As the "Fit Hits the Shan!"

by Skip Cohen

It's Sunday, so if you follow me, you already know how far off track from business and marketing I'm about to go. While I know it's going to sound like a rant; it kind of goes with living in Florida. Combine the impact of the media with living in Sarasota County, which has the oldest average age per capita in the U.S. and you have an ongoing sitcom.

The challenge right now is the approaching hurricane. I have complete respect for the potential devastation a storm like this can cause, but it was a trip to the market and Costco that gave me a front-line seat to watch the world literally go mad.
 

• When did toilet paper become a barometer for how serious life is about to become? There wasn't a roll left at Costco unless you count the one remaining skid of single-ply of their house brand.
• Paper towels, napkins, even a few sizes of paper plates...gone.
• Shrimp salad - gone, and many of their cheeses were out of stock. I get staples being in short supply, but shrimp salad?
• Here's my new favorite - It's an "Emergency Food Supply" - selling for just under $80 with a 25-year supply life! It contains "breakfasts, entrees, snacks, & drinks." Armageddon is obviously right around the corner, and I missed the memo!

• People were fighting over water, upset because they could only buy 4 cases at a time. When I arrived, I knew I was in trouble, seeing a husband and wife struggling to push two carts to their car with easily a dozen cases of water. And forget about the gas lines. Costco still had gas, but other stations were down to the last, and Murphy's only had regular left at the pump.
• Publix Supermarket was out of most sizes of eggs. But they're well-stocked on bags of firewood...think about that one - it's Florida, and we're still in the high heat of the summer!

As I left Costco, I talked with one man who had maintained the right perspective. He had easily a couple of dozen magnums of wine and champagne in his cart. I laughed, thanked him for keeping it in perspective, and he said, "Hey, if things get ugly, this will at least last us a couple of days."

So, while I'm just as nervous as the next guy about the storm, I fail to understand the run on toilet paper and shrimp salad. And I don't want to buy a five-gallon paint can filled with food good for any disaster 25 years from now.

I have no real point this morning, except in Florida, the "fit has hit the shan!" So I want to wish everybody a terrific day ahead. If you're in Florida, do whatever makes you feel safer - but pay attention to the weather station. Go for those eleven-second hugs with the people you love the most - maybe even hug somebody not on your favorites list!

Happy Sunday...or Monday on the other side of the world...see you after the storm!