I understand that you live in the Great White North so things might be different, but my dentist has asked that his patients do not skip cleanings and routine care. They are being diligent about COVID but when they don’t have patients they can’t pay their staff. The laid off staff find other jobs which is leaving them with a shortage of hygienists and their helpers and they still have to keep the lights on because dentists usually are deemed not qualified to work at fast food place. (Over qualified and place too much importance on proper sanitation,)
I’m actually a new patient at this particular dentist, who I was referred to by a friend because I haven’t had a regular dentist for years. So I’m net new income for them. Furthermore, this dentist recently expanded their practice and now has two other dentists, several assistants, hygienists, and three clerical staff. It’s quite the business empire, so I’m not going to feel the need to support them with “routine” stuff that I don’t really need. In general, of course, you do have a point, and we need to support the businesses that we rely on. That’s why, for instance, I do most of my grocery shopping locally (in the immediate neighbourhood) even though they seem to be thriving without my help. I’m a great believer in loyalty to places that have given me good service.
Yep, things are different there. Does your UHC include dental care? I have to pay for my dental insurance and my co-pay today was almost 400 bucks. Many people down here don’t have dental insurance and the out of pocket costs are enough to make them avoid and put off until things are dire.
Once again, we are in full agreement. And it doesn’t just mean the ones we rely on daily or weekly, it means supporting the ones we only visit once or twice a year. Amazon is handy for certain things, but I order all of my hobby supplies from a small volunteer run place in Phoenix. The service is amazing and I’m helping them stay in business so I can call when I need overpriced floss or canvas.
No, except in special cases involving certain types of dental surgery. But in general, no – filling cavities, root canals, extractions, crowns, implants – all that stuff has to be covered either by supplemental insurance, generally provided by the employer, or, if one is retired as I am, by individual insurance or (as in my case) out of pocket. In the vast majority of cases, employed individuals have dental coverage, while the rest of us pay out of pocket. I believe if one is poor enough to receive social assistance there is some type of dental coverage.
I feel guilty about the hijack, so won’t discuss my feelings about the importance of affordable dental care anymore here. Chances are fair that I’ll start a new thread tomorrow.
In other news, a friend who manages a chain tourist trap called today. She was in tears because because she is so happy that the yearly shipment of motion activated singing and dancing things have been delayed until December and they might not show up then. It’s possible that I suggested that the mandatory Christmas CD could have gotten damaged in storage. It’s also possible that she cried even more happy tears at that suggestion.
I have not been able to find Nabisco Nilla Pie Crusts anywhere. Out of stock online, even. I know I can make one but I really don’t want to have to buy a whole box of wafers to make one stinkin’ crust.
This is the fourth week in a row I’ve tried to buy a box of regular saltine crackers at my usual grocery store. (I haven’t bother to look at other stores, I’m not that desperate for them.) They have some exotic brands, they have those with unsalted tops, they have whole wheat ones, but regular ole cheap white flour saltines with salt on the top? Nope.
I actually asked a clerk I’m friendly with about it. She said the store had a HUGE order of all sorts of things that is supposed to be delivered tomorrow…but absolutely no guarantee of what will actually be in it. She thinks the warehouse is just tossing pallets of whatever they have the most of, or perhaps the ones that are closest to the door, onto the trucks until they are full.
An opposite weirdness: for at least FOUR MONTHS they’ve had stacks of cartons of Duncan Hines cake mixes in one of the ‘special sale’ locations near the front registers. So many they don’t bother to unpack them onto shelves, just cut the tops of the cartons down, and toss the cartons as the boxes sell out. Not weird flavors, either. Chocolate, chocolate fudge, yellow, white, and so forth. The price asked is usually 88 cents per, but sometimes goes on a further sale at fifty cents! At the same time, the Betty Crocker and Pillsbury cake mixes in the regular baking aisle have followed the normal pricing of, oh, around $2.50 a box with sometime sales for $1.79 or so. And there are MORE DH cake mixes available there, too, at the 88 or 50 cent price.
But the Duncan Hines frostings and brownie mixes and such are at the ‘normal’ higher prices all along, so I doubt the brand is being discontinued or the company is in trouble or whatever. So why the super sale that has gone on for months???
Maybe that warehouse weirdness is to blame. Maybe they got sent an entire truck full of nothing but DH cake mixes and they’re no allowed to send them back?
For the second week in a row now everyone is wandering around the produce section looking for plastic bags, none to be had. I only bought a few apples so no big deal. Everyone looked so confused and irritated though. I feel sorry for the people that work there, it’s such a dumb thing to add stress to your day.
Well, this one is hitting close to home. From today’s LA Times:
I think this column may be paywalled, so here is the money quote:
Ahead of his 40th birthday this past summer, Eric Dela Cruz decided to fulfill a lifelong dream and buy a yacht. With his budget, he figured it’d take no time at all.
“I thought, ‘Hey, if you can afford $1.5 million, or $2 million, it should be like this’” — said the restaurateur, snapping his fingers — “‘Bring me a boat tomorrow.’ But no.”
In these troubled times, won’t someone help the rich?
Here’s what I don’t understand: in my grocery store, there are plenty of crackers, lunchmeat and cheese. But not a Lunchable to be had for love or money.
Salted butter, of all things. I haven’t looked very hard, but I was surprised to see it was out of stock at my usual market.
BJs frozen food selection was very sparse.
Noticed that for the past few months. We don’t get them often but I keep tabs for a deal to freeze.
Local chain has turkeys on sale. Their 20’ long cooler had 5 whole birds in it the other night. I shop during the last hour they are open so it could have been a daily restock thing. Son mentioned Meijer had all of 8 turkey breasts available when he picked one up. I see empty spaces often but being near close I also maneuver around skids of supplies.
Mentioned to the missus that we should look into a smaller backup for the 30 year old 22cu ft chest freezer in the basement a few weeks back. I expected a several month waiting period for a no-name or off brand. She had a 14cu ft Frigidaire replacement sitting in the garage when I got home from work that night. She ordered and sent the boys to get it that same day.
Yeah, my usual big-box grocery is having a hard time keeping Land O’Lakes in stock.
They have the fancy premium butter, and the crappy generic store-brand (in the crappy wrappers that leak & allow off-tastes to permeate) but the reliable middle-of-the-road is tough to purchase.
Last time, I bought the last package of any Land O’Lakes for sale and was giddily gleeful at scoring it.
Being from the Land o’ Lakes, it’s easy to find here; however, I’m not paying $5.69 a pound.
A local big grocer recently had them on sale at 2/$9. Last year I remember stocking up when they were 2/$6.
As someone who has never developed an opinion on preferred butter wrappers, can you elaborate on what you mean here? Doesn’t everyone take it out while it’s still fridge temp and put it in a butter dish?
Don’t have a butter dish.
Generally, I leave it on the counter in its wrapper. I noticed the store-brand left a big greasy spot underneath. This means the wrapper isn’t good at blocking off smells from the fridge - onions, etc.
Plus I felt the L.O.L. brand tasted better, though that could have just been my perception.
Proper butter is cultured for a while before being churned. It’s long been my opinion that longer culturing times makes for a better butter. I usually culture my cream for at least a day before churning, lower end creameries might want to take that much time.
The deodorant shelf at Kroger is completely full, but there is not a single brand of roll-on deodorant (which is the type I prefer). Gel, stick, spray, everything but roll-on.
I did some grocery shopping last night, and noticed areas of empty (or nearly-empty) shelves for the first time in many months. Two noteworthy things, which my wife had put on the shopping list, but which were completely unavailable:
- Ground chicken meat – we’ve been using that instead of ground beef for a few years, but there was none to be had at all. I was able to find some ground turkey (not our first choice, as my wife prefers the taste of chicken), but even the ground turkey was pretty sparse.
- Fritos – there were no bags of Fritos, of any variety, at all. Lots of other Frito-Lay products, but Fritos were completely gone.