Yesterday (March 13) afternoon, EVG contributor Stacie Joy stopped by a variety of East Village shops to check on their inventory of food and cleaning supplies as residents prepare for the coronavirus outbreak.
The bigger stores (Target, Trader Joe's) had longer lines and emptier shelves of in-demand items, as you might expect. Some of the smaller shops, especially along First Avenue, still had ample products, such as Clorox wipes and ingredients for making your own hand sanitizer.
The first few photos of at Key Food, 52 Avenue A at Fourth Street...
All photos were of these store shelves as they appeared yesterday afternoon.
• H Brickman & Sons, 55 First Ave. between Third Street and Fourth Street
• Rite Aid, 81 First Ave. at Fifth Street (had very little inventory upon Stacie's visit)
• Saifee Hardware & Garden, 114 First Ave. at Seventh Street (They had a great supply, per Stacie)
• Commodities Health Food, 165 First Ave. between 10th Street and 11th Street
• NYC Pharmacy 206 First Ave. between 12th Street and 13th Street
• David Halladay Hill, aka the Fix-it Fairy, at H&W Hardware, 220 First Ave. between 13th Street and 14th Street
• Trader Joe's, 436 E. 14th St. near Avenue A
• Target, 500 E. 14th St. at Avenue A
• CTown Supermarket, 188 Avenue C between 11th Street and 12th Street
Wow. Thank you for providing an update. Those photos illustrate a lot. People forget there is more than just Whole Foods and Trader Joes in shopping for food and essentials. Union Market is just as wonderful including Associated on 7th and C, although I will say many shelves were beginning to look bare and have long lines. Oh boy. So much to adapt to all at once. I was really stuck at just how professional and expedient employees have been in these stores working long shifts then having to restock in the evening. They are also putting themselves at risk. They are rock stars and should be applauded. It's important to smile and thank them for their hard work during this unprecedented event.
ReplyDeleteI bet people will really miss Associated when they figure out that Traders Joe’s has a very limited selection and runs out of essentials so quickly. Oh but don’t worry, you can still buy the frozen cauliflower pizza.
ReplyDeleteIt runs out because their prices are low and is always packed. If they jack their prices up like associate they won’t run out. Basic supply and demand.
DeleteC Town on C & 12 st is fully stocked every morning so far , I usually dont like all produce there because of freshness. Not a problem now :-) That said we have some new fabulous recycle bags at La Sirena and can use some foot tragic, sales to stay alive. Yes Im pitching for my shop, please come by to say hola on this beautiful day :-) Only good will prevail
ReplyDeletePeople always complaining about the old supermarkets that closed down. Maybe if they upgraded their selections, they wouldn't have closed. Making jokes about "cauliflower pizza," yeah, it's stupid, but there's a ton of other things at that shop that not many others have. If you want to keep eating craft macaroni and cheese and top ramen, then go for it.
ReplyDeletefunny how Duane Reade closed a bunch of east village stores recently just as they are needed the most
ReplyDeleteKraft Mac and cheese & top ramen sound good to me!
ReplyDelete@11:29 In almost every single case those "old supermarkets" were rent-jacked out of existence. Unmitigated greed, not their product selection (nor even their poor sense of interior design) forced their closures. FWIW, in my entire life, I've not eaten Kraft Macaroni & Cheese nor had any desire to try Top Ramen (AKA "Have some sodium with your sodium") yet miss the REAL, full service supermarkets terribly. I cook daily so enjoy buying real food, seasonal food, fresh food. I do get non-dairy milks, canned legumes, olive oils, and dried fruits and nuts at TJs but little else as the amounts of added salt and sugar in their frozen and prepared foods make me shudder. Their produce seriously underwhelms and their animal proteins are mediocre and no bargain. A REAL butcher (or even a REAL deli counter) is neither available nor replicable at these stores (spec TJ's and Target). You know, the kind of in-store food services that people who actually cook or enjoy eating fresh-made foods might use. But, since you demand cauliflower pizza (or similar frozen options), seem to require that a store be shiny, sleek, and on-trend, and to continue eating just like you did in college, then (you) go for it.
ReplyDelete80,000 items in a normal supermarket versus 3, 300 at Trader Joe's. Exactly the same stuff in every TJ everywhere versus when you go into a supermarket you never know what kind of brands you might find.
ReplyDeleteTrader Joe's has a fine selection of food, much of which is organic. The prices there are low as well. The price of an 8 oz. package of hummus is $1.99, and they have chocolate hummus too. I stopped going to Commodities when they raised the price of Abraham's hummus from $2.99 to $3.99. TJ's also has a good selection of nuts and trail mix, etc. Commodities? Not so much. Produce at TJ's (eg. spinach, arugula, etc.) is priced lower.
ReplyDeleteEd sold out at the right time.
All the other food stores in the EV have higher prices and fewer products.
FYI According to the experts this virus is airborne just like the flu so sterilizing everything with bleach won’t help. 2 studies even show that easing your hands 20 thousand tiles first significantly reduce your risk. 3. Why are people buying year worth supply of toilet paper?
ReplyDeleteJust follow the protocol of people in the UK and you'll be fine. Stay home, don't answer the door, and stock up on 20 year old brandy.
ReplyDeleteLa Sirena - where exactly is your shop? I would be happy to stop by and purchase a few things today or tomorrow!
ReplyDeleteEV Grieve / everyone - ideas or suggestions about what other local businesses need an extra dose of support right about now? (Admittedly I'm a little skittish on ordering food from restaurants right now, but I can be talked off the ledge.) My family will patronize as many as we possibly can. And I am sure many in the community will as well.
@12:24 you cook daily so why would you be concerned about the ingredients in the prepared foods? Somewhat of an oxymoron isn't it?
ReplyDeleteAgree with the ones above Lambasting Trade Joe's. Over-salted and Over-sweetened processed food just better Marketing than the older SuperMarkets.
ReplyDeleteMy friend in Turin, Italy commented- “thank goodness for the bidet. It saves us looking as barbaric as Americans fighting over TP”.
ReplyDeleteAs everyone knows, alcohol consumption suppresses your immune system and compromises the ability of your gut to fight off disease. Meanwhile people are joking about drinking alcoholic beverages in order to kill off the coronavirus. But I hear that Trader Joe’s cauliflower pizza pairs nicely with the five dollar Trader Joe’s Pinot Noir, so if you’re planning to go out and get Coronavirus and are on a tight budget, then this is definitely the way to go.
ReplyDelete