As we head into the last weekend before the hotly contested presidential election, it isn't just preppers who are getting stocked up and planning to hunker down. Americans, in general, have an overall really bad feeling about the aftermath and the possibility of violence. Even those who lean left and general eschew prepping have been quietly getting ready for what might come.

Don't be surprised this weekend if you discover that last-minute run to the grocery store may not be as fruitful as you'd hoped. Not only do we have the election coming up, but lockdown restrictions are beginning to tighten again. We could be looking at empty shelves similar to the ones we faced last March.

Unless you are totally stocked up, I suggest you head out as early as possible Saturday morning and top off your supplies. If you wait until later in the weekend, or even later in the day, you may find the choices are limited if they are available at all.

The following suggestions are about as far from organic as you can get. These are the things I recommend when the things you want are no longer available.

Here are some places you may be able to buy food when there's none in the grocery stores.

If you find this to be the case, don't panic. There are still other places you can shop and grab some last-minute items. These probably won't be the cheapest places to shop and you may not get exactly what you want, but you may get lucky and still find inventory.

The dollar store (Here's more info on what you can buy at the dollar store)

Pharmacies (They often have a small food section with snacks, bread, crackers, and some canned goods)

Office supply stores (You can sometimes find bulk purchases meant for stocking up the office lunchroom)

Clearance stores like Big Lots or Liquidation World (Check the expiration dates but food is food, right now)

Discount stores like Dollar General (Use the same rules you would for the dollar store food)

Convenience stores/gas stations (This will be mostly snacky foods but you should be able to find plenty – also load up on electrolyte drinks in case someone gets sick)

Hardware stores (They often have chips, candy, crackers, and such near the registers.)

Large home and gift stores (Places like TJ Maxx and Homegoods often have row after row of gourmet goodies just waiting to be slipped into a fancy gift basket. Well, you can also slip these items into your pantry. Grab seasonings, snacks, candy, popcorn, fancy grains, soup mixes, condiments, teas, and all sorts of other tasty foods.

Asian or Indian markets (These can be a godsend for rice, beans, noodles, produce, and seasonings)