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Thread: stuff not in stores lately??

  1. #1
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    stuff not in stores lately??

    Such odd things that are not available in stores right now. After the obvious like toilet paper, I can't find dental floss, soy sauce, laundry detergent, sugar, water filters, cat litter, flour, baking powder and quite a few other things. I kind of wonder too about all the products that were made in China and how that has slowed the supply chain down. Trying to buy a Brita water pitcher and there are none to be found...perhaps they are made in China.

  2. #2
    Yppej
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    My biggest surprise was eggplant. It spoils, you can't stockpile it.

  3. #3
    Senior Member SteveinMN's Avatar
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    Pumpkin seeds, in the shell. Love 'em as a snack. I'll have to ration the ones I have now; two stores were completely empty (!).
    Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome. - Booker T. Washington

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    I went to the store on Monday. My state is on essential business only. There were many empty shelves, but I got everything on my list including flour - except I had to pick a different flavor of juice. It is being driven home to me that I do not eat a typical American diet.


    Tuesday I will go to the feed store. I already called the manager. My order will come in on Monday night’s truck and he will set it aside for me - pull up, pay, load. Then I think I will stay home until April 27. Dh will have to go out a few times before that and will probably get whatever fresh fruits and veggies are available. He is on the shift that is allowed in the office on weekdays from the 6th to the 17th.

    you can pickle eggplant or make babaganoush (sp?) and freeze it.

  5. #5
    Senior Member Rogar's Avatar
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    I've been wondering if anyone has shopped during the special early senior hours that some have advertised, and if the stores have had a chance to restock overnight and better selections? I made the mistake of shopping early last Monday and things were well picked over after the weekend. I'll need to go out again in another week or so.

    I read that hair colorant was very popular.

  6. #6
    Senior Member Teacher Terry's Avatar
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    I read that senior hours are packed with people. We haven’t had trouble getting what we want. I am going to embrace my white hair until my hairdresser opens up.

  7. #7
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    Hoarding here has been happening for nearly 3 weeks. Today a few stores were mostly normalized (excepting the TP/Sanitizer etc) so food I guess (according to my community FB group).

    It's such a stupid thing. If everyone shopped like normal there would be NO problems.

    Curious why a Brita suddenly?

  8. #8
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    I am encouraging everyone to buy a CSA share ASAP before they are gone. Our CSA is going to start us 2 weeks early without an increase in cost. Likely d/t Farmer's Market opening delayed.

    I cannot wait for freshies

  9. #9
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    I understand that food supply in the USA is generally adequate now, but there are risks on the horizon.

    1. Migrant farm labor on H-2A visas (250,000 came from Mexico in 2019). The US Embassy in Mexico has suspended nonemergency visa applications. Those who had H-2A visas last year and are willing and able to return to the USA for another season presumably will not need to go through the application process. It is difficult to predict how healthy the migrant farm laborers will be when they are most needed. Typically while they are in the US, they live and travel in close proximity, so there would be a risk of virus transmission among them.

    2. Meat and poultry processing plant workers typically do their jobs in close proximity.

    3. Truck drivers, especially long-haul, could become scarce.

    Locally I have noticed a lack of milk (one trip 2 weeks ago) and yeast (one trip 1 week ago). But in my county there are zero cases of COVID-19, and in only 2 of the 8 adjacent counties is there 1 or 2 cases. I imagine shortages in stores could be a problem ln more densely populated areas. There are only 2 stop-and-go lights in the entirety of Price Co.

  10. #10
    Senior Member SteveinMN's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Gardnr View Post
    It's such a stupid thing. If everyone shopped like normal there would be NO problems.
    Please define "normal". Certainly we've all seen reports about people buying shopping carts full of toilet paper and cases of hand sanitizer. That's not normal (at least not around here).

    But normal for me, before March, was to shop for groceries at least twice a week. I never had much in "inventory" in the house -- unless we're talking about a full freezer or stocking up on a favored brand of non-perishables when they're on sale -- because we just don't go through it that quickly and it has been easy enough to get more when we ran out.

    Fast forward. We are now being urged to make only necessary trips. When I get to the grocery store, I'd like to shop for a couple of weeks and not be among lots of people twice a week. So instead of buying my regular dozen eggs a week, I want to buy two dozen. Only it's been a couple of weeks since this all started and stores either don't have eggs at all or are limiting their purchase to one or two dozen. So when I see a place that has eggs, now I want to buy three dozen because who knows when I'll be able to buy more? They'll keep before we eat them all. Maybe if there was a sign at the point of sale stating that the display case would be full next week I would decide to chance another outing. Otherwise, though, I'm going to try to buy what I will reasonably use in as few trips as I can.

    I don't think this is an extreme example. tbh I fully expect that, as the reach of COVID-19 expands, we will see supply-chain disruptions (at least) this summer. Farmers will get sick and not farm. Processors will run shorthanded because employees are being treated for the illness or in quarantine. Truckers can catch COVID-19 as well. This country does not run so overstaffed that someone else can just step into someone else's role as though nothing happened. And, yes, I could eat things other than eggs (I've already switched to one egg and something else for breakfast because "something else" -- so far -- is readily available). But you can fill in the blank: eggs, bananas, flour, pet food, ... It's not normal for me to walk into a grocery store and buy three dozen eggs. But these are not normal times.

    ETA just saw dado's post. *nods*
    Last edited by SteveinMN; 3-29-20 at 10:38am. Reason: dado potato content
    Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome. - Booker T. Washington

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