• Posted 12/19/2024.
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    I am still waiting on my developer to finish up on the Classifieds Control Panel so I can use it to encourage members into becoming paying members. Google Adsense has become a real burden on the viewing of this site, but honestly it is the ONLY source of income now that keeps it afloat. I tried offering disabling the ads being viewed by paying members, but apparently that is not enough incentive. Quite frankly, Google Adsense has dropped down to where it barely brings in enough daily to match even a single paid member per day. But it still gets the bills paid. But at what cost?

    So even without the classifieds control panel being complete, I believe I am going to have to disable those Google ads completely and likely disable some options here that have been free since going to the new platform. Like classified ad bumping, member name changes, and anything else I can use to encourage this site to be supported by the members instead of the Google Adsense ads.

    But there is risk involved. I will not pay out of pocket for very long during this last ditch experimental effort. If I find that the membership does not want to support this site with memberships, then I cannot support your being able to post your classified ads here for free. No, I am not intending to start charging for your posting ads here. I will just shut the site down and that will be it. I will be done with FaunaClassifieds. I certainly don't need this, and can live the rest of my life just fine without it. If I see that no one else really wants it to survive neither, then so be it. It goes away and you all can just go elsewhere to advertise your animals and merchandise.

    Not sure when this will take place, and I don't intend to give any further warning concerning the disabling of the Google Adsense. Just as there probably won't be any warning if I decide to close down this site. You will just come here and there will be some sort of message that the site is gone, and you have a nice day.

    I have been trying to make a go of this site for a very long time. And quite frankly, I am just tired of trying. I had hoped that enough people would be willing to help me help you all have a free outlet to offer your stuff for sale. But every year I see less and less people coming to this site, much less supporting it financially. That is fine. I tried. I retired the SerpenCo business about 14 years ago, so retiring out of this business completely is not that big if a step for me, nor will it be especially painful to do. When I was in Thailand, I did not check in here for three weeks. I didn't miss it even a little bit. So if you all want it to remain, it will be in your hands. I really don't care either way.

    =====================
    Some people have indicated that finding the method to contribute is rather difficult. And I have to admit, that it is not all that obvious. So to help, here is a thread to help as a quide. How to become a contributing member of FaunaClassifieds.

    And for the record, I will be shutting down the Google Adsense ads on January 1, 2025.
  • Responding to email notices you receive.
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    In short, DON'T! Email notices are to ONLY alert you of a reply to your private message or your ad on this site. Replying to the email just wastes your time as it goes NOWHERE, and probably pisses off the person you thought you replied to when they think you just ignored them. So instead of complaining to me about your messages not being replied to from this site via email, please READ that email notice that plainly states what you need to do in order to reply to who you are trying to converse with.

Come on people... Not a square is to be found.

My local WalMart and some other grocery stores got restocked this morning. Of course, someone posted that on Facebook and an hour later the TP was gone even with limits on how much buyers could purchase.
 
I understand all that -- people might think they need to stock up for months.

But why is TP (and sanitizers, which aren't very interesting if your whole family is holed up and sick, but that's a different matter...) the only thing that's running out at stores? Do people have enough food/drinks/fuel/library books/potato chips/baby formula/hand lotion/dog food/dishwashing detergent/etc. to last that time? Doubtful. That hypothetical family of five goes through more food than 99% of people can even possibly stockpile at home for the time that all five get sequential infections.

I don't suspect for a minute that more than a couple percent of TP buyers are doing the math y'all are doing ("let's see... one BM a day...maximum twelve squares each....100 squares on a roll...four people in the house...four days to get test results..."); if they were, all the frozen and canned food shelves would be empty, too, because folks are going to run out of food 6 months before they can't wipe themselves anymore.
 
Canned foods, milk, and fresh meat are reportedly in short supply at my local stores.
 
Canned foods, milk, and fresh meat are reportedly in short supply at my local stores.

I wonder if the word got out that people were stocking up on food items x, y and z, whether those items would suddenly get impossible to find.

I suspect that much of the TP hoarding is done by people who hear that TP is getting hard to find, so they run to the store and compound the issue.
 
For all the downsides to this, obviously the grocery stores are doing quite well.

Connie and I went to the local Wynn-Dixie grocery store a few days ago and surprisingly a lot of the stuff I would consider as being "stockable" items for someone preparing to go into lockdown was actually on sale there. So at least I don't see any price gouging going on. At least not yet.
 
Walmart and some chain grocery stores are cutting hours. Let the hoarding begin!

Honestly, it might be better to open them longer, so that people aren't all packed in there at once.
 
It may reach a point where if I NEED to run out to get something, I would want to find a 24 hour store and go there between 3 and 4 am when foot traffic would be minimal. I think the local Walmart here is 24 hour, but with what you are saying about them cutting hours, that might not be for long.
 
just an interesting TP update. One of my coworkers told me of an incident she had at a local wal mart. She went in to pick up some staples for her 4 kids that are home from school and noticed a large crowd of people milling about near the back doors. She asked what was going on and someone said they were bringing out a pallet of TP. People were pushing and shoving to be first in line so rather than fight the crowd and wait in line she went about perusing the near empty (of food and people) aisles for whatever she could find. When they brought out the pallet they made everyone line up and each person was going to get 1 package and no one could get back in line. The thing is all the cases of 4 packs were on top and they opened them first and handed them out so those who fought to get in line first got 4 packs and after the line died down she went by and saw some larger packs with no one in line so she grabbed one of the 24 packs for herself without having to wait and she got to do the rest of her shopping in relative peace without being coughed or sneezed or breathed on. I just love stories like that.

I'm off for a couple of days then I'm back to work (after being told by my bosses for years that I am essentially useless I am all of a sudden essential) so all those asymptomatic guests can get their glazers, dunkers, coffee, cigarettes, beer and lottery tickets. Thankfully we are in our semi-annual white glove inspection time so for the next 4 or 5 days I'll be mostly outside sweeping the parking lot, picking up cigarette butts, cleaning gas pumps, pressure washing walls and sidewalks and cleaning car washes. I don't know why but somehow it always seems that when I am doing this I get the walkie talkie that doesn't work.
 
just an interesting TP update. One of my coworkers told me of an incident she had at a local wal mart. She went in to pick up some staples for her 4 kids that are home from school and noticed a large crowd of people milling about near the back doors. She asked what was going on and someone said they were bringing out a pallet of TP. People were pushing and shoving to be first in line so rather than fight the crowd and wait in line she went about perusing the near empty (of food and people) aisles for whatever she could find. When they brought out the pallet they made everyone line up and each person was going to get 1 package and no one could get back in line. The thing is all the cases of 4 packs were on top and they opened them first and handed them out so those who fought to get in line first got 4 packs and after the line died down she went by and saw some larger packs with no one in line so she grabbed one of the 24 packs for herself without having to wait and she got to do the rest of her shopping in relative peace without being coughed or sneezed or breathed on. I just love stories like that.
That's awesome.

My local store had a different take - everyone could purchase ONE ROLL.
 
Still have yet to see any TP in any of the local stores except CVS which does sell it for $1.39/roll, max 1 roll. I'm sure there has been some delivered though as riots haven't started yet. Pasta, thermometers, paper towels, rubbing alcohol, sanitizer of any kind, masks (even the crappiest ones that barely keep dust out) - all still missing from the shelves. But bottled water is making a small come back in the stores in limited supplies.

Tried online for TP since I am running low, and care for an elderly parent, and every time I put some in my "cart" by the time I went to pay it was unavailable. Finally found some from a company called Seventh Generation (U.S. made) and bought a large pack. Went back 5 minutes later to order for a friend that had his internet down and they were sold out too.

As to others, beef is in short supply but chicken and pork are somewhat available. But seafood, fruits, vegetables, store baked bread & pastries --- as much as you want.

Hope others are having better luck. Stay safe and sane!
 
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