Miami supermarket sweep!
Saturday 15th October 2022
My mummy taught me to have plenty of food in the cupboard and all the household items too, “just in case”, so as part of my family management planning I always have food (perishable and non perishable) in stock as well as cleaning products and toiletry. Our toilet paper stock was diminishing however as the shelves were bare whenever I went to replenish it over the past three weeks, and asking friends revealed that they had the same challenge. Another sign of the import restrictions designed to preserve limited foreign currency.
Steve to the rescue!
He was in Miami Beach on business for four days and had taken a collapsible nylon bag in his suitcase, hoping to do a quick supermarket run for some cheese, chocolate, juicy Florida Oranges and some sundries; each difficult to buy here, and very expensive if you do find them. I therefore sent a WhatsApp message asking him to please buy some toilet paper and kitchen towels too!
He managed to fit in a quick shop one evening, but imagine him meeting colleagues when walking in to his hotel lobby, arms outstretched like a forklift truck; carrier bags hanging from his palms and two jumbo sized packets of loo roll and another of kitchen paper piled on top of them in front of his face! The company legal counsel pressed the elevator button for him with a quizzicle look of raised eyebrow and a smile!
It reminded me of time growing up in the former Czechoslovakia and a period when we had no toilet paper too, long queues forming to get some. We read of such scenes in the UK too, early-on in the Covid pandemic. Toilet paper and kitchen towels are available in the shops again now, so it looks like it was just a temporary supply issue but the ones from the US are rather nicer quality.
Rennie