Posted on 05/09/2020 6:41:13 PM PDT by Magnatron
Today was the first day of our Phase 1 retail store openings. Malls and stores opened across the state to large crowds and pent-up demand. Roads were buzzing with traffic, but here in the mountains -- which depends heavily on tourism -- we saw a lot of hesitancy to shop at newly opened businesses.
North Carolina actually was rather lax in enforcement in many areas of the state. Store owners I spoke with told me they either were able to skirt restrictions by creative thinking, or simply opened intermittently throughout the lockdown anyway. The creative thinking crowd many times could find an "essential" product that allowed them to remain open -- scarves for example, or sewing supplies. One owner of a music store told me he just came into the store and turned on the lights, and folks "just stopped by" to visit (and shop). He said his business had been off during the lockdown by about 50%, but he's happy to be coming back to full operation.
North Carolina has a Democrat governor, but he hasn't been kowtowed as much by the leftist fascism drumbeat to keep people under house arrest. Yes, there's been protests, and yes there's been a few counties that have gone rogue against Raleigh demands, but for the most part, we didn't feel the pressure of a Michigan, New York, New Jersey, or California.
Shelves across North Carolina have been hit and miss in grocery stores. Toilet paper remains a hot commodity, but can be found with a little perseverance. Meat is fairly available, though chicken disappeared for a while but has generally returned. Pork products are still around, and thankfully, Neese's sausage is most times on the shelves. This Covid-19 exercise in hyperventilation apparently caused folks who never baked a loaf of bread in their lives to become master bakers -- and flour was in short supply. But it's slowly coming back on the shelves, and if you're alert, you can find White Lily from time to time for those southern biscuits. It is quite humorous, though, to see a grocery store full of folks that look like mummies.
Restaurants will reopen for seating next week. We've seen a few stores go out of business during this event, but not as many as we would have thought. As our tourist season here in the mountains begins around Memorial Day, it's nice to see some early glimmers of hope.
I'd like to see other's post their state's news from the front.
Idaho is in phase one, what ever that means. Walk-in restaurants and salons are still closed but gun shops, hardware stores, grocery stores, and drive thru everything is humming as are garden stores truthfully if we’re shut down I mostly don’t see it where I’m at. Mask are optional, distancing is the acceptable practice and we’ve lost 67 folks so far. Our hotspots were Boise and Sun Valley. Where the rich travel. Us hillbillies and cowboys stay oughta the way. Be well.
States still dragging this out! They need to go like GA!
Can’t speak to the status of the grocery stores here, since my daughter does the shopping. She seems to be able to get whatever she’s going out for.
but the 4-lane highway near me here in central IN is now as busy as it was pre-COVID and has been since Day 1 of opening some things back up
The King is keeping us on lockdown now through 6/7. I am jealous.
The governor of NC has made a number of threats to extend lockdown but the people of NC have continued to carry on with their lives and told the governor a few what for(s). The governor is a typical democrat and has enjoyed applying pressure to the throats of NC citizens but this governor’s time is nearly up thanks to the coming election
AMEN to that!
You hit the nail on the head.
Do Dem governors think that THIS kind of treatment will oust Trump? They are NUTS!
Bump
Upstate South Carolina is hit and miss. The big box stores never closed and are haphazardly enforcing occupation, distancing, and PPE guidelines. Other retail has opened but with confusion as to rules. Restaurants can serve indoors on Monday but even the chains are not ready to comply with the requirements. Parks also open Monday. The public mood is one of caution instead of a mad rush to satisfy pent up demand and honestly the local business operators are unsure themselves..
Alabama opens up this week. We were one of the last to really close down. Other than the hardship on small business and restaurants we did pretty well. People here are not big on being told what to do. The governor didn’t get stupid so we went along with it. Did a fair amount of tailgating in parking lots. There were no restrictions on travel.
Best wishes to all the businesses in the mountains. My daughter, who has a retail job, went back to work mid-week last week, in anticipation of reopening. Hopefully she’ll get enough hours to make rent by June 1, because if she comes back, I’m moving out!
A brother in California told me of a restaurant (I’ll leave out the location) that is apparently operating normally (customers dining in), with an obvious wink nod from local authorities, and in apparent defiance of Newsome’s orders.
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