topic Re: Anti-panic post regarding bare shelves.... in Community Chat

Anti-panic post regarding bare shelves....

FiddleDeeDee — Mon, 11 Oct 2021 18:17:25 GMT

Recently, there have been posts regarding not being able to find food, bare shelves, warning of food items not being found for the Holidays, etc. Well, I'm hoping this helps to put a few minds at ease.

Yes, the location of where you are in the country may be a part of it. That said, if you shop at Walmart, you will now find large Butterball Turkeys, cranberry sauce (jelly and with cranberries- Oceanspray and Walmart brand), Libby Pumpkin (both the pie mix and plain) plus many other items in your store. You may also find many bare shelves DUE TO FLOOR CHANGES. Apparently this is happening nationwide: employees are packing up bins and moving items as per the new aisle layout. Things are all over the place, in the back, bins galore plus food for the holidays is in stock (stored in the back).

Publix is fully stocked (though more expensive) but friends up East say they are finding items at Giant, Safeway and FoodLion without issues.

I suppose the point of my post is to not fear; don't worry and please, don't hoard. If you want to purchase ahead of time, go for it (I did) and know you're prepared for the meals you enjoy with family/friends in the special days ahead.

Oh yeah, cleaning supplies galore as well, lol.

Re: Anti-panic post regarding bare shelves....

Cakers3 — Mon, 11 Oct 2021 18:27:28 GMT

So far we have not seen any shortages, and we shop at 3 different markets.

Trader Joe's was short one day with cereal but fully stocked again. They even had fresh organic cranberries.

Whole Foods is slipping and we shop there less and less. We should have seen end caps with Thanksgiving products but so far nothing. The regular products are there, though. No empty or half-empty shelves.

Re: Anti-panic post regarding bare shelves....

Mistreatedbycs — Mon, 11 Oct 2021 18:30:02 GMT

@FiddleDeeDee

Thank you but unfortunately that woud definitely cost me a heck of a lot more to shop in FL.

Re: Anti-panic post regarding bare shelves....

BornToShop — Mon, 11 Oct 2021 18:32:37 GMT

I was recently in my local Walmart and couldn't believe the changes, chaos and mayhem going on in that store. They are installing more self- checkout places and eliminating most cashier areas as well. I also saw a robotic machine going up and down the aisles sweeping/cleaning, etc. So sad from an employment perspective.

Re: Anti-panic post regarding bare shelves....

Snowpuppy — Mon, 11 Oct 2021 18:49:17 GMT

Working exactly as planned so holiday panic buying sets in?

Re: Anti-panic post regarding bare shelves....

FiddleDeeDee — Mon, 11 Oct 2021 19:22:54 GMT

@Mistreatedbycs I don't understand but ok. As I stated, friends up East (MD, NJ, PA, NY) are seeing the same thing so...yeah. The are finding things there just like I am in FL.

@Snowpuppy I don't see what is "working as planned", sorry. Items are out and nothing is limited. Just saying there is no reason TO panic and that often, there is a logical reason for what one sees.

@BornToShop Automation is going to be the norm going forward in all industries. This is why society needs to figure out what we humans are going to do with ourselves in the future regarding our purpose/employment.

Re: Anti-panic post regarding bare shelves....

Etoile308 — Mon, 11 Oct 2021 20:00:29 GMT

I don't usually shop at WalMart and haven't been inside a store in ages. I can't even remember last time I did a curbside pickup with them. So I can't comment on their conditions.

But I do shop a couple of local grocery chains. Some aisle are stocked better than others. Some aisles, like the paper and cleaning aisles have large gaps. Many name brands hard to find and replaced with store brand or never heard of brands.

What struck me, being from a major dairy state, were the gaps in the dairy case. I might be able to get the skim milk, but not the brand I usually buy, and not the size, and certainly not the price.

Now some of the shelf openings may be due to fewer people stocking shelves during off hours, since they're no longer open during off hours.

@FiddleDeeDee, you're correct. The area you live probably has a lot to do with it.

Re: Anti-panic post regarding bare shelves....

gidgetgh — Mon, 11 Oct 2021 22:55:13 GMT

I did my shopping this morning at Publix. Lots of shortages.

The bottled juice/juice box and gatorade shelves were just about empty. Like 99% empty. There were signs up on those shelves saying to expect shortages on those products for the rest of the year.

Toilet paper, paper towels and napkins were all in good supply today. Last week, Charmin was gone. Much better today.

Spotty empty shelves throughout the store. I don't let it worry me too much. As I've mentioned before, if I have bread and cheese and butter, I can live on grilled cheese sandwiches if I have to.

It is disconcerting though to see all the empty shelves.

Re: Anti-panic post regarding bare shelves....

PA Mom-mom — Mon, 11 Oct 2021 20:15:58 GMT

@FiddleDeeDee I just got back from Costco and Walmart. Costco had zero paper towels (regular roll kind). They didn't have any last week either. They also have a restriction of one package per person (when available). Walmart seemed to have most things, including paper towels.

Re: Anti-panic post regarding bare shelves....

RespectLife — Mon, 11 Oct 2021 20:21:16 GMT

I live in Western New York and have seen NO shortages anywhere and NO limited quantities to purchase...yet? We don't have Costco but I heard they were doing it.

We have cases of Libby Pumpkin! LOL

I have friends in southern IL that had a pickle shortage this summer while I had walls of it! LOL It has got to be a regional thing???

I think 'panic' has been handed to us since the very beginning....with everything.

I refuse to live like that!

If I can't find Libby, I will use Lakeshore, can't find that? I'll make a Sweet Pot Pie...no pots? Fine, I will make an apple pie....NO APPLES?

A bag of cookies with family and friends is just as good!

Re: Anti-panic post regarding bare shelves....

FiddleDeeDee — Mon, 11 Oct 2021 20:49:02 GMT

@PA Mom-mom Costco is one of those places that will have a TON of rice but no paper towels. Or a TON of canned (fill in the blank) but no toilet paper. I'm starting to think that businesses buy up the paper products (churches and schools do, I know that for a fact....they also hit up Aldi). Funny thing, we RARELY shop at Costco because they stopped selling the item/brand we liked. I order specific Kirkland items every few months and that's the extent now of our Costco purchases.

The regional thing has me wondering: why? Are drivers in short supply out West? New England? Compared to say, Florida, Texas, MD? Weather? Pay? Location? Food items (the ones I purchase) are made in USA so they're not stock off the coast on ships. It just makes me wonder why some areas and not others; why some products but not others. Someone had mentioned in another thread that a Sams Club employee told her turkeys would be hard to come by yet, isn't Sams Club a Walmart superstore w/membership? Walmart has no issue getting turkeys so why should Sams Club have problems? Wish I knew the answers, lol.

Re: Anti-panic post regarding bare shelves....

RedTop — Mon, 11 Oct 2021 22:03:11 GMT

My privately owned WV grocery store has done a great job keeping items in stock. 98% of the time, during the last 18 months, I have walked out of the store with everything on my list. This is the only grocery store I shop in.

I was in the store Saturday night, a few hours before closing, and saw quite a few bare or nearly empty shelves, but know that was due to high numbers of first of the month shoppers last week, not shortages.

This area has a very large population who grocery shop once a month after they receive their check. Many of these shoppers fill their carts with eggs, butter, flour, sugar, cornmeal, coffee, dried beans, pasta, bacon, sausage, lunch meat, hamburger, chicken, and bread.

The owner of this store has drastically cut back on the number of brands they sell, which has resulted in more open shelf space. They no longer sell Pet brand dairy products, bread means a store brand, Sunbeam, Sara Lee, and Heiners. For canned fruit options there's a store brand, Libby, and Dole. Their cookie and cracker section is half the space of what Dollar General has in their stores. Meat is always well stocked, altho everything is at least $2.00 higher than pre-pandemic.

Re: Anti-panic post regarding bare shelves....

Roni18 — Mon, 11 Oct 2021 22:10:13 GMT

I guess it all depemds on where you are. I was in my local Publix on Saturday. I did notice those signs about Juice but the only ones they seemed short on was the little kid drink pouches. I didn't notice any other shortages in my store.

Just as long as I don't see anything like we saw around the Spring of 2020, when the stores were half empty, I think we will be fine.

Re: Anti-panic post regarding bare shelves....

x Hedge — Mon, 11 Oct 2021 22:38:06 GMT

@FiddleDeeDee wrote;

Recently, there have been posts regarding not being able to find food, bare shelves, warning of food items not being found for the Holidays, etc.

. . .

Wow. I Must've missed all those posts.

No shortage here in the Great Lakes Basin. Shelves fully stocked, new items arrive steadily.

Aldi, Meijer, Sam's, Walmart.

Re: Anti-panic post regarding bare shelves....

sweetee2 — Mon, 11 Oct 2021 22:49:18 GMT

I know your talking Grocery items, but may I add a heads up about Christmas gifts and on line shopping. I've received many warnings from retail sights I frequent to start now with your purchases. Shipping is very slow and if you want to get them in time START NOW. Thank you.

Re: Anti-panic post regarding bare shelves....

Cumbercookie13 — Tue, 12 Oct 2021 14:30:54 GMT

I live in Northern Maryland, where people panic buy if three inches of snow is forecast.

My local Walmart was never that great to begin with about stocking, but it has gotten a lot worse this year. I don't shop there frequently, but the last time I was in, many things were not there.

The Weis store in my town has also had stocking & delivery issues. Gatorade there has been pretty non-existent the last couple of months.

I've had luck with Shoprite, Food Lion, and Wegmans. They seem to be almost fully stocked all the time. Shoprite also puts tags on empty shelves letting you know what's out and when it may come back in, which is helpful.

Re: Anti-panic post regarding bare shelves....

gidgetgh — Tue, 12 Oct 2021 17:07:01 GMT

@Cumbercookie13 wrote:
I live in Northern Maryland, where people panic buy if three inches of snow is forecast.

My local Walmart was never that great to begin with about stocking, but it has gotten a lot worse this year. I don't shop there frequently, but the last time I was in, many things were not there.

The Weis store in my town has also had stocking & delivery issues. Gatorade there has been pretty non-existent the last couple of months.

I've had luck with Shoprite, Food Lion, and Wegmans. They seem to be almost fully stocked all the time. Shoprite also puts tags on empty shelves letting you know what's out and when it may come back in, which is helpful.

@Cumbercookie13 - I read that on Gatorade shortages, they're having trouble getting the little plastic beads they make the bottles with.

Re: Anti-panic post regarding bare shelves....

Gorgf — Tue, 12 Oct 2021 18:22:07 GMT

@BornToShop I only have Walmart and one other supermarket to shop at unless I go out of town. They only have one to two checkers so pretty much have forced people to use self checkouts. The ones in line have very full carts so a long wait. They did upgrade self serve and made it a little easier.

I think our center would be overjoyed to have a cleaning machine. A friend of mine over heard a district supervisor chewing staff out about the store was the dirtiest store in the whole area. One of the Associates told him they can't get anyone to work. It is too bad that others could over hear. I see the same staff and they seem to be trying. I asked one manager if she had a tent set up out back as always there and she told me she lives half an hour away.

They even reported people refusing to show up for interviews to unemployment this summer. Staff is trying to stock shelves and also do on line orders which takes time. This summer when I found produce that was bad I handed it to staff to help out a little and it was appreciated.

Our area grocery chain is hit or miss which means I have had to go in twice a week some times. They close at 10 pm and shut down the Deli and Meat Dept at 6 or 7 pm. due to staffing . The Bakery no longer does cake orders. The liquor store dept.does alot of business and well stocked.

Re: Anti-panic post regarding bare shelves....

BornToShop — Tue, 12 Oct 2021 21:33:31 GMT

I'm not going to stress out over gift buying this year. I'm going to do gift cards. It may seem a bit impersonal, but the state of what we are living with and going through is too unpredictable. I'm not going to put myself through this mayhem.

Re: Anti-panic post regarding bare shelves....

tansy — Tue, 12 Oct 2021 21:47:17 GMT

My husband likes inexpensive ginger snaps with his morning coffee. I've had difficulty finding those.

I took my g-daughter into the local toy store to pick out a Calico Creatures item. Stock was very low. Owner has been waiting ages for a shipment to arrive.