What Shortages are You Seeing?

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I don’t see too many shortages here, but I tend to shop at the local-product store and the hippie grocery stores first. They’ve been much more resilient, if also more expensive.

I always pay a lot for eggs, but I get them from local farmers, so I’m okay with that.
 
I've been using my stock of tinned tomatoes because they do not last anymore- I'm presuming it's the quality of the tin? I'm unsure - maybe they don't want us to store them! So I'm going to restock them now also, and passata. My tomato seeds are just starting to grow, I'll put down extra and make soup over the summer.
There are different linings on tin cans. Tomatoes are acidic. You need acid resistant linings if you use tin cans for tomatoes or other acidic food. The acid will eat right through the inside, just like rust can eat through from the outside. Mason jars with Tattler lids would last the longest.
 
some shortages of fruit and veg in the supermarkets over here, but if we use the smaller independent shops there are no shortages, the shelves are heaving with food.
Smaller, independent stores are able to fill in their supply holes because they are not locked into contracts with suppliers. During the onset of the pandemic, the large retail pharmacy chain I work at wasn't able to supply masks, gloves, rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide. The independent pharmacy two towns over is where I purchased my gloves and masks from. They were able to access different suppliers that were mostly based in South Korea.
 
So here’s a new one. We stopped at Rite Aid this past Saturday early afternoon. They were closed because they had nobody to work. Staffing shortages are insane and I keep hearing about folks not being able to pay their bills or pay for groceries. Why aren’t they working? There is something sideways about it all that I don’t understand.
 
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So here’s a new one. We stopped at Rite Aid this past Saturday early afternoon. They were closed because they had nobody to work. Staffing shortages are insane and I keep hearing about folks not being able to pay their bills or pay for groceries. Why aren’t they working? There is so sideways about it all that I don’t understand.
I always took pride in going to work, I still do! And sometimes now I don't always have enough! But I work all the time, and I don't understand people who choose not to do so!
 
So here’s a new one. We stopped at Rite Aid this past Saturday early afternoon. They were closed because they had nobody to work. Staffing shortages are insane and I keep hearing about folks not being able to pay their bills or pay for groceries. Why aren’t they working? There is so sideways about it all that I don’t understand.
Staff shortages aren't just for open positions. I know someone who manages a convenience store for a large Midwestern chain. She works at least 60 hours a week because she is constantly covering shifts for people who call off. In other words, she has to cover for people who don't feel like they need to show up. These are entry level jobs that pay $14/hr and up. I know that's not a lot, but I always showed up when I was making 4.75/hr back in the 90s. There's just not much work ethic any more...
 
Staff shortages aren't just for open positions. I know someone who manages a convenience store for a large Midwestern chain. She works at least 60 hours a week because she is constantly covering shifts for people who call off. In other words, she has to cover for people who don't feel like they need to show up. These are entry level jobs that pay $14/hr and up. I know that's not a lot, but I always showed up when I was making 4.75/hr back in the 90s. There's just not much work ethic any more...
Home Depot freight team was paid $20 an hour and even then people didn't want to do the work and regularly only stay for a few weeks or so before they quit. It is work, it is not hard work, but youngin's don't want to work.
Society is doomed. And us older folk who want to work will make more money at menial jobs than we did at our past real career.
 
Wonder bread. Its never on the shelf at the store. I have to go to other stores to find it so I stock up and freeze a loaf.
Its the only kind hubby wants for toast and sandwiches
 
Wonder bread. Its never on the shelf at the store. I have to go to other stores to find it so I stock up and freeze a loaf.
Its the only kind hubby wants for toast and sandwiches
Wonder Bread had a recall recently! My Hubby likes that gummy white stuff too, yuck! I'm not sure why it was recalled, but it's coming back around here!
 
Home Depot freight team was paid $20 an hour and even then people didn't want to do the work and regularly only stay for a few weeks or so before they quit. It is work, it is not hard work, but youngin's don't want to work.
Society is doomed. And us older folk who want to work will make more money at menial jobs than we did at our past real career.
My stepson is the night manager at a Pilot truck stop. He has been working 9-10 days in a row. Sometimes 12 hour shifts. They start at $18.55 an hour and no one wants to work. Supposed to be 4 people on overnights, but most of the time there are only 2.
 
This is when you have drilled down deep enough to realize that money is work (labor). And if it were any more complicated than that, the Federal Reserve would have more than two mandates ( stable prices and maximum employment).

When they realized that all the money printing (and various other technical terms for it) and helicopter money was removing the incentive for work, is when the "man" made recession starts...

The original and enduring first question for civilization was and is "who will suffer the toil?"

Song keeps popping in my head "we didn't start the fire..."
 
Shortage:
Last week the pallet at my local store was completely empty of cases of 12-oz cans of Coors Light beer :mad:.
Those pist Bud Light drinkers are inflicting their vengeance on my beer!gaah
Fortunately, it had been restocked for my run today.:thumbs:
 
Are kids allowed to work or is that old fashioned and best left in the past?
How much money do parents give kids now days?
How about bikes, cars and other kinds of perks?
As far as kids working, it's determined by the state, but here under 16 is extremely restricted. At 16, it improves slightly but number of hours are very limited and what they are allowed to do is almost laughable. We have tried hiring 16-18 year olds, so far we've only encountered one that was actually willing to work. The others just liked saying they worked in a metal shop but didn't actually work (thus are no longer employeed by us).
As far as cars, drive by the HS. Again at least here - they are driving new, more expensive cars than I do after working all my life. I've not heard of a kiddo having chores (in the form of work) is ages.
Maybe it's differnt elsewhere.
 
We constantly tried to get our kids working outside the house at 16. We were oddballs, apparently, since my kids had a resume with a long term (relatively speaking) job, or more than one job on it, before they graduated high school...but so many of our friends' kids, and my kid's friends did nothing during their summers or weekends.

My dad actually trained me for a job for his company as a young teen, and then let me apply to one of his competitors to work for them. Great, great experience.

I always talked about my high school jobs, telling funny stories from my days as a grocery store stocker, or working for my dad (or his local competitor)...hoping the stories would get my kids to want to work, and it did work. All my kids had jobs as teens.

Sorry, bragging a bit, I guess. But I am opposed to these laws that keep kids from working. They need that. It should be part of their education. Maybe allow them to work, and allow them to get credit for working at the local public schools. Our nation would be better off.

When I say things like this, people act like I'm calling for a return of child labor in the mines and in the textile factories. Obviously, that is not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about service industry stuff (e.g., fast food, retail, etc.). If they can get a factory job, more power to them. If you've been in today's factories, most are very clean and safe.

Sorry...end rant.
 
We constantly tried to get our kids working outside the house at 16. We were oddballs, apparently, since my kids had a resume with a long term (relatively speaking) job, or more than one job on it, before they graduated high school...but so many of our friends' kids, and my kid's friends did nothing during their summers or weekends.

My dad actually trained me for a job for his company as a young teen, and then let me apply to one of his competitors to work for them. Great, great experience.

I always talked about my high school jobs, telling funny stories from my days as a grocery store stocker, or working for my dad (or his local competitor)...hoping the stories would get my kids to want to work, and it did work. All my kids had jobs as teens.

Sorry, bragging a bit, I guess. But I am opposed to these laws that keep kids from working. They need that. It should be part of their education. Maybe allow them to work, and allow them to get credit for working at the local public schools. Our nation would be better off.

When I say things like this, people act like I'm calling for a return of child labor in the mines and in the textile factories. Obviously, that is not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about service industry stuff (e.g., fast food, retail, etc.). If they can get a factory job, more power to them. If you've been in today's factories, most are very clean and safe.

Sorry...end rant.
we just raised a kiddo from 8 to 18 years old. One ploy is if they want to date they both have to have a part time job at least. Unfortunately we weren't that strict with him but he is living someplace else besides our basement and he has a part time job.
 
Our thought we were tough on them. We had 3 sons. Yes they worked. One not as much as other two. He was busy playing baseball and traveling. Did earn a complete scholarship so guess that works too. They would not want me to get a redo! So many things I would do different. But all in all they turned out to be successful hard working men!
 
I'm going to put this here folks. I don't think it will surprise many, but the shipping and transportation system is being squelched. If there are things you want/need, I'd say sooner rather than later might be in order. Don't need to tell this crew but there you have it.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/j-b-hunt-earnings-tumble-on-falling-freight-rates-d6e4e40d
Shipping demand is definitely weak, but the shippers themselves are OK unless they shoot themselves in the foot. Profits are just taking a hit because shipments are down some. We just got word that my railroad will temporarily cut around 1600 jobs, most in Mid November, and a few more in Mid December. The official plan that we were given stated that the jobs will be re-posted, to resume on or slightly after January 3rd, depending on scheduled work days. There are 3 reasons, #1 being soft demand for rail shipping. Another is higher than expected costs to repair natural disasters like the flooding in California. Any natural disaster expenses exceeding what was budgeted for at the start of the year comes out of my department's operating budget. The third is that we have a new CEO who gets off on cutting jobs whenever possible. I'll guarantee that a certain percentage of the jobs that get cut won't be reposted in the foreseeable future. That will stretch our already thin maintenance department even thinner and will likely lead to more derailments, slower responses to service interruptions, and difficulty meeting shipping goals.

I'm seeing very little in the way of shortages where I live. Groceries have been well stocked for months, except for generic goods. The manager of the grocery store next door to me told me that they're having a hell of a time getting generics and store brands in stock because the manufacturers are putting all their resources into the name brand products that have higher profit margins. For example, the store brand 100% whole wheat bread I like at my local store is actually made by Sara Lee. It's the same as the stuff in the Sara Lee wrapper, but a buck a loaf cheaper. I haven't seen it on the shelf in weeks but the Sara Lee brand is there every day.

We are seeing certain specialty products come back online too. At work we were having a tough time getting things like hydraulic motors and cylinders. Sometimes we had equipment down for two weeks or more because we just couldn't get parts. Now we're back to having parts in stock in our warehouse in Kansas City and we can get stuff delivered to our locations by the next afternoon.

I've been reading that lithium for batteries is in real danger because Ukraine has 4 of the world's largest lithium deposits. That's what the war is really about - Putin wants Ukraine's natural resources. They have those huge nat gas reserves, lithium, and some of the world's best farmland. The faster they can get the Russian army kicked out of there, the better it'll be for the world economy and for preventing shortages...
 

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