- @lovendures I am finding the same with banks and at times drug stores. There’s less people to staff them. We’ve had 2 appointments cancelled at our eye doctor due to the staff being in quarantine. Car service appointments were canceled. I’m in NJ and it seems every day someone else tests positive. I’m hoping we get through this spike in a few weeks. Oh cream cheese is hard to find. I still do online ordering so I’m not in the store much. Can’t wait for spring.
What are you guys noticing?
We used to have 4 branches (3 buildings and one grocery store) of one bank in our town. Pre-Covid, they closed two of those branches and left the grocery store branch and the primary building. Now the grocery store branch is gone. This bank (Huntington) however has done more than any other bank I've ever had to stay current and I can accomplish everything I need to go into a branch office for within the mobile app so it doesn't matter much to me.
As for grocery shortages - I primarily shop at Aldi and they stock only one or two brands of their groceries - I'm not certain if they're getting hit with shortages and hiding it with other boxes of other products or not, but everything I've wanted has been there. I haven't even noticed much of a difference in prices.
Okay, here are some shortages we are experiencing: concrete (for our son’s 1,000 sq.ft. remodel from hell-don’t ask); our new kn95 masks from Amazon are now officially presumed lost; no one can find at home Covid tests locally and our test order from Amazon is delayed; and I had a hard time tracking down ladyfingers for a Christmas tiramisu.
Other observations: there are staffing shortages everywhere and now many employees at out sick. I can only imagine how this is affecting the supply chain. Our local Post Office has limited hours-4 hours per day because of employees on sick leave.
Here’s an informal survey about shortages from Twitter. The comments are gold. https://twitter.com/tobymorton/status/1481496823093211144?s=21
I've been noticing produce either not on the shelves or old. Ironically, I live in Idaho and it's hard to find good potatoes! Stores are spreading out the bread aisles so they look fairly full, but when you take a close look there are fewer brands than normal, and white bread is far easier to find than whole wheat. I don't eat much meat at all but the meat cases seem to have less and less, not to mention the actual staffing in any store seems to be decreased, probably because under 50% of Idahoans are fully vaccinated.
@practicalnihilist In north FL we haven't had significant shortages of anything, at least not that I've noticed. I read your post about shopping at your local Publix this morning just before I went to Publix myself. So I made a point of checking out the banana and lettuce situation. There was plenty of both. And although there's supposed to be a potato shortage, potatoes of many varieties were abundant. I did notice a few vacant spots on the shelves--- for instance they were all out of Frosted Rice Krispies and a couple other types of sugared cereal, which I would never buy anyway). ANd the milk cooler had more empty space than usual but there was still a very good supply.
I don't know why the shortage situation isn't happening here when it's happening one state away. If I didn't know there were supposed to be shortages, I'd never know by just going to the grocery store. It's even possible to buy COVID tests.
Shortages!
They are back !
I recently saw a post on social media about shelves being bare again and with that a lot of decisiveness ensuing in the comment area. Many people blaming Biden for the problem.
Honestly, I have yet to see a time when shelves have been fully stocked since covid began. Especially in regular grocery stores. It has never been fully back to normal but it isn't as bad as it had been with the early Covid times and during those horrible container shipping issues times. Perhaps where I shop mostly, stores are just managing better? ( That would be Sprouts and Trader Joes. Maybe it is a regional thing?
I do expect it to get worse with container issues in China currently causing huge delays due to lockdowns again and of course dramatic fuel increases and such. High prices are going to continue to be a big issue. This isn't a U.S. thing, it is a global thing.
We have China issues, gas issues and Ukraine/Russia issues which are driving the shortages and high prices.
Mean wheat, corn, sunflower, grains and barley are going to become higher priced and harder to find globally because of the Ukraine war. That would also mean animals which consume grains are going to cost much more to feed, especially since wheat prices have gone up I the U.S. because of drought in the U.S. plains.
Additionally, palm oil shipments out of Indonesia have been banned which means many other food items are going to be effected as well. With palm oil think bread, ice cream, chocolate, crackers and cookies.
The positive news is that in the U.S., there will not be a true food shortage. There will likely be things that are high priced and appear less on the shelves, but there will be alternatives as well. Other countries may face true shortages.
I believe we all will need to adjust our reality to what is normal regarding food and supplies right. now. Covid shortages may have been a warm up to how life will be in the foreseeable future. Plan ahead when you can and shift your thoughts on meal planning in general. Find alternatives when possible. Be creative when you can also.
Lastly, gratitude may go a long way in how we maneuver through a changed word. Have food to eat? Be grateful. Cook what you actually want to eat? That is an added bonus. Able to prepare a delicious meal with exciting ingredients? That is a beautiful blessing. The more you count your blessings, the more blessed your life becomes right?
I am stating this mostly for my own benefit and as reminder to myself to keep this mindset front and center. The more often I can approach food and needed/wanted supplies like this in general, the better for my mental health and daily well-being. If it also helps any of you, that is an additional blessing.
https://www.eatthis.com/news-grocery-shortages-that-could-happen-this-summer/
@lovendures the shortages that concern me the most are the ones of cat food (7 cats... they keep showing up here in need) and dog food not so worrisome I have to cook for my 17 year old pup. Then there's the 2 goats. With grain shortages less ingredients to make their food. I garden and forage to feed us hoomans, and stores of dried beans and rice and freeze dried veggies and flour etc.... we'll do ok. But .. yeah... can't run out of cat food!!!
No, cat food is very important for cat owners as dog food would be for dog owners.
Goats eat just about anything right? But what type of feed to they consume if not foraging in a hillside clearing brush which I hear helps drought stricken states clear dry brush.
@journeywithme2 Interesting that you mention this, because for the last six months or so, we've had a lot of difficulty getting the wet cat food we normally buy. It's even out of stock on Amazon a lot of times, or is delayed in shipping. I still haven't figured out the logic of that.