Are you seeing empty supermarket shelves where you live?

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ex-khobar Andy
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Are you seeing empty supermarket shelves where you live?

Post by ex-khobar Andy »

Daily Mail (yes, yes, I know) is telling us that "'It's like a Soviet store during 1981': Grocery stores across the US have empty shelves as supply chain crisis and COVID combine to make basics like milk, bread, meat, canned soups and cleaning products hard to find."

In the last three days I've been to my local Meijer and Trader Joe's. TJ's is always a bit short of fresh veg on Sundays because they don't deliver on that day but they are back to normal by Monday afternoon. No shortages that I could see. I will take a look at my local Kroger tomorrow. Cat food is in short supply, at least the cheap stuff but my guys are not complaining or showing signs of losing weight.

What is happening where you live?
Last edited by ex-khobar Andy on Wed Jan 12, 2022 12:47 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Crackpot
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Re: Are you seeing empty supermarket shelves whee you live?

Post by Crackpot »

I've seen posts that Kroger(s) is a bit sparse but I personally haven't experienced anything unless you cut an intermittent outage of the beef sticks I like at CVS. But to be hon eat I tend to see that as a b Lessing as I don't need them.
Okay... There's all kinds of things wrong with what you just said.

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BoSoxGal
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Re: Are you seeing empty supermarket shelves whee you live?

Post by BoSoxGal »

I went to my neighborhood Hannaford last week. It was busy because snow was predicted the next day, but the store looked like halfway to Soviet Union. Meat cases half empty, almost no chicken, corned beef is up to $10/lb used to be reliably around $3/lb except when they jacked the price at St. Patrick’s Day but ham is still cheap can anyone explain that? And for the third month in a row the entire cream/creamer section of the dairy case was EMPTY.

Lots of boxed processed crap available but some gaps there too, pasta seems to be hard to keep in stock why pasta?

The produce section looked a little thinner than usual.

I had wanted to make a butter chicken curry but no cream, no chicken thighs. Thankfully grabbed the last two packages of chicken quarters so I could feed my dog for 8 days but I have to venture back tomorrow in search of the things that were out of stock. Definitely Hannaford is having issues with supply chain I don’t know if other grocery stores in my area are as well, I will have to start looking around if I can’t get what I need there.

My biggest issue with the stock problems is that I don’t want to go to the grocery store more than 2-3 times/month, it’s my biggest exposure risk because so many idiots are unmasked now like 3/4. I’m wearing N95 but still, don’t want to be where dozens and dozens and dozens of people are running around breathing hard and grabbing groceries. So when I go and can’t get what I need I’m troubled.

And frankly I think the escalating grocery prices are nothing more than pandemic profiteering made possible by the stranglehold of big agriculture. My old Senator Jon Tester was on the news the other night explaining this and I do believe he’s spot on. The big Ag companies are squeezing the farmer and ranchers and squeezing the customers too, and stomping on the poor brown folks who work the fields and meat packing plants as well. I’m angry.
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Jarlaxle
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Re: Are you seeing empty supermarket shelves whee you live?

Post by Jarlaxle »

Stop and Shop offers grocery delivery. They and Wal-Mart offer curbside service.

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BoSoxGal
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Re: Are you seeing empty supermarket shelves whee you live?

Post by BoSoxGal »

Yes Hannaford does too. That doesn’t help with items being out of stock. I much prefer to choose my own groceries - I’m one of those who reaches in the back for the freshest cream and the freshest bread and picks over the produce for the best looking onions that aren’t already going soft, and opens the egg carton to tilt every egg to make sure none are broken and stuck to the carton. Given what I’ve seen of the average grocery store employee’s ability to properly bag groceries, I’d prefer not to leave the choosing of my food items up to them.

Normally I shop in the last hour before the store closes, when the traffic has died way down. I had to go after work the other night and snow was in the forecast so you know how that is Jarl - everyone has to go out and fill a cart with tons of food when in reality all they really need is milk and Allen’s coffee brandy. ;)

https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/11/business ... index.html
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BoSoxGal
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Re: Are you seeing empty supermarket shelves whee you live?

Post by BoSoxGal »

I do use curbside at Walmart when I go there for distilled water, vinegar (for laundry and cleaning) and sardines (for my dog).
For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.
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Gob
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Re: Are you seeing empty supermarket shelves whee you live?

Post by Gob »

A load of old bollocks from the Mail as usual. Shelves here are fully stocked.
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Guinevere
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Re: Are you seeing empty supermarket shelves whee you live?

Post by Guinevere »

I haven’t seen any issues, but there are a wealth of stores within 10 minutes of my house (2 Stop & Shops), Shaws, Trader Joe’s, Fresh Market, Whole Foods, and two small local chains, one in my town and one in the next). Most of them have delivery or curbside, which I have used long before the pandemic - with my schedule (lots of night meetings) grocery shopping is something I have little time or patience for). I’ve had no issues getting anything I want or need. Cat food comes every 3 weeks by the case, from Amazon.

BSG - try coconut milk instead of cream in your butter chicken. I prefer it, and it’s better for you (still use butter tho).
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Econoline
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Re: Are you seeing empty supermarket shelves whee you live?

Post by Econoline »

Gob wrote:
Wed Jan 12, 2022 7:23 am
A load of old bollocks from the Mail as usual. Shelves here are fully stocked.
No shortages here in north central Illinois, and I haven't seen anyone from the Daily Mail around here checking up on their story.
BoSoxGal wrote:
Wed Jan 12, 2022 4:04 am
I much prefer to choose my own groceries - I’m one of those who reaches in the back for the freshest cream and the freshest bread and picks over the produce for the best looking onions that aren’t already going soft, and opens the egg carton to tilt every egg to make sure none are broken and stuck to the carton.
Yes! Exactly! Me too!
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Jarlaxle
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Re: Are you seeing empty supermarket shelves where you live?

Post by Jarlaxle »

Not exactly empty, but I HAVE seen a number of empty shelves in Massachusetts. Some things just aren't available. (My mother can't get the special-formula canned cat food she usually buys for her elderly Maine Coon Cat.)

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BoSoxGal
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Re: Are you seeing empty supermarket shelves whee you live?

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Guinevere wrote:
Wed Jan 12, 2022 8:23 am
BSG - try coconut milk instead of cream in your butter chicken. I prefer it, and it’s better for you (still use butter tho).
I have made some curries coconut milk based - they tasted okay, but I always had frustrating issues with separation that I didn’t have with heavy cream, which is why I’ve been using the latter exclusively for about a year now in my curries.

The amount I use in a large batch of curry that makes 8-10 servings depending is two cups, so whilst it has the saturated fat it ends up being well within my calories and macros and is very satiating.

I (like you, I believe) am limiting my carbohydrate intake for better insulin regulation and weight loss, so having to learn to love curry over riced cauliflower or green beans or shredded lettuce instead of glorious basmati rice - I must have my cream!

It is a good reminder that when in a terrible pinch at the market, there is another way.
For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.
~ Carl Sagan

MGMcAnick
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Re: Are you seeing empty supermarket shelves where you live?

Post by MGMcAnick »

I've seen some shortages, mostly of things I don't buy like lunch meats. Chicken weeks ago. Beef prices have gotten ridiculous. A couple of times I've bought brands I wouldn't normally get as my favorite was out of stock. Mrs Mc ordered extra cat and dog food from Chewy (Is Amazon cheaper?) in anticipation of a supposed shortage. We'll see.
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ex-khobar Andy
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Re: Are you seeing empty supermarket shelves whee you live?

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BoSoxGal wrote:
Wed Jan 12, 2022 6:33 pm

I (like you, I believe) . . .
Aw shucks, BSG - that's maybe the nicest thing you've ever said about us. Thank you. We like you too, we believe.

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Joe Guy
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Re: Are you seeing empty supermarket shelves where you live?

Post by Joe Guy »

No grocery shortages around here at stores I've shopped on the SF Peninsula. Most prices have increased quite a bit though. It must be that communist Joe Biden or his co-conspirator Gavin Newsom's fault.

ex-khobar Andy
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Re: Are you seeing empty supermarket shelves where you live?

Post by ex-khobar Andy »

Was in Kroger today and the shelves seemed full as normal - the odd empty spot but no more than usual.

There were a few flavors missing in the Progresso soup shelf area, but I put this down to the fact that they were doing a 'Buy 10 and get them for $0.99 each' thing instead of the usual $2.29. I had taken the last five of the Tomato Basil (it's winter; we probably have two or three cans a week for a quick warm up and lunch) and was looking for more. There was a nearby shelf stocking person so I asked her if they had any more. 'Sorry that's all we have. It's due to the shortage of aluminum for the cans.' And yes, that's what they told me about the Friskies cat food some weeks ago.

Except that I didn't think that the Progresso cans were aluminum. I checked when I got them home. (I'd filled my 10x quota with Green Pea and Ham which is tolerable.). Sure enough a fridge magnet told me that the Progresso cans were steel and the Friskies were aluminum. I can't help it - I'm a scientist - it's what we do.

And yes, there were no Friskies at Kroger. I stopped at my local Feeders Supply which is KY IN OH chain of pet food places which is off my beaten track. And they had shelves and shelves of Friskies - what's more at $0.04 cheaper than Kroger. So how come the aluminum shortage does not appear to have affected them?

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Re: Are you seeing empty supermarket shelves where you live?

Post by MajGenl.Meade »

No, because I live in a house
:shrug
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Re: Are you seeing empty supermarket shelves where you live?

Post by MGMcAnick »

I don't normally shop on Thursday evenings, but we were out of milk so I went with our weekly list. Having posted on this subject above, I'd like to add that the store was out of 5-pound bags of sugar and butter flavored Crisco. They had 10-pound bags, and regular shortening, but I'll wait. Darn, I was in the mood to make cookies.

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Gob
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Re: Are you seeing empty supermarket shelves where you live?

Post by Gob »

"butter flavored Crisco"

What in the name of all that is holy is this?
“If you trust in yourself, and believe in your dreams, and follow your star. . . you'll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things and weren't so lazy.”

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BoSoxGal
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Re: Are you seeing empty supermarket shelves where you live?

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Gob wrote:
Fri Jan 14, 2022 11:07 am
"butter flavored Crisco"

What in the name of all that is holy is this?
Crisco is an all-vegetable shortening that was introduced to the American market in the 1910s as a healthier replacement for lard in cooking. In the 1990s the Center for Science in the Public Interest petitioned the government (FDA) to demand it require food manufacturers remove artificial trans fats from food as they had been found to be a much more deadly in terms of inducing heart disease than the saturated fats they’d been intended to replace.

Lard = saturated fat, Crisco = trans fat, butter flavor Crisco = even more trans fat

Apparently in recent years Crisco has tweaked the recipe to remove most of the trans fat enough to get the label trans fat free even though, in fact, it still has trans fat in it. The butter flavor is a result of ‘natural and artificial flavors’- FDA doesn’t require ‘flavor’ or ‘fragrance’ to be revealed in detail on labeling here, so who knows what it’s made of, but it’s not actual butter.

I haven’t used the stuff in years because I chucked the margarine and Crisco (both were ubiquitous in my house growing up) in the mid 90s and embraced butter and yes, sometimes also lard. My grandmothers cooked with both and reached their mid 90s ,so I’m willing to take the chance on saturated animal fats in moderation as part of a healthy diet.

Nevertheless Crisco is a staple in many American households. Is it not sold in the UK?

Google tells me over there the brands you might know are Trex, Flora White or Cookeen. That’s Crisco.
For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.
~ Carl Sagan

MGMcAnick
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Re: Are you seeing empty supermarket shelves where you live?

Post by MGMcAnick »

And here crisco.com shows the butter flavored variety I bake with. https://crisco.com/shortening/
I do however use real butter in my bread and roll recipes. I also use butter flavored popcorn salt, brand name Flavacol, but not enough to turn my whole wheat bread yellow.
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