Can this be a thread where ppl post things we are having trouble finding in stores?

[Grasswire2]

Not necessarily full of repeated hints for where to find, but just to let us all know that other people are having trouble with that, too.

I'll start.

Sugar free cough drops. Kroger shelves have been empty for months now.

[DURHAM D]

1. Covid quick tests.

[spooky3]

16. Agree, and agree about cat food. Nt

[Dorian Gray]

72. Luckily my cats

aren't picky. They'll eat anything.

But I am having a really tough time finding our preferred litter!

[cinematicdiversions]

82. Cat Food has been giving me issues for close to a year.

Honestly anything for myself I can do without or find a substitute. The cats are much less accommodation.

[Dorian Gray]

71. You can buy some from here

https://ihealthlabs.com


These are what the NYC public schools are handing out to exposed teachers and students. Limit five per household per order. I ordered a 5 pack 2 days ago. Hoping they arrive soon.

This is direct from the manufacturer. Cheapest price out there on a 2 pack of tests. (They're selling on Amazon for a little over $17. But here they're $13.99 per test.)

[NightWatcher]

81. We've had luck with grocery store pharmacies.

Check in the mornings at the pharmacy counter. I was there when they got a shipment of them and picked up 4 for my family.

[Pinback]

3. You gave me a pang of nostalgia!

This ad must have been a Jay Ward production:

[MustLoveBeagles]

25. I loved that cereal

It's been years since I've eaten it. It's been quite awhile since I've seen it on the shelves.

[SheltieLover]

64. I did a search. You are in luck!

Both Amazon & Walmart offer it & both say it is in stock.

Enjoy!

[BannonsLiver]

99. It's still available.

I ordered some off Amazon a few weeks ago. Delish.

[Demovictory9]

4. some types of cat food... empty spaces in the cat food area

[SheltieLover]

6. Try chewy.com & target

Chewy folks said there is a can shortage

[Demovictory9]

60. will do

[SheltieLover]

65. I just increased my order to 3 cases

Free shipping at $49. And I feel better knowing there will be several weeks of peace in my home. Mine will only eat the beef & chicken pate.

Happy hunting!

[bamagal62]

84. Mine right now will only eat

The grilled and she prefers liver and chicken this month. As soon as I buy a case of liver and chicken is when she’ll decide that she likes beef. 😂

[SheltieLover]

85. That would be difficult.

I used to get the box of 30 cans with mixed flavors. Then she stopped eating all the other flavors. Not likely to change her mind.

Who would want to eat only one flavor every day?

[eShirl]

7. Fancy Feast

boxes and loose cans, all flavors and forms
I lucked out and found a box 2 weeks ago

[Demovictory9]

11. if it's not the exact flavor my cat wants, I end up opening can after can

[Pinback]

18. Is this your cat?

[Demovictory9]

39. I wish!!

[Pinback]

90. Our kitty was exactly like this

— well, except for speaking in human language. We’d go to the pet store checkout with a cart full of cat food cans, and they’d ask “How many cats do you have?” Then came the sheepish answer: “One.”


We’d have five or six cans going at any one time, and would offer her a smorgasbord of small servings of different things every night. She had us trained, that’s for sure!

We lost her last May after a long decline from kidney disease. She was our companion throughout the first year-plus of pandemic lockdown — a great cat with a lot of spunk, and tons of fun — despite the cattitude!

[Demovictory9]

104. lol... i was in line with many types of cat food, woman behind me said

"do you have a fussy cat too?" she had many types of food. laughing now but sometimes...sigh... please kitty just eat! damn it.

sorry you lost your cat.

[bamagal62]

22. Same!

[Demovictory9]

59. I can feel her disappointment. lol

[canetoad]

46. Some incredibly wise person once said

"No dog (and I assume, cat) will starve to death when there is food available."

These days the food is left for half an hour, if not eaten it's given to the birds. Saved my sanity.

[Demovictory9]

58. i wish cats gobbled their food like most dogs do

[SheltieLover]

66. I couldn't agree more!

[kcr]

56. Mine, too

It's so aggravating.

[Demovictory9]

57. it's like she's messing with me. put out flavor after flavor. next morning, I see she's eaten #1

aarrrgh.

[Raine]

50. Fancy Feast , that's the one my cat HAS to HAVE but so hard to find. 😿 nt

[SheltieLover]

63. Try target & chewy.com

These recs came from DU pet group.

My kitty will only eat fancy feast pate beef & chicken, so I was beginning to get a bit frantic since there isn't any in shelves in stores. When she doesn't get her daily "fix," she gets cranky, opening & slamming cabinet doors, etc. (She also eats Blue Indoor chicken flavor, but really loves the Fancy Feast beef & chicken.)

So I set up an auto ship order with Chewy. Lady there told me there is a can shortage of all things.

She also told me that chewy, of course, prioritizes the auto ship orders and that their website will not allow people to order more than what is in stock.

I hope you find your kitty's favorite flavors!

I checked shelves at Target when I ran in to pick up World's Best kitty litter &, sure enough, they were fully stocked.

[Raine]

69. THANKS, I'll give them a try. 👍 He has to have the one with cod, his favorite which he prefers

above every other flavor. 😻

[SheltieLover]

70. Yw!

Good luck! I personally feel better having several cases on hand & save the shipping over $49 (for Chewy).

I just upped my autoship to 3 cases every several weeks to save on shipping.

Happy hunting, or should I say fishing?

[Raine]

76. I'm going to get a case or two

things get real ugly real fast 😾 when he doesn't get what he wants, haha! 😽

[SheltieLover]

77. Same here!

Even resorted to knocking dish off table I feed her on! Licking & pawing at bag in middle of night, etc.

When all else failes to wake me, I get the gentle brush of whiskers on my cheek.

[kcr]

79. I second chewy

My recurring order is delivered without fail.

[SheltieLover]

80. I love chewy!

And auto orders are so easy to manage.

[bamagal62]

95. You can find fancy feast at odd places.

I make a circuit from Petco to Pet Supplies Plus to my 2 grocery’s stores, to target and sometimes CVS.

[JustAnotherGen]

100. This

I feed a stray cat at work. Can't find it in rural NJ.

[alphafemale]

13. Concur on this.

My boy and his buddy the housemate's cat are both very picky about noms.

[Solly Mack]

8. Cat food, dog treats, chicken - yes, chicken. Some imported items from Japan, France, England.

Cheeses, sauces, etc., from those countries.

[PXR-5]

9. Half and half

[vanlassie]

14. Any cream. WTF?

[smirkymonkey]

41. Yes! I just had groceries delivered tonight and they had to substitute for about half the things

I ordered, one of which was half and half.

The shopper showed me a picture of what was left and there were 3 cartons of Organic Valley 1/2 & 1/2 left, so I just said fine (I can't drink iced coffee without it), grab whatever you can.

This is the worst it's been in a long time.

[Green Line]

86. Same, no half and half

[RamblingRose]

10. Cranberry sauce with cranberries

Trying to find it for my mom in Florida. Can’t find it in Atlanta either.

[Thunderbeast]

21. None at Kroger in Oregon....just the jelly.

[Maru Kitteh]

12. Belvita banana bread soft. Roasted red pepper and tomato soup.

[vanlassie]

15. Chicken wings. Just...gone.

[spooky3]

17. Fish sticks made from whole fillets.

Grocery has been out of them for months.

[wishstar]

73. My Aldi store has good fish fillets from whole fish that only take 1 min per fillet in microwave

However their fish sticks that are sold in similar boxes are not made from whole fish so are more coating and less fish than the fillets.

I like the Aldi fillets because they do not have the goopy coating of some other stores' fillets and can be successfully microwaved to be an easy quick protein snack.

[ThoughtCriminal]

19. Protein Bars

Not completely gone, but often lots of empty slots.

[marie999]

20. Self-rising flour.

[Eko]

23. 1959 custom shop Gibson Les Paul.

[Pachamama]

101. Good answer

[MustLoveBeagles]

24. The $1 bottles of bleach at Dollar General

[LeftInTX]

27. I'm in a local facebook group that popped up in 2020 during the toilet paper shortage

Someone would post an image of a local store with a certain product, by the time I had seen the post, the store was already out.

[tblue37]

28. Covid quick tests. Fancy feast canned cat food.

[SheltieLover]

67. Pls see post 63 f9r cat food.

[tblue37]

29. Yes, I couldn't find sugar free cough drops when I looked for them last week.

[Mordred]

30. Fluff

As a New Englander who grew up on Fluff, still can't adjust to the fact that you can't reliably find it in SoCal.

Nothing to do with Covid though.

[orleans]

44. love that stuff--Fluff!

grew up in illinois and it was always a delight when my mom bought it.

and then i, as an adult, would buy it every once in awhile.

peanut butter and jelly is good (red raspberry jam for me), but peanut butter & fluffernutter is amazing.

(oddly, my daughter never really liked it or appreciated it's value in enhancing life. lol)

[Totally Tunsie]

31. Funny you should ask because I went grocery shopping yesterday

and was going to post about my findings.

First, the good news: Mask usage was way up - significantly so. I'd say 75-80% coverage.

The trade-off was the astonishing bare areas around the store:
There was no chicken at all.
There were zero eggs - nada.
White vinegar available in gallon size only.
There was no horseradish.
There was no cream cheese.
Keebler cracker items were bare.
There was no Coffeemate Dairy Creamer.
There were no Perrier products.
There were no frozen potato products.
Some frozen pizza brands were empty.
Several frozen vegetables were out - peas, broccoli, squash.
Prepared frozen snacks were pretty barren.

And, these were just the items I happened to notice - there was probably more in areas I didn't visit.

After leaving Stop & Shop, it took driving to FIVE other stores to find eggs. Finally hit a goldmine of 5 dozen at a Cumberland Farms, taking 2. Even after being in a total of six stores, I was unable to get everything on my list, and it wasn't that exotic. (Who knew there would be a run on horseradish?!?!) The experience was beginning to feel very third world.

With the pandemic, I go shopping about every 15-18 days now, and the shortages are growing each time.

ETA: This was a Stop & Shop in eastern MA.

[Maru Kitteh]

32. Yeah. Hash browns and potatoes O'Brian!

I find them only about 25% or so of the time.

[Grasswire2]

33. you win, I think.

astounding

[BlackSkimmer]

34. I couldn't find horseradish either!

I finally found a jar tucked away behind whatever was adjacent. The only one.

[Totally Tunsie]

36. I could understand it somewhat, attributing it to the holidays

and people making cocktail sauce, etc, IF it weren't for the fact that bottled cocktail sauce itself was still very much available in two locations in the store.

[MissB]

42. That's a lot!

Some of that stuff seems seasonal- horseradish or cream cheese. Some of it strikes me as folks trying to stock up on things that are easy to prepare in case they get sick (groaned stuff). Eggs though? That’s weird.

I have a flock of 12 hens; they’re just starting to lay eggs again after growing their annual feathers. I’m getting about 7-8 eggs a week. And luckily I could dig up some horseradish root if needed. It’s a very easy plant to grow- mildly invasive but since you’re harvesting the root to use it’s not bad. It also makes some killer sauce.

[I_UndergroundPanther]

35. Cat food

Eggs,cream cheese.

The catfood has been missing for like 2 weeks.
Both my local walmart and the target too.


There are a few cans of fancy feast (no medlys) .

If you check the aisle early they have more good cans out . Mostly of what is left is its pate and Othello HATES pate.

The friskies are gone
and have been gone a long time its compleatly out.

[Texasgal]

37. Interestingly enough

I haven't been able to score Claussen deli pickles since the pandemic started!

[Raine]

38. Cat food 😻(the food he loves and has to have) and a new scratching post for him. 😾 nt

[JI7]

40. You should also mention what city and state you are in

or a description such as rural or urban , small town etc if you don't want to be too specific.

I don't think this is an issue for every part of the country .

[Hortensis]

74. Yes, I'm seeing lots of differences here.

[canetoad]

43. For two years

I've seen spasmodic, changing shortages. I'm not going to cover the first toilet paper/rice and noodles hysteria.

-Butter
-Cheese (not all cheese - big gaps of certain brands at varying times)
-Baked beans
-Rice and pasta - well beyond the first panic. As I write, there is very little rice and pasta on the shelves.
-Sweetners, ffs. Not bloody stevia or other new fangled crap, good old fashioned sweet poison tabs.

Lots of shelf space this morning. I'm putting it down to store staff, suppliers and delivery drivers all being knocked really hard by Omicron. Maybe, on a global level, all these shortages have their genesis in the early rounds of insane panic buying.

[MissB]

45. I was trying to grab some wild rice a few weeks ago

One of my kids wanted to make dinner and the recipe he was using called for wild rice. I found the last package of it on the very back of the shelf at Kroger. Their shelves were wiped of pasta and rice.

I stopped by Winco and bought some in bulk. I can make wild rice for most of 2022 I think. Also was in Pittsburgh recently and visited Penn Mac. I’m stocked for pasta too. I grabbed a 25 lb bag of rice at Costco two weekends ago and vacuum sealed it into half gallon and quart jars. I was down to my last quart so it was time to stock up:

I’m hoping to mostly ride out most of the shortages. I keep a pretty deep basement pantry room.

[canetoad]

51. No shortage in wild rice here

The dry goods shortages seem to be the most common, basic staples. So instead of buying a 5k bag of rice I'll get a kilo of Jasmine here, a bag of basmati there.... It helps that I buy very little prepared food - sounds like you don't either.

I'm also usually to find a reasonable subsitute for stuff I can't get. My parents were young folk in the war and post war rationing - it kinda like a challenge to feed ten people on an ounce of suet and a turnip.

[StarryNite]

47. Healthy Choice Organic Fudge Bars

The ones with sugar. Costco only has sugar free now.

[Grasswire2]

53. frozen? like fudgsicles?

Those come sugar free, too. I love them.

[StarryNite]

54. Yes, frozen.

They still have them sugar free but I don't like artificial sweeteners. The sugar ones are only 100 calories and they are delicious!

[wackadoo wabbit]

48. Bacon without nitrites

I was hoping to get some Tender Belly brand, but I couldn't find any non-nitrite bacon of any brand at all.

To be fair, I only checked at Costco (two of them) and Trader Joe's (only checked one). At the second Costco, I asked that they check other stores for me, and there was none to be had anywhere in the entire state.

[herding cats]

49. Add me to the my cats favorite food list.

And their treats now aren't available here. It's unpleasant in my house, to say the least.

As to me I've learned to adapt, but I do miss my horseradish. Oh, and the quality of fresh fruits and vegetables are simply pitiful recently. Wilted brussel sprouts, rotten and/or mushy tangerines hidden in the bags, apples which are half brown when cut open... I could go on and on.

[pfitz59]

52. Orange juice

my closest store has none

[Meowmee]

55. Covid otc tests

Juice paks, very hard for quite a while. Especially my fav one. Canned cat food, the typical brands in stores, Shelves are empty at many stores. You have to grab any of the ones you need that is there. Rotisserie chicken lately too.

[Hellbound Hellhound]

61. A living wage for "Low skill" employees who were "Essential" six months ago. n/t

[gopiscrap]

112. welcome to DU

[Tribetime]

62. I thought I was in the "Lounge" nt

[leftyladyfrommo]

68. Wet catfood in variety boxes. Fancy Feast nt

[Hortensis]

75. Here in No GA I'm looking up some GENERAL items missing elsewhere that

I haven't noticed problems with -- so far -- and they're mostly here. Looking only online at a Walmart Superstore. Items not in stock are typically shown below what is available on each screen, and those have been growing and growing. We've had to do without favorite brands of a few items for a while, or find them elsewhere, but so far there have always been alternatives.

Just discovered BI/SO chicken thighs are out this morning, though, for the first time I've noticed. Now, that's a staple. I can fall back on horseradish sauce instead of horseradish if I have to, but I still have bad memories of having to make do with chicken breasts earlier in the pandemic.

Since we're between cats right now, chicken's the most serious indicator to us from this thread so far.

[Celerity]

78. Toppling Goliath Brewing Company - Kentucky Brunch Brand Stout

We are in Stockholm, Sweden


https://www.tgbrews.com/kbbs





https://www.ratebeer.com/beer/top-50/

[NewHendoLib]

83. you would love the bottle shop in our small NC town - 500 plus beers

I don't know if they have that one, but walking in there is time in the obscure, weird and wonderful!

My search is for Cigar City's Stouts. Not easy to find! Also Bell's Blue Note.

If I can read through a beer, it is too light for us!

[Celerity]

89. Oh, I was being sarcastic, it is likely the hardest regularly brewed beer in the world to get, lol

It is only released about once a year, about 300 to 400 bottles each time, always straight from the brewery. You have to enter a lottery to get a ticket, and pick then it up in person. It is $100 a bottle.

It almost always goes for well over 750, 800 usd (sometimes well over 1000!) or more per bottle on the resale market, and the import duties and shipping to Stockholm will kick that to closing in on 1000 dollars, likely over. I expect more than one bottle of beer for 1000 usd, roflmaoooo.

http://beerblackbook.com/beerprofile.php?link=94&var=348 (first batch)



I used to have a friend in Iowa who said she would go get it for me (I trusted her with the 100 usd, and she entered the lottery but never won).

But we had a huge falling out several years back over Trump, so that is no longer viable. I have not spoken to her since 2018.




https://www.tgbrews.com/events/kbbs-release-2021

Ticket holder details

You are responsible for following the below rules, so please read carefully.

This release will be held Friday, December 3, and Saturday, December 4, 2021, for dockside pickup only. Ticket times are every half hour from 11 a.m. through 2:30 p.m. each day, based on availability at time of ticket purchase.

The lottery for this release is concluded. Winners have been contacted.

NO PROXIES. You must redeem your ticket in person with a valid ID that matches the ticket name and your face to make the purchase. No exceptions.

The ticket name must MATCH the lottery winner’s name and email address. The ticket list will be audited prior to the release. Tickets not matching a lottery entry will be voided.

ONE TICKET PER PERSON. We will enforce this policy. We will audit the ticket sales and void duplicate tickets prior to the release.

CHOOSE YOUR TICKET TIME CAREFULLY. You will be responsible to attend during the ticketed date/time you choose. If you cannot, your ticket will be forfeited. We will not hold beer for ticket holders past their scheduled date/time.

These rules are established to create a fair opportunity for all to participate and to spread the love to as many stout fans as possible. The schedule is established to regulate flow for seating, safety, and the best possible level of service. Thank you for respecting our policies.

Beer Cost
Each ticket holder will be eligible to purchase (1) 12 oz. bottle of 2021 Kentucky Brunch Brand Stout. The cost for this bottle is $100 plus sales tax and bottle deposit ($107.05 total), payable by credit card ONLY during your scheduled session date and time.

Please note the Kentucky Brunch Brand Stout bottle is best transported in a cool, dark environment. We recommend packing a cooler/ice to keep your Kentucky Brunch Brand Stout safe and prime.

Ticket redemption is dockside only. You may not redeem your ticket with your server.

NO Proxies
Please note, proxies for this event are NOT ALLOWED. The name on the ticket must match the ID of the person picking up the bottle. Ticket name changes are not allowed. Ticket holders must be 21+ years of age with a valid I.D. and make payment for the bottle by credit card only.

[Achilleaze]

87. Truffles and Caviar

Republican bilionaires report that they are having a deuce of a time keeping themselves supplied with truffles, caviar, and champagne.

[Autumn]

88. Folgers Simply Smooth coffee. Have had to order it from Amazon for the last year.

Chicken wings and smoked ham hocks. No where to be found.

[mvd]

91. Definitely half and half

Cheese (particularly my Polly O string cheese), sometimes Starbucks iced coffee, ice cream, sometimes Deer Park water. Paper products running lower lately.

[Grasswire2]

92. Kitty litter -- shelves empty except for the MOST expensive fancy kind.

This has been going on for some weeks now.

My kitteh doesn't like clumpable, fancy scented litter.

[XanaDUer2]

97. Oh no! Nt

[iemanja]

93. saltines

They are out everywhere I've looked, including two grocery stores and Amazon Fresh.

[Grasswire2]

103. how bizarre

Did you try finding oyster crackers?
Same ingredients. Different uses perhaps.

[iemanja]

105. Not on Amazon Fresh

My brother looked at the grocery store for saltines for me because I've been quite sick. He didn't mention oyster crackers. Still, they aren't the same experience as saltines.

[Totally Tunsie]

110. Our local news ran a report last night about shortages

and saltines was one of the items that was found to be missing in many stores!

[rictofen]

111. Same here

All Walmarts within 15 miles are out of saltines. I had to get Great Value "Thin Wheat" crackers, not to be confused with Wheat Thins.

[mainer]

94. Bone-in chicken breasts and thighs

All I can find are skinless, boneless breasts. And those pickings are slim.

[XanaDUer2]

96. Catfoos, cream cheese, generic butter

Half and half, regular milk, baked potato chips

[highplainsdem]

98. Trident gum in cinnamon flavor, which I sometimes have after a meal when I'm wishing I had

dessert. The cinnamon flavor seems to trick my taste buds. All the other flavors are available, but I haven't been able to find cinnamon flavor for a few weeks.

[DemocraticPatriot]

102. Cheap green teabags and flap sandwich bags were not to be found

at the places where I shop in Lansing Michigan for a couple months... but have finally shown up again.


store brand "big K" diet Kroger sodas are slow to restock.

[LNM]

106. Brown paper lunch bags.

Our local grocery store has been out for months.

[W_HAMILTON]

107. Haven't had any problems finding anything I wanted.

[AwakeAtLast]

108. Lots of soda

My husband likes Mt. Dew Zero, and it is very hard to find. When I'm looking, I notice that lots of other soda is gone, too. Empty shelves almost every time.

[gldstwmn]

109. Johnson and Johnson mint woven dental floss.

floss. Since the beginning of the pandemic.