Posted on 01/10/2022 5:30:49 AM PST by MattMusson
Whether it's a shortage of grocery items or prices skyrocketing at stores—shoppers aren't happy. Due to supply chain issues that have caused strain on major retailers like Walmart, Kroger, Food Lion, Costco, customers are experiencing frustrations while shopping for food and other daily essentials at their local stores.
We reached out to our readers on Facebook and Twitter and asked them to share about the specific grocery shortages that are currently frustrating them the most. Customers from around the U.S. wrote in their current frustrations at stores—and a few repeated items popped up from shopper complaints.
I don’t know where you are but in Atlanta metro many items are scarce. Publix has these little signs everywhere warming of limited supplies, Krogers have empty cases or shelves. It’s hit and miss. In some cases it’s a problem of Covid at warehouses and others it’s lack of drivers or no staff to stock due to Covid outbreaks in stores.
In Michigan, we have oyster crackers, but I haven’t seen canned Mandarin Oranges since November.
Me too. Easy Peasy however I am really waiting for WM delivery around here. I use instacart for Aldi groceries. One of the good things to come out of this mess is the delivery and pickup services have become mainstream now.
No old work boxes at any Home Depots here in south O.C., either.
All of the normal retailers like Amazon, Walmart, CVS, Walgreens are Out of Stock.
It is being offered on EBAY from $35-$99/bottle. Normal price is around $17ish.
So, people bought up available supplies and are marking them up 100%-400%. God Bless Capitalism.
In Cali we don't have as many shortages due to being near the ports but I did notice the shells were emptied out before this past Christmas. I wonder if YouTube watchers have stepped up their game and moved from lasagna to stuffed shells.
Thanks for the tip.
I bought some Finn Style Pine Tar shampoo for $18 delivered to my house.
The Original Neutrogena product is available on EBAY for $35-$99/bottle plus shipping.
Here’s the original and edible pop tart recipe. Yeah, you’re joking.
Just for you, not joking, I grabbed a box of cat food to stand on to get down grandma’s 1950 Betty Crocker Cookbook and it automatically opened to the well used page 196 for Filled Cookies:
1/2 C shortening
1 C sugar
2 eggs
2 T cream (not needed)
1 t vanilla
2 1/2 C flour
1/4 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
Roll dough out. Cut with 3” cookie cutter. Fill. Top with another dough piece.
Bake 400 for 10 minutes.
Tip - Fill with preserves or jelly. Some of the jelly will leak out during cooking so preserves or fruit butter is better.
I’ve been trying to find Barilla’s pasta, Campanelle, for two years. I was told by the company that they had *temporarily* stopped making it so they could focus on a limited number of pasta shapes because of the shortage. It’s still not back on the shelf.
Communism loves shortages. Communism thrives on shortages.
____________
Oh no! Shortages are the result of the way communist manage the economy! They do not like it, but they cause it and they cannot help it!
By government running the production, there are few products to sell, by government setting the prices, there are hoardings and shortages! Black-markets soon develops.
We are still a lot better off than the citizens of Cuba/Venezuela/former Soviet Union.
But, if we use the “global warming” methodology (fit line, extrapolate the trend), we are well on the way!
I have thought long and hard on this. In my experience I can go into any store and find something that is out of stock. But is it a real shortage or is that particular store in need of restocking?
Last Friday 1/7/22 I was in a very large WalMart that was almost devoid of any fresh meats, just a little bit of Ham, Hamburger and pork. Our local Aldi was lower than usual on these things but did have some on the shelves.
One thing that I have found to be scarce (but not absent) is canned vegetable soups. This has been going on for a few months at the stores I shop. The pickings are slim but there are some pickings.
As far as canned cat food is concerned we try to keep at least a months supply on hand. So far so good.
Having said all this I think it a very good idea to have 2 or 3 months supply of food in the bunker. Knowing what to buy, at what rate and how to store it is a trick in itself. I’m planning on a Pasta Chicken in a cream Basil sauce dinner tomorrow. I have plenty of pasta on hand but the recipe specifies Bow Tie pasta. I’m going to stop at a grocery store on the way home today to pick up 2 boxes, one for Tuesday, another for the bunker. If they don’t have Bow Tie no biggie I will use what I have on my shelf. So my advice is the prudent will buy two when they need one, put the extra in the bunker but do this over many months not all in one week. But for sure have some put away.
Another thing is every time you go shopping buy a package of TP and paper towels. Do this every time over many months you will have a reserve. The last lockdown the first thing to disappear was TP, it stand to reason if we have another lockdown, TP will be the first thing to disappear.
One really good result of all this disruption covid related is it has me and my better half preparing our own means every day and our cooking has become of a higher standard than in the past.
I do not consider myself a prepper but still, I think we have become addicted to buying only enough food to last the week and that’s all. We expect to find what we want when we want it. The lesson I got from the last lockdown is don’t live that close to the edge, it is an unnecessary stress. Along with that I have finally, after owning a portable electric generator for three years, installed a lockout device and power inlet so I can power my well and boiler as well as a few lights and keep my refrig and freeze running. I also have a gasoline storage facility and a system for keeping the fuel fresh. In addition I have a secondary heat source and plenty of fuel for that also.
In summary be prepared but don’t get crazy.
PLANT a garden! But today’s kids don’t know what a garden is.
An old man’s grand daughter asked what he was doing He told her he was going out to dig up potatoes.
She said...”Oh grandpa, you are so silly! you don’t get potatoes from the ground, you get them from the store!”
At least we’re not being required to stand in line for whatever is being offered for sale today!
Oh wait, I believe that is actually one of the radical democrats plans. No options no choices. Take what we allow you to have and be grateful.
If the shortage is down mostly to shell shaped pasta it could be that people are ok with making their own spaghetti or linguine, but shaping something into a shell is a bridge too far.
Dry food is cheap for a reason. Cats are obligate carnivores and they need meat. A steady diet of dry food (which has little meat and tons of cars and chemicals) can lead to feline diseases like Feline Diabetes and megacolon.
The worst wet food is better than the best dry for cats.
And then, distribution.
Welcome to New Venezuela!
And You Didn’t Vote for it.(!)
Its none of those for me. Items I have had a lot of trouble finding or still haven’t found:
1. my favorite drink - calypso light lemonade in any of 4 different flavors. Its sales were booming for a year and a half or so and then suddenly you can’t find it on grocery shelves anywhere. For about 5 or 6 months now
2. Hint lemon flavored water. I could find every other flavor continuously. It was only the one I wanted that suddenly disappeared. I finally found it at Publix. All the other grocery stores still don’t have it.
3. My favorite beer Hoegaarden. It disappeared everywhere for a few months. Then I found a few at Trader Joe’s then a little more at fresh market and now it has finally reappeared at the big liquor store near me. Its still gone from several grocery stores that normally carry it.
4. My favorite onion rings....yes there is a difference between brands. One of my friends saw some on a shopping trip to a store I don’t visit and texted me. I had her pick me up several bags.
Not grocery but.....
5. Ammo of course. I’m almost out of .380. I’m way low on .32. I’m almost back to minimal reasonable quantity of 9mm luger and .223. I’m very low on .308 though. .45 and .22 are also starting to get lower than in my ammo stash than I’d like. I have learned my lesson. I thought 10,000 rounds was sufficient after the Obama shortages. Now I see the error of my ways. When the supply situation gets back to normal I will not let my inventory get below 25,000 rounds minimum. This is just unacceptable.
Bingo. We did not have these supply chain issues when we actually made things. Its not just an issue of customer convenience. Its also about jobs and ultimately its about national security. We need to bring the jobs back to America - as Trump was doing successfully.
For 25 years here in the middle of TX, milk would be stolen out of grocery carts by sweet little old ladies because the dairy section of HEB was always short. Empty shelves everywhere.
The meat section is about the same size as my kitchen counter and you have to do what amounts to a drug deal with “the guy in the back” to get some frozen fish. No one checks prices because you grab what they have before it’s gone. This was decades before Venezuela or today’s shortages.
You want olives? Easy decision - canned black or green.
You want cheese? Another easy decision - cheddar or shredded mozz with the occasional Kraft swiss lunch slices.
Cornmeal? The one lonely 2 lb bag on the mostly empty shelf. Same with the one lonely can of spinach.
Mustard - ooooh, how many cases? The entire aisle is full of Whataburger brand.
Fresh cauliflower or pork ‘n beans? Ha, they haven’t stocked those since the 90s.
The fresh produce section is shriveled and half rotten and moldy.
We’re driving 4 towns away these days and I’m tickled pink with the great selection. Knock on wood.
We really can’t live without shells? Pasta is pasta... It’s all in the sauce not the shape. We had better wrap our heads around the fact we are going into a depression. Pasta is pasta, and we will soon be glad to even have flour and eggs to make our own.
Man is this country spoiled... Can’t live without Charmin, can’t live without shells, can’t live without ( ).
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