Some Q and A

Ami said...
Thanks for the list! :) I have a few questions about shopping while/after SHTF. I know right now, I can stock up very cheaply using coupons and store sales. After the collapse, were coupons still available/useful? How about store sales? Also, are there any particular items you stay away from buying out in the open of a store for fear of it "marking" you as having money?

Also, and this has been bothering me for a while, but how do you unload groceries safely? I know you said to always have your guard up, but if you shop weekly with extras, it's quite a bit of stuff. Plus handling a little one and well, it makes me an easy target. How do you/your wife do it and stay safe?

Thanks!

You have to understand that after the crisis, and even now, people try extremely hard to take advantage where possible and reduce expenses as much as they can.
Coupons and special promotions are carefully managed here because they expect pretty much EVERYONE to take as much advantage from them as possible.
That’s why we don’t have coupons like the ones you lucky guys in USA have :)
The best thing you can get is usually a 10% discount if you pay with debit card one given day, usually Sunday.
Other than that, you get few coupons sometimes, but they are totally worthless.
DISCO for example usually gives a 20% discount on solarium sessions at the other end of Buenos Aires.
I’ve never heard of anyone bothering to use such a coupon.
The other trick is giving discounts on useless or already ridiculously expensive stuff.
For example, 20% discount… on towels that are priced at about 100 USD each.

Even if they have these discounts and sometimes sales, what they do is increase the price at the very least the same amount they are discounting it.

That’s the kind of trickery you end up getting used to.
Other than the 10% or 15% discount on Saturdays, you usually don’t see a coupon worth the paper its printed on.

Cant think of a particular item I avoid getting seen shopping, except for jewelry.
Gold has become a precious commodity and thieves easily sell it for profit. Fashion changed due to the terrific amount of gold jewelry robbery and most women now prefer silver for everyday use.

You are right to be worried about how you unload groceries.
Maybe not now, but maybe in a future you’ll find yourself dealing with the kind of crime we have here, and it’s in those moments when you are most exposed.

You must try by all means not to stay outside with the door opened for long periods of time. It has become clear by now that that’s when robbers attack the most.

What I do. I have a front metal gate apart from the wooden garage door, both operated by remote control.
I open the gate and garage door and right away start getting in , closing the gate behind me as soon as I have space.
Most of the time I am armed, and I’m extra cautious at times like these just in case.

The entire door opening/closing takes just a few seconds, and as far as I know, it’s the safest, fastest way to do it.

My wife, she does not go shopping large quantities on her own. She buys small amounts and always keep OC spray handy.


FerFAL