How do you folks calculate (estimate) the risk of say going to Costco?

[mahina]

Last edited Mon Jan 24, 2022, 11:14 PM - Edit history (1)

Update: thanks everyone and thanks to gristy for this eye popping calculator.

https://19andme.covid19.mathematica.org/

Holy agent of reality, Batman. Yeah I’m skipping Costco. Holy crap.

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Honolulu is just getting our butt kicked by omicron. Today we’ve got something like 2600 new cases, the last few days it was 3600- 6,000 new cases a day. A day!


We were staying home when it was 200 cases a day. Sigh.

I’m running low on some things and Costco is a whole lot cheaper, obvs. Regular grocery store I can meet them outside for store pick up but at Costco, we have to go in. I’m short on a bunch of staples and I’d prefer to buy there if I can make it make sense.

Triple vaxxed, real n95, shades even for the eyes.

How do you guys think about these things? Thanks a lot.

[skylucy]

1. I think you should be pretty safe. Especially if you stay away from unmasked people.

The Costco where I live makes everyone --employees and shoppers-- wear a mask.

[empedocles]

2. Senior hours at Costco are less busy

[SheltieLover]

3. I do Aldi early in the day since there will be less virus hanging in the air.

Well fit, snug N95 & glasses.

Been doing this for 2 yrs, since long before public health agencies suggested precautions.

I also stay far away from others.

[KT2000]

4. I calculate

by how many people are in the store and how many are not masked. We are lucky and it is possible to shop just before closing and there are few people in the store. If you are a senior, they have early shopping on certain days. I would bet it is not too crowded then. Mid-day there are a lot of families so I avoid it then.

[happybird]

5. You sound as protected as you can get

Maybe call the store and ask when their slowest part of the day is.

I go to the grocery after work (9:00ish) on Sundays because it’s almost empty of other customers at that time. All the employees are properly masked, so I feel pretty safe with my triple vax and N95.

[mahina]

6. Good idea, thanks.

🤙🏼

[zeusdogmom]

7. I've gone to Costco throughout the entire pandemic

Have not had covid Avoid the busiest times. Wear a mask.

FYI - Ohio (where I live) is a covid cesspool

[kimbutgar]

8. I went today fully masked and all though the pandemic I didnt worry

As a matter of fact I went to Costco on March 15 which was the first day that we went into the isolation. I wore my mask and disinfected my hands after I left. Throughout the pandemic I went masked and careful doing the six feet thing. I stocked up on everything and weathered the next month with no problems.

Knock on wood I never got the Covid and Yesterday I took a Covid test from my health care provider for an operation I had and it came back negative this morning.

[Skittles]

9. wear a good mask and social distance

you should be OK

keep some hand sanitizer close too

[madaboutharry]

10. I decided it just isn't worth it, but that's me.

If you absolutely feel the need to go to Costco, go at a time when it isn’t too crowded. Try on a weekday morning right when they open when few people are shopping.

[MissB]

11. I ordered online

Until our peak drops way down, I’m just gonna either do without or order online. Most pressing was some pet food but I ordered it and they delivered in about a day. I could go through instacart too.

[maxsolomon]

12. I went Saturday.

You'll be fine.

[cachukis]

13. Seven to ten minutes in.

Know what your getting, put in your own bag, get out.

[MLAA]

14. I use 2nd day delivery from Costco.

I don’t like big box stores, so this is great for me 🙂. Same day delivery is quite expensive via delivery service, but 2nd day is free delivery with a $75 minimum I believe and at Costco you can always find enough staples to load up on.

[brer cat]

26. I just ordered 2nd day delivery and was very pleased.

Not only avoided a crowded store that requires more walking than I can handle, I also didn't have to carry the items to the car, then load and unload. It is a boon to me.

[MLAA]

30. Exactly! And even before covid I disliked the crowds there.😬

[beaglelover]

15. I'm triple vaxed. I go everywhere I want when I want.

Wear a mask if required. Just live your life especially if you are fully vaxed.

[Ms. Toad]

42. My triple vaxed daughter just got over COVID.

She caught it within 3 months of her booster shot.

Even if you are confident it won't kill you, and want to take that risk for yourself, you are contagious for 2 days before you start showing symptoms. Be considerate of others - wear a mask even if it is not required.

[Cha]

16. Sorry, Honolulu is getting

so many cases of Omicron, mahina!

We're lucky we live where Costco has a Mask mandate. Our Costco did away with their Social Distancing Protocol about a month ago.. I told the manager that there's still COVID & People are still dying.

I go to Costco on the bus.. how's that for living on the edge? And, have for 2 years.

Good Luck!

[mahina]

35. Take care dear Cha

🤙🏼🤙🏼

[zipplewrath]

17. Very low

It's got two story tall roof, people are spaced out widely, you won't be in there too long (don't browse). You'll also be double masked. And of course you'll avoid crowded areas, even if you have to take the long way around. (And no free samples of anything).

"Danger" comes from being in enclosed spaces, with little ventilation, for extended periods of time, with large numbers of people. You should be able to get in and out of Costco in 20 minutes or less, and not spend alot of time near large numbers of people.

[msongs]

18. hawaii kai is least crowded esp in mid afternoon after the lunch rush. go in and get

what u want and get out asap lol

[woodsprite]

19. I know it costs more, but I use Instacart for a lot

Of my shopping. Gotta be extra careful since for the past year I’ve been doing chemo. Just 9 more days of rads left. Whenever I do go out, I wear an n95 (3M Aura).

[BlueTsunami2018]

20. I don't think about it much.

I’m vaxxed, I mask up indoors and I go about my business as normal. I’m not all that concerned about it really.

[JustAnotherGen]

21. Go early

With a plan - get in and get out.

[Shellback Squid]

22. no second thoughts

[LiberalFighter]

23. Wear the mask. Keep your distance. Get in and out quickly. Go early.

It has worked for me.

[elias7]

24. I double mask - an N95 and a more esthetic cover mask. I'd feel safe going to Costco

[bif]

25. I try to do my grocery shopping when the store opens.

Almost no customers in the store.

[canetoad]

29. Yeah, I do that too

I'm an early morning person so it suits me well. Plus, I live in a rural town with a pretty high median age. Locals are really good about masking etc. Tourists not so much, so I avoid the tourists.

[Maru Kitteh]

27. Costco has high ceilings, very wide aisles and

You can typically avoid crowds by going early. You won’t be removing your n95. Add some safety glasses and hand sanitizer - your risk is positively vanishing.

[gristy]

28. Go here for a calculator

mathematica.org has an easy-to-use calculator. It is updated daily.
https://19andme.covid19.mathematica.org/

[mahina]

33. Holy crap

Not good!

Good tool though. Thanks.

[Iggo]

31. I 100% don't go.

Costco ships.

If they don't ship it, I don't need it.

[Stinky The Clown]

32. You should be okay at Costco. Are you a senior?

From the Costco website:

Special Operating Hours for Members Ages 60 or Older

Who is eligible: Only members ages 60 and older, and for those with disabilities or who are immunocompromised. Guests will not be admitted. Find a Costco warehouse near you.

Costco warehouses in the U.S. and Puerto Rico will be open for Special Operating Hours Tuesday and Thursday from 9 to 10 a.m.

Exceptions:
Brooklyn, NY: Special Operating Hours are from 8 to 9 a.m., Tuesday and Thursday
Culver City, CA: Special Operating Hours are from 8 to 9 a.m., Tuesday and Thursday
Iwilei (Honolulu), HI: Special Operating Hours are from 8 to 9 a.m., Tuesday and Thursday
Westbury, NY: Special Operating Hours are from 8 to 9 a.m., Tuesday and Thursday

Even if you're not a senior, masked and triple vaxxed and you should be okay. We were at Costco last Friday. Easy enough to maintain distance and people were masked.

[meadowlander]

34. If you google the store you're planning to go to

there's a sidebar that shows their busiest times and also how busy they are at the moment compared to usual based on tracking cellphone data.

I use this to make sure I go when the store is least crowded.

[mahina]

39. Thanks for the reminder. Good idea.

Useful!

[mvd]

36. I feel pretty safe in stores

I just had my booster today but I feel ok masked, trying to keep some distance and not going when the store is packed.

[Generic Brad]

37. I just order Costco for home delivery

I can’t get everything I want, but I’m willing to pay a little more to have my dry good necessities delivered to my home

[mahina]

38. Lucky! We don't have that option here but I def would too.

[gulliver]

40. Your drive through the parking lot outweighs the risk of COVID by about a thousand times

My take. You've got all the bases covered if you're vaccinated and boosted as you say. But drive carefully!

[Hekate]

41. Sorry they don't deliver in your area. We still enter the store for the pharmacy...

My husband has to discuss things, and between inexplicable miscommunications from the doc’s office and weird substitutions from Aetna, he’s actually right to do so.

Just saw where you said they don’t deliver in your area. Drat — sorry.
Order from their online catalog and warehouse. We’ve only tried their delivery service a few times, and it’s been flawless. Aside from durable goods like a 5x7 area rug, we’ve gotten some canned food, but nothing fresh yet.

I feel okay going to both Costco and Trader Joe’s. They both require masks, and since this is coastal California, mask compliance is high. I don’t linger at Costco as long as I used to, though.

I’m on the County Health Dept email list for all things COVID locally, but I’ve pretty much given up reading it. I’ll do so when it’s time for another booster. As it is, of the dozen people I know who’ve gotten it since the December holidays, none got sick enough to show up on state and county records, which leads me to assume the incidence is higher than reported.

Damn depressing, isn’t it? Stay well, Mahina.

[Ms. Toad]

43. Pharmacy is about the only think I don't enter the store for.

We use the mail order.