I was at Trader Joe's in Rochester Hills, MI this morning. Two people were wearing masks

[Siwsan]

Me and my brother. That was it. Nobody else. And it wasn't exactly a slow morning at TJs. I see more people wearing masks at the local Walmart.

That, the fact that I'm not finding more and more of my favorite things, as in no longer carried, and the big price jump for the Charles Shaw wine, my looking forward to trips to TJs is coming to an end. That makes me a bit sad because I used to LOVE shopping there and didn't mind the 64 mile round trip to do so.

I did buy two bottles of the Charles Shaw Red Blend. In the old days I never left with anything less than a case PLUS a few other interesting bottles of vino.

Now I have to find another source for Mango Chutney. Maybe I should try making some, myself.

[hlthe2b]

1. As much as I hate to suggest WHole Foods, their mango salsa is really good.

I guess chutney is usually less chunky?

[bermudat]

7. Mango Salsa is good at Costco

[hlthe2b]

8. I will have to check it out!

I'm sort of hooked on their Quinoa Kale Brown Rice salad so I've been stopping by more often (not to mention their gas $$--cheapest in the area).

[NewHendoLib]

2. TJ is discontinuing quite a few of our favorite things

The Soy Creamy ice cream, dry filled pastas, raisin medley, dark russet potato chips.

We still enjoy our monthly sprees there

[Hekate]

3. I dunno. I just about no longer care: I wear my mask at TJ's and Costco, & other people...

… can go hang.

[BlackSkimmer]

5. Surprisingly, I've seen mask wearing continue, and even increase a bit, in my small red town.

When I went in the local Food Lion the other day, many of the cashiers, young women all, were wearing them. Sadly, the one who checked me out was wearing the under-the-nose look, but still, I'm glad to see some still wearing them.

Sadly, I don't see any of our "leaders" wearing them in any appearances I happen to catch on TV.

[John Ludi]

4. I used to go to Rochester Hills a fair bit.

I dated someone who lived there when I was living in Wixom for a couple years. Small world...

Anyhoo, that cavalier attitude about it is EVERYWHERE now. Liberal Madison, WI is an almost mask-free zone now. 2-3 out of 100 people I see there are wearing them and in my immediate surroundings about eight people (all young and healthy, some vaxxed, some not) have had it in the past couple weeks. My GF and I are the only ones who mask up in said surroundings. Lots of chronic coughing around me.

Cases have gone up, but so has the denial and desire for it to be history...and lots of people with "long term mystery symptoms" seem to want to blame anything but Covid.

Ah, well.

It would be interesting to be able to track the cases versus safety protocols ratio by comparing it to how seriously people took it a year ago or two years ago (and masked and distanced), but I can't imagine there would be any reliable way of tracking that information.

[MichMan]

6. If other customers wearing a mask is important to you, you shouldn't shop there anymore

[Siwsan]

13. I'll try to not take that as condescending

[MichMan]

20. Since that was the title of your post, I assumed you considered it important

Sorry if I completely misunderstood the point you were making then.

[llmart]

9. Oh, no! No more Two Buck Chuck?

What can we call it now?

I haven't been to Trader Joe's in quite a while. I never found very much I like there and their produce is awful. (That happens to be the store that I would go to.) There's a Whole Foods across the street.

[Siwsan]

12. It's like Four Buck Chuck in Michigan.

It's funny because Aldi's Winking Owl wine has stayed pretty steady in price at $2.95. Kroger has Bay Bridge and there's a 10% discount if you buy at least 4 bottles, bringing it to something like $2.69 a bottle. It's not bad wine, which of course I'd think because I'm not a connoisseur of wine.

However, Charles Shaw Red Blend is really nice. Everyone else's tastes like grape juice.

TJs used to have a lot of stuff I really liked but every time I go I see one or two things have disappeared and nothing similar is there to replace it.

[miyazaki]

10. The Orange Chicken! nt

[Mosby]

11. Eventually everyone is going to get covid.

The mask days are over.

[Siwsan]

14. I may have had it and been asymptomatic. Who knows.

I certainly was exposed to it, very early in the pandemic.

disagree on the mask situation but to each their own.

[Meowmee]

15. More people are masking here recently

But still most are unmasked. You still have to mask at all doc offices and various other places.

We have a tj near us across from wf but I hardly go there. They don’t have a good selection and it’s very small. No wine in any supermarkets here just beer/ ciders.

I would not travel 64 miles to buy anything😹 I hope you find another source.

[Siwsan]

16. We usually go just twice a year and stock up on favorites - pre holidays and mid-summer

But the favorites are fast disappearing.

I do about 90% of my grocery shopping at Aldi, which is 2 miles up the road from me. Or Kroger, 2 miles down the road. I can shop Kroger early in the morning when there's hardly anyone there. I still wear a mask, though. Aldi is still recommending masks.

I just love the convenience of Aldi. And the prices. And the 'special buys'. Trader Joes is definitely losing its shine.

[Meowmee]

18. That's good.

We have an Aldi's too but I have not gone there much. Mostly I am at bjs, costco or, stopnshop and Shoprite lately. I should go there again because they are cheaper for some things. Usually it is cheaper to buy in bulk for many items. I have very specific things/ brands I buy that only wf or online has and I am starting to make things like yogurt myself. Next is grain free taco shells.

[lpbk2713]

17. I went to Lowe's this afternoon. It wasn't really busy.

I saw absolutely no one else wearing a mask.

[634-5789]

19. I remember drinking wine.

Quit 27 years ago, but still have a hankering!

[PasadenaTrudy]

21. Masks are still

being worn by the majority here in Pasadena, CA. I was in a busy TJ this week, and only saw two or three without masks.