“May you live in interesting times” is often described as a curse.
We certainly are living in interesting times this week with all the changes being brought about in response to Covid-19 here in the US and the world.
Jobs have been lost, businesses are closed, and some of those may not come back.
What the ultimate effect this will have remains unknown. But I’m sure there will be some areas of our economy that change significantly. I think grocery stores will be one of them.
As we practice social distancing, many people are trying curb-side pickup and delivery services for the first time. I suspect many have not tried this before because of the fees, there is also the habits involved.
If people stay with them, the local grocery store will change. Smaller, though not necessarily fewer. They’ll be more concentrated on short life items like produce and items needed immediately because of unexpected events.
Using a service works best with planning. This is more difficult than just picking up what you need every day. But once used, the convenience and time savings pay dividends. Better planning would mean lower overall costs and would cut a lot of food waste which would be a great overall societal benefit. This is especially effective when combined with electric delivery vehicles and non-polluting energy sources. Though better packaging solutions will be needed.
Turmoil causes reflection.
On an individual basis, this situation brings to mind two questions: “Do you have an emergency fund?” and “Do you have a side-hustle?”.
Having a job is good. It’s nice to know that you have an income coming in each payday. But while you may have a job, that job belongs to the employer and go away due to things completely out of your control.
If you don’t have both an emergency fund and some form of income outside of your job, I sincerely suggest they should be a priority.
Best wishes, take care, and help those who need it.
I almost forgot…This weeks issue is here
