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United States News Title: The Government Wants to Decide What Items Are Essential Purchases and What Things You’re Not Allowed to Buy Living under lockdown restrictions, prevalent in nearly every state, is about to get a whole lot worse. The government in the United States and Canada has decided to take away the guesswork in the stores that are still open and decide for you whats essential and whats not. When I have gone to the store to pick up groceries (Im still getting fresh produce while I can), I also like to pick up a couple of things that are pleasant diversions: magazines, a crossword puzzle book, coloring pencils, some craft supplies. Its nice to have some things that are enjoyable on hand to keep lockdown from feeling so grim and torturous. If the store is already open, getting a sunny yellow pillow for the living room is a pick-me-up, not a frivolous jaunt to a place I wasnt already going. When we had a birthday in the family, we even picked up a few small gifts on our regular trip to the grocery store to provide a sense of normalcy. But the days of getting a random item to brighten a family members day may be numbered. The government (at least in some places) wants to make this already unpleasant time as dismal as possible for us all. Vermont has decided to choose for you what is essential and what is not, banning the sale of non-essential items at stores like Target, Walmart, and Costco. The Agency of Commerce and Community Development (ACCD) is directing large big box retailers, such as Walmart, Target and Costco, with in-store sales of food, beverage and pharmacy, as well as electronics, toys, clothing, and the like to cease in-person sales of non-essential items in order to reduce the number of people coming into the stores. Large big box retailers generate significant shopping traffic by virtue of their size and the variety of goods offered in a single location, said Agency of Commerce and Community Development Secretary Lindsay Kurrle. This volume of shopping traffic significantly increases the risk of further spread of this dangerous virus to Vermonters and the viability of Vermonts health care system. We are directing these stores to put public health first and help us reduce the number of shoppers by requiring on-line ordering, delivery and curbside pickup whenever possible, and by stopping the sale of non-essential items. (source) Retailers are asked to close certain areas of the stores, rope them off to deny access, or pull non-essentials from their shelves. The Burlington Free Press reports the following items have been deemed non-essential purchases: So a store youre already at is telling you that grabbing some hand lotion to soothe your dry, cracked skin from the constant application of hand sanitizer is non-essential? Getting a book to read while youre locked down is against the rules? You cant do a home improvement project while youre stuck at home? I fail to see how this is going to stop the spread of a coronavirus if the shopper is already at the store and the employees are also already at the store. In fact, it seems to me that this would be helpful to our gasping and dying economy. But what would I know? Dinesh Iyer, Assistant Professor of Management at Rutgers School of Business-Camden, says the stores dont need our frivolous little purchases. I think the economy can wait, he said. Most corporations have access to debt and finances that are not available to the common folk. Corporations can leverage their assets and tide through difficult times by borrowing larger sums of money at lower interest rates and more frequently than you or I can, he said. We have an opportunity to do all the things around the house that we have been putting off, spend time with family, learn a new skill, Iyer said. He even cautions against online shopping. The online shopping can wait, Iyer said. But if you must, you can always add the items of interest to your wish-list. And after the crisis, if you still need it, go for it. In the meantime, conserve the resources. You will be saving lives. (source) Its rather curious how Iyer thinks us common folk will be able to do those things around the house and learn new skills without the supplies to do so. Of all the times in the world you need most to plant a garden, now is the time. But in Vermonts directive, even the sale of garden supplies is non-essential.
showrooms and garden sections of large home improvement centers should be closed. (source) And readers shared this photo from a store in Vermont. The government of Vermont says that it isnt really accurate. Recent pictures circulating on social media appear to be from a box store which has roped off access to non-essential areas of the store, per guidance from ACCD, with various seed packets behind the roped-off section. As stated above, agricultural seeds have been deemed essential in Vermont per the Governors executive order, however a homeowners access to seeds has been modified to meet the Governors executive order. Were hoping that retailers and consumers alike restrict in-person shopping to items that need to be purchased in-person and are of a time sensitive nature. While the state recognizes the importance of gardening as a source of food for many Vermonters, the ability to browse for seeds and purchase them in person doesnt outweigh the risk of spreading the virus. Retailers can continue to make seeds available online, delivery and curbside. (source) Okay. You can just buy them online
or can you? Almost every seed company readers in the preparedness community have tried to make purchases from has said, sorry, but were just selling to commercial operations this year. Johnnys Select Seeds has the following announcement on their home page: Heres what you can expect as of March 31st, 2020: We remain honored that you have chosen Johnnys. Whether you have been buying from Johnnys for 25 years or this is your first order, please know that we care deeply about helping you through the challenges of this coronavirus outbreak. Call or email us if you need growing advice or help finding products. (source) So
you cant get seeds from your local Walmart garden center if youre in Vermont and you cant order seeds from seed stores. Good luck with that garden you were hoping would help see you through this disaster unless youve already got seeds put back from previous years. I think its extremely likely that Vermonts idea will catch on and spread across the country. Just like lockdowns began in a couple of areas then spread state by state, dont be surprised when this trend does also. The province of Ontario in Canada has just closed all their hardware stores and is limiting purchases only to curbside pick-up. Heres what you need to be prepared to see: Really, dont expect anything. Because for some reason, it seems like governments want to make an already difficult and stressful time even worse by taking away the possibility for any kind of pleasant past-time unless you already have all the supplies you need for that. This senseless crackdown not only makes things even more unpleasant, but it takes away even more streams of revenue for struggling businesses. And more than that, its limiting our ability to be as self-reliant as possible, leaving people to fight it out at the grocery store for dwindling resources with few options for creating our own food supplies. Those living in Vermont have unfortunately missed their window for anything but mail order. For the rest of us, if there are some things you were hoping to get be it new curtains, paint for the living room, tile for the bathroom, pots for your container garden, or the supplies to make a new chicken coop youd better get it now before your state follows the lead of Vermont. Are these restrictions reasonable or some kind of power trip? Whats your advice to people who are new to preparedness and self-reliance? Share your thoughts in the comments section. Daisy Luther writes about current events, preparedness, frugality, voluntaryism, and the pursuit of liberty on her website, The Organic Prepper. She is widely republished across alternative media and she curates all the most important news links on her aggregate site, PreppersDailyNews.com. Daisy is the best-selling author of 4 books and runs a small digital publishing company. You can find her on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter.
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