I'm Immunocompromised. Here's How I've Been Getting Groceries

I have a type of erosive arthritis that affects my immune system. Funnily enough, the drugs that you take for these autoimmune-type issues? They’re often immunosuppressive! This makes me one of the many people who are considered high risk during this covid-19 debacle. It’s hard enough having to think about your immune system during completely average times (explaining to people that it IS a big deal if they come to that dinner party you’re both invited to, even though they “just have a cold” is so fun and validating!), but having to navigate going to the store or the doctor during a pandemic, while having a rogue immune system is just… A LOT.

Stores are offering special shopping hours for people who are over 60 or disabled, which is great, but they are almost solely advertised as “over 60” hours, and then disabled part is in teeny tiny print under that. AND I don’t have visible disabilities, which is always panic inducing when you need to use accessibility services. There’s a good chance someone will scream at you, or say some snide comment, or stare at you, or tell you that you’re not really disabled (Please never do this!). But now that I’ve gone to multiple stores’ “Over 60 hours” and lived to tell the tale, I thought I’d share my experience, as a guide, or an encouragement, or just a sneak peek into how I’m dealing with allllll this.

I took a screenshot so that I could show it to anyone that gave me guff about not being 60. If you think this is overkill, you have never dealt ableism!

When I went to Costco’s early hours, they were from 8-9am on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. They have since changed this to be from 9-10am Monday through Friday. Just keep that in mind when I say things like, “I got there at 7:30.” And that’s the first tip! Get there a little early. Some people were there SUPER early, particularly the three people waiting on the other side of the building to get in at regular opening hours. Of 10am.

The new over 60 and/or disabled hours for Costco stores. Also, check in advance that your particular store is following these new guidelines, as they mention some stores differ!

I decided to go to a store farther away from my house, in Issaquah, both because it’s a nicer Costco (it’s where corporate HQ is) and because I wanted to make a little adventure out of it. This store, if traffic is bad, could be two hours away. But with everyone staying home, plus it being 7am, I got there in 20 minutes. When I walked up to the entrance there were multiple employees directing people, as well as signs listing what was and wasn’t in stock. And again, they kept saying “over 60” and directing people to that line, but it’s not just for people over 60! I was so nervous about being harassed for not being over 60 that I called the day before to make sure I would be allowed in. No one questioned me (FYI, it is illegal under the ADA to ask someone what their disability is, in terms of them needing accommodation), but I felt better knowing that I could say I called yesterday and talked to Manager X who said it was fine.

Each customer and their cart in one parking spot, everyone in masks, and a lot of grey hair

In the same spot, looking behind me toward the entrance, which in this case, was the entrance to the Tire Center.

I usually get gas first, but as I turned the corner and saw that a line was already forming at 7:30, I decided to get gas later and get in line NOW. There was an employee stationed at the door directing us over to the tire center entrance, and also told us not to get a cart before we walk over - they would be giving us sanitized carts once we headed over to the line. We would all line up in a weaving line, much like at a theme park, with our carts, and each person was instructed to stay in the center of a parking space. This was an easy way to make sure we were at least 6 feet apart, and it was very clear when you could move forward, ie, if you couldn’t move to a new parking spot, you shouldn’t be moving forward.

While we were waiting an employee came through the line and asked everyone if they would be needing to buy disinfecting wipes that day. If you said yes (I didn’t hear a single person say no) you were given a slip of paper that said “DISINFECTING WIPES” that you could redeem inside the door for, you guessed it, disinfecting wipes. It appeared that they had one pallet, which is maybe 100 boxes? And they wanted to make sure the most vulnerable people got them. This is a great reason to 1) Take advantage of these programs, they are literally designed to help YOU, and 2) Get there early. Some people didn’t get wipes, and you would not believe how many people who were in the store later saw the boxes in our carts and were like WHERE HOW WHY WHAT to us customers, the staff, God, you name it.

It’s just walls of tires but it felt like when you see Space Mountain with the lights on.

Once it’s time to start going in, the line moved pretty quickly, especially considering we all needed to stay a good distance from each other. We went in through one of the garage doors of the tire center, though a bunch of tires, out of the tire center, past the food court (at this store it’s outside next to the exit), and then into the main entrance. The people who got there at the crack of dawn to wait for the store to open at 10 were around the corner from the entrance, a good 40 feet or so away from anywhere the at risk customers would ever be. It felt silly at first that we went through this weird path to get inside, but once I realized how they were setting it up, it was very conscientious and I appreciate all the care they took to keep customers safe.

Once we were in and traded in our slips of paper for boxes of disinfecting wipes, we could really do as we pleased. It was much less busy than Costco has been in awhile (I went a few times before the quarantine officially began, but everyone knew it was coming and was stocking up). There were signs set up in the produce aisles and the fridge rooms directly traffic flow, but no one was following them. I don’t know if they thought because these were special hours we didn’t have to follow the rules? There were people not wearing masks - not many - but some, which I found particularly weird considering this was the high risk window. It is now required for all customers and staff to wear masks at Costco. I grabbed everything I needed that I could find, and also threw things in just because it seemed like a nice idea. It was my most expensive trip to Costco other than the time I bought an Apple Watch, but now I don’t have to go back for at least a month.

I didn’t take any photos, but I also went to Trader Joe’s this week for the first time since quarantine. They too have high risk hours, and they also call them over 60 hours. It felt very similar to being in a theme park, and a good one. A Disney park. They were such pros and it was amazing. They had us line up in a weaving line using the cart storage to divide us. We were told to keep a distance of 6 feet between each of us in the line, and would be reminded if it looked like anyone was getting too cozy. They were only letting in a certain number of people at a time, so periodically the crew member at the front would say, “Three more” and the next three people would grab a sanitized cart or basket and go in. There would also be a crew member who would come out periodically and announce to the line How Things Are, like that we need to keep a distance, we can’t use reusable bags but we can request not to have paper bags and just have it all put back in our carts, how we needed to stand on a certain mark when we checkout, and probably more. It was so nice being in the store with just 30 or so other customers, and Trader Joe’s is keeping things STOCKED. I even got two hand sanitizers! Trader Joe’s is also taking very good care of their crew during all this, so it’s win-win.

The only other store I’ve been to is Target, and while I didn’t go during special hours, I went at 7am, which is when my store opens. They aren’t as consistent with their protocols, and there are no requirements for customers to wear any PPE of any kind. My Target store is also enormous, serves a huge area, is normally only closed for 7 hours a day, and is often scrambling to keep the store stocked. Basically what I’m saying is, I give this Target store a bit of a break. But if you’re looking for an amazing, safe shopping experience, particularly if you’re part of a high risk group, Trader Joe’s and Costco have your back. Just remember to make a BIG list and try to get everything you may need for at least two weeks. Then go home and stay home!