We all are facing shortages...the shelves in our grocery stores have been half empty for many months. Grocery shopping is like a 3rd world experience any more. If you want something you better buy 2 at least because when it runs out you can’t be sure it will ever be stocked again.
Our HEB grocery store has had empty shelves for the past 20-25 years. Venezuela has nothing on them. Either an entire aisle will be empty or it will be filled the whole length with Whataburger brand mustard. People always beg or steal milk from your cart because the dairy section might be empty except for 3 lonely containers of sour cream.
I’ve had to get frozen fish by doing something similar to a drug deal with “the guy in the back”. Then the cashiers and bag boys get all in a tizzy because they didn’t know there was any frozen fish.
I haven’t seen fresh cauliflower or canned pork ‘n beans in over 15 years.
The sales circular is a joke because half was ever ordered and many regularly advertised items had never in the history of the store been ordered. The typical excuse is it wasn’t on the truck - “Oh, you want the 8 count corn tortillas in this week’s ad? Yeah, we’ll be getting that tomorrow. How many, you ask? Well, one. Uh, yeah, that’s one. No, not one case but just one 8 count package.” Seriously, no lie. Straight from the manager’s mouth. Who loads one 8 count package of tortillas on the truck? Maybe because another store refused to accept a torn package and HEB is so cheap they’d pass garbage on to another store. Yep, Venezuela has nothing on us.
They quit taking coupons 10 years ago but when they did accept coupons they would take the item off the shelf even if it was perishable like yogurt.
Since Covid, we’ve been driving 4 towns over to shop. It is a million times better in the middle of lockdowns than our local HEB in normal times but it still has out of stock items and limits.
“the shelves in our grocery stores have been half empty for many months.”
I haven’t seen any shortages here in the DC burbs. I usually go down most isle because I like to grocery shop and look for sales but also for early (very early) morning exercise. (my version of mall walking!)
Watchin prices of go up especially beef, chicken, fish and shellfish but no shortages....YET.