Shortages Real and Feared

[Debbie S]

Went to Target today to get a few things that I will prob need in a couple weeks - figured it was better to stock up now since I'm off this week and can go on a weekday vs crazy-busy Saturdays. They had the multi-packs of the long boxes of Puffs - yay - and a few packs of paper towels but lots of empty space on the shelf. I saw napkins and toilet paper but I have unopened packs of those so won't need any for a while. I walked through the aisle with the cleaning products to try to avoid some other shoppers and I noticed they did have several kinds of cleaner but no Lysol - either the all-purpose or bathroom cleaner.

I should be good with paper products for another month at least.

 

[million$momma]

My local Walmart had Lysol Wipes yesterday. I have seen tons of all purpose liquid Lysol but it had been months since I had seen any containers of wipes.

 

[clairecloutier]

Our local BJ's had lots of paper products yesterday and was even allowing people to buy multiple packages (instead of just one).

However, I cannot find Bubly sparkling water in Apple flavor anywhere. (Definitely a crisis. )

 

[Prancer]

Wasn't someone in this thread experiencing a parmesan shortage? Brace yourself.

This Popular Cheese Is About to Surge in Price, Experts Say | Eat This Not That

Experts and cheese makers believe the price of parmesan will go up soon thanks to milk price fluctuations, more cooking at home, and parmesan's flavor.

www.eatthis.com

 

[Jenny]

It was me - took me several orders to finally get a block of the good stuff There have been other issues with imported cheeses too - we don't always get romano or gruyere either, which makes it rather exciting when we do.

 

[BaileyCatts]

Liquid antacid. Why can't I find liquid antacid at my store. I can't do those chalky tablets. Yuck. There isn't even a spot on the shelf for it anymore.

 

[Aceon6]

The supermarket was crazier than usual today. I know the Stupor Bowl is this weekend, but that doesn’t explain why they were out of multigrain English muffins.

 

[MacMadame]

The supermarket was crazier than usual today. I know the Stupor Bowl is this weekend, but that doesn’t explain why they were out of multigrain English muffins.

It's the official English muffin of the NFL.

/s

 

[Debbie S]

Just came back from order pickup...my every other month trip to the big grocery. They actually had paper towels, toilet paper and napkins, plus bottled water and frozen veggies, which they haven't had since March.

They didn't have Dove soap, moisturizer, toothbrushes (at least the kind I ordered), shampoo and Ziploc small storage slider bags. Oh well, I can hopefully get those at Target....none are particularly urgent.

Lysol bathroom and all-purpose cleaner aren't even on their website anymore. Hopefully they come back when YKW is over.

 

[Prancer]

Since we are about to be hit with a serious cold wave and a lot of snow, I want to make a big pot of soup.

I haven't been able to find fresh herbs anywhere and I've been looking for more than a week. I know I can use dried, but fresh rosemary just totally makes one of my favorite soups.

My husband sent me an article about rosemary (and lavender) being in short supply for some time to come, but every grocery I went to was sold out of all fresh herbs. I found some tarragon in one store, but that was it.

I also can't find Fage Total 0 yogurt anywhere.



We have plenty of parmesan, though.

 

[MacMadame]

I also can't find Fage Total 0 yogurt anywhere.

What?! Nooooo.

(Though Safeway just came and the 2 we ordered did come.)

 

[Prancer]

What?! Nooooo.

(Though Safeway just came and the 2 we ordered did come.)

Our Kroger hasn't had any for two or three weeks, so today I made the rounds and no one else had any, either. They had a few 2% and quite a few 5%, but nary a 0.

 

[MacMadame]

So does that means that Ohioans mostly don't go for the 0% fat compared to Californians? It seems possible.

 

[Prancer]

So does that means that Ohioans mostly don't go for the 0% fat compared to Californians? It seems possible.

I think it means the stores near me are out of Fage Total 0.

 

[gkelly]

Since we are about to be hit with a serious cold wave and a lot of snow, I want to make a big pot of soup.

I haven't been able to find fresh herbs anywhere and I've been looking for more than a week. I know I can use dried, but fresh rosemary just totally makes one of my favorite soups.

My husband sent me an article about rosemary (and lavender) being in short supply for some time to come, but every grocery I went to was sold out of all fresh herbs. I found some tarragon in one store, but that was it.

Huh.

I usually buy fresh rosemary and keep it in my fridge while using a little bit at a time. It generally turns into dried rosemary before I'm halfway through the bunch, but that's OK -- it's still usable, just not as fresh.

As opposed to, e.g., fresh basil, my other favorite herb, which is good for a couple of days at best and then becomes slime.

 

[rfisher]

Rosemary winters over. My plant provides fresh all year. So does thyme and sage. Not that helps you if you don't have the plants.

 

[Jenny]

We talked about this upthread - lots of herbs are easy to grow in pots, including basil. We overplant them so that a ton comes up and we gradually thin it out, using as we go, until we're left with a few bigger plants, and then we start over.

Another good one is bay leaf. Once you start using fresh bay leaves you'll wonder why you ever used the dried up ones before - we've had the same indoor plant for years. Ditto sage - we grow that in the garden and the plant is very hardy. Obviously not in the middle of a snowstorm, but I've harvested a few leaves in the middle of winter many times.

Amazon has lots of little herb and sprout kits available for anyone who wants to try.

 

[Prancer]

Not that helps you if you don't have the plants.

Indeed.

 

[spinZZ]

I also can't find Fage Total 0 yogurt anywhere.

Costco has 40 oz containers instead of the usual 32 oz plain found in supermarkets. Just did my monthly run a few hrs ago. They had mucho cases stacked in the fridge. I'm in NJ.

 

[annie720]

This isn't about a shortage but it does involve toilet paper. Has anyone noticed a change in their preferred brand of tp? I've been buying Quilted Northern for years, the mega rolls that say ultra soft and strong. Within the past couple of months I started noticing the tp seemed thin and rough. I couldn't see any quilting imprints and just assumed I'd grabbed a stray roll from under the sink that was left over from a different brand. Then it happened again with another roll. It seems the roll would start out ok but then would change as the roll went on. Then I recently grabbed a pack from a different cabinet that had been purchased earlier, and it was totally different. This was the soft tp that I remembered. So different from the recent rolls purchased. I assume they could have changed the manufacturing process in order to keep up with demand or something. Atm it's no better than the cheapest brands out there. Curious if anyone is experiencing the same thing with other brands.

 

[Prancer]

Costco has 40 oz containers instead of the usual 32 oz plain found in supermarkets. Just did my monthly run a few hrs ago. They had mucho cases stacked in the fridge. I'm in NJ.

I looked online yesterday and saw a "Expect to restock soon" notice, so maybe by the weekend.

Although the last time I saw one of those notices on something I was looking for, it was three months before it was restocked.

 

[aka_gerbil]

I have experienced the same thing with Quilted Northern. It is not the same anymore.

 

[Debbie S]

Switch to Ultra Soft Charmin (blue package). Target (at least, in my area) has been pretty well-stocked lately.

 

[annie720]

Switch to Ultra Soft Charmin (blue package). Target (at least, in my area) has been pretty well-stocked lately.

I think I'll have to. I switched from Charmin to QN a few years back because there was something that I liked better, but the ********* version isn't working.

 

[spinZZ]

Here's an interview with a funeral director that poignantly places shortages in grim perspective:

Funeral home "running out of granite for headstones" as U.S. COVID-19 deaths reach 500,000

Ken McKenzie said traffic to his funeral home has "grown to the point that we actually have to give a reservation code to a family just so that they could be seen."

tinyurl.com

At 2:09 of the first video, and reported further down in the text:

"A year ago, people were complaining about not finding toilet paper and hand sanitizers," McKenzie Mortuary funeral director Ken McKenzie said. "This time of year, we're concerned because we're running out of granite for headstones."