Alternatives To Amazon And Walmart For All Of Your Household Essentials

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It’s a sign of these strange times: Toilet paper has turned into a hot commodity. The booze delivery business is booming. A guy in Tennessee hoarded 17,000 bottles of hand sanitizer to sell them off. (He eventually donated them.)

Social distancing and self-isolation are becoming norms in our lives now, as are hoarding, stockpiling, panic buying and “pandemic pantries.”

You’ve probably even seen empty shelves, full carts and long lines in your neighborhood grocery stores and local pharmacies. Since everyone seems to be searching for essentials, these products are selling fast and even selling out completely. 

If you haven’t found what you need at stores nearby, you might have turned to places like Amazon and Walmart, which are historically known for having almost anything you could need within two-day shipping.

But even the two companies are trying to keep up with increased demand. Walmart has seen increased sales for tops and not bottoms (all those Zoom meetings and sweatpants). Amazon has so many orders that it’s experiencing delivery delays and has stopped accepting “non-essential” items to its warehouses. 

In case you’re wondering about whether it’s safe to order online, so far the World Health Organization said it’s still OK to receive packages — but you might want to open and clean any delivery packages for extra precaution. You do have to make sure to wash your hands and, obviously, try not to touch your delivery person. 

While it’s best to try to shop local right now — especially with the recent shutdowns of small businesses — if you’re still trying to find essentials and haven’t had any luck IRL and want to ditch Amazon and Walmart, there are a lot of sites with necessities in stock worth knowing about. 

From fresh produce and personal care items to cleaning supplies and games to pass the time, we found where to shop online for necessities when Amazon and Walmart are out of stock. 

Bookmark this page, as we’ll update this list as best when can when things sell out. 

Take a look below:

1. Groceries and fresh produce 

For fresh produce, you can go with a grocery delivery service like FreshDirect and Peapod. Target has its own online grocery service, which has everything from bread to seafood and products from Target’s exclusive brand Good & Gather that’s a favorite among shoppers. 

D’Artagnan delivers meats and charcuterie, too, for those nights when you need cheese with your wine. 

And if you’re still having trouble getting groceries, especially as lots of grocery delivery services are swamped, one of our editors had success calling up her local supermarket and having the store deliver right to her door. Thrive Market also has organic brands and you can things like almond butter and rolled oats. 

New Yorkers who might be missing their neighborhood farmers market can check out OurHarvest and Farm to People, which curate and deliver locally-sourced groceries, or Food Kick for same-day grocery delivery in Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens. Local Roots has subscriptions and start kits of farm-fresh food. And you may not have known but Postmates does deliver groceries in Manhattan. 

If you’re especially worried about food waste, Misfits Market and Imperfect Foods can deliver “ugly” fruits and veggies that might have been otherwise tossed out by grocery stores.

Don’t want to think too much about dinner? You might try a meal kit from HelloFresh, Home Chef (which we tried out) or Sun Basket. You can check out our recent review of Daily Harvest, which recently launched its first-ever flatbreads. 

You can also check out our guides to getting alcohol delivered to your door and no-contact takeout. 

2. Personal care, from beauty to hygiene

Generally, Target will be your best bet for personal care items, including body washes, bar soaps, deodorant and period pads and tampons. It might be worth trying Target’s Order Pickup feature, which lets you order online and pick up in store for certain items.

Since essentials like toilet paper are basically sold out to shop online, you could try calling up your local mom and pop store to see if there’s a pack available. You could try an easy-to-install bidet from Tushy, since bidets seem to be all the rage now. 

Paper towels are selling out quickly, too, so you might try more sustainable alternatives, like a Swedish dishcloth that’s reusable and compostable, a set of dishcloths to dry off dishes or eco-friendly beeswax wraps to cover leftovers. And for your home office, Staples carries tissue paper that you can get in bulk. 

If you don’t want the options at your local drug store, consider direct-to-consumer brands for some personal care items.

Toothbrush brands Quip and Goby will send you automatically recurring deliveries of replacement brush heads. Eco-friendly Grove Collaborative has toothpaste and other oral care products. 

If you’re looking for special scents of body soaps and lotions that are still in stock, you might try The Body Shop, Bath & Body Works, Kiehl’s and Aesop for options that haven’t been overshopped. Simplehuman has refillable hand soap pouches, too. 

There are even direct-to-consumer brands like LOLA and Cora that sell organic versions of tampons, pads and other feminine hygiene products.

You’ll be able to find everything from cleansers to concealers at Sephora, Ulta and Dermstore. Nordstrom also has a well-stocked beauty section. You can also support your favorite brands like Glossier by buying directly on their own sites, too.

For guys who aren’t embracing the work-from-home beard, all the grooming tools, facial cleansers and creams you
need can still be found at brands like Harry’s, Every Man Jack and Kiehl’s. 

For the, ahem, very personal, Lovehoney, Dame, Babeland and Unbound all have sexual wellness products as well as solo and couples adult toys that might be worth browsing.

You can also check out our guides to cutting your hair at home and how to make your next bath more relaxing. 

3. All things home, including homewares and cleaning supplies

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Since so many of us are working from home now and trying to limit leaving the house, you might be looking to spruce up your space. You might also be thinking of spring cleaning, too.

While lots of cleaning supplies from brands like Clorox and Lysol are selling out at places like Target, you could try out some more green alternatives, like Grove Collaborative and Blueland, which have eco-friendly household cleaning supplies. Blueland even has a clean essentials kit. 

For messes that the furriest member of your family makes, Petco still has Clorox pet cleaning products in stock. 

To keep your whites white (and to finally wash you favorite laundry), you can find select Method and Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day products (the same brand that you sometimes see at Target) at Grove Collaborative. Dropps (which also carries dish detergent pods) and The Laundress, too, are more eco-friendly brands for laundry care.  

We noticed that Bed Bath & Beyond has lots of the traditional laundry brands (like Tide) that are out of stock elsewhere.

If you’re in the mood for some home improvement, you can find some unique home items and decor at Etsy, Uncommon Goods, Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, Rifle Paper Co., Society6, West Elm and World Market. 

For candles, you could check out our guide to candles to burn when you’re feeling burned out. Otherland, Homesick Candles, Voluspa and Brooklinen are all brands that we feel like lighting up. Anthropologie and Nordstrom each have a big collection of candles, too. 

You might be tired of seeing the same old chair in your living room — brands like Overstock, Pottery Barn, Target, West Elm and Wayfair all have everything from furniture to furnishings. 

For those really getting into cooking now, you can find cookware, bakeware and dinnerware (for nights when you want to feel fancier dining in), at Williams-Sonoma, Le Creuset (which is currently having its first sale on full-price items) and Sur La Table. We also suggest Bed Bath & Beyond, Overstock and Wayfair for pots and pans that won’t break the bank. 

And, if you’re looking to bring the outside inside, you might consider getting some greenery into your home with plants from The Sill, The Bouqs, Etsy and Bloomscape.

You can also check out our guides to a spring cleaning checklist, plant delivery services and how to improve your home work space when you don’t have a desk. 

4. Pet products, like dog food and cat litter 

The furriest member of your family might not know what’s going on, but chances are they’re happy to have you home. 

Petco and PetSmart are obvious choices, of course, especially because they have everything from food to grooming supplies. Chewy might also be a go-to site now for toys, treats and litter because you can set up autoship recurring orders from Chewy for your pet’s favorite food and essentials.

If you’re looking for pet companies other than the ones mentioned above, you could try out Pet Plate (a meal plan for dogs) and The Farmer’s Dog (which delivers healthy dog food). For walks around the neighborhood, you could check out Wild One, which has all kinds of walk kits. 

Cat people, we haven’t forgot about you, either. You can try out Cat Person for food, toys and furnishings (which just launched and is for cats only) and Smalls, which delivers healthy cat food.  

Overstock, L.L. Bean and Urban Outfitters are some of the more unexpected places that carry pet supplies, including Insta-worthy apparel and plush beds.

You can also check out our guide to the best online pet stores for delivery, from Chewy to Cat Person. 

5. Games, books and tech 

Stuck staring at a screen all day when working from home? Just need a break from Netflix binge-watching on the weekends? You might try your hand at an adult board game or a classic like Monopoly and Scrabble, which are all available at Target. 

While lots of puzzles have been sold out already on Amazon, you can find ones for kiddos and others with thousands of pieces at Barnes and Noble. and Uncommon Goods, where there’s even a New York Times front page puzzle that’s customizable and made to order. 

The Met Store has puzzles, too, like a Vincent van Gogh self-portrait, and your money will also go to supporting The Met museums while they’re closed through July. Keep in mind that some of these puzzles aren’t expected to ship until June. And in that same spirit, you can find more puzzles at the Smithsonian Store and the MoMA Design Store. 

Artists in the making (or if you’re in the mood for a virtual wine and painting night) can find art supplies at Staples, Blick, and Arteza. Michaels carries paint packs, like this acrylic set and one for watercolors, that can keep the kiddos entertained while you’re working from home. There’s adult coloring books at Barnes and Noble as well. 

If you’re looking to learn a new skill from a master, you could get an online MasterClass membership from a celebrity like Anna Wintour. There are even online workout classes from Udemy that fitness fanatics can follow. 

For book lovers, you might order online to support independent and local shops as many are closing their doors. But if there’s not somewhere nearby to fill your bookshelves, you might try Powell’s Books, Barnes & Noble, and Politics and Prose (an independent bookstore based in Washington, D.C.). You might also consider listening to audiobook from Scribd. For à la mode cookbooks, we rounded up the best restaurant cookbooks for dining in. 

And, if you’re wondering what Animal Crossing’s all about, you could splurge on a Nintendo Switch Lite, which has sold out almost everywhere, but is available in select colors at Game Stop.
You can shop for more video games there as well. 

Best Buy carries games and game consoles like the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Target, too, carries other gamer gear.

To those obsessed with gadgets and gigabytes, you can find electronics at Best Buy, Urban Outfitters, Staples, Target, Apple and Microsoft. 

You can also check out our guides to taking online classes for fun and beginner embroidery kits.

Related…

The Best Online Grocery Delivery Services To Have On Hand

The Best Alcohol Delivery Services To Get You Through Social Distancing

We Found The Best Restaurant Cookbooks For Dining In At Home

This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.