[Trivial Psychic]

Because the economy wasn't tanking hard enough before, now let's really put a strain on things.

Your TV had a power surge and blew out? Nope. Sorry. Non essential.

Damaged your pants (or worse yet, your medical scrubs) while at work? Nope. Sorry. Non essential.

Dropped your phone on the ground by accident and now it doesn't work? Nope. Sorry. Non essential.

Need a quart of oil for your car to keep it running? Unless you can eat it...it's non essential. Sorry.

I understand the logic and the reasoning, but the response to it is also pretty poorly thought out. Limiting what people can buy will NOT keep them in their homes. That responsibility falls on the consumer and the consumer alone.

As a supplier at many of these stores, I find myself beginning to recognize customers who are hitting stores 3 or 4 times a week for little trips, instead of buying whatever their economic situation and supply allows and staying home otherwise. In addition, by limiting what types of items people can buy, you are jeopardizing the jobs of the people who work in those departments at the store level, as well as in the industries who provide these items, who are already skating on thin ice as is.

Does Walmart need an employee to stock the baby clothing or the electronics aisle if they are not allowed to sell those items because they were deemed "non essential?" What about the truck drivers who deliver those items? Or the people who make them? You're scapegoating the industries and businesses for continuing to do business where the real responsibilities lie on consumers and the population to simply be a little bit smarter about things and how they plan out their day.

And on a final note...let's ABSOLUTELY refrain from calling out ANYONE on this board over how they live their lives. While I'm sure most of us have done the responsible thing, I can almost guarantee that not a single one of us here have been completely compliant and have not left our homes for a trivial reason at some point. If you're claiming that you have from day one...then I'll be the first to call you a liar. We all have left the house to simply grab a gallon of milk for our kids or a case of beer to watch Wrestlemania instead of adding it to a larger list of what should be our minimal once a week shopping trip.