get the items I went for, Toilet paper and Paper towels. I was starting to get a little nervous as I watched our own supply start to dwindle. I also purchased some additional items that we needed as well. It is definitely a relief to know that we will not be running out and will share with a couple other people who need these items as well.
Even as I was walking out of the store, there was still quite a line to get it. I think they were limiting the number of people coming in and out of the store, which I have been seeing in different locations (I saw this yesterday at our local grocery store).
Again, welcome to the new normal.