An event at my grocery store.

reply to post by badgerprints


I am just amazed at the people today that do not carry a small amount of cash in their wallets. Cash is the only safe bet to have on you always!!! A minimum of $75.00 in small notes 1's, 2's 5's and 10's.
Here are the reasons why you should always carry cash.
1. You are prepared to meet small and medium purchase options in n a "computers are down" scenario.
2. Small notes are easy to use in getting more for less.
3. Cash talks!!! Always.
4. 48 hours of emergency food and water are within your reach of $75.00
5. Cash can buy you transportation from someone else if your stranded.
6. Cash can buy restaurant food until their computers come back on-line.
7. Unless you live in the worst part of the ghetto-ville, you won't get
mugged or robbed.
8. Cash Is a guide to your spending activities when you are on a budget
and it speaks to you clearly: " If I don't have the cash, I don't
buy the item or service.

10.Cash in your wallets give confidence when all else is in chaos!
People will bargain with you to get some cash at a loss to themselves

Don't be afraid. Cash is Power. Cash is wealth beyond the numbers. Cash is confidence. Cash is a strong method of communication. Cash is the advantage in most every situation you will meet in the modern world.

I believe that "good fortune and good luck always favor those who are prepared! Carry a big stick, a good coin purse, and the power derived from both.

the only thing that bothers me about this story is your statement about the customers blaming the clerks for the power going out once they start to get frustrated. I have been in a store before when the power goes down and I have never seen anyone make an irrational statement like that.

ok i've been reading this thread for the past couple hours. a lot of great things have been said. sadly the things you guys seem to be addressing are a lot of luxuries.

bottled water? canned goods? candles? cash? stock piles of food? gas (all this talk about dependency)?

first off, when the grid goes down. money is worthless. cash useless, and so are all of these gold coins and silver you speak of. barter system works much better....i have 3 chickens, you give me this and that.

second of all if you have a car with gas. instant target for murder.

yes stocking up is good but in reality if this is a prolonged outage for months years or even forever....one thing you guys have seem to forgotten. how did societies before us do it?

fish, hunt, create fire, cook, live by a river, and forage. not to be rude here but even you guys seems to be out of touch with what you really have to do to survive.

i'm sure this will create some problems with people on here but let's face reality of the matter if it gets as bad as everyone here thinks it will and i'm right there will you, it's only a mount of time. Here's my take on it

my idea of essentials?

take your butt to the most secluded area by a river you can find until things calm down with these things.....

fishing pole with a reusable lure

iodine tablets (a lot considering how polluted the water is)

a gun - used sparingly (for survival as well as hunting until a bow and arrow can be made)

reusable water bottle (nalgene - 10 bucks at any sporting goods store)

20 pack lighters or matches until flint can be found

Tent

other than that, seriously what do you need?

reply to post by liveofftheland


I have put together a "bugout bag" which contains everything you mentioned and much more. Four different ways of starting a fire, a portable water purifier, emergency AM/FM/Shortwave radio with cellphone charger and flashlight, powered by solar cells and crank generator, big first-aid kit, cooking supplies, packets of oatmeal for emergency food...it goes on and on. And of course, I'll be well-armed. I believe I could survive for a year with a suitable food and water source. I also have 30 gallons of water and one month's worth of non-perishable food stored (so far).

If anyone has not researched and put one together, IMO you're crazy, especially if the OP is any indication of what will happen in a real crisis, especially if you have a family to protect!

My earlier post in this thread made light of the whole societal collapse concept.
I own a fairly large amount of land in the mountains, I go into town less than once per month.
Long keeper foods do not cost much to put up.
A few 50lb bags of beans.
A few 50lb bags of rice.
50 lb bags of lentils.
Smoked hams(require no refrigeration).
Sides of bacon.
Stock you'r pantry with canned goods, include canned and dried fruits.
Put back sugar, salt, pepper baking soda, flour, cornmeal,and cooking oil.
Stock amunition for every caliber you shoot, and other popular calibers as trade goods.
Unless you have tracking dogs don't even think anbout taking large game with primative weapons such as the bow and arrow.
Even a direct hit in the heart lung area is NOT going to drop you'r quarry instantly, and no matter how high you rank you'r tracking skills you won't find the deer you injured.
My son hunts bow season, and uses tracking dogs to recover deer he hits, he also uses a compound bow, and arrows manufactured for supreme accuracy. Don't think you can buld a bow of a bent limb and shoot homemade arrows and bring down anything larger than a rabbit, and you'll do better with a snare as far as rabbits are concerned too.
A slingshot is a good tool to take rabbit and squirrels.
Kerosene should be put back for lamps, white gas for camp stoves.
Medical suppies should be stocked, bandages, pain reliever, anti-biotics, and triple antibiotic salves should be in every medicine chest.
We recently had a weather event in which two area towns were destroyed.
We pulled together and helped those less fortunate than ourselves.
At night we patroled for looters.
It does not cost very much to put back a months supplies.
We keep livestock including cattle, goats, chickens, and geese, we have a well stocked fish pond.
We save open polinated seeds.
We have been of a survivalist mindset since the 1980's.
It is not that hard to prepare.
I urge you to do so, and if possible to remove yourself from urban settings.



[edit on 14-8-2009 by Luminaught]

reply to post by Aeons


I do agree with you. An interesting movie to me is "The Mist." It's based on a Stephen King story. Basically, there's a big storm and the next day the people are all gathering in the grocery store (small Maine town) to stock up or whatever. Then the wierdness hits. They are basically trapped in the store. There are horror movie aspects to it of course, but the really scary thing about the movie is the psychological factors involved. I can totally see the breakdown of civility as portrayed in the movie actually happening. There is a religious nut who whips up others into her fanatical frenzy. It happens gradually, but because of fear and hopelessness, they see her ideas as a refuge and empowerment. I'm rambling now, but basically that's the scariest part of the movie, is how the people react to the strange supernatural happenings. The humans in the movie provide the horror factor.

Originally posted by Lexxica
reply to post by Aeons

 

I do agree with you. An interesting movie to me is "The Mist." It's based on a Stephen King story. Basically, there's a big storm and the next day the people are all gathering in the grocery store (small Maine town) to stock up or whatever. Then the wierdness hits. They are basically trapped in the store. There are horror movie aspects to it of course, but the really scary thing about the movie is the psychological factors involved. I can totally see the breakdown of civility as portrayed in the movie actually happening. There is a religious nut who whips up others into her fanatical frenzy. It happens gradually, but because of fear and hopelessness, they see her ideas as a refuge and empowerment. I'm rambling now, but basically that's the scariest part of the movie, is how the people react to the strange supernatural happenings. The humans in the movie provide the horror factor.

Group mind can be a scary thing. But humans are basically herd animals.

[edit on 28-8-2009 by Violet Sky]

Originally posted by desertdreamer
reply to post by TeddiRevolution

 

Teddi said:

Since nothing else worked, those people who were stuck were forced to use the store ATM that would charge them to withdraw money. They weren't happy but they got in line and started to get the cash they needed. Until the ATM froze up.

Previously you stated that the power was knocked out......how were they using the ATM in the store if there was no power?

The store where I work has a UPS for its computer systems (which includes the POS and credit network) and emergency lighting and the ATM machine has its own UPS box. The radio/intercom system is also plugged into the computers UPS.