People not finding things in stores - where are you located?

[tenderfoot]

Personally, I haven't had an issue finding items I need. I'm in a large city and have three grocery stores within walking distance. There are a few items I'd like to get that are currently unavailable but they're too frivolous to lose sleep over. I am very fortunate.

Where are you seeing shortages? Rural areas? Cities? Which states?

[left-of-center2012]

1. No shortages here in Albuquerque

Nor at my online merchants

[brer cat]

2. Rural north GA mountains.

[Freddie]

3. Philly burbs

A couple items I like not on the shelves, but nothing major. I noticed there was a lot of empty spots in the canned cat food section at Giant. I get my boys’ food from Chewy which has been no problem so far, but I hope the empty shelves at Giant are not a portent.

[Tree-Hugger]

12. PetSmart

PetSmart has also been well-stocked. Giant, Wegmans, Target, and Walmart have struggled with canned cat food for months, but I haven't had issues finding it at PetSmart. Philly burbs here, too.

[dewsgirl]

18. I went to Walmart in Seneca Falls, NY. They didn't

have any of the dog treats we buy.
But I happened to noticed the next aisle over, with virtually empty shelves on both sides. I then checked out what was supposed to be there, cat food, treats, litter, almost everything. There were cat toys.
It made me feel for cat owners.
Also in this area, they have a limit of 2 toilet paper rolls, before they did that, the aisle was completely emptied like a couple months ago. I'm happy they reinstituted that policy.

[Tree-Hugger]

38. It seems cat food is more affected

I think there are pet food shortages overall, but the cat industry is the most affected.

Thankfully, my cats' treats have been ok. They'd stage a mutiny without their Greenies.

[dewsgirl]

43. I'm baffled by that, I know it's a bad thing, but why not dog food too.

It's weird that it's only cats. I've noticed this over the last couple years often.

[luvs2sing]

4. Columbus, Ohio

No shortages for the last couple of months. There was one week in early November when one grocery store had no frozen vegetables, but that was corrected the next week.

[JustAnotherGen]

5. Grasswire2

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=16221069

Good thread

[tenderfoot]

7. Yes. This was a follow up question I wanted to ask.

I should have included your OP.

[Pachamama]

6. The irony is that most people have all they need and don't realize it

I am not missing anything. Have all essentials. And if something isn’t available, then I wait till it is or look for something else.

[Horse with no Name]

15. Same

There are very few things I am not willing to compromise lol

[Pachamama]

17. Coffee....

That’s where I draw the line….

[Demsrule86]

24. I have an all in one espresso manchine (coffee fanatic) so I order my whole beans from

amazon. I have to use non-oily beans to protect my machine. I have had no issues.

[Horse with no Name]

31. Diet Dr. Pepper

Everything else? I am flexible haha

[Demsrule86]

25. That is it...I have lived in small towns pre-Amazon where you just couldn't get some things...

we made do with what we had and maybe once a month traveled to a larger grocery store in order to buy things that were unavailable in our immediate area.

[global1]

8. I'm Finding Out That All Kinds Of Businesses Are Using Covid As The Reason For....

lack of product on their shelves and for raising prices.

I wonder how much of this is really a factor - Or - how many are using this as an excuse to make some extra dollars on the backs of this pandemic.

Are they being 'opportunists' here? Is there price-gouging going on?

[tenderfoot]

10. I think there's a lot of price gouging/intentional shortages going on.

I can't provide proof but I think it's happening.

[Horse with no Name]

16. As well as moving stock that doesn't sell

Lots of opportunists here

[Tree-Hugger]

9. Not much here

Most things have been in stock. The only consistent shortage has been cat food. It is typically low stock in grocery stores, Target, Walmart, but PetSmart has had a fairly good/normal supply.

ETA: Philly burbs

[Binkie The Clown]

11. Eugene, OR. Haven't noticed any shortages. nt

[bamagal62]

13. I'm in Chicago.

The only thing I ever have trouble with is pet food and pet supplies. My cat litter was out of stock this week. Hopefully they’ll get more today. Otherwise, not sure what to use! Cats are weird about their litter.

[OhZone]

14. Central Jersey near Seaside - Haven't seen too many shortages BUT -

Shop Rite seemed a little picked over ahead of the winter storm yesterday, and my friend is complaining that HER ShopRite in Waretown has been terrible since it changed to a new owner.

Oh, well, need to check Aldi's and Lidl's!

[Demsrule86]

21. When we have storm warning here in Ohio...good luck finding bread, milk and bottled water...

Thus it is not surprising that people stock up when facing a potential weather emergency...it happens everywhere and has nothing to do with shortages...Biden nipped that in the bud by his executive order taxing containers on ships...very clever.

[Demsrule86]

19. I live in Ohio and there are no shortages here either.

Gas is down, the economy is booming and wages have doubled...entry-level factory workers can expect
$18.00 to 21.00 per hour with benefits. Retail workers are paid about $15.00 per hour and are demanding and getting full-time hours. I don't understand all the negativity. Pre-pandemic, sometimes you went to the store and they were out of something....just in time sucks.

[Torchlight]

20. I've been finding everything we want to buy in north Texas

The last quote-unquote shortage I remember in the metroplex was the weird run on toilet paper by run of the mill nutters and daft preppers in spring of 2020

[ProfessorGAC]

22. No Issues Here

Southern fringes of Chicagoland.
I’ll see a shelf empty one day, but completely stocked a couple days later. For all I know there was a loss leader sale on those goods and they ran dry for a day.
But, no consistent or persistent issues.

[Mary in S. Carolina]

23. I hear Invermectin is hard to find

other than that, everything is good in SC.

[Busterscruggs]

26. Our shelves

Suddenly became totally stocked after Trump left office. It's amazing what happens when competent people are in charge

[AngryOldDem]

27. Indianapolis area.

Cereal aisle at the Kroger I go to was almost bare of all brands, which was what I had stopped in to get. Some boxes were so beat to shit to the point that they were open. I was kind of shocked, actually. It’s been awhile since I’ve seen such empty shelves.

I need to make a big grocery run this weekend — who knows what I’ll find.

[moonscape]

28. Early in the pandemic I panicked a lot

because I felt so dependent on my wants: heavy cream in coffee, thick rib-eye, a certain exact ice cream, and who knows what else, but pampered stuff. Now, I’m drinking my coffee black and have 20 lbs of green beans for roasting so am good. I’ve stopped eating any packaged food and eat basically 1-2 meals a day consisting of a protein and veggies. Not as worried about beef now, though I would miss it!, because I can go to the harbor and buy fresh catch from the day before or that morning, then to the open veggie market to get whatever they have. It is so freeing! No more brand freak-outs!

[Thomas Hurt]

29. Not an issue in the grocery stores, best buy or target here in central TX.

[SWBTATTReg]

30. I think perhaps the 'shortages' and / or 'lack of workers' is solely only in the minds of

republican bootlickers and their 1% backers, because they don't want to pay living wages.

I haven't really seen any shortages other than running into Walgreen's the other day, and noticing a distinct lack of cough medicines etc., among other things (the selection was rather limited, but this could be in my mind), but I still was able to get my choice of cough syrup that I wanted (daytime), and my off the shelf inhaler too.

My SO went to the grocery store and bought home a nice selection of fruits (looked really good too), sliced smoked turkey (a good price), deviled egg potato salad, and other things, and said that they were no crowds or anything like that (no panicked mobs buying everything in sight).

I'm in urban STLMO. If anything, the only drawback I'm facing is that it's cold!!!!

[Bev54]

32. I live in Canada and we are not seeing shortages, some things they are out of

but that was the same before the pandemic, I think many of the stores do not do well managing inventory.

[Hortensis]

33. Before the pandemic, chain supermarkets here in Georgia US

handled inventory very well, just-in-time inventory too, very little reserve meaning whole supermarkets had to keep many thousands of items constantly replenished. Very impressive, considering.

With the pandemic, there have been varying amounts of empty shelving. I first assumed it was due to disruptions in production, but apparently stores were narrowing down the variety of choices deliberately as part of dealing with it.

Nevertheless, as with you, "plenty" continues.

[Retrograde]

34. I had problems finding things in CostCo last week

but then that particular store likes to re-arrange its stock every few months. Eventually found everything on my list except ramen.

[sarcasmo]

35. Wisconsin and everything on my grocery delivery order was filled.

[sanatanadharma]

36. The shortages I see are of a different nature in Uruguay

Not finding what one seeks on the shelves is not an unknown experience in Uruguay.
The missing item may be due to a work stoppage, a not infrequent 'paro'.
The item may truly be in short supply until a container arrives, or the Argentinian economy improves.
Work free days are more frequent than in the states.

At this time of the year, one item that I like (a box of 12 cookie-dulce de leche-chocolate sweets) is unavailable for weeks.
The producer shuts down for 2-week vacation.
Later, they didn't make that this week.
Then, the delivery man is on 'licencia' (short vacation).
What now! The local market has closed because it is the season.
"Yes, the delivery came but they forgot that item."
"Have you tried the other side of town?"

On the flip side, the US dollar is strong, vegetables are cheap, beer is here, good bread is close-by (everything is in the city).
We have found a source for tofu (today the store was out); I was even able to score Canadian Maple syrup, a rare item here.
Some items in the world's first legal cannabis country, like an herb vaporizer, are pure unobtanium.

Lots of coke, and Pepsi

[Midnight Writer]

37. No big shortages here in downstate IL, far as I can tell. Never was.

Pet foods are out in some particular brand and flavor, but plenty of alternatives.

Some candy brands are sparse.

Beef prices are up, but plenty is available.

[Meowmee]

39. I listed this on another thread

We are having numerous shortages here, NY. Some still since and which started from the beginning of it all. Juice paks, almost none anywhere and not my fav brand, these are a medical item for me and having the specific one especially or any is a necessity. Canned cat food, again a necessity for a recently rescued guy who is sick and needs certain brands and my guys who can only eat one brand or they get runs, but I make home cooked food for them also. But early on it was hard to get the chicken. They all have runs and digestive issues. You also can’t rapidly switch most cat’s food because it can cause runs.

The apples here are mostly rotten or go bad quickly except for green apples which I can’t eat myself. I have to carefully pick them and if they go bad or are already rotten I return them. It seems they are not being stored properly in shipping etc. it really seems like they keep the same rotten ones out forever. A lot of stores have had a tendency to put berries on sale when they are going bad or already are and have done it long before the pandemic. I am not sure what is up with the apples. Overall they do a terrible job on produce and charge a fortune for it, but most will refund it.

Cream cheese recently. And yesterday there were long lines at two stores and recently rotisserie chicken is all gone. It may have been partly due to a snowstorm. I did not get ice melt in advance or a new shovel etc. all gone at costco. I know will be impossible to get the pet safe or prolly any ice melt now. They never seem to order enough of this type of thing in advance of possible storms and never limit it per customer prolly.

Sometimes it seems to be random what will be unavailable next but bare shelves at times has become the standard since the pandemic in a lot of stores.

Otc or any covid tests- NONE anywhere in spite of supposed aid. And price gauging is rampant, prices way up on many items. Gloves I used to buy at costco went from 19.99 for 400 to 29.99 now. I now order vinyl gloves from amazon, $35 for 1000. Tp and other paper supplies, and hand sanitizers etc are being rationed again.

[RobinA]

40. Lots Of Holes

in the shelves in my part of the Philly 'burbs. The thing that worries me is that it gradually seems to be getting worse.

[NowISeetheLight]

41. Here in SoCal

The only thing out of stock at the Walmart seems to be BAGS to put your stuff in. I went again today and there were no plastic bags at the checkouts. I have cloth bags I bring in anyway but most people don't. In California there is a state mandated $.10 a bag "fee" that the stores keep. I have noticed the bags are sturdier than the bags we had in South Carolina Walmart.

https://www.calrecycle.ca.gov/plastics/carryoutbags/faq

[Stinky The Clown]

42. Graham Crackers

Central Maryland

Not confined to one grocery chain. They are all out of them.