re: TulaneLSU's Top 10 lessons learned from Sam's and Walmart this morning

5. Walmart has a great vegetable selection



Cabbage is on sale for St. Patrick's Day. Speaking of which, due to all the parade cancellations, there is going to be a St. Patrick's paraphernalia sale for the ages next week. Almost no green stuff has sold. Anyway, the greens on the produce section are plentiful. I filled the fridge with broccoli, greens, cabbage, and cauliflower. I also took a huge leek. That will help make a nice pot of TulaneLSU's Christmas chestnut soup.

4. Large packages of rice are selling out



I got the last 25 pound box of rice. There were a few 50 lb bags of Jasmine rice left this morning, but they could be gone. The 25 pounds only cost $10. My thinking is that, in the tiny chance that the food chain is disrupted and the economy brought to its knees, this rice could last me a couple months. A hedge for just $10 for survival is worth it.

3. Le Sueur peas will be gold if food becomes currency



Few people are stocking up on the best of all canned foods. Should social collapse occur our currency will be food, and Le Sueurs will be the Benjamin Franklins of our currency. I still am optimistic this will pass in a few weeks or months, but I am nonetheless building a new Fort Knox here.

2. The best time to shop at Walmart is before 7 AM. The best time to shop at Sam's is 9 AM.



I have watched the crowds closely these last few weeks. Walmart seems to get very busy after 8:30 AM. If you get there before 8, you should avoid the large crowds. As you know, crowds only help spread pathogens at times of epi and pandemics. For your health, convenience, and stress level, get to Walmart early.

If you don't have a Sam's Plus Membership, previously known as a Sam's Business Membership, consider getting one. It gives you VIP access at 8 while regular members have to wait until 10. These early hours are always best at Sam's, as it is usually far less crowded, the crowds generally more polite, and you have first choice of meats and produce.

Today, the crowds were fierce at 8. The really dramatic and anxious were queuing. When the doors opened, they acted like it was Black Friday and New Year's morning at Dillard's. Once these maniacs filled their multiple baskets and U-Haul trailers with enough goods for a year, the traffic calmed. By 9 AM, Sam's was quiet and the shopper gentile and friendly. However, by 10, the masses had started gathering. It is now a madhouse again.

Timing of your shopping is imperative to health and time efficiency. You must plan your shopping at the appropriate times.

1. Prayer will get us through any crisis



My family never used candles to pray. Mother always said that was for the Romans, not our family. However, I have recently found myself lighting candles in prayer as I sit and pray for my family, the world, and each and every one of you, my friends.

In this complex, technological, numerical world, we often think we are so clever and advanced. But it is at times of crisis we realize just how insignificant all our social advances are. We have tamed this world in many way, through levees, vaccines, and air conditioning. But this is a fallen world and we will never have dominion over it all.

Some skeptics say prayer is useless and a defect in the minds of people who hope to control what they cannot control. I see prayer as far more than that: an action whereby I communicate love to people without them hearing or seeing it. Prayer grounds me and connects me to an invisible community. It allows me to express gratitude for all this grace I know I do not deserve. Prayer to me is more vital than air. I love to pray.

Faith, Hope, and Love,
TulaneLSU