What Shortages are You Seeing?

[Neb]

Walmart had it in cloth sacks. I never saw that before.

What is "it" ?

Ben

 

[Amish Heart]

I've seen flour in cloth sacks at the Kroger Store, I think it's a bluebird brand.

 

[user 2656]

Walmart in the tourist town not too far from us was really showing gaps in every aisle. Stockers in every aisle but for example (I buy for a church food pantry so know these items well) NO DEVILED HAM, DEVILED CHICKEN (unheard of to be out) no VIenna sausages, very few cans of chicken in the smaller cans (cheaper so popular) soups were low, whole sections of the bread aisle was empty.
Each aisle had huge missing item gaps and THE STOCKERS were only refilling stuff that was on the shelves so not much needed.

This was today (Wednesday) and this Walmart heavily stocks on M,T Th and Sat. due to tourists.
Lots is amiss with the missing food items.

 

[Magus]

What is "it" ?

Ben

Sugar.

 

[Magpie]

True, but according to Magpie this time around it is because of a hot dry summer. Stuff happens. Unfortunately, a lot of problems are happening to crops this year. Also there are many fires, etc. with food warehouses and factories.

Yes, it's the UK - England and Wales suffering this time, not Ireland to my knowledge. We had rain even with the heat.

I want to also give a short note on history because it's a bug of mine that history is not taught correctly.
Ireland's potato crop failed because of blight - but there were other crops that could have been dispersed. Unfortunately, Britain ruled Ireland and crops were sold / shipped out, this is what caused starvation.
However, the blight also caused famine in Europe, (this is not taught in schools) because it affected all root crops, turnip, swede etc. Belgium was particularly affected.
The problem was compounded by Ireland's population being incredibly high and suffering two incredibly harsh winters between 1845- 1850. This famine is focused on, but Ireland had suffered various famines before, no more than many other countries. This one just gets focused on.

@Amish Heart s comment on no sugar is disturbing, I'm wondering how the Australian crop is this year? maybe @Tank-Girl would know? We used to visit the sugarcane farms as kids.

 

[Amish Heart]

Don't be too disturbed, they'll have sugar again, and other stores do have sugar, and I don't even need sugar, but I do buy two 4 lb bags each week because I can. The empty pallet was surprising.
But how our Aldi does it....they are out, and they'll have a little bit in next week, but the price will go up by alot. They did this with oatmeal, and the tag is still half there with the old price on it, next to the new a dollar higher price. They have done it with cheese. Yesterday was very, very low on cheese, and a few weeks ago there was no cheese at all. Cheese went from $1.69 a block to $1.99 a block. I am waiting for a hit on oil. And why so much ghee in the store (3 different brands), and it's about $10 a small jar. My gripe on butter. Was $1.29 on sale last holiday season. Now $3.89. That is too much. I recently watched an Apalatchia Homestead (Patera) and she was going off on the Aldi brand samoa type cookies....used to be 89 cents. I remember because I'd buy them at that, and the peanut butter patties ones. They are $1.99 now.

 

[sonya123]

every time I go shopping anywhere, prices have gone up since last time I went
flour at the Amish store when from $17 just last year to first $23, then $27 and yesterday it was $32
Butter even at Aldi is now almost $4
No large containers of oatmeal at Walmart or Aldi and I was so shocked about the flour prices ( and only a few bags there , usually they have a pallet full) I forgot to look for oatmeal at the Amish store

 

[bkt]

Yes, it's the UK - England and Wales suffering this time, not Ireland to my knowledge. We had rain even with the heat.

I want to also give a short note on history because it's a bug of mine that history is not taught correctly.
Ireland's potato crop failed because of blight - but there were other crops that could have been dispersed. Unfortunately, Britain ruled Ireland and crops were sold / shipped out, this is what caused starvation.
However, the blight also caused famine in Europe, (this is not taught in schools) because it affected all root crops, turnip, swede etc. Belgium was particularly affected.
The problem was compounded by Ireland's population being incredibly high and suffering two incredibly harsh winters between 1845- 1850. This famine is focused on, but Ireland had suffered various famines before, no more than many other countries. This one just gets focused on.

@Amish Heart s comment on no sugar is disturbing, I'm wondering how the Australian crop is this year? maybe @Tank-Girl would know? We used to visit the sugarcane farms as kids.

I always learned about the Hunger, not the "potato famine". The Brits ate while the Irish starved.

 

[joel]

The big problem was the Irish eat mostly white potatoes, it was compounded because it was one major variety. So grown & eat all you want, but do like Bacpacker & grow more than one variety.
It also may help to plant different plots/beds away from each other to stop the spread of pest & diseases.

​

I am speaking of going all your vegetables, that white & Sweet potatoes are great for winter use.
But white potatoes are stronger than the 1800, still plant more than one variety & do not plant them close to each other. We cannot stop the machine, we can drop out of it's path.

 

[angie_nrs]

I have looked at 2 local WM's here and neither of them have chicken breasts in the freezer bags (and haven't for a long time)....not 2.5, 5 or 10 pound bags. They have some thighs and wings, but no breasts. They have smaller Tyson bags of frozen breasts.....but I'm not buying Tyson brand.

Now, I'm looking into a more local option...it'll likely be more expensive, but I need chicken for my casseroles, soups, tacos, and such. I have canned chicken as a backup, but I do prefer 'real' chicken.

 

[Magus]

There wasn't a problem with chicken here until recently. fresh is available, processed is spotty.

 

[Magpie]

Daughter going back to college coupled with a larder cleaning meant I stopped into our largest supermarket around 5pm yesterday to buy some random items like chilli sauce and bread soda.
Alot of gaps in the grocery sections- and what had been restocked was with only one tray etc. It must be costing more to constantly deliver. I then popped into to Holland and Barret, which is a health food store- they are expensive but good sales. last week a huge bag of bran cost .16cents. Anyway, the shop girl said it was a nightmare getting stuff, mainly because of Brexit and the extra paperwork it entailed. But shortages of nitrogen were a big thing. Not as a product, but because it's used to produce a lot of other goods, such as weightlifters use. A first world problem! But if theres a shortage of nitrogen I wonder how farmers will manage next year?

 

[Magus]

They won't. they'll have to use organic or use potash based crops.

 

[sonya123]

I always learned about the Hunger, not the "potato famine". The Brits ate while the Irish starved.

those sorts of things don't need to happen now. If your potatoes start being diseased for whatever reason you can spray them with stuff how do you think large commercial growers do it?
lack of water, or too much is a bigger issue I would think

 

[UrbanHunter]

Did a grocery store run this morning, the holes were alarming, as you walk in the market there were empty displays, corn $1.25 an ear. There were so many empty isles (whole isles empty), chips were about 25% of usual, everything is down except they had bananas and onions.... The frozen sections were not much better maybe 75% stocked. The wife had asked for some sugar-free sherbet, good luck with that, no sherbet at all... They had some fresh fruit (my weakness) and some nice looking asparagus, something green for the wife. But overall it was a little alarming. I ended up getting 3 grocery bags and a 2# bag of red potatoes, total damage $203.... I didn't look in the flour or pasta isles so I can't report on that, but overall it did not fill me with confidence....

 

[ClemKadiddlehopper]

So far, no shortages up here, just insane prices. Alot of groceries are almost double what you all are quoting.

Example: butter is $7.00 a lb. Eggs are between
$5-8 /dozen. Potatoes are $8.50 for 5 lbs.

We have gone full circle on bags as well. We are back to paper bags, No more plastic.

 

[Magpie]

I always learned about the Hunger, not the "potato famine". The Brits ate while the Irish starved.

That's interesting 'The Hunger' or 'An Gorta Mor' in Irish - is predominantly only called that by the Irish- you have an Irish heritage perhaps?

 

[Magus]

The Brits were cold blooded back in those days. Not real sure they've grown out of it looking at "death panels."

 

[bkt]

That's interesting 'The Hunger' or 'An Gorta Mor' in Irish - is predominantly only called that by the Irish- you have an Irish heritage perhaps?

I certainly do: my dad's side is Irish.

The family moved over here very early - before our Revolutionary War and before The Hunger hit Ireland. Still, they knew about it and understood.

 

[jishinsjourney]

Had to go hunt up some allergy meds, hit a local Target, and their pharmacy section was wiped out. Hit a different Target and theirs was fine, and they’re within a ten minute drive of each other. Beats me. Things are just weird.

The farmer’s market is where I get a lot of our food, and that’s been well stocked. It’s never cheap unless you’re buying in bulk, and even then not always, but the prices haven’t gone up much, so that’s been nice.

 

[Magpie]

The Brits were cold blooded back in those days. Not real sure they've grown out of it looking at "death panels."

To be fair; it was a higher class of British - the ordinary folk suffered harsh treatment and lack of food. I lived there a while

 

[Magus]

Yeah, I mostly meant them. Makes me wonder if they're reptilian aliens after some of the crap they pull.

 

[Magus]

Come to think of it...I'm starting to think a lot of ours are too!

 

[Magpie]

I'm fascinated by how they colonized the world- especially when I read about Franklin/ Cook / other adventurers, who thought it was a good idea to bring silver cutlery, pianos and other niceties when searching for the NW passage or trekking through the Congo in search of the Nile

 

[sonya123]

I noticed something when we went shopping in the bigger city further away, noticed it before. The more rural and smaller the stores, the less well stocked they are. Everything was available at Sam's 2 hours away.
I wonder if they stock the bigger cities first and then rural areas get what's left.

 

[Tommyice]

I noticed something when we went shopping in the bigger city further away, noticed it before. The more rural and smaller the stores, the less well stocked they are. Everything was available at Sam's 2 hours away.
I wonder if they stock the bigger cities first and then rural areas get what's left.

They do stock the bigger cities first. It's a question of volume. You put more product at a location that sees 1000 purchasers an hour than you would at a location that sees much less traffic. It's just corporate economics.

A good example, the retail pharmacy I work at has two locations in our town that is 2 miles wide by 3 miles long and a population of around 16,000 +/- The other location is the newer one and takes up 1/2 the space a grocery store used to inhabit. They are at the end of town that is populated by three huge garden apartment complexes (built as "temporary" housing after WWII--they're still standing). The one I'm in is less than half the size of the other one. They receive much more product than us and a lot more variety in their front store. Our pharmacy is much busier than theirs and we receive much more variety in our prescription medications.

 

[Magus]

I'm fascinated by how they colonized the world- especially when I read about Franklin/ Cook / other adventurers, who thought it was a good idea to bring silver cutlery, pianos and other niceties when searching for the NW passage or trekking through the Congo in search of the Nile

You should have seen the mess me and my brother had as kids with our first overnight trip. we got dropped off, then our ride out flaked on us. we had no food, a 2 liter of Pepsi, a guitar, a boom box, three sleeping bags, a bedroll two guns, cooking gear and a cooler. (Our ride was supposed to have brought food back!) It acted like it was going to rain, so we hoofed it ten miles out carrying all that useless crap! When we passed by our "Buddy's" house, we found him hugged up on the couch drunk/stoned with some bar belle, so we dumped his share of the junk in the ditch in front of his house and let the air out of his tires. we couldn't even get that right, since he couldn't take her home, she slept with him that night. Needless to say, we never asked him to go camping again.

 

[Weedygarden]

 

[Sourdough]

Name some of the many tomato products. CATSOUP, what else.....??

 

[Weedygarden]

Name some of the many tomato products. CATSOUP, what else.....??

Tomato sauce, tomato paste, canned tomatoes, Ro-tel tomatoes, tomato juice, tomato soup, pizza sauce, spaghetti sauce, tomato powder. Yes, some people can their own, but some do not.

I want to find a video clip of Bubba talking about all the kinds of ways you can cook shrimp on Forrest Gump!