[NFB-Krafters-Korner] OT: Shopping during the coronavirus crisis: Check this website for in-stock groceries near you

[Tammy Freitag]

Just sharing!
Tammy

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: David Goldfield <david.goldfield at outlook.com>
Date: Mon, 30 Mar 2020 07:42:59 +0000
Subject: [blind-philly-comp] Shopping during the coronavirus crisis:
Check this website for in-stock groceries near you
To: "blind-philly-comp at groups.io" <blind-philly-comp at groups.io>

BGR - Sunday, March 29, 2020 at 6:34 PM

Shopping during the coronavirus crisis: Check this website for
in-stock groceries near you

  *   Grocery shopping during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic is one
of so many mundane things we used to take for granted that’s
dramatically changed.
  *   Retailers like Target and Walmart have scaled back their hours,
implemented social distancing guidelines, and the products you want,
needless to say, aren’t always in stock.
  *   Two college students have built a website,
Instok.org<https://www.instok.org/search>, that checks retailers near
you to let you know what items are, like the name says, in stock.
  *   Visit BGR’s homepage for more stories<https://bgr.com/>.

________________________________

Shopping for groceries and other household essentials during the
coronavirus crisis has become something of a complex logistical
challenge to navigate. Never mind the safety aspect — of making sure
you keep a good distance from other shoppers, practicing good hygiene,
and sanitizing your hands. Groceries and other stores like Target
generally have shortened hours now because of the pandemic. Moreover,
you can’t count on a guarantee of the items you want being in-stock at
your preferred store nearby, the way we all took for granted in the
days before this crisis.

Checking websites for in-stock items before you set out to the store
is probably a good idea, so that you’re not rolling the dice on
whether an item is actually there or not (although it’s still a bit of
a gamble, because I’ve found plenty of instances where a site says
something like an item is there but in “limited availability,” which
ends up really meaning it may or may not be there). Instead of
checking multiple sites for different items, though, two students at
the University of Texas have built a one-stop-shop website
(Instok.org<https://www.instok.org/search>) that lets you type in
specific items and see where all it’s in stock near you.

The students are Rithwik Pattikonda and Darshan Bhatta, a sophomore
and freshman, respectively, studying computer science.  Pattikonda
told USA Today<https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/nation-now/2020/03/29/web-tracker-lets-shoppers-find-essentials-amid-coronavirus/2935897001/>
he got the idea to build the site when he saw his parents having
trouble locating essential grocery items. “Instead of going to seven
or eight stores,” he told the paper, “(visitors to the site) can
choose one or two stores and get their items.”

Here’s what you see from the Instok search page, after you’ve input an
item you want to search for and then a Zip code. In this case, I chose
to search for bread and input a Zip code for Downtown Chicago. Results
for Target are at the top, but you can keep scrolling down the page
for other retailers:

The site also provides an option to monitor the stock of items and
send you a text message when an item you want is back in stock. Also
worth knowing, the site takes its info directly from the websites of
retailers themselves, saying you a bit of time.

It provides a little extra detail about specific retailers, like Walgreens:

Image Source: SHAWN THEW/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Andy is a reporter in Memphis who also contributes to outlets like
Fast Company and The Guardian. When he’s not writing about technology,
he can be found hunched protectively over his burgeoning collection of
vinyl, as well as nursing his Whovianism and bingeing on a variety of
TV shows you probably don’t like.

https://bgr.com/2020/03/29/coronavirus-usa-groceries-tracker-website-target-walgreens-cvs-walmart/


     David Goldfield
Assistive Technology Specialist

Feel free to visit my Web site
WWW.DavidGoldfield.info

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-- 
Independence is yours .  Are you willing to reach for it?
Tammy