SHORTAGES – What Are You Seeing Out There?

Tell us what you’re noticing in the comments below…

The Covid-19 began a disruption in the JIT (Just In Time) system of many products. As you all know, Toilet Paper was hit hard. It was one of the first things to disappear from the shelves. Pretty much any form of disinfectant was next. To varying extents we’ve seen shortages of foods.

Some of the shortages had begun to ease a bit, especially following the slow re-opening of “the economy” and being released from our “lockdowns”.

However a number of weeks ago I noticed abrupt new messaging from the mainstream media. They switched from the Antifa / BlackLivesMatter riots to Covid Round-2 Doom. The messaging is sending a clear signal — they want us locked down again (and more).

Most of us know the primary goal behind much of this. To destroy the economy in hopes that Trump won’t get re-elected (at any and all costs). They’re doing it as we speak with the help of their propaganda arm, the MSM.

Additionally, people are highly concerned about the upcoming election. The probable disruptive events leading up to it, and the consequences and “fallout” afterwards in our deeply divided country.

As a result of all this, we are going to see MANY MORE SHORTAGES.

Refer back to this article during the upcoming months

Lets use this article/post as a placeholder for you all to comment on what YOU are noticing. The shortages out there in your area.

As we progress through the upcoming months, I have a feeling that shortages will be far and wide. If we can tip each other off about “this” or “that”, it may help some of us to be ahead of the curve.

Mrs.J and I had one of our semi-regular “preparedness meetings” yesterday. Our current primary concern is “shortages”. I won’t mention the others in this post (maybe another) because I want to keep this strictly about shortages. We are well prepared at our homestead. However we made a list of the things we’re going to do for even better preparedness. Why? Because there are scenarios which have the potential of really shaking things up in our future.

I will be placing a Quick Link to this article in the MENU (top right corner).

So as we progress through the upcoming months, I ask that you click back to this article. Add your comments when you notice shortages that you feel we should know about. You don’t have to reveal your location if you don’t want to. But simply letting the rest of us know “what” is in short supply will help.

Thanks!

597 Comments

  1. Chest Freezer Shortage!

    I began looking for an additional chest freezer and discovered there aren’t any. Estimates that I’m seeing are all the way out to October for what I’m looking at from Lowes. I’m going to expand my search beyond my region, but I suspect this is nationwide.

    1. Sams club has been getting smaller chest freezers in randomly. Online will show out of stock at your store, but they sell before it can update. Grabbed another vertical when i saw it about a month ago. Saw small chests there two weeks ago. It is hit and miss at our sams in town

      1. My neighbor was getting rid of his chest 4 free I grab it fast. Load it up in February. Then meat went up in price. Glad I got one.

      2. I found a chest freezer only one to choose from .by whirlpool at Costco online only. This was 3 was ago. Found some stand up ones at Sam’s 2 days ago. This was central Texas
        last month went to Lowe’s and home Depot and was told out till August and not accepting preordrs either.

    2. Ken – I decided to sell one of my older chest freezers, big 25cu.ft. one. Got a bunch of hits on it moments after I posted it, and I sold it for close to what I paid for it 8 years ago. The people who bought it said they can’t find freezers anywhere here in the Upper MidWest.

    3. I lucked out in January. I thought mine had died so I bought another. Found out my first one was fine so I ended up with two. Filled them both a couple of weeks before the frenzy.

    4. There is a shortage here in Georgia. We decided to buy another freezer in late March, and were originally told it would be delivered in May. Then it was moved to August. DH kept searching around, and hit upon one in stock a few weeks ago at a different chain store, so we cancelled the order.

    5. It is nation wide. We ordered ours in early April and picked it up last
      week.The Sears Home Store was really good about keeping us updated.
      Order ASAP and hope for the best.

    6. Just a “heads up”, I work at one the big box stores and it’s going to be a while before anything big starts to roll in. We just had about 20 small freezers come in last week and they were gone in a day. There is also a national shortage on lumber, especially pressure treated. If you find something, I wouldn’t hesitate to try and find a better deal, I’d buy it right then and there. There is such a back log of internet orders yet to be filled because of lack of product. On a side note this is why we prep. Good luck and God Bless.

    7. We had to go into our “big town” for specialized doc appts. Lowes had about 6 small chest freezers. Nothing big. But at least they had them.

      1. Am i the only one who has noticed there have been no canned peaches on store shelves? Plain wrap or brand name. Nothing. Been this way for months. The funny thing is that no store clerks or management is even aware that theyve been out of canned peaches for months.

        1. Luckily we have canned peaches here in MA. I have not noticed a shortage for that particular item here.

    8. I ordered a new chest freezer that was supposed to arrive May 1. The day before, I got a call saying it would be June 6. Now it is August 22. Will it even come in then???? I had an order for a side of beef in May but was able to put it off until this week. If I put it off longer, it would not have been available at the price I’d ordered it at (if at all). Luckily, my church’s freezer is mostly empty because we’re not having our weekly dinners, so I get to store the meat there. I’m going to can a bunch of it, but I couldn’t do it all at once!

    9. I was in Lowes today looking for the same. One was on sale for $179.
      I ask the salesman in the Appliance Dept. He said they only had a few and they were gone…. Sears didn’t have any either despite the closeout sale for that store. They did have quite a few small refrigerators.
      They must be made in china….

      1. 21Bravo –

        Most likely they were made in China. We sure showed them a thing or two, eh?

        1. tmcgyver as I understand a LOT of the nails, screws, aluminum products like screens and plastic sheeting we use are also made in China. Thus my earlier posting about the 20.00 bill and the Folgers plastic can of nails I filled it musing. Next year nails might be even harder-more expensive than this year due to excessive money printing making that 20.00 bill but a lot less AND other overseas countries not so eager to accept our trade dollars for real stuff.

          For want of a nail……

    10. Yes, it is. I was #45 on a wait-list at a store in my state but eventually got one. I suspect that many wait-listed people decided to not get one after all as the stores were still open and still had some food. Suggest you try a local appliance store and get on their list. Also, try Webstaurant; they are selling chest freezers. Get on their e-mail list to be notified when they get some more in stock and order it immediately.

    11. This is a real thing. I concur with Farmgirl, upper mid-west here is on a waiting list for freezers. The only way you get one is if you are there when they deliver or you wait several weeks to order online as there is a huge back order for freezers. Only chance to get one sooner is to find a decent one online from a private sale from someone who is not paying that close attention.

    12. Butcher paper. Here in southern middle TN I haven’t been able to find any since early march. Checked Kroger in “The Burg” last week and they are still out. You would think with the recent meat shortage freezer paper would be everywhere. Guess the sheep used it for TP….

    13. Ya, Ken. We were looking for one right around the time the TP shortage was happening and we called 7 different places (from Mom & Pop furniture places to Bid Box stores and even Amazon). Nothing. They said maybe July, but still nothing out there. NY state between Rochester and Syracuse.

    14. have you seen the chest freezers on sale on wayfair for 10000$ i think they’re buying all the chest freezers to create a monopoly and sell children

    15. Ken,
      Have you looked at the largest sellers of silver and gold? Have you seen the prices skyrocket? They are out of stock on most smaller 1 oz bars and less.

      There is fear of the dollar collapsing and inflation running a muck. whaddaya think with the trillions more in debt we got, spending is out of control, and revenue falls short from this pandemic and it’s closings, —our debt is 120% of our GDP.

      What I would advise is stock up on things they can’t tax you on regularly. Garden supplies, dehydrated freeze dried food, canned food, buy that better car now, get those tools and guns, ammo, get you appliances needed, and even TP now or later you will pay much higher.

      I first noticed inflation when gold prices went way up …hummmm? it is now at the price it was when our economy was at it’s worst–2011. We preppers were scrambling to get all we need in PM’s and other supplies. It is different than the pandemic crisis when you could afford to by supplies, but what happens when you can’t afford supplies with the same amount of money you spent 4 months ago?

      My silver bars jumped from $15 to $23.26 in the last few months. As the robot throwing it’s arms around, told Will Robinson, “Warning, warning, warning!”

      Things to consider. Maybe you and others can write an article to get everyone’s attention to this coming problem…

    16. Great news! I was driving behind someone who acquired a new chest freezer recently, still in box and driving it home! Twin Cities Minnesota. I ordered a new refrigerator (Had to special order because it was black, only stainless steel in stores.) Original delivery date was August 12. It’s now been bumped to September 14.

    17. – Was unaware trolls were regarded as “indigenous people”. Learn something everyday.

      – Papa S.

    18. Just so you know, we indigenous speak english quite well. Could you be any dumber?

      Let me guess….Hold your beer and watch this?

    19. My neighbor told me that her son had paid for a freezer last spring that was supposed to be delivered i a couple of months. Delivery date kept getting moved out and when it recently moved to next March they cancelled. Nothing like waiting for a year.

  2. At grocery yesterday, half meat counter empty, shelves near empty on several sodas, sugar very limited, butter way down, several items in freezers gone. Checkout then remarked how hard it was getting to replace some items. Don’t know where this is headed, but doesn’t look good.

  3. From what I’ve noticed, there is not a problem getting anything here in China right now. Things in the stores are just like before the pandemic. Everything is fully stocked in the stores. During the lockdown here in China, had some trouble getting beef dumplings for a while but now it’s back to normal.

  4. Everything seems to be in stock but many food items are limited to 4 or less per item.I worry about food items only, I have enough junk/stuff to last me through this mess.
    Food prices are the thing that will cause riots, it’s all I’m focused on.

  5. – We have grands visiting from Pennsylvania where they live with son’s ex. DW was complaining that she cannot find cans of Cream Soda any kind, anywhere. Other sodas, yes, but not those. Several posters have commented about change shortages; There seems not to be a problem in west Texas, just FWIW.

    Meats and canned goods, we seem to have pretty good supply. Ammo, Good Luck! I will have to shoot (50 rounds) this Saturday to renew my CCL. I found .38 for a ridiculously high price. 9mm, 20 rounds for $18 and only one brand available, no more than 2 boxes at one time… I may use my .32 as I have several boxes on hand for it, (I have a chamber adapter for .32 for my .308 deer rifle, .32 makes it a decent substitute for a .22 without having to carry a second rifle) that way I can keep serious ammunition and .22 on hand.

    – Papa S.

    1. I haven’t been able to get any ammo here in China. Ohhhh wait, that’s right. Guns are banned here in China. Only people you see with guns are some police, and security folks (the ones that pick up money at the banks). So obviously no ammo found anywhere. Then again, I don’t have a gun so getting ammo is a mute point.
      Isn’t socialism and communism grand?

  6. Ammo. Ammo. Ammo. Cooking appliances seem low. Toys. Camping gear, especially cook related, are empty. Ironically, plenty of toilet paper and .22lr

    1. 9mm FMJ double in price $9.99/50 to $19.99 HPT at Bass Pro never there. online HPT in 9mm,45ACP and others there just need to look for best deals with high prices. 556 also can’t find Lake City green tip. Just trying to add to supplies when available. Think its just get worst every month.

  7. At our local Kroger some veggie canned foods are still light. There have been no organic canned veggies in months. Some rice items. No Spam. Noodles/spaghetti and some tomatoes sauces. Fresh meats are light but there is plenty. TP is light as well as some other paper products. NO rubbing alcohol, nada, clerk says it has been empty for long time. Basically the store has what you want. At this time there are no limits. Wally is almost normal as well as Dollar General.

  8. JMHO
    The BLM riot BS
    And make no mistake,
    BLM is BS,
    Was not getting the sympathetic ear they wanted to build up the democraps. So they are shifting gears,,,

    1. Kulafarmer: I know that the boss doesn’t like off topic but since you’ve
      drifted off a little I thought maybe I could sneak this thru.

      High atop Big Mountain in the Whitefish Range of Flathead County Montana sits a large statue of Jesus with out stretched arms.
      This memorial honors the veterans of WWII and the Montanans that served in the 10th Mountain Division.

      The statue which sits on public land was erected by the Knights of Columbus in 1954 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.Jesus has prevailed two lawsuits filled by the Freedom From
      Religion Foundation in 2013 and 2015. Strangely the decisions in favor
      of Jesus came from the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.

      Sometime this past weekend evil monsters desecrated and vandalized
      the memorial. The face of Jesus was painted brown and signs were taped to the hands.The sign were “BLM and Rise Up”.

      I just don’t understand.

      1. Oh, its on topic,
        I see a shortage allright,
        A shortage of respect for others, a shortage of class. A shortage of integrity. A shortage of patriotism.
        A shortage of morals.
        Theres a shortage allright

        1. Kula:

          I think the topic applies to the current STUPID19 panic. You’re going back and covering the last 50 years of American societal rot; I think.

        2. Kula, right you are, if patriots don’t stand soon, we’ll have no place to stand.

  9. Things are getting better as far as grocery stores and even Walmart in my area .
    Ammo, if you do find some the price is higher. Also, has anyone try to purchase a freezer. My wife and I have a small one, but looking for a larger one. You cannot find any in stock. Stores are saying that they will have them maybe back in stock sometime in October. I do not trust buying from craigslist or from anyone that I don’t know.

    1. I was told earlier today that Lowes is getting freezers on a regular basis. They don’t advertise the fact and it is first come first serve. The one nearest me gets them early morning and are sold out by noon. Perhaps try finding out the delivery days and be there early. What i was told not what i know.

      1. Also, if you let them know your freezer is broken (or frig), they will prioritize you at large box stores. Just pick something they have in stock.

      2. I saw this when I went to get Dad a small ‘fridge for his apartment. The woman at the help desk was on the phone with someone desperate to get a freezer and she asked me to wait because she had to mark it as sold so it wouldn’t go before he could get there to pick it up. Whatever the reason, she said it wasn’t in inventory and she’d found it when she went back to check.

        My sister had a similar situation.

  10. Freeze Dried Food is either non-existent, or exorbitantly priced. Auguson – only 6 types on wmt dot com, prices on those have about doubled; similar situation at AMZ, although they hide it a bit better through clever structured pricing schemes. At both e-com sites I’ve noticed a new brand of FD foods called “Mother Earth”. These guys seem to be positioning themselves at the same price point as Auguson and EE once did; but with an average of 75% less product!

    Regular grocery stores are still very thin, with creative shelf facing to conceal the truth. Wife and I went to 99 Ranch last weekend and that was a pleasant surprise! They were well stocked on everything, including rice; available for sale without purchase limits, for the first time in months. They even had a couple of varieties on sale at <$1 per pound in large bags. Their produce prices have skyrocketed though. Has anyone been following the coconut picking slave monkey scandal out of Thailand? Well, fresh coconuts literally doubled in price, in one week. In some sort of twisted sympathy, mangos and papayas too have doubled in price. Green produce is all at 'regular' prices; no sales.

    For online purchases, I find myself spreading out the orders to 5 or 6 different merchants, when 1 or 2 always used to get it done. Way too many "out of stock" tags now.

    1. Keep an eye on Amazon. I’ve been buying auguson’s strawberries for $20. Price changes as many as 3x per day. Put them in my cart and check randomly during the day until they hit my price point. Suspect they do that with alot of things.

      1. I put the Honey app on my Augason Farm Amazon list along with desired price and it notifies me if it hits the price so I don’t have to check Amazon multiple times. I was surprised to get two items within the next day that way. The price was lowered by about 40% but the next day when I checked they had gone back to full retail price.

    2. I am fortunate to work for military now. I went to the commissary and bought several cases of MRE’s (GI issue) 10ea or $120/case. They also have now a freeze dried meal for $4.75ea, selection varies….. Quality….??? I have no idea how they taste….

      1. Had not thought to hit the commissary since our ls is so small. But the MRE’s I had bought about to expire so I would like to get more…

        1. CCMama
          Have you eaten any of those MRE’s that are ready to expire? I would to see if it is something you really want to replace. If you do, make sure it is a food that will be eaten by you & your family.

          Welcome to the group 🤩

  11. Went to Aldi’s about two weeks ago, and found sugar non existent. They did have a pallet of all purpose flour that seemed pretty full. Went to another store and found all cleaning supplies down at least 60% with many holes. That was all that I noticed as I was only in each store about 10 minutes just to get a few key items since I had family coming for a week.

    1. different aldi’s still no sugar, 3/4 pallet of plain flour.. No baking powder that is in date. some that expired in 2014.

  12. Costco in the upper State of Jefferson
    Pharmacy area:
    Kirkland nighttime pain medication(blue/lt blue capsule),Kirkland day time pain medication(lt blue/red capsule), Kirkland Acetaminophen, latex gloves, Isopropyl alcohol, chewable melatonin, round cotton make up pads.
    Store division:
    Kirkland Dog biscuits, zip lock bags-all sizes N/A, Kirkland stretch wrap-plastic wrap, Kirkland glass jar peaches, Kirkland corn, Kirkland green beans, canned mushrooms, Kirkland trash bags.
    This was from my—jic list.

    1. Antique Collector, We went to our Costco a few days ago. I was shocked by all the open floor space with no product. They’ve rearranged their aisles and products. Double packs of chewable vitamin C no longer have a one only limit, but the shelf space for it is much smaller. I noticed their canned chicken no longer has quantity limits, but again, they don’t have as much product on hand. Their canned pulled pork has been gone for months and their canned roast beef has been gone even longer. I’m also shocked by beef prices everywhere. While I was focusing on chicken and pork shortages, they hiked up beef prices!

  13. pint canning lids
    water bath canner

    freezers

    food shelves have recovered somewhat, but no:
    bread flour
    bread machine yeast

    no limits on meats anymore, but who can pay the price they are charging !!??!!

    rice limited availability
    canned veggies limited availability

    Ammo limited to two or three boxes.

    1. grandee: Try Ace Hardware for all your canning needs if there is one in your area.We found all jars and lids yesterday.The Anchor Hocking Co.
      had a big supply of jars but very expensive.
      It makes us feel bad that we don’t have any shortages in NW Montana
      but folks in other places are struggling.

      1. thank you. we do have an Ace here. My church is getting peaches (seconds) by the bushel next week. My daughter and I are going to be canning them. I have enough jars and lids to get this done :) but want to replace what I use. I’ll be checking at Ace.

    2. grandee, If you have a dollar general they will order canning jars, lids and rings and lids for you.., if not in stock.. qts were 8.75 2 weeks ago.. golden harvest brand…same for lids. they were 1.55dz?

      1. that’s a good price for lids.

        hubby picked up some lids from Ace @ $3.49 per doz.

        Sheesh

    1. I find that if I ask the workers when is a good time to come back they usually will give me a good idea when the trucks arrive (ammo at least). That happened last week. Pistol ammo was all gone. Sure enough when I came back at the time he said the next day, there was a lot of pistol ammo. I am sure it did not last long.

  14. Local rural king farm store, biggest gun dealer around, zero 9mm .40 s&w .308,.556,.223 on and on. Some .22 few.45. Normally this store has stacks of all calibers. W world has had no canned peaches for a month. No Clorox wipes since march. And any hand sanitizer sold in this town all say kills 99% bacteria not virus.And when we ordered another half beef from local locker to split with son and family they put us on the list for 6 months from order date instead of usual 1 month wait.Here also no freezers anywhere to be had. I was going to get a third one to put back for potential need of one of our two older freezers quit.I am so glad to have the extremely deep pantry that we’ve built over the last years.

    1. Maggie’s farm,funny you mentioned canned peaches, I sent an email to all on my list and told them to stock up on canned goods and one of my friends emailed back, that as long as he could stock up on canned peaches and tamales he would be good. We’ll I only get to wally world every two or three weeks but it’s funny, every time I go they have plenty of canned peaches but never have any brand of tamales. Trekker Out

    2. Try colloidal silver. It kills ALL one-celled organisms, including viruses, bacteria and fungus. I make my own. I you- tubed it and learned how to. Cost is pennies on the dollar by making it yourself. Not hard to do at all. I bought my silver rods from the Silver Edge for $16 dollars which will last for years! The only other ingredient is distilled water. They don’t advertise it because they can’t patent silver.

  15. For over a month, there hasn’t been any store brand aspirin in stock at grocery store or WM. Finally found at WM and the price was 4x what it was pre-pandemic. Noticed at WM yesterday, the sugar stocks were at about 50%. No dried chives and it seemed the seasoning and herb area had shrunk. Almost no bikes. My DH is particular about some of his packed lunch items and his whiskey. I buy both when I see them but have noticed I am taking the last of both most of the time.

    I will add my other observations from this week to open forum.

  16. Costco and Sam’s both have holes in their shelves in many areas, especially canned meats. Moderate amounts of tp and pt available. Lysol and Clorox cleaning supplies not to be found. No peaches at Costco here either. No gloves, isopropyl alcohol, peroxide, hand sanitizer, or liquid hand soap.

    Ammo supplies low or high priced, usually both.

    Things are better than two months ago for most things but not quite back to normal either.

  17. I went to wally world for the first time in 4 1/2 months a couple days ago. They had limited rice and pasta but what floored me was there was NO cereals! That isle was empty except for a few boxes of granola bars. I was shocked to see that so bare. Meats and chicken looked decently stocked, and I went in for auto supplies to do more oil changes and other auto maintenance—those things were well stocked.

    There was bleach but no other cleaning products so I got a couple of gallons. Prepared foods like hot dogs and lunchmeats were light. Tilamook cheese was sparse but I did get a couple of blocks.

    1. Good to see you post old homesteader. I at least have’t seen them in awhile

  18. 12 /24 volt fridge freezers available online. Many are dual voltage such as 120 ac 12/24vdc. search online I ordered one yesterday, 7 day delivery not bad

  19. Just got back from grocery store and feed store. Grocery still very well stocked. Feed store runs out of feed very quickly. Trucks deliver on Thurs feed gone by Friday. Only thing I really noticed is canning supplies out of stock everywhere.

    Banks claim a coin shortage. (Getting us ready for cashless? Nudge. Nudge.). And as far as the canned goods shortages didn’t we read last year that the factories that make the cans shut down? I think due to the no-plant situation and loss of crops. I would buy frozen veggies and can them yourselves if you have the jars and pressure canners. Just a thought.

    1. DJ5280,
      If you choose to buy frozen and put away, do as many as you can in dehydrated, they store in 1/3 to half the space. You can eat them straight out of the jar if you have teeth… , soaked they rehydrate in close to an hour.. the smaller you cut them to dehydrate the quicker they rehydrate and the more you can pack in jar.. fresh things like mushrooms, and celery,…making mushroom powder, w/c fresh corn can be dehydrated and crushed/ground for creamed and or cornmeal. This is how we prefer soup mixes of veggies..

  20. Lumber appears to be in short supply as well. I have a contractor replacing a 35 year old deck, and so far they have had to get three deliveries of lumber as it comes in. They are struggling with getting enough to finish what they have started.

    1. Pressure treated lumber in very short supply in central NH. Lumber supply store said as it arrives is loaded on trucks for delivery. I wanted 12ft 6×6 pt for a building project, will use rough cut lamber from a local sawmill for the balance.
      Supposedly the mills that make the PT lumber have been closed for over three months .

      1. Here in the north Seattle ‘burbs isopropyl alcohol, hand sanitizer, and disposable gloves are scarce. Most foods, raw/fresh or prepared, are fairly well stocked at the local grocers. I haven’t shopped for ammo so don’t know the supply situation.

  21. I put this in Open Forum this weekend: We made a Sam’s Club run yesterday and it was sobering to see so many empty shelves! The top two tiers were totally empty in all aisles in Erie PA. Then the others that were stocked lower were sparse. They had TP but no paper towels. Many of their non-food items were low in inventory as well as their food items. Spices were low too. I picked up another organic cinnamon and onion granules to store. Next to no beef, no ham slices but did have some bacon. And there were workers throughout the store stocking what they did have available.

    My friend that works at Walmart says the public has their head in the sand. They come in and get angry that they don’t have items in stock and don’t have a clue why it cannot be obtained. Next to no camping gear remains and fishing items are going fast too. The same thing is happening at John Deere. Replacement parts and new items are taking longer to get in, if you can get them.

    I have also since been to my Amish store to pick up another gallon of Maple syrup and spices my hubby needed for his workplace. They have had a bit more difficulty getting items they order in or gather at stores like WM. She did have canning lids though and said they were left over from spring which truly surprised me.

    This Wednesday, I did the Aldi run for my family (spent $66) and a large grocery store run for my elderly friend. Aldi’s in our area of western NY cannot get sliced (deli) ham. Their sugar and flour come and go but the bag size is smaller and the price keeps getting higher. They have limits on most everything. Canned veggies are limit 4. Their pastas have been much more limited with only two types lately. Their sodas are fewer also. It also appears they are changing the store floor plan.

    Keep in mind that many stores removed freezers from their floor plans a couple months ago because it costs money to operate them and they knew they were going to have reduced frozen items available. You do not take a freezer totally out of commission for a short period of non-use. It means they expect many items will NOT return so no need to run the extra freezers.

    In addition, there will be olive oil shortage soon (buy your oils now) and most likely apple shortages – the first because of crop damage and the second because WA state’s gov is a moron.

  22. Went to Costco this week for the first time since early March. Couldn’t get any honey, and a limit of one on bacon. Otherwise they weren’t badly stocked. Prices hadn’t increased as much as our local grocery chains, Hyvee and Fareway.
    They haven’t had canned fruit in the Costco here for a year or more. I bought 15# of rice for $6.49. No limit. They had Spam and canned chicken…I didn’t look at the price as I can my own meat and chicken.
    Our local stores are pretty well stocked this week. Still don’t have yeast, I get that at our Amish store, as well as bulk goods, like flour, oatmeal, pasta, spices & herbs.

  23. Southeast Michigander here. My experience regarding food stuffs is similar to what has already been mentioned; although I can’t figure it out. Frequent a local Aldi store, canned ham has been non-existent since the start and still hasn’t returned. Fortunately I had a box-full in storage that needed to be used up. Bread flour; same thing. Can’t find it. Like others have said, shelves have returned to normal for the most part but still holes are obvious in different areas of the the stores. Stocked up on so much lunch meat at the beginning of the meat shortage, that I won’t need any of that for the next six months. The really funny thing about the whole shortage thing: I wasn’t lacking for ANYTHING—except for, you ready—hand sanitizer! Not a bottle in stock. Never crossed my mind, never read it on a prepping list. Tons of sanitizing wipes though. Now N95 masks? Lots. That was for when Yellowstone blew…LOL! Unfortunately, I’m serious.

  24. No Jasmine or Basmati rice in any quantity to be found.
    No retail fruit trees to buy – no plum, apple, peach, or pear.
    No Covid-19 tests with less than 10+ day result wait.
    Freeze dried meals (Mountain House) are in very short retail supply.
    No Otis elevator repair parts. That is the excuse at work, I think it is forced exercise with a mask stressor.

  25. at Walmart a couple of weeks ago, there were NO generic drugs, such as aspirin, antacid, etc. Plus they had rearranged their whole store and you couldn’t find anything. When you did find the new location of the department you wanted, you usually couldn’t find the item.

  26. In WA, my husband reports ammo is down to steel casing rounds for 223 and 9. Still some brass in odd sizes but all popular sizes are missing. No Glock of any kind available for love nor money. Other high priced hand guns still available, but mostly collectors items. Shotguns in 12 Guage not available. Some 20 guage on occasion. Here in Mass, no one knows what a gun is since no one would give you a permit to buy. (You don’t know how badly I just want to pick up a lease for any address in Nh and start shifting north)

    Food in WA seems to be ok, but meat needs a mortgage. So my hubby is eating veg at home and buys something with meat for a meal from out local New Mexican restaurant. Stores and Costco are fronting what they have but are missing lots.

    Food in Mass has lots of creative fronting. Fresh Veg is easy to come buy now at stores and farms. Canned food is very mainstream. No low salt available in cans. Very limited organic anything in cans. Almost no convenience food in cans (ie. no ChefBoyardee, etc). BJs and Costco have lots of canned fish (Tuna, Sardines, Etc) , Spam, and Chicken. Fresh meat at both is available, but very pricy, lots of folk looking and moving on once they see the price.

    Plenty of fresh fruit, just got lots of peaches in my CSA this week, but canned fruit of any type is scarce.

    Anyone on a restricted diet will need to cook from scratch. Hard to find low salt, low fat, Low carb, gluten free, etc products.

    No freezers unless you get lucky.

    Gardening supplies are pretty sold out. Can still get fertilizer and pesticide type items, but even basic gardening tools are sold out. Every one has at least something as a victory garden.

    Basic OTC drug store items are out. Evening Primrose oil available. Lots of holes in Vitamin C, D3, and Zinc. Along with aspirin, melatonin or any kind of sleep aid.

    Finding Lysol anything is like participating in a snipe hunt.Ocean State Job Lots has a ton of sanitizer (no limits) – alcohol based. Also any kind of soap in pumps is non-existent. However bar soap is readily available.

    Freezer convenience foods are somewhat back, but a limited number of varieties.

    Bike shops are still pretty empty. They got cleaned out in th early spring. No way to get a back yard swimming pool. Pool supplies are in low supply.

  27. Went to Wegmans today in Northern Virginia. Didn’t need much but needed to pick up a prescription. Of the things on my list – there was no vinegar at all. Also I’ve been looking for caffeine free Pepsi for several weeks and no one has it. When I was leaving I saw a woman I know (a long time employee) so asked her about it. She said both Pepsi and Coke were experiencing a shortage of tin. They’re obviously concentrating on their best sellers (and cafffeine free isn’t one of them). Plenty of Wegmans brand TP and paper towels. Picked up several Goya products.

    1. KayS,
      Yes, the news story I read said that aluminum was a problem for soda companies. Many people drink soda when they go out to eat, but since they’re not going out as much, they’re buying more from the store. The soda companies weren’t prepared for such an uptick in having to bottle/can their drinks, so they’re concentrating on the most popular flavors.

    2. Wendy and Kay,
      Yes… I read several news stories today about an aluminum can shortage. Sodas, beer, canned sparkling water and juices… there was already high demand for cans and now there is not enough.

      Numerous beer and soda companies have said they are not producing less popular items to concentrate on core products and brands. One company said they are sourcing cans from around the world, but so are their competitors. Everyone is running low it seems.

    3. KayS

      If you need vinegar try Asian or Hispanic markets if any are available near you. Those local to have been well stocked.

      1. i went to my local “hispanic” shop (without wearing a mask like a boss) and found vinegar and salt there, thank you so much.

  28. Ammunition of all calibers is short. It is either unavailable, twice as expensive or old surplus. Weapons are in short supply for purchase.
    Dawn soap is still unavailable where I live in the Arkansas Ozarks. Most meats are good. Toilet paper is still incredibly in short supply in the grocery store but available at the Dollar Store. Goya products (dried beans) are in short supply due to the Buy-cott. Milk and eggs sell out very quickly.

  29. In western WI. Shortage of all ammo except hunting rifle rounds. So frustrating when you want to practice but not spend your reserves. Can’t find diet root beer at all. Coke man in the store said all the warehouses were out Minneapolis Cincinnati St. Louis..once I’m out I guess it’s time to give up pop for good. Said production was way behind. Dad says cant find liquid dishwasher detergent. Grabbed last two bottles here on this side of state in our Sams. Shelves that were mostly full even during panic buying are now finally looking bare in this neck of the woods. We kinda were sparred being smaller population area. But it’s getting damn scary out there. The family wife and kiddo think I worry too much. But I know what horror awaits in a collapsing country. We don’t right this ship damn quick this is gunna be ugly. Good luck all.

  30. I’m in SW WA. I shop for my family as well as my 70 year old mother. Our Costco has been out of canned tomato sauce (all brands) for weeks, disinfectant wipes, a lot of items are spread over multiple pallets so as to fill empty spaces.

    Grocery stores are hit and miss on a few things but have been pretty well stocked just with noticeably lower quantity. Yeast has been hard to find but no limits when it’s in. It seems kind of random the items that are out or low. One week it’s this another it’s that. Canned food is low stock on shelf every time I go. We raise or buy local our own meat so haven’t seen that section. Vegetable section I haven’t been in since garden season started but I was noticing huge quality/freshness issues on most items a month and a half ago.

  31. Central WI WM
    Everything “looks good”
    Multiple faces of individual items to mask out of stock items.
    I didn’t look around much today
    Rice was there but mostly fronts, empty behind the fronts.
    Brats, multiple faces of whatever they recently got in to the store
    and several varieties missing.
    Lunch meats are thin, multiple faces again of whatever they have the most of.
    Ground beef, mostly the high fat 70/30 is available, the ground chuck
    is only available in 2 1/2 pound overpriced.
    They are getting inventive to cover holes and missing SKU items.
    I did notice many things missing in the freezer section, pizza’s were
    very light on stock.
    Ice cream items were all good.
    All I wanted was my allergy med, band-aids and pepsi.

    I didn’t look this time but 2 weeks ago the otc pain meds were very light on stock.

    Over abundance of junk/crap food.
    I did notice the cereal section is mostly devoid of healthy choices.

  32. Central Texas.. grocery stores low on pasta, butter; meat prices high. Sams club has been hit or miss on paper towels and TP. TP price I noticed stayed the same but the quantity changed. Hard to find unsalted butter. No generic Tylenol.

  33. Coins in short supply in central va. Ammo and guns etc as well. Getting my ammo & reloading stuff thru ammoseek.com. Gravers full up at the moment

  34. Wally world in northern michigan is spotty on stock but sav-a-lot and dollar stores are fully stocked , ammo is non existent everywhere

  35. Ran down to our Walmart (Mid Hudson Valley. NY) to get a replacement toaster oven. Except for the display model there were none there except a couple super high priced models. A toaster oven? Walmart’s a super JIT’er looks to me to be a serious delivery problem.

  36. Made our first trip to Costco since march. I haven’t heard of shortages in Costco anymore but I sure did see them first hand. I can only say what I was looking for. No large packages of yeast, no Generic Tylenol or regular tylenol, no Lysol, very little cans of meat, didn’t see any vinegar and my potato chips weren’t there! Old man said there was no 5w20 motor oil, and no yellow and black totes. I noticed several limit signs but since I didn’t need those things I didn’t pay attention. Several things that they had coupons for were gone. You can find some canning supplies at our small walmart but jars are very limited and no wide mouth pints anywhere. Also cider vinegar was out and only some regular vinegar. Canned meat is extremely limited. Also finding very little deli ham.
    I used to have a group of people that bought freeze dried food with me once a month. That stopped back in March. Recently I have had at least 5 people call me inquiring about where to buy FD food. I tell them it is to late and what there is, is extremely expensive. All meat is usually sold shortly after it hits their website and none are under $60 for a #10 can. I tell them look for canned meat and buy all you can afford.
    One thing no one has mentioned, I have noticed bottled water is extremely low where ever I go. Couldn’t get Old man to buy anymore, we have it stacked all over!

  37. A lot of Chinese products are no longer available. I’m okay with that.
    What is in short supply that you are willing to give up?
    We haven’t bought pop (soda), cereals, processed foods for years. We do occasionally buy bread that we don’t want to make and we can stock up on butter to preserve easily by making ghee (clarified butter). We do not use any medications at all, just multi-vitamins and we brew our own wine. We have enough powdered eggs to last for years and bought ammo dirt cheap years ago.
    Our biggest need right now is processing a gigantic tomato harvest; we have dozens of jars and lids (which also are very hard to find now) but time is going to be a factor.
    I would suggest stocking up on Morton canning salt and white vinegar.

  38. Quality firearms and ammo are in short supply in East Texas. Also latex gloves are still as rare as unicorns or living friends of the Clintons.

  39. One alternative to not being able to find firearms and ammo is to look on Armslist.com. You can do a nationwide search, or just your state. Under categories you can search for type of firearm, and under accessories you will find ammunition. Some dealers will ship. In the state where I live I am actually surprised at the number of firearms available. Earlier this week I sold a .380 auto through Armslist and using a local dealer with an FFL to do the transaction legally. In the local sporting goods stores, including big box like Scheels handgun ammunition is in very short to non-existent supply. I have found a good supply of 22 magnum at a good price at WM. I use it and 22 LR for practice with a rifle and a pistol.

    1. Armlist and gunbroker have both been good when looking for particular things. I’ve been able to purchase several quality bolt rifles lately that I have been wanting. Still looking for a JM Marlin made 35 Remington and 444 Marlin.

  40. Elastic for making face masks and other things
    Sewing machine needles
    Hand sewing needles
    Threads – all
    Cloth fabrics
    Toilet paper
    Paper towels
    Instant potatoes
    Canned beans – all
    Cup of noodles
    Soups – canned
    ISO alcohol
    Nitrile gloves
    Face masks
    Cold meds – all
    Hand sanitizer
    Disinfectant wipes
    Bleach
    Dawn dish soap
    Laundry soap
    Bar soap
    Rechargeable batteries
    Rope
    Para cord
    String
    Flowerpots
    Tuna
    And beef is so expensive…

    1. Jed,
      FYI..I didn’t even bother looking for elastic to make masks. I have some old pantyhose that I haven’t worn in years. I cut one-inch strips of that, and they work great. No need to hem the edges or anything. The pair I used were black, and I don’t think anyone would guess what they were originally. I hand-washed my masks each day after work (we’re now back home again), and the hose has held up perfectly fine.

  41. Good idea for an article, Ken. A lot of times I’ve been reminded of something I should make sure I have because someone has mentioned it in a comment somewhere.

    In the Missouri Ozarks…
    I went to the grocery store (Hy-Vee) a few days ago and was surprised to see a whole lot of yeast, both in packets and in blocks, and a whole lot of powdered milk. I bought more of both, even though they weren’t on my list, and I hate powdered milk. I think I probably have more than I will need of some stuff, but that will allow me to share with my neighbors, if need be. (Please don’t turn this into a conversation about not sharing/staying gray; I know the risks and will probably take some of them anyway.) There were plenty of fresh fruits and vegies, but I’m not buying those anyway unless they can be well-washed (melons, bananas) or I plan on cooking or canning them. I saw no shortages of meat, and while the prices were higher than I like, they were less than they were a month or two ago. There are still empty spots at the back of a lot of shelves, but it’s not as obvious as it had been.

    Canning jars were prominent on a couple of endcaps (ends of aisles), but I have lots already, and I think they were a bit expensive. I’ve never seen them displayed like that before; there are usually just a few boxes tucked away on a shelf. My guess is that there’s a higher demand for those AND if the endcaps are filled with non-grocery items, the shelves are fuller of food, making the holes less noticeable.

    I’ve only looked for ammo once since this all started, and ended up buying nothing because they didn’t have much at all on the shelves, and none of what I wanted. I’d really like to stock up on some more of certain calibers, but I haven’t been going out much, so I haven’t been checking.

    1. Wendy –

      You cook, can foods, appreciate fresh fruit, hate powdered milk, have concern for your neighbors, know every retail trick, ammo is part of your shopping list… and you can fashion virus masks from black pantyhose! … Where have you been all my life?!

      You’re definitely on the mcgyver must-read list from this point onward.

      1. tmcgyver,
        Thanks for the laugh; it’s a great way to start my morning!

      2. tmcgyver
        If you have dry milk try Morning Moo. It tastes just like milk. Of course finding it now could be a problem.

  42. West MI stores are back to normal for TP and paper towel. Hand sanitizer is readily available as well. No Lysol spray to be found since March. No disinfectant wipes either. Fresh meats and chicken pretty well stocked although cost is high. No Goya products either, was gonna do my part with the buy-cott!! I think my Meijer (regional big box/grocer) is better stocked than my local Walmart. Pressure treated lumber also hard to come by. DH does HVAC and air conditioners are not available from any suppliers at all.

    1. MitM: That is very useful information about the AC units. I’ve been stalling the replacement of the HVAC system serving my two south facing bedrooms, waiting until autumn when the weather is cooler to do the work. Now I think I’ll purchase the equipment tomorrow and just deal with storing it for a few months.

      1. Line sets (needed for whole house ac units) are dwindling as well. Someone told my DH their stock is low and when they’re gone they don’t expect anymore anytime soon! So get everything you need now!

    1. Festo, no worries. Get the generic parts first. To repair, patch, tighten, oiled etc.. You’ll get your bicycle when the time comes.
      I bought a sunshade for the windshield, fire extinguisher and other tools before I got the vehicle, used. But do verify their condition before buying. JmO

  43. chicken, iceberg lettuce was nowhere in the commissary when the wife and I went on Tues. Also very little tp and pt.

  44. This may sound strange but I have a hard time getting some brands of beer from our distributors. Sometimes a particular brand will be a three week wait. The meat counters at the grocery stores are thin but the price has eased back. The local lockers are six months out to have a beef processed. In the grocery stores there are pallets of canned vegetables four for five dollars but I have never heard of the brands. If you want to buy #10 cans of vegies there in no shortage, name brand at six dollars a can.

  45. Fresh turmeric. Not that I use them often, but want to grow them if they are hard to find like these few months. Ginger too.
    Powdered are still acceptable but it’s better when… When they’re gonE… Poofs!!

  46. rumford baking powder- aluminum free.. Non gmo cornstarch. not for months…

  47. My wife bought some Purell Foodservice Surface Sanitizer (available in spray bottles and gallon-sized containers) well before the holidays simply because it is so effective at cleaning/sanitizing, and we’ve finally worked through our supply. Cannot get it to save our lives. Everything Purell is going straight to healthcare and food industries. It’s just gone.

    Lysol Wipes & Spray and Clorox Wipes. IF you can locate them, they aren’t ever included in ship/delivery/curbside orders. Must go INSIDE the store and they’re never available.

    This is in the Louisville, KY area.

    ******* TO ALL THOSE WHO OFFERED SUCH WISE ADVICE REGARDING THOSE 5 ACRES WE WERE TRYING TO PURCHASE ********

    Thank you. All of you. There’s such wisdom among this group of friends and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your willingness to share it always. Unfortunately, we did NOT get the lot. Someone outbid us and we weren’t willing to get stupid with our $ to “win.” There are a couple others we’re looking at, so all of your advice and suggestions will come in handy. Just have to be patient for the right one to come along. It’s in God’s hands. But thank you all again. Truly an awesome army of kick butt men and women here and this lowly MSG appreciates the snot out of you. And Ken…thank you, sir, for creating this den of wisdom.

    1. MSG12B

      Not sure if this is of interest,
      Try Lake house Homes (all one word)
      Been looking at Rough River and Cumberland myself.
      They have homes and lots. Prices vary of course.
      You would be within a couple of hours or so of Lousyville, plus Etown has quite a few stores if you go with Rough River.

  48. To me it seems there are two things going on; shortages and the prices of some of what is available. Ammo is in short supply and pricey. Bikes don’t seem to be available. Can’t get a pressure canner. I was looking for a replacement handle for a splitting maul and went to store after store, online etc before finally finding one at a local hardware store. Waited on a list for my freezer but finally got one. Was at Walmart and they aren’t even pretending to make it look stocked. This particular Walmart is pretty poorly stocked on a good day but now it’s unreal. Huge open areas with nothing; clothing, bikes and who knows what used to be there.

    Food seems to be coming back although lots is quite pricey. Dairy seems to be well priced in general as is some fresh veggies. Had to pay $5 for a small bag of onions though. Some stuff has literally doubled in price or more. Saw small cans of canned fruit for $2.49. Ditto for cans of tuna. Died beans had nearly doubled in price. Tomato sauce was very expensive. Only frozen berries have been store brand for some time now although at least there were some to buy but not many.

    I noticed that there are far fewer sales on grocery items now and mostly seems to be for junk. I used to be able to buy healthy stuff like pasta, beans, tuna, peanut butter etc on sale and now that doesn’t seem to be the case.

    Along with the shortages, the sticker shock of prices is worrisome. My income has gone down but prices are climbing.

  49. -ammo with the exception of a few hunting calibers
    -canning supplies
    -flour/sugar/baking section has remained low
    -pressure treated lumber has been almost non existent for 2-3 weeks

    I’d start thinking fall/winter time items now as well, driveway salt/snowblowers (and parts), wood pellets/oil/etc. Not that I think they’ll necessarily be a shortage on oil but if everyone is still home people are going to be calling the oil man more frequently and may tend to more snow removal on their own rather than hiring someone to do so.

    1. In my small town
      -ammo= none for months in stores. Possibly some available for barter between locals.
      -building supplies/hardware= dwindling fast. No 3/4″ PVC couplings anywhere last week while doing water well modifications.
      -local Wally Mart= bare meat shelves at times, sporadic paper products, canned foods are very limited and 2 item limits per person, outdoor gear is getting down to slim pickings. Mostly just junky chairs and coolers to fill shelves.
      -outdoor equipment= lots of high dollar zero turn mowers left around town but quality small engine equipment such as saws, trimmers, blowers are non existent. Battery powered equipment seems to be available but useless for anything other than small jobs.
      -Canning supplies= nope

      Summary= Hold on tight. The ride is gonna get real bumpy soon.

      1. Hey G. Bear – for the 3/4 inch couplers, try heating the end of the female end of the PVC pipe with a heat gun. When it gets soft, then jam the other end in (keep it clean, physically and in thought!). I use the glue for lubrication. No need for a coupler. It saves money for bends, too.

  50. Here in the mid-south there are shortages or back-orders on freezers and canning supplies. I found canning supplies at Tractor Supply but they had to be shipped to our little town store.

    The closest town with warehouse stores is an hour away and I have been able to get food and house-hold supplies; some are shipped from the storage facilities but they arrive within a few days. Last month they shipped PT, sensodyne toothpaste, olive oil and vegetable oil. Bottles of blue dawn dish soap in the 2-1/2 qt bottles were not available in store but they had 1 gal containers, so I got the gal ones (which were cheaper than equivalent qt sizes) and will transfer the product to used 2 qt bottles.

    Aldi in the city had 90/10% hamburger and it went down a $1/pd from last time I bought. The lower fat ratio makes it easier to can. Our small town grocers don’t carry the 90/10% but I buy most all other meat/poultry/pork locally; prices are just a tiny bit higher than in March.

    Lowes had all the building supplies I needed but prices are much higher. Pressure treat wood was available but very pricey. Screws have doubled in price and metal roofing panels have gone up significantly, but at least I got what I wanted.

    Everything I purchase is storeable; if I don’t use it right away, it won’t go bad for years.

  51. Glad to hear folks stocking up, BUT… for every freezer bought… WHAT happens when elect grid goes down or your area has a power failure? If you have no Generator…. Received my onan yesterday. Have enough Generators to supply both water wells and both Houses on property. Have two 250 gallon propane tanks, plus gasoline. Can survive the short haul…. Get a Generator that is dual fuel.

    1. Yes, that’s a problem. In my previous home I had an off-grid system and my freezer ran off of that. So I’m new to having to depend on the grid. But if I got a generator I’d likely only store enough fuel for a fairly short time; after that if the grid was still down then I’d be out of luck. Except in the winter when I could use the great outdoors for a freezer and the basement for a fridge of course. It’s a risk but as my freezer is only 5 cf it’s not like I’m going to store a tremendous amount in there anyway. And some of what I’m storing I just don’t like canned.

      1. Ani

        Remember you don’t have to run the gen set 24/7. An hour or two will keep the freezer if you aren’t going into it often.

    2. Instead of a generator, you need a off grid solar system. When it is not in use, then use the power for other fixed base loads (like batteries, well pumps or water heaters) then sell the power by crypto mining. Backing up your electrical power will make the difference between house camping, or normalcy when the grid is down. A generator is only a temporary fix. The off grid solar system is the solution.

      1. Can a solar generate a water well that runs on a 220?

        1. Yes, any decent solar company would be happy to help you design and set it up. Some might say the price is high but I ask them how much is your life worth. Water is life.

        2. Tuesday, yes. Ken has a good company listed that we used – Iron Edison. It will power our 220 well pump and much more. We are building the frame that holds the panels point of construction. Between weather, two jobs and running the farm our time has been limited..but getting excited to see the progress.

  52. Also gardening supplies such as lightweight insect resistant row covers, bagged compost, seeds, garden fencing and posts and most garden amendments, insect control(organic) items etc are either unavailable or sparse. Add to that axes, mauls etc. I wasn’t looking for this but I’ve heard any chicken items such as waterers, feeders etc aren’t easily found now. Stores are telling me that they just can’t get these items in; the suppliers are totally backlogged. A local bagged compost supplier was 75 truckloads behind as of a few weeks ago when I was looking. Agway tells me they actually ran out of seed potatoes this year.

    I’m trying to figure out what might be in short supply that I need in the near future. It seems to be a combo of what suppliers are having a hard time finding due to manufacturing slowdowns, stuff not coming from overseas etc as well as sharply increased demand. I’m guessing stuff used in the winter for sports, boots, hats and gloves, anything people hanging out at home a lot indoors will do for recreation. Also home office type supplies; had a hard time replacing my headset that broke as most were out of stock other than really pricey ones. Wondering about snow tires; I really need new ones. Although if I don’t have a job this winter to go to I probably won’t be driving a whole lot and can just use my old ones!

    I’m guessing that if you want to grow garlic(or have some for the winter) and don’t already grow it, you’ll want to jump on some as soon as it’s for sale. Also, be sure to save enough potatoes for using as seed stock(unless you’ve got diseased spuds of course). I’m also guessing that people in areas where there’s lots of wild apple trees will be taking a real interest in harvesting them this year so if you plan on doing that you might want to keep an eye on the trees and get any permission needed from land owners early rather than later. Plus make sure you’ve got a picker tool to harvest if you’re not just using drops. In past years I’d always see apples all over the ground that were just ignored and even black walnuts on the ground under a (for here) rare black walnut tree. I suspect there will be a lot of interest in harvesting and canning/storing this sort of stuff this year. And in places where you have other types of fruit and nuts trees, the same goes. With canned fruit selling for upwards of $2.50/can around here I’d imagine a lot of people will want to make apple sauce etc.

  53. There has been no yeast since mid-February. Things are mostly well stocked again, but sometimes sporadic shortages. TP and PT are well stocked. The prices of both had gone way up, but are coming back down. Kleenex tissues seem to be in short supply. Went to the Lowe’s this week, very low inventory of everything. Cannot buy tomato cages anywhere. Can find five gallon buckets only at TSC, nowhere else. Having trouble finding clothes for my growing teenage boy. I did pre-buy clothing in bigger sizes for him, but I’m now trying to prepare for the next growth spurt. Shoes are another thing we’re having trouble finding. Something l have noticed is that in all outdoor/gardening centers, there are gallons of Round Up everywhere. I won’t comment on what I think of that.

  54. Went to my local mom & pop grocery here in the Missouri Ozarks yesterday. Some canned goods were light on the shelves, but everything they carry was in stock. Plenty of rice, flour, canned meats. they have a limit of 3 on some processed meats (brats, bacon, lunch meat).

    PS and off topic. I’ve been lurking here for years. Not a fan of social media (which I consider comments to be). You all are a great bunch, handle your issues, and provide awesome insight.

    Thanks to all who hang out here.

    1. grandpasplinter
      Hello–welcome to the site.
      It is nice to know you have been reading in the background & decided to share today.

    2. Here in northwest Indiana.Sandbaging for a while.Also enjoy all of your openness about sharing all of your Idea’s and vast knowledge of many subject’s.Thanks

  55. I went shopping yesterday. Lots of sales, but the sale prices are the regular prices of a year ago. Shelves are faced with a few of each item, but empty behind with more stock on the top shelves. A lot of empty lower shelves and empty upper shelves, with everything at eye level or below. Different things are missing each time I go in. Lots of displays covering empty shelves.

    Produce is available but lower quality and higher prices. I didn’t even look at the meat, but prices were up across the board.

  56. Central Texas report:
    small independent gun store: only 20 handguns in cases; other independents have closed!

    Bass Pro Shop: gun cases 1/3 full, limited ammo. clerk suggested ordering online (really??)

    HEB grocery store: some hydrogen peroxide, no isopropyl alcohol, limit of 1 on TP & paper towels, limit of 4 on hand sanitizer, some beef but expensive, shelves of veg & fruit only 1/2 full w/ noticeable empty spaces (peas, corn, potatoes), limited canned tomatoes & sauces, pasta 1/2 empty. Bought 5 pound bag of frozen mixed veg to dehydrate & it only filled a few pint jars when finished. Hubby “never knew” that would happen so I reiterated how valuable our canned freeze dried supplies really are. To his credit, he has really been a help since his retirement, now that he is not preoccupied w/ his career.

    Harbor Freight: has disposable gloves & paper masks (made in China) but store looked woefully empty in their regular stock, all presumably Chinese imports.

    Purchased a window air conditioner from Wally World, just in case our whole house a.c. goes out. It reached 106 here last Monday.

    Costco: shopped senior hours @ 9 am, when crowd is small. They had Lysol spray, 4 shrink wrapped cans for $16.99, limit 1. Got it for sister-in-law who is still working & can’t get to stores during daylight hours. Not much on the overhead shelves, only floor displays used. Scared me a little. The butcher I usually visit with looked kind of wild-eyed & was short w/ me. Something wrong there, I am sure. Over the counter drugs were short but plenty of vitamins, oddly enough. Felt a little weirded out when we left as things really seem to be collapsing.

    Keep prayin’ & preppin’!

  57. P.S. Thx Ken! I have been scouring the internet for news just like this. It is exceptionally timely, valuable & you are greatly appreciated by all!

    1. Thanks. I figured that it would make for a good post – because I’ve been thinking about this very subject. What better resource to tap – our excellent MSB readers all across the country!

  58. Ammo, can peaches, sugar, yeast, and common sense all seem in very short supply.

    Time will tell how it all works out.

    And that’s the view from my part of the world.

  59. I don’t get to town often, but I was there yesterday waiting on our medium sized chest freezer to be delivered. I ordered it from a restaurant supply company and paid more than I would have in normal times.
    Most things are in stock in central AZ with the exception of yeast and disinfectant wipes. Since baby wipes are available I’ve made my own “chlorox wipes” by pouring a mild bleach solution into a half full reclosable wipe pack (it’s labeled so it won’t be used for personal hygiene). I picked up canning lids, 2 cases of jelly jars, and pectin in anticipation of making prickly pear jelly in September. Looking to order rennet and “Clear Jel” soon.
    I’m trying to think of all the things I’ll need/want for this fall and winter and I’m getting them now….including gifts for Christmas and birthdays. My daughter purchased all the traditional Thanksgiving meal ingredients and I’m looking through all our favorite family recipes to check for ingredients that might be harder to find.

  60. What’s not out there right now is me. Stocked up nicely months ago so only zip in and out for fresh milk, etc. Haven’t “shopped”and filled a cart in a couple of months.

  61. Coin shortage; had a little problem at the cash register today as it came to $__.11 and I did not have the change and neither did they. Took it out of the penny jar.

  62. Just got cart shamed at walmart. Had cart loaded up and a typical person of walmart type made a comment and pointed at my cart to the person they were with (oh well they can go ……… Themselves )
    Vegetables are at about 40% normal ( no French style green beans ) some new brands I’ve never seen before
    No bikes. Very little fishing/camping stuff. Cereal aisle about 60 % normal. Pop was about 60 % normal on caffeinated types. (No caffeine free). Maybe 10 % of the ready to assemble furniture First aid stuff at about 50 % normal vitamins and pain meds pretty wiped out ( was a fair amount of ibuprofen ) sheets and towels were at about 25 % normal as was socks and underwear Cleaning supplies at about 20 % normal. Toilet paper and paper towels were pretty low

    1. I find it very odd, that bikes and camping gear are in short or no supply.
      Either
      #1 these products are made dealing with China?
      #2 people are so tired of lock downs, shutdowns, that they wanna get out?.
      #3 the majority of the people are waking up? I doubt it.

      I’m not getting out much, so… here’s what little I’ve paid attention to:
      Peroxide and/or rubbing alcohol, low
      I haven’t been to a sporting goods store, for awhile, so I’m not sure of ammo supplies.
      WW and Meijer seem to have a good supply of shotgun bird and trap loads in 20 and 12. I bought all they had in 16…..one or two boxes.
      Slug and buckshot, in any guage, must be a seasonal thing for them. Of course WW stopped the handgun ammo sales and Meijer always had a limited supply.
      Disinfectant wipes limited, to almost nothing.
      Fishing supplies seem to be ok, but kinda busy.

      All I can say is, get what you need, now.

  63. Just wait till the people get all worked up by the media about the second wave. Think how empty the shelves will be. I think the stores will be completely empty

    1. Yes, D B Cooper! Exactly.

      This was the precise primary concern during our recent prepper meeting.

      Covid Round#2 panic will most definitely wipe out inventories worse than before. And the fact that JIT recovery could be a LONG TIME, means we all better be ahead of the curve! Get it NOW… whatever “it” is that you need.

  64. Just got back from Wally’s. No heavy shopping, mainly went to pick up prescription meds for family. Saw no empty shelves, but few that were fully stocked. Had everything I had on the short list the wife sent with me.

    Ammo shelves were almost bare. Only .22 rimfire they had was CCI Stingers. A good load, but pricey at $6.47 for a box of 50 rounds (but that’s the normal price). I do like to keep it (the hyper-velocity Stingers) in stock, they let me buy two boxes of the four they had. I’m not hurting for ammo by a long shot, but still add to my stores when I can.

    Arkansas governor issued a mask mandate for everyone out in public. His mandate came less than a day after Wally World issued their nation-wide mandate for their stores. Both go into effect Monday.

  65. So far been able to get supplies we need. Have noticed low quantities in a few canned goods areas. Meat prices and produce prices have gone up. I did notice while picking up hubby’s meds, the pharmacy was out of quite a bit of over the counter items. Tylenol, antacids, allergy meds,etc. Limits on hand soap, sanitizer, wipes, etc still in place.

  66. – Had occasion to waltz through Sam’s, Walmart, local grocery chain and local farm store this morning. Other than Ammo, which bordered on nonexistent, I noticed some thin spots in canned soups, convenience packages of pasta (Plenty of Chef Boyardee canned stuff, though), meats were pretty well in stock. Made it a point to check and most canned goods went all the way back, not just facings. DW commented that lunch meat was either poultry or ham, nothing else. Plenty of fresh stuff available in produce department. Hand Sanitizer and masks available, plenty of bar soap but pump soap kinda thin. Plenty of laundry detergent, nothing labeled Lysol, small packages of nitrile gloves. Grand was able to find facial scrub she was looking for. Plenty of #10 cans, canned peaches, and such.
    Also made it a point to check on camping/cooking gear. Coleman Classic two-burner propane stoves on sale and plenty of them at $43.75. Plenty as far as normal supply of cook pots in camping and housewares at Wally World.
    – Papa S.

  67. Hi All.
    I’ve been keeping up with this Article and have yet to comment.
    I beveive most here know me well enough to know ……..
    Visited the local Sam’s Club yesterday. What surprised me the most was not the fact that the store was at around 60% of normal stock, but the number of people there…
    The place was completely PACKED, and yes everyone was doing the BS mask thing, even me.
    But what was amazing that every cart was 110% filled, some families had twp and a few had 3 carts…..
    Read that was you wish…

    The particular thing I would bring up besides Ammo on another Article, is Canning Jars and supplies.
    Sam’s dosen’t carry them but I stopped at 3 other stores that do…. 25% at most, and 50% more cost.
    Check out Amazon, 50% higher cost and a lot are down to 3-5 left in stock…..

    Have a Garden?
    Planing on a new freezer?
    Planing on Canning?
    How you going to store that food?

    Just my 2cents worth.

    PS: Blue is sooooo mad, Sam’s Club was 100% OUT of canned food… Except for Cat Food… Blue declined.

  68. I know some don’t like to mention area’s they live but it really helps knowing the area’s where shortages are otherwise just stating these shortages is kinda meaningless.

    So please say north/central/south of such state, it helps.
    be vague
    I’m in central WI

    1. Horse:
      I’m in NW NM aka Four Corners Area.
      Wanted to add for referance, 1/2 gallon jars were around %11 for a six pack last Fall, last week I paid $15+ I bought 2. Yesterday they were $16.75 per pack, I bought the last pack.

      Y’all might get ready for what is coming.

    2. – Horse,
      I didn’t think it was any secret, but I’m in west Texas about 550 miles east of NRP. Or if you prefer, about 350 miles from TX Deb. LOL
      – Papa S.

  69. One of my coworkers sent a message to me last night. The local Costco shelves are nearly empty. Very few shoppers either.

  70. I went to Costco yesterday and the shelves were fairly well stocked. I’m in west Texas.

    1. well i live in dallas, and i went to costco (without wearing a mask >:) ) and they had less that 40% stock left and didnt know when they were going to get anymore, where did you go where the costco had stock?

  71. I just relocated to Wisconsin and I went to IKEA for furniture…a LOT of the shelves are empty and “next day delivery” is now middle-of-August :(

  72. Southwest NH Market Basket this morning had no discernable holes, except for Fudgesicles…what is summer without Fudgesicles? Oh well, I doubled up on Popsicles…

  73. Independent appliance store has 40+ appliances on back order and is having trouble getting parts. Some lumber is getting harder and slower to get. Canadian border shutdown perhaps is the lumber issue?

    1. Market Basket southeast NH had reorganized to shrink soup section from 10 ft wide down to 5 ft wide, similar situation with coffee. Few cans, many workers making front full, only 1 or 2 behind. Soda, water, juice increased to take up where food was prior. Some items no longer have a place in shelf: no corned beef hash, Dinty Moore, looked through store to be sure it hadn’t just moved.

  74. Went last night to a large grocery store (inland central CA) I do not usually frequent in a town near BOL. They are part of a west coast store chain.

    They don’t have a butcher onsite, they had pre-packaged meats (okay selection of mostly chicken and pork), but high prices. Didn’t bother buying any. Very, very low on eggs, bacon, lunch meat.

    No pt, and only store brand tp, limit one. Only other limited item was 12-packs of ramen.

    Maybe 20 bottles of dish soap, all one brand. Low on most cleaning products. Variety of canned goods, but no more than 2 deep on anything. Very low on flour, sugar and rice. But good supply of dried spices in larger plastic containers – nice surprise, stocked up and will vac seal in jars.

    Almost completely wiped out on beer and sodas. I wasn’t looking to buy any, but I asked and an employee said deliveries have been really light on all canned beverages, mentioned aluminum can shortage.

    Higher prices on everything, spending more to buy less.

  75. Meanwhile there is an abundance of certain items due to people cleaning out their closets, attics and garages. Take a look at Craigslist, around here several with racks and racks of clothing especially.

  76. Went to wm today,
    noticed lots of odd replacement items., many missing products.
    the ground chuck is back at a lower price finally.
    otc pain section had many missing items.

    random food items around the store, gone

    1. There’s a shortage of large bags of the dry dog food that we buy at both Walmart and Fred Meyer in our area. It’s Purina”s Beneful chicken and also beef. I stocked up a few months ahead of crisis when we saw this coming. It’s a little concerning, though, because we have four good sized dogs. On the bright side, we have a Foodsavers store that supplies restaurants and is open to the public. Previously their meat suoply was low and rationed, but they’re now fully stocked with no quantity limits and pretty good prices compared to regular grocery stores. We bought a pork shoulder butt for $1.59/lb. That’s a good price for our area!

  77. A friend over in the valley is having a hard time finding a replacement for a washing machine. It quit and her repair guy said not fixing or fixable anymore. She is getting delivery times in October.

  78. Mid Michigan here, I did manage to find one can of Lysol (commercial sized can)at my local hardware in town but none anywhere else. My Meijers has TP, paper towel AND Kleenex but still limiting the amounts.Lots of hand sanitizers but no wipes and big jugs of antibacterial soap.I have one of those Lysol auto dispensers and found a hack to refill the soap bottles myself as Lysol doesn’t make the units or replacement soap bottles anymore. Canned veggies and fruit on the shelves but it’s hit or miss from week to week as to the amounts and varieties. Dry beans, rice REALLY scarce. Meat in the store is pricey but the shelves have product. They even have the butcher counter open now. Canning jars are not in good supply but I get rings and lids when I go to the store. Prices on everything is getting ridiculous. For example,the store brand jar of peanuts are up to almost $4.00 whereas they were only $1.89 a(16 oz) jar last month. I wonder if people are making their own peanut butter LOL? The jar yeast is not available but the strip packages are limited to one per. So I pick up a packet when I go, vac pac it and in the freezer it goes. No disposable gloves as of yesterday, talked to one of Son’s old coworkers, she told me that the deliveries of that stuff is sporadic and tends to go fast. Have to go Tuesday to pick up scripts so I’ll check then.

    1. With Chevy here. Canning lids w/o rings at local discount store $3.99 per box of 12. That’s 2x last year’s price. Picked up 4 each size to add to stock.

      Ammo limited to 2 boxes each caliber. Almost no handgun or AR ammo available with a sign saying unknown if/when more arriving.

  79. Came down off the mountain this morning for my quarterly blood draw. Listening to the local radio station’s daily “Trading Post” program where folks call in items they want to buy, trade, or sell. It was a non-stop repeat of what folks here on MSB have reported. Folks looking to buy guns, ammo, canning jars and lids, freezers, gardening tools, etc.

    Topic of conversation in the clinic waiting room was the dire shape our country is headed. Man sitting next to me started talking of a conversation he had with his friend Ted Nugent. Another gentleman questioned him if he really was friends with Ted. Turns out the guy, who appeared older than me, owns Snake Skin Camo that Ted wears.

  80. Went to Smart Foods and Winco yesterday in a nearby large population city to top off stuff.
    Smart foods is the old cash & carry store. They were low on beans and flour and I noticed space in the shelves and stock was fronted on the shelves.Store traffic was normal and prices have been raised a little in most areas.Over all selections seemed to be lower.
    Winco is our store of choice and they were busy as usual.Inventories were a little sparse but still a fair selection of products.Good selection in the meat department.They did have 25# and 50# bags of bulk items, pet food,oats,beans,rice, etc.

  81. Been a couple weeks since I loaded up on the groceries so couldn’t comment until now. From the central coast but slightly inland of CA, here’s what I noticed today:

    Went to two stores total and both were well stocked. One was very busy, the other wasn’t very. Paper towel items were completely gone but the husk paper was quite stocked. Beef prices are very high and well stocked, (coincidence?) but the chicken was only about 20% stocked, (as it was on sale). There were no signs limiting quantity.

    Additionally, been waiting to see if I could call it a trend before commenting but today, for the third time in two weeks, cash is appearing limited in the ATM’s at the bank. Two weeks ago, two of the three ATM’s were completely out, and the other only had limited denominations, (no 100’s). Was able to go inside for what I needed then. Today, no 100’s again, just 10-20’s offered. Anyone else seeing this?

    1. Silver Lodge,
      Our local grocery store is having shortages of quarters, SE Wa.

  82. From SW Wisconsin – Today I had errands at both the local hardware store and Walmart. I didn’t notice anything unusual at the hardware store; glanced over the ammo section, and everything they usually carry was there.

    Walmart was a begrudging necessary stop today, as they’re the only game in town for a few particular essentials. There were definitely bare spots on the shelves for certain brands of food products, but plenty of other brands available for the same food item. Some food items were low – the usual suspects, like pasta, tomato sauce, flour – but they had them in stock. There was an Auguson Farms bucket in the bulk section, so I bought it. There seems to be one each time I’m there, almost like they just put out one at a time. Didn’t scope out everything, as the mandatory mask is uncomfortable and I want to get in and out as quickly as possible.

    Two young men were outside the entrance, counting people and making sure everyone had their muzzles, I mean, masks on. Yes, I wore the mask; I rebelled at following the arrows, however. My small act of independence was going the opposite way. Noticed I wasn’t the only one doing that. Made me feel a little better.

  83. So shopped today. Smart Foodsavers restaurant supply well stocked. Missing yeast. Not a speck on the two shelves dedicated to yeast.

    Costco one each limits on TP, Kirkland fabric softener sheets, and Dawn dish soap. No quart-sized freezer bags and no instant mashed potatoes. Well stocked otherwise throughout. SW WA

  84. I’ll be doing the main shopping tomorrow but for now the shelf was bare at WM about 1 1/2 weeks ago for any type of allergy meds. A few scattered boxes of the brand name stuff was all.
    Cheap printers. My printer decided it can only suck in paper sideways and wad it up. All cheap printers are out of stock wherever I looked online.
    I like Mercola vitamins and they have been out of stock for several weeks that I know of.

  85. WM – Central Oregon – Monday about 10:30am

    allergy products looked full – didn’t check if it was just faced or actually full.
    Most of the cold case wall at about 40% filled with large empty sections. Only bologna was filled with almost zilch other lunch meats, hot dogs etc
    Baking section low with lots of outs. So, maybe 40%? No yeast
    Cooking oil at about 25%
    Canned veggies maybe 50%.
    Canned meats- 0
    Lot of Jimmy Dean sausage but entire shelf above and around it empty
    Butter-low
    TP- lot of outs- maybe 50%
    Frozen food- lots of large empty sections
    Overall several sections throughout store empty with filled with odd ‘place holders’
    Had an employee show me where the tapioca was and he pointed me down the isle. None. I mentioned it in passing back by him and he said “yeah, there are a lot of outs”.

  86. From Central Texas:

    Had cabin fever so we took a drive to a smallish town north of our metro/suburban area.
    Many more empty storefronts than on our last drive there in late May, early June.

    Stopped in to see an acquaintance who owns his own gun store. Donnie wasn’t there but his adult son/business partner was there & was happy to visit while 2 other customers also browsed. They had 8 handguns & 8 long guns in their cases; he is ordering new toys for us….but doesn’t know when/if they will come in. They have expanded & now carry lots of fishing equipment, which is a good seller for them & keeps them in business for now.

    I will grocery shop tomorrow & make a report. Has anyone ever ordered from Nuts.com? They have a lot on their website & I plan to order tomorrow, too.

    Keep preppin’ & prayin’!

  87. No. Ca. Here, (not to far from the evil den of Nancy’s nephew as gov) things I noticed in short stock is vitamins. No turmeric, c or d3 & zinc. What used to be at least 3’ X 4 shelves is now 2’ X 2 shelves. Soups down by 75%, no corned beef, canned tamales, canned meats very sparse. Canned veggies & fruit sparse. Found yeast though. Funny thing happened this wkend, da. Visiting, mentioned months since she could find disinfecting wipes, walked out to “the store”, handed her 99.9% wipes for viruses/bacteria, she grabbed them from my hand yelling this is GOLD Mom, I was shocked, asked her -need any Isopropyl Alcohol, got 91%, again this is GOLD! Where did you get this stuff? Well geeze daughter, you know I prep, maybe now you’ll pay attention to your Mother! She knows this but it hasn’t sunk in yet the value of prepping. Go figure, I am told stop buying stuff, huh! Really? Signing off – GrGrandma

  88. I went to Sam’s Club yesterday in South Alabama. It’s the first time that I have been in there since March. I was shocked by the reduced volume of items. Normally pallets are full of goods with extra stock overhead. Not yesterday. No pasta sauces. Pasta volume was less than half of normal. No butter–checked Sam’s online and there is none in stock for over 150 mile radius. No shredded mozzarella cheese. They did have yeast, which was a surprise. Breakfast foods aisle (cereals, granola bars, etc) was reduced to half normal size. Lots of empty shelf space in the freezer section, refrigerator section, and all throughout the shelf stable foods.

  89. Central Texas report

    Did my weekly grocery run today & was amazed @ many full shelves @ my local HEB! Full of eggs, butter, cheeses, yeast, flour & baking mixes, rice, fresh fruit & veg, meats, toilet paper, vitamins & cold remedies.

    However, there were a few gaps: 1/3 empty pasta shelves, 1/2 empty canned soups & canned fruits & veg & almost no cleaning supplies. Frozen foods still somewhat limited. There was NO isopropyl alcohol or hydrogen peroxide. And limits of 2 on paper products & a few other things.

    Keep preppin’ & prayin’!

  90. North Central Texas also had full shelves yesterday at the 4 WalMart superstores and their 1 neighborhood store in my seven mile radius. Seeing empty shelves, or only fronted cans that have nothing behind them has become so normal that to see overflowing shelves stops you in your tracks. Oddly, I went to all 5 stores in search of Ozarka water – yet not one bottle of that existed anywhere – which in Tx is apocalyptic during 108 degree weather.

    I asked the cashier what was going on, since there was no water yet canned food was suddenly in overabundance for the first time since Easter. He said sheepishly that all the employee’s had started really stocking up and had depleted a lot of items before the store ever opened. As was the case with Ozarka, but those trucks would be around to restock as soon as “they could get in”. Backlog of trucks at the dock because of the amount of other supplies being brought all at once. Evidently their manager had told them that WalMart was sending everything they could send because they knew people needed to get it now and advised them to buy as much as they could afford. As I walked away he called out to me and I took a few steps back, thinking I forgot something. Instead, he said, “Ma’am, may God watch over you and bless you.” Brought tears to my eyes because I think those poor folks are stressed beyond belief after months of this craziness.

    At another store as I was weaving through the stockers I heard one say, “Could you hear us screaming and cheering from our meeting?” Their manager had just assembled them to say that they won’t have to work on Thanksgiving Day this year because there won’t be a Black Friday event, due to not having enough stock forecasted to have big sales. Instead they will have some small sales throughout the preceding week and then close so the employees can be with their families for the day. And that they would also be getting raises in December because the management realized how hard they’d all been working. It was surreal to overhear all of this, yet it was equally jarring to see cart after cart filled with cases of items that have been so scarce. Not things like isopropyl alcohol, or Charmin, or Clorox – but choices of bar soaps and soup that hasn’t existed and a variety of pet food versus one choice, or just a couple choices, like it has been. Felt like that very first time you walked into WalMart and were mesmerized by all of what they had on the shelves. LOL…remember when it was a fun adventure, not a drag that left you exhausted and exasperated? Long damn time ago! But it felt like that again for a day. And that felt strange for some odd reason.

    One weird note though…all of the cans had a layer of “something” on them like a dust that had gotten wet. The way a dusty windshield looks when drizzle splatters it and it has uneven powdery residue. The cans had 2023 expiration dates so I don’t think they sat in storage a long time, plus the full flats usually have plastic coverings. Yet every can top had the spotty white powder at all five stores, as if they’d been dusted and then fogged. This stuff came off onto your hands as you picked them up. And my hands began to itch to the point that I walked over and got a bottle of hand sanitizer from the back to school rack to clean them off. So just a word to the wise, you might carry a pair of gloves in your pocket in case your cans wind up in the same condition at your stores.

    1. M’Lynn, you wrote ‘ Evidently their manager had told them that WalMart was sending everything they could send because they knew people needed to get it now and advised them to buy as much as they could afford. ”

      I do wonder if this might be the calm before the storm, as others have suggested. Last week, I had to go to CVS Minute Clinic for a diagnosis & couldn’t get into my regular doc. I visited w/ the nurse who was subbing, usually working @ a downtown clinic & before I left, she said that medical professionals are planning for a “wicked” (her word) time this fall when Covid second wave comes through & regular flu kicks in. She advised me to prepare to “hunker down” (again, her words) & not go out at all this fall. I told her I appreciated her candid comments, since I am a senior.

      This kinda falls in line w/ what others have suggested. Keep preppin’ & prayin’.

  91. All canning supplies are gone from Menard’s in Wisconsin. No lids, jars, nothing.

  92. chevy – I’ve found some at Farm and Fleet a few weeks back, if there’s one near you.

    1. Farmgirl, I am only reporting as we have plenty. But it is curious that a dozen lids advertise at F&F for half of what a dozen jars with lids and rings go for.
      But thanks for the tip.
      I wonder if Tattlers have gone up and are available.

  93. Petco- Taste of the Wild, Merrick and Orijen dog food all at about 40% but was told that a truck was due in.
    Whole Paycheck 365 mayo – no stock

  94. Freezer shortages are replacing toilet paper shortages, according to the clerk at a local appliance store.

    Everything I own is breaking down, it seems. A few months ago, my television quit. Since then I have lost my microwave, computer, and stove. Today I went to Worland with a friend to buy a new stove. She was looking to buy a bigger freezer since she has greatly expanded her garden this year — expecting a famine. They had rows and rows of stoves, dishwashers, clothes washers & dryers, microwaves, etc., but only one freezer is stock and it was not the size she was looking for.

    The clerk said the shortage is due to factories closing down due to the China virus, but I think it may also be because preppers are buying more freezers.

  95. Our grocery store had a sale on ground beef this week: $1.98 a pound, limit of four. I went to get my limit about 8:00 yesterday morning, and was pleased to see that there were about twelve rolls there. I was shocked that there was not another thing in the entire beef cabinet/refrigerated area. It’s got to be at least ten feet long, and the shelves were completely empty. There was plenty of other meat in the other areas; I got twenty pounds of pork loin for $1.58 a pound. (The ground beef is now canned, and I’m watching the canner right now with the last of the pork.) I’m interested in seeing if this beef shortage was just a one-day thing. The ground beef sale lasts another two days, so I’ll go back and check it out.

    1. Where we are in the midwest. Sometimes the store prices and availability go up and down.
      Went to a friends store that does their own processing. 10 pounds of ground beef…20 bucks.
      10 pounds of thick cut smoked and cured chuck wagon bacon…19.98.
      We can pre order Angus beef $1.43 per pound on the hoof. $2.43 per pound hanging carcass weight.
      A friend of ours told my wife to tell me to contact them. They raise pigs. They will sell us pigs for .50 cents per pound live weight. And another friend that runs a butcher shop set up a deal for friends. $50 dollars to pop/chop and wrap them.
      My problem is we literally have no more freezer space to put anything in.
      We live in IL. About 30 miles east of St. Louis.
      All the produce farmers are working at full steam. And are busier than cats covering crap in a sand box.

      1. Actually posted the Angus price backwards.
        $2.43 hanging, $1.43 live.

      2. Hahaha!! I read your post after I finished mine. If you hadn’t said you were in IL, I would have asked if you were my husband! That would be taking “being grey” to a whole new level!

    2. I went back to the store (southwest Missouri) this morning to get more of the sale-priced ground beef and to see if them being out of all other beef was a fluke. They were out of almost all fresh meat today. No ground beef or any other beef, chicken, pork, etc. in the big cabinets/refrigerated sections. That’s probably 25-30 feet of empty space. They did have a little bit of meat in some of the other areas; ham steaks and corned beef, for example. We love corned beef–anyone know if it cans well, or is it better just to put in the freezer, like I normally do?

      1. We Love corned beef. I usually throw 4 at a time into the Pressure cooker, then divide up, vacuum seal, and freeze. Haven’t thought about canning it, might have to try. I’ve canning a bunch of beef chunks and some chicken later today.

  96. I’m in PA and we seem to be having a Dawn dish detergent shortage. A couple weeks ago there was none to be found at our local grocery store. Is anyone else seeing this? I’m not sure if it’s because of all the spotted lantern flies and stinkbugs, or something else. One of my friends said people are using it as laundry detergent, even though I haven’t noticed any shortages on that.

    Our meat prices were skyrocketing but seem to be coming back down now. Also no freezers to be found around here. My husband keeps telling me ours is full, but his full is not the same as mine 😁 It’s all about the organization!

  97. Article this morning about the items the Police are discovering Antifa has in their possession at time of arrest. Typically 4 spare mags of ammo per person and also Molotov cocktails in Mason jars. Made me wonder if perhaps they play a larger role in each of those shortages, rather than the shortages merely being indicative of individuals buying for personal home use.

  98. Everyday I read multiple stories like this and make another trek and buy a few more things.

  99. Cream of Mushroom Soup. Price went up about 40 cents a can a few weeks ago. Now I can’t find it anywhere. Some other soups are missing from the shelves, too.

    1. DaisyK all of the Cream of soups are easy to make for yourself.

      Cream of Whatever Soup Mix
      2 1/3 cups dry milk
      1 cup butter, softened
      1 cup flour

      Combine all in a large bowl with a pastry blender or wire whisk. Mix until crumbly, like cornmeal. Store in the refrigerator.

      Note. You can also use coconut oil in place of the butter. When used in soup mixes (or anything else for that matter), we honestly cannot detect a difference. If you use coconut oil, the soup mix will be shelf-stable and does not need to be refrigerated. I have read that powdered soy milk can be used in place of the dry milk.

      All of the recipes below are for making the condensed versions of these soups. They do not substitute perfectly volume-wise for a can of condensed soup. You’ll have a little extra leftover. It’s never been a problem for me; I’m usually making gravy or sauce for a casserole with it. If you are making soup, remember that you still need to add an additional “can” of water or milk, about 11 ounces (just over 1 1/3 cups), to make soup. None of us around here eat cream of chicken, celery, or mushroom soup as a stand-alone, so I can’t comment on how the DIY and store-bought versions of those compare. But I think this tomato soup is very good.

      Cream of chicken condensed soup

      1 cup Cream of Whatever soup mix
      3/4 cup chicken broth (canned, liquid from canned chicken, or prepared bouillon)

      Put the soup mix in a saucepan over medium heat and add the broth, whisking constantly. Bring to a boil and stir until thickened, then remove from heat. Optional: add up to a teaspoon of parsley, and/or a pinch of onion or garlic salt.

      Cream of celery condensed soup

      1 cup Cream of Whatever soup mix
      3/4 cup water
      1 cup of dehydrated celery, reconstituted (use excess reconstituting water as part of the 3/4 cup water above)
      pinch celery seed, celery salt, and parsley

      Put the soup mix in a saucepan over medium heat and add the water, whisking constantly. Bring to a boil and stir until thickened, then remove from heat. Stir in the celery, celery salt, and parsley.

      Cream of mushroom condensed soup

      1 cup Cream of Whatever soup mix
      1 can mushrooms, 4.5 oz, undrained, plus 1/4 cup water
      OR
      1/4 cup dehydrated mushrooms rehydrated in 1 cup water
      dash onion salt
      1-2 drops Kitchen Bouquet, optional

      Put the soup mix in a saucepan over medium heat and stir in liquids, whisking constantly. Bring to a boil and stir until thickened, then remove from heat. Stir in the mushrooms, onion salt, and Kitchen Bouquet.

      Cream of tomato soup (this is a recipe for the soup, not the condensed can substitute)

      1 cup Cream of Whatever soup mix
      1 cup water
      2 cans (8-ounce) tomato sauce
      1 teaspoon parsley, optional
      dash salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder

      Put the soup mix in a saucepan over medium heat and stir in water and tomato sauce, whisking constantly. Bring to a boil and stir until thickened, and then remove from heat. Stir in seasonings.

      Note that this recipe does not contain any sugar, whereas high fructose corn syrup is the second ingredient in Campbell’s cream of tomato condensed soup. Some people really miss the added sugar; I like the soup better without it.

      I’ve tried these recipes and they are wonderful IF you use the whisk to keep lumps smoothed out.

      1. NH Michael

        I guess I will have to try. I have tried to make my own mushroom soup before and it was not the same as Campbell’s

  100. Thanks OH,
    ALWAYS value your insight and info. Clearly, the big chains don’t see this as a temporary situation, or this discussion wouldn’t be happening.

    I have to wonder if they are expecting home delivery/online buying of groceries to continue taking a big bite out of their brick-and-mortar business, the way it has with non-grocery retailers.

    I just hate to see it happening.

  101. Thank you NH Michael for the cream of whatever soup mix recipe. Went to WinCo this morning and cream of mushroom soup was 1.79 !! About fell in the floor! Same can at Kroger was 1.29.
    Also in the pharmacy for hubby’s Rx. Lisinopril is on back order and no idea when it will be in. He is on super low dose and we have a couple of months worth but ,heads up Buttercups!! This could be just the beginning of medication shortages.
    On a much better note. Get to see my new grand girl in the morning!! They will be home tonight. Amazing! When I had my kids ya stayed for at least 3 days and a C-Section was a week. I told her to stay in another day and get a little more rest cause she is coming home to 2 other kiddos. Oh well.
    Gonna smell that sweet baby head!!
    PEACE
    MadFab

  102. Arrived back in suburbia today, went to a large Albertsons (Vons/Safeway brand) to do a major grocery shop.

    Only limit sign was cleaning products (1 per) including antibacterial products… those were wiped out.

    Several brands of tp, but very little pt. Usual low stock on the staples such as rice, ramen, flour, etc…

    They must have restocked canned goods just before I got there. Shelves looked mostly full and suspiciously neat, but most products 1 deep, a few 2 deep.

    I noticed something, though. When I buy canned fruit it Usually has an expiration of 12-15 months… today’s cans were a full 2 years out. Soups that are usually 15-18 months out were a full 2 years. Canned chili that if I’m lucky is a full 2 years to best-buy dates – today they were a whopping 3 full years out. I have never bought canned chili with 3 full years to its best by date.

    So, am I right to assume these are the products that some folks here said we would be seeing? That is, instead of going to a warehouse shelf they are now in stores ahead of schedule? Are there so few because they are now JIT inventory, with little on the retail shelf and even less sitting in distribution center to replenish retail stock?

    Has anyone else noticed this?Gotta wonder how much longer these items will be available.

    1. So Cal Gal – Yes, I noticed the same thing at our local Walmart. Expiration dates on all the canned goods I bought were at least 2022, some were 2023. I don’t usually shop there, so had no previous experience to compare it to. Ours is still putting out Auguson Farms freeze dried tubs – 4 people/48 hours – and had bulk rice available. Can’t remember where I saw/heard this, but goods shipping now weren’t supposed to be on the shelves until toward the end of this year.

      1. Farmgirl,
        Thanks for your reply. I don’t shop at WM, so I don’t know how far out their BB dates usually go, but it sounds like you are seeing the same thing I am.

        Worrisome trend, far less inventory and what is being replenished is going out much faster to retail.

    2. So Cal Gal
      . . . .
      Yep, saw same thing. #10 cans of veg on sale at WM expire two years from now.

      1. AM,
        Thanks for your reply!

        Not being a WM shopper, I don’t know how far out those BB’s usually go, but it’s troubling to see the shortened time line of the supply chain.

        How little, if any, is left on the shelves of regional warehouses and distribution centers? Another wave of the virus, or stay at home orders, or rioters, or any little thing… and we will be right back to nothing left to buy.

        Very worrisome.

        1. SCG, it is i every grocery store.. the BB dates are moving further out, have been for 5 months n mid south… depend on item- how far out.. for a while was 6 month… now 2 years is common. canned and dry goods- pasta’s most noticeable.
          consider buying in lots,…specific groups of items you can make a main dish or different ones, from multiple times….
          as in.. 6 lbs assorted pasta,6 jars cheesespread/sauce ,6 jars pasta sauce,6 cans tomato,diced/and or seasoned. 2 oz onion and garlic powder, 9 lbs ground beef.( secure by browning and dehydrating.) should net enough for family of 4 to have a filling main entre’ -7-9 days… .+ possible left overs,adding mushroom powder, pepper flakes, additional seasonings like cooking oil, basil , parsley, onion flakes.. can stretch it further. Having a side of string beans ..enough to round to out.

    3. OH,
      Thanks for your continued insight. Where water is plentiful I have a mix of dry and canned, much more dry. Several fuel s sources.

      Where water is not plentiful, cans are bountiful. Stacking away. Time is short, working diligently to be as ready as possible.

      You & Mrs OH are in my prayers as you continue your recoveries. Take care.

  103. I’ve noticed that canned goods at my local supermarket are not stocked as much as they were a year ago. Canned tomatoes seemed sparse on the shelves. I got a box of pasta on sale; the expiration date was 2023.

  104. So Cal Gal –
    On the 23rd of July the WM stores I visited had cases stacked upon cases of canned food, stretching 15 to 20 feet on a row. Everything was in stock in relation to canned items and all of the expiration dates were 2023. One item was 2025, which I have never seen. The only item that was shorter were diced tomatoes, which have been non-existent for months now. It was 2022. As I had mentioned in my post, the cashier told me that their manager had advised them to stock up while they could because when the items on hand disappeared, the flow would begin to slow down.

    I just went back this morning to grab some flats of canned fruit and wound up walking right past their supply. It had dwindled to literally 5 cans of pears, 7 cans of fruit cocktail and about 25 cans of various pineapple. No other fruit in a can or bottle, so the entire “section” reduced down to less than a foot of shelf space in a very short time. The rest of the space was filled with lunchbox fruit cups to fill it out as best they could.

    Things are changing fast, so you are right to sound the alarm on not procrastinating to get whatever you need now.

    1. Thx so much for these most recent updates. I have started a serious inventory, just based on observation, intuition & this amazing website. The hubs thought I was a little reactionary but he has realized the true state of affairs since reading these last few posts. I will head out tomorrow & bring an update, too.

      Keep prayin’ & preppin’!

      1. TX Deb –
        You had asked that we keep updating on shortages and I wanted to mention that what I’m seeing versus not seeing seems to be the more interesting trend. It’s most evident in WM stores. They get huge shipments on certain products. So much that they can’t actually shelve it. They tend to place it onto an end cap and pallets of the same item parked in front. In the frozen foods the other day they had two of the huge boxes that they put watermelons in the aisle, filled with 5 pound bags of rice. It was a manager’s special for $1.00, no limit. People were grabbing ’em with both hands. But then they were gone and that brand has not been back. The same for a #10 can of green beans from some company called Lakeside, which we’ve never had. Pallets of them one day, then gone. Never another Lakeside label again.

        I can’t tell you the pattern for it because it almost seems like a factory somewhere is processing canned meat one day, sending out a huge quantity. Then the next day they process vegetables and pallets of those go out. Then fruit, rice, whatever, on the next consecutive days. It’s coming to the stores in waves. You may go in wanting to get green beans and peaches, find 2 cans of each, yet every type of canned meat is stacked on pallets everywhere you look. The next day you cannot maneuver around all the canned fruit because it is sitting everywhere. Therefore if you’re diligent about running by there more than once a week you can actually increase your efforts exponentially, IF you’ll buy what’s being offered, rather than sticking to a list. Since most of us are doing long term stocking that should work to our advantage if you’ve got the time to take advantage of it. You can’t get 2 cans of peaches 6 days out of the week, but on the 7th….you’ll get cases and cross that off your list entirely. Then come back to get vegetables on the day those are offered. If that makes sense. And if you begin to see the same pattern in your stores. Best advice, check out your WM, work with their offerings and it will gain you a lot of ground quickly. Because that’s a 50 cent can of vegetables, 90 cent can of fruit and the canned beef stew is $1.70. So even for those who are stretching their spending dollars thin right now, you can still make some positive headway when you add in staples like potatoes and rice. Hope that helps!

  105. TX Deb –
    You might tell him to swing by Lowe’s too and do a walk-thru. They’re also having a tough time with stock. Sandpaper gone. Not a sheet to be found. Any power tool that he may need a replacement/back-up for is worth a look because we ran into some problems with that as well. Display items, yet only one true item to buy out of nine or so models. Certain light bulbs are getting iffy too. A lot of the lumbar is down to warped pieces and plumbing repair items are thinner than normal.

    So him going out with a list of what he’d like to have on hand to feel comfortable is smart too. Even if he won’t need it, someone else you know may or it can be bartered.

  106. After reading about today’s shortages I made another trip to WM.
    Overall store is poorly stocked- guess about 50%.
    One cleaning supply isle was virtually empty but the other one with laundry soap pretty full.
    Canned fruit/veggies are very sparse and selection was “will it be corn or peas?” Oh, they had both but no other choices and not a lot of those. Had small selection of fruit consisting of peaches, pineapple and oranges. Canned tomatoes was about 20% and 8 cans of Rotel brand.
    Have not seen any organic canned fruit/veggies or peanut butter in months.

  107. I have been to WM lately to pick up some jeans and have struck out twice in a row. The clothing racks were pretty sparse in places.

    1. Central Texas updates:

      Home Depot today (rather than our usual Lowe’s because they had an in-stock cabinet we needed)
      White 36″ hanging wall cabinet (last one in stock) $157 compared to over $300 @ Lowe’s
      Saw one small upright freezer in the box for sale & put the word out to friends
      Lots of TP & paper towels on pallets in the aisles
      Lots of “off brand” hand sanitizers on pallets
      No Lysol or disinfecting wipes
      Boxes of paper masks, 50 to a box for $30 (made in China: NO thanks!)
      Crappy lumber is all that is left
      Lots of metal shelving units & assorted totes for organizing
      Limited screws, fasteners, etc.

      Got our order from Nuts.com & It was awesome! They had the chocolate items in an insulated bag w/ a once frozen bag to keep it cool. Thankful for that due to our 100+ degree days. The first order was $10 off w/ free shipping on orders over $60. Got yeast, pepitas (roasted & salted pumpkin seeds), black beans, wheat bran, M&M’s, almonds, sunflower seeds, etc. You should check out their website but know your prices. A pound of sesame sticks was $4.99, better than our stores here.

      Keep preppin’ & prayin’!

  108. Made my monthly trip to local groc. Southern Mid. TN.

    Funny the things they were out of: chicken thighs ?! No yeast but I did finally find bread flour after 6 wks looking. Canned goods were sparse, no alfredo sauces at all. Plenty of other pasta sauce and some pasta. Canned dog food was sparse. Meat counter was full with no limits :) Canning chicken later.

    TP was available with no limit, but almost no paper towels at all. Coffee and dry creamer were available. Still, only popcorn is microwave stuff. Yuck! Canned soups were sparse too.

  109. I live in the southeast. I observed very little canned tomatoes, very low on tissues and paper towels. There were no disposable disinfecting wipes. TP and frozen pizza was plentiful.

  110. Central Il. Made the rounds today… Aldi, WalMart, SAM’s

    Aldi- Some of everything, but on the light side. Limit of 4 cans of each thing.

    WalMart- Pretty good inventory with lots of pallets sitting in the aisle. No limits. They had Oscar Meyer bacon today. (They’ve been out lately)

    SAM’s- Lots of fruit cups back in stock, as well as what looked like a semi load of TP, and PT. All members mark brand.(not that desperate yet) Low on cases of veggies and what they had was off breed brands that I have never seen there before. Kraft American singles and butter – back in stock. They seem to be switching aisles around, like you won’t notice things are gone if they keep rotating it. One full row of coffee. No case packs of soup.

    All the stores had the off breed brands and 2023 exp. dates. With random blank holes in shelf space.
    Bottom Line…. If you’re willing to make the rounds you can probably get whats on your list. If I didn’t think it was going to get worse, I wouldn’t have pushed to go all 3 places.What a PIA.

  111. Wal-Mart where we live had no canned peaches for 3 months then the other day they had 2flats of 12 I bought one flat. Must be everyone’s fav canned fruit! Most things in fair supply. What boggles my mind is no yeast avail.I never thought hardly anyone baked anymore but maybe I’m wrong.there were holes in shelves canned goods and soups ,instant junk.Flour and sugar lowest supply I’ve seen in months. Could be the local Amish folk are paying more attention to the world than they normally do!

  112. To finish my trifecta of shopping while down in suburbia, I hit Costco today.

    They had a good supply of all paper goods this time (limit 1 of each). Different mix of meats than usual: plenty of ground beef, some steaks (light), and a ton of pork belly and ribs (odd) – but no chops, very little chicken. No limits on meats.

    But, the canned goods problem was worse than ever. The store was rearranged (again) to spread things out. No canned soups, no tomatoes, corn or veggies. A pallet of off-brand canned pineapple from Costa Rica, and plastic cups of peaches in syrup… —also an unknown brand. Still had canned Kirkland chicken and tuna, though.

    They had some large bags of flour and rice, but very few spices – there was 20+ feet of just black peppercorns on display to fill space.

    With tomatoes, corn and so many veggies & fruits already so low ( and it’s only August) what happens when people are looking for these foods in the fall and winter?

  113. Stopped W M on way home today (Ohio)
    They don’t seem to be getting more than 3 dozen of anything at one time other than drinks. Everything is just random. Today they had about 3 dozen cans of French style green beans for the first time in two months. People are getting more irate felt bad for the little old lady at the door people giving her grieve about only being able to go in one side(she did stick up for herself and said she’s only doing what she was told to do ) it was a couple of those special people who do no wrong and think thier sh-t don’t stink

  114. My order for a fuel line for a Ryobi gas trimmer from Amazon was placed in mid-July and is expected to arrive at the end of September or October.

  115. Central Texas WalMart update today:

    I was amazed at how well stocked everything was & also how clean everything was, too.
    The only empty shelves were:
    canning supplies
    Lysol & Chlorox wipes
    canned tomatoes

    Really, it all looked like the fully stocked shelves of last year. Even the fall clothes & shoes were in, I guess in anticipation of the upcoming tax-free preschool weekend.

    On another note, a longtime worker for AT&T who now works from home said they got word this week that they don’t anticipate going back into their offices until mid 2021.

    Keep preppin’ & prayin’ !

  116. TX Deb
    Your area will be different than ours. We are on the west coast in State of Jefferson, (some day hope we succeed from new sum’s territory).
    Went shopping with my friend, we go together since life as we know it has changed. First stop was the family style meat market. They sell fresh fish to fresh beef sold in the old style display case. You select what you want and they pull it out to wrap up for the freezer. At this store I did not see any shortages but prices were up. Hamburger 93/7 was $4.99 per pound and the 85/15 was $4.59 per pound, cube steak was $6.99 lb, Top round was $6.99, London Broil was $6.99 per lb.

    Other store was busy for a Wednesday. Found everything on my list but no canning lids, or jars in this store. They did have canning wax for jams & jellies so I added to my list. Forgot to look for dish washing liquid while I was there. Bush’s canned beans only the original flavor was on the shelf fairly well stock. The canned soup section had Campbells & family brands but the soup flavors were pretty thin. I did not see cream of mushroom which seems to be missing in a lot of the stores.

    For those who are interest you can not locate a canning lid in the northern part of this state, nor water bath canners. Water bath canners which are normally around $25.00, you will be lucky to find one at $90.00.

    Next shopping run will be to Costco with the same friend. It saves on gas since we drive a long ways to go shopping, and our car will hold more groceries then hers.

    1. Not to those with need for water bath canners… a large stock pot will work. It must be deep enough to fill with water and it cover with 1-2 inches water…one also needs a plate( with holes in it) of some sort to go in the bottom to keep jars off the bottom.. i have used odd things like extra jar rings and large steel/tin can ends with holes in them… does not have to be an exact fit as long as keeps jars off bottom and allows circulation of water. a large lid for a 10- 12 or 14 inch skillet will work for a top .
      i use same pot for sterilizing jars as i use for water bath., lids are done in a small saucepan.. hot , sterile lids and jars, hot product with high acid in jars, clean rims, very tight ring= good seal and secure food.

      1. ok all is not well with this new os… will get bugs worked out… LOL this is my post…

    2. AC…about 3hrs south of you, went shopping 8/5 at Raleys, bel air, etc. shelves stocked ok, no depth though, paper products almost wiped out, did find pkg of TP (shooting for 600 rolls) only 550 to go! Found wide mouth lids/rings, grabbed the last, no jars. Forgot 2 items went back 8/6, canned veggies & fruits nearly gone, no tp, sis-in-law couldn’t find relish ( sweet) for months, lives near TAFB, grabbed last 4 for her. That happened in 1 day, store a mess. Canned meats $6.00+. Limited canned beans of any kind. Spooky at a distance! Ready for Jefferson state, lived there for years, little did I know there would be a infestation years later 3 hrs south of Rdg. To old to move & start over so I’ll make my stand here! Dang flat landers, always mess things up. GrGrandma 1947

  117. Went to my local Big Lots, Home Depot, and Kroger store today. There were no canning jars or lids at the BL or Kroger (I’m pretty well stocked with those anyway. Big Lots had those canned hams that I think someone was looking for earlier, but not a lot. Plenty of TP at both stores, but limited paper towels and no disinfecting wipes. All three stores had hand sanitizer, but the price seems almost double what it was last year. I was looking for succulent potting soil to re-pot my aloe veras, but Home Depot was out and the clerk said there was none at Lowe’s either.

  118. Went to the local farm supply store to get a few things. They have not been able to get chicken wire for 3 months and say things that usually arrive in a few days have been taking a couple weeks or more. Local grocer showed me is order computer, paper towels as an example, the warehouse had 50 – 100 cases per variety. Normally it has 500 – 800 cases. He says there are many more examples. Sams club last week no TP.

  119. New sign on grocery store door: “We are short of coins. If you are paying by cash, please try to use exact change.”

    Many empty shelves in the store. The limits on meat and bread had been removed, but there were still limits on paper products and cleaning products, and a new limit — on all types of oil and cooking sprays.

    I am continuing to notice shortages of canned soups and other convenience products, such as Knorr sides, instant potatoes, and instant meals.

    A new shortage seems to be developing — processed cheese. There seemed to be the normal selection of hard cheese (in our small town the selection is never large) but processed cheese and products with processed cheese in them were in short supply. I couldn’t find jar cheese, cheese crackers, cheese spread, cheese bread, cheese sausages, or even Kraft singles, even those those last were supposed to be on sale and it was the first day of the sale — before the ad came out. The sales start on Wednesday, but the newspaper comes on Thursday.

  120. Shortages Topic:

    I made a run to ‘civilization’ yesterday. For me, that’s a town of about 6,000 ;)

    One stop was Home Depot. Had a list. One shocker was seeing the huge aisle of various Deckmate / deck screws MOSTLY EMPTY! That’s a lot of screws! Holy Cow Batman!

  121. Central Texas update:

    Again, kudos to Walmart for being clean & fairly well stocked. I found their brand & Libby’s canned peaches & stocked up! Some gaps in canned tomatoes but lots of rice & pasta & canned veg. Eggs looked VERY low! No disinfecting wipes or spray Lysol, of course but was able to get both earlier in the week @ Costco during early senior hours. Limits still in place for paper goods.

    Ken, I pray everyone will continue to keep this column updated. I find it so informative of the general atmosphere. Thx!

  122. Stopped by HD today. No pressure treated lumber to speak of, very low on quite a bit of the wood products. Big gaps in battery powered hand tools.

  123. If anyone needs canning jars, I found a limited selection at my local JoAnn (May be true at other craft stores as well). Although pricy, you can typically find online coupons which may negate the extra cost.

  124. Went to Winco and Costco the other day in SE Wa. Inventories looked pretty good but some areas didn’t have the wide selections of the pre flu shopping era. Prices keep edging upward so we try to buy supplies only if on sale.

  125. I went to a different store this time. Top and bottom shelves completely empty–NOTHING stacked on top of the shelves, which is odd. Since they don’t have storage space, that’s where they stack the refills. Spots which hold specific items, such as cookies or soda, are narrower.

    The “gaps” were hard to find. They had literally spaced different types of cans just a few inches apart so the gaps aren’t obvious. A lot of stuff was stacked at the front of the store, but nowhere near enough for it to be the semi-annual “case lot” sale.

    1. Lauren
      This would have been the opportunity to teach the one niece about lack of supplies.

      So I was thinking, teenagers are curious little creators. Hope you have everything either under lock & key or plastered into the walls of the house. As they know you have back ups for items which they have used.

  126. Went into town yesterday with DH as he needed a couple of hardware store items. This is a relatively small, independent hardware store.

    I have been buying canning jars and extra lids there for several years- they have ALWAYS had stock, and decent if not great prices. Yesterday, the entire section was wiped out. Just a few decorative half-pint jars. No lids.

    I asked one of the long time employees about it. He said they are not only totally out of inventory, but have been told there is no re-stock date. They have no idea when they may see more jars or lids from their sources.

    1. Seems that if you dont have your lids you wont get them… areout just about everywhere. What you wantto bet they comefrom china

      1. Kulafarmer
        Some of the lids are made there, but found the older made in the USA lids. It takes a lot of on line searching but there were still available. Larger bundles are selling for a minimum of $120+ up to $400.00 last time I decided to check.

      2. Kula and AC,
        I just went thru my stock of items up here, and I have 12-dozen lids – all are made in the USA.

        I’ve looked online and those who still have jars or lids online are either crazy priced or outright gouging.

        Looked at some gardening blogs tonight, all over the country gardeners are saying the same thing. No stock, or insane pricing online.

        Several also complained about low stock on freezer bags, particularly quart size freezer bags. No complaints from anyone over vacuum seal rolls or bags, though. I already bought quite a bit, may need to get another batch before they are gone too.

    2. Haven’t been any lids around here for about a month. I stocked up early in the year when I saw what was coming but you can never have enough. I did a double take today at WM as I walked by expecting to see the usual nothing on the shelf, but there was a flat and a half of wide mouth lids, the Made in USA ones,

  127. Went to the store for 2 things but left with more. Grocery stores are continuing to move their products around as many have noted. Some items normally grouped together aren’t. The only reason I could come up with was it would get people to look around more. Also wondered if the moving product was to encourage more shopping of every aisle. Some strange or at least new brands for many products. Some brand names missing. This time of year canned vegetables are often on sale for 25 cents. I got excited about store brand green beans for 75 cents. Food inflation is outrageous, but chicken and beef prices are dropping here. Noted 85% ground beef was under $2 per pound. Typically it’s around $1 a pound this time of year. Didn’t see any outages and very few voids.

    1. Yeast? Everyone must be baking now.Haven’t seen Clorox wipes since March.

      1. Also quart jars, no lids of any kind available. Luckily were pretty well done on canning this year and still have boxes of kids and jars leftover, but I would buy more lids when I find them.

  128. In the market for a VACUUM SEALER…any recs out there?

    Looking at Foodsaver, naturally. Would really appreciate any advice.

    Thanks!

    1. MSG12B,
      Yes, I have a FoodSaver, and it works as expected. I’ve had it for a few years, though I haven’t worked it hard. I’ve only used the FoodSaver brand bags, and they work well. I can’t speak about any other vacuum sealers or about off-name bags.

  129. Went to the WM for ice cream for my boy who just had his wisdom teeth pulled. Very low selection of ice cream, only store brand and Breyers, and not much of that. No canning jars at all, but an end cap completely filled with large mouth lids. Cereal aisle was just about empty. No TP, and no yeast. My daughter works at a farm supply store. They received a pallet of canning jars, and they were all sold out the next day.

  130. I went to Walmart to pick up a few things I can’t find anywhere else. Toilet paper was back to somewhat normal, low on some brands but saw no holes. Cleaning products still pretty lean with a few holes. Canned fruit down about 50%. I didn’t see any real shortages in the over the counter medicines. Meat looked a bit lean on quantity but no holes. The store almost looked normal again.

  131. Topped off my gasoline storage today. Toured Wally World for a few items. Actually was looking for canned diced tomatoes. Wife said they were out of stock earlier in the week when she and daughter went. They had twelve cans, way overpriced, but I bought them any how (now they are out of stock again).

    Canned veggies were sparse. No canned carrots. Had two 12 can flats of whole kernel corn and cut green beans. Picked up one flat of each.

    Baking goods looked to be fully stocked, until you notice they had reduced shelf space by at least 50%. Picked up some more Pioneer Baking Mix for the stores.

    Plenty of meat products, but prices are still high.

    Had conversations with several shoppers who expressed concerns over dwindling stock and the future we seem to be facing. Folks are worried.

    Everyone wearing masks, except at the feed store. Good to see their smiling faces. Folks wearing masks make it hard to read them.

  132. I’m in west Michigan and shop at Meijer. My daughter stocks groceries at a meijer but not the one I shop at. No sugar at either store when shopping for the last 2-3 weeks. Flour was stocked this week but not last week. Mac and cheese cups are all gone no matter what brand. TP and PT are on the shelves and we’ll stocked. Meat cases are good and ground beef 80/20 is 2.49. Canned veggie shelves are about 1/3-1/2 empty. Canned fruit looked a little empty too but I rushed thru that section. Canning lids nope, zilch, nada. And jars I seen jelly jars but no quarts or pints. My local tractor supply also did not have any except a couple of amber colored jar cases in gallon size. Haven’t been in the over the counter meds section lately so no word on that for current info but a few weeks ago that was certainly looking slim.
    Milk eggs and butter all stocked.

  133. Quick trip to WM today and the canned fruit/veggie isle is still at best 50% with a choice of 2 or 3 fruits and 2 veggies. I was really looking for canned sweet potatoes or pumpkin and finally found a few of each. It was odd that the Libby brand of sweet potatoes was more than double that of the WM brand. Full end cap still of different brand of corn. I think it was Lakeside? No Del Monte or other normal brands.

    I started picking up some of the Knorrs side dish after someone mentioned them here. Figure they may be good to add to other dishes for change of flavor. All they had in both rice/macaroni was cheddar and cheddar broccoli.

    1. aka, I bought a #10 can of Lakeside corn. it is good. am dehydrating it to break it down to useable size for us.. Have also used that brand of string beans.
      Shortage report: 8/26-28/..
      Were in wm on 26th, closest one.canned veggies about half, was looking for diced tomato and rotel., green chili’s, and found them. Had a variety of canned beans.
      Had a lot of holes in items.throughout the veggie aisle.
      spices were ok,had several selections of salt, all high priced varieties. cheaper 26 oz plain label stuff nada..
      . rice and beans ok, in all sizes. fruit limited selections and low amount.
      tp /Pt present w/displays stretched to cover more area with fewer brands ad selections.
      few selections of healthy oils.Loads of GMO junk.. no sunflower or grapeseed oil. Had lard and olive oil
      No Baking powder except junk with alum n it.. few packs of yeast, one jar of yeast for breadmaker.
      No canning jars except for amber half gallon- 2 pack ( had 2),and tiny jelly jar( 2 -4 ct), no lids or rings, few packs of pickling spices,and fruit fresh, They did have the plastic refrigerator lids in regular and big mouth.
      and standard self rising flour in wm brand only and few 5#sacks, Plain flour in #10 sacks for about same price. Cereals and popcorn stocked..
      On 27th .. to aldi’s had 1/2 pallet of flour and about 3 layers of 4# sugar on a pallet.. squash should have been thrown away too big and hard to fry. cucumbers were trying to shrivel….. lots of green banana’s, eggs wee 69c dz/limit 6. bread was beautiful, no limit meats were thin./present.( bacon polish sausage, one lb sausage rolls,) Did not look at cheese/milk selections nor fresh meats except to glance that way. fresh meats looked sparse from distance, and other shoppers were there. Chips all kinds present but amounts in stock 1/3 of Feb levels… No questo cheese sauce or any rotel.. Salsa was limited. but available n mild and medium., plain cheese sauce was available. cracker, dry fruit, canned veggies, condiment selections looked complete,..carrots and celery looked good. Potatoes and onions low/ present. . Canned meat looked full from end., TP and PT present. about half stocked.Bottled soda’s in store brand available w/good selection and gatorade available.favorite brand of coffee was stocked. . In and out of store in 15 min.
      Went to closeout grocery store. selections well down. available., no flour, cornmeal or regular sugar. coffee in k cups of all kinds.limited brands of coffee. no bustelo, or folgers.. lots of maxwell house , and off brands. no spray antiviral product, (no lysol or replacements anywhere.)They did have canned meats and limited supply of seasonings,some bleach,,off brand., trash bags, freezer paper wax paper , ziplocks in all sizes.
      On three days we picked up all feeds, and as process entered several..stores looking for any lids/rings in any size. Local hardware store said they will not even put them on back order for them. no availability.dollar general same story.. none and don’t know when.

      1. Thanks for posting that Lakeside brand is OK. I really don’t remember seeing it around before but bought a few cans hoping for the best. I won’t hesitate next time. Interesting that corn was the only item of that brand.

        1. aka,
          Lakeside was one of the brands that was passed out in commodities many years ago… Clarification… was a personal choice.Filling holes..They didn’t have any tomatoes.of any kind.in #10….I had enough string beans and was trying to go with dense calorie units. I may be able to grow significant string beans in the coming spring, no real place to grow corn.a 15 oz can of corn we use for 2 meals/and even then there are left overs unless i make corn cakes.. We eat corn rarely… as a vegetable- 2x a month?..
          .The Canned pork /Beef i always use in soups, stews, green chili,,stretcher meals….one can of Pork will make sufficient green chili for 3 main meals and a topping for eggs for 2 mornings…oil, flour, rotel and garlic are needed w/ broth /salt-or bullion.
          In a time of shortages/ inability to leave home from illness or storm- one 24 oz.can=2 full days of meals. with our own eggs. and staples.Heated on the stove every 10-12 hours will not require refrigeration.
          24 oz.beef can make spaghetti batch and enough for another main meal. . Family will only eat canned corn and string beans-from #10’s. Will not eat the mixed vegs or the sweet peas. they taste like metal…Have from frozen and home dehydrated ( diet limitations are not optional..Cheating on our prescribed diet and limited meds can cause DEATH.blood clots are very painful.)

  134. I can’t find clorox toilet wand cleaner refills any where in north suburban chicago area. Not at jewel, marianos, sunset foods, target. what is the deal???

    1. sharon – Manufacturing, food processing and supply delivery infrastructure is not functioning very well right now. Some of this is due to the Covid-19 restrictions for businesses; the need to use fewer workers with more space between them reduces the amount of product coming off the line. Some materials used to make things are getting harder to find, because there have been trade disruptions with countries where these materials come from.

      My suggestion would be to move away from complex solutions to needs, and use simpler options. Clean your toilet with a brush and some type of cleaner. People use borax, bleach, vinegar with tea tree oil, and other things. If you use bleach or ammonia, do NOT mix either of those with anything else or you could create toxic fumes. Find out about these now, and go get a bunch of what you need. You won’t have as much convenience, but it will get the job done.

      Also, every time you’re in the store, pick up at least a few cases of canned goods you like to eat. There are issues with the canneries and supply lines for the metals used to make the cans. Now is a good time to stock up on those things.

    2. Sharon,
      Farmgirl makes great points. On the manufacturing side, many companies that are struggling to keep up with demand (including Lysol and Clorox) are only producing their fastest moving, most popular items right now. So, the specific item you need maybe on manufacturing hiatus.

      You can always call or email Clorox customer service line to see if what you need is even in production right now.

      I agree w/Farmgirl also in that each time you go to the store, stock up on canned goods and staples your family will eat. Many things are coming and going and not necessarily being restocked at this point.

  135. – I am at work, so not time to mess with transferring a photo from my phone. A co-worker told me of a place that sells camping supplies, but hadn’t had firearms/ammunition in the past. Apparently they have added to their stock, and get a weekly delivery. I had heard nothing of this, and decided to stop by on my way home and look.

    Rifle ammunition, they were well stocked on. Co-worker has been looking for .300 Blackout and .308 Win. The first they were already out of; .308, I took a photo of probably 150 – 200 boxes and told him they had this amount in stock. This was at 3:45 p.m.

    I got a text from him at 6:30 – they were sold out. Should have asked if I needed to pick up a couple of boxes for him. Did not mention, pistol ammo, about 6 boxes .44 mag, 4 of .32 LC, and nothing in between. Assorted small amounts of assorted .22. Had several individuals asking, ‘have you seen any .223, 9mm, etc’. Sorry, can’t help you.

    – Papa S.

    1. – NH Michael, Joe c,

      They did have a limited amount of 16 ga. available, nothing larger than 4’s. Didn’t bother for now, they should have that for a good bit longer.

      Prices? For .308, green and yellow boxes $20 and change; up to a bit more than double for premium. That was all I really looked at, since I reload for my .308. NO reloading components.

      – Papa

      1. Thanks for the report Papa Smurf. When you said noting larger than 4’s in 16 Gauge did you mean #4 buckshot or #4 birdshot?

        No reloading components as well as no decent black powder firearms is getting very common. I had a friend looking for a pistol and I suggested a Remington 44 BP pistol (steel frame best). And there was none (even brass framed colts a very poor example IMHO) to be found. I’ve used a Remington 44 New Army with conical bullets hog hunting and it worked well.

        Canning lids getting rare, variety and amounts on the shelves of canned goods getting less, reloading getting rare, ammo in general getting scarce. Things are getting serious.

        1. – NH Michael,

          Sorry, #4 birdshot was what I meant.

          An old Army Buddy who has retired in Colorado reports that he has taken most of his venison with a steel-frame Remington 44 New Army copy. He has several other choices (including an Old Model 7.5″ Ruger Blackhawk I have tried to trade him out of a couple of times), but the BP pistol has been the most frequent choice.

          – Papa

        2. PS
          Are you allowed to hunt with pistols, no, I’m serious?
          In the socialist state I live in, to get a hunting license you
          need to take the pistol course. Yet, you cannot hunt with
          a pistol. Hell, you can’t even hunt with a black rifle. Caliber
          is outlawed for hunting.

        3. Wow Papa Smurf that’s serious stalking skills to get a deer with a cap and ball revolver! Some of the “Pistol Hunters” I’ve met have one handed carbines that cost more than most rifles with a good scope…

          And yes there are actually states that have a special season for pistol hunting, archery and black powder weapons k-bay.

          And there are hunters that hunt with each weapon in order to get in all the hunting season they can. They tend to be excellent hunters, well worth talking to. Nobody I’d want angry with me.

        4. K-bay
          Thats only for State/County/gov land, on private you can hunt with whatever. The only exception is Lanai, when you pull a sheep hunt or deer hunt on Lanai they have black powder season as well as archery and rifle. I think same thing with Kokee on Kauai.
          Only ever hunted private. Have friends who all they hunt is with hand guns and dogs. Pig hunters,
          I pretty much have just one rifle, .308 win custom, got rid of everything else, just more baggage.

        5. – Pistols are a common hunting tool in Texas, have been since frontier days. Black powder arms are subject to the same regulations as a child’s cap pistol. Hunting regulations in the last few years have addressed them, but they are still legal to carry.

          I frequently carry either my .357 or a .22 revolver when out and about. In my friend’s case, he simply has the pistol at hand when opportunity arises. Not so much stalking as simply taking advantage of curiosity.

          – Papa S.

  136. Local grocery store part of national chain has since last weekend completely revised their produce section. Looked like they were eliminating most of the organic area including removing large sign. Definitely fewer varieties of leafy greens. Prices were about 15% over last year summer prices. Also quantity was fewer. Only one layer of peppers instead of 2. Same with canned vegetables. Fewer brands and smaller quantities. Was finally able to find sliced beets. Processed food prices are up a lot but the sale prices are usually what was regular retail before the virus. Am not seeing any meat shortages but we’re in livestock country. Husband’s favorite beverage has been out of stock for 2 weeks. So when I located some I bought several.

  137. I went shopping in True Value today, mostly looking for canning jars, but to check out their wares too. I did not notice any huge gaps other than absolutely nothing for canning.

    Then I hit Wally’s, after the witching hour of noon so the vampires were out. No canning jars today, but of more concern were the multiple huge gaps on the shelves in the food area. Row upon row had large empty areas. The paper isle was mostly a couple items here and there And everything else bare. I anticipate the tissues and napkins will be next on the list of hard to find as they are getting lower in stock.

    The plastic bag area was slim pickings as well. No quart size freezer bags but I did see about a dozen of the thin bags in that size. Must be everyone is freezing corn right now. Fortunately, this is not a problem for me.

    Pepsi in the 12 pack is usually $3.48 and the sign still said that price so I picked up a box. But when I checked out, it rang up for $5.48. I told her that was incorrect so she sent someone to check it out. That person said the shelf tag did say $5.48, which I knew was not true but I wasn’t going to argue the point. I said they could keep the Pepsi. I had my Mike’s hard lemonade so I was good.

    There were no larger cans of tomato paste, but they had the tiny cans and had a reasonable selection of other tomato products. The pasta selection is a bit slimmer than normal but sufficient choices there also. Just lots of gaps on the shelves. The spice selection is very bare and no canning salt today. The rice section was okay also, but about half of what is normal. The instant rice and pasta that cost $1 each were almost gone. They had #10 cans of pears on sale for $4 each. I did not check out the meat area because I have never bought meat there.

    They seem to have a reasonable amount of vitamins and I added some Vitamin C to my cart to replace what I have been taking daily.

    My overall impression of Wally’s is it was quite bare. I generally do not go on a Monday so I am not sure if that was part of the reason…first day after the weekend shoppers. But I stopped to chat with my friend while there and she confirmed they were low on a lot of items. Much comes from China so make of that what you will.

    I did score a 2021 Farmer’s Almanac for my elderly friend so she will be excited.. happy shopping everyone.

    1. Central Texas Costco run today:

      We didn’t make it to the early senior hours but went around 2:00. We thought it might be crowded due to the 2 hurricanes coming but we are on the western/dry side so folks might not be too concerned.

      Things seemed “average”: TP, paper towels, tissues low but in stock. Meat seemed well stocked but prices only seem to keep rising. As far as canned goods, fruit only available in individual serving packs, no tomato sauces, only a few pasta sauce selections & only 1 flavor of Campbell’s soup & 2 kinds of chicken broth. Sugar was getting low, as were baking goods. Fresh fruits & veg were very well stocked. There were canned soft drinks but only about 1/2 regular options & 1/2 filled shelves. No limits on anything.

      Lots of kids’ Halloween costumes but I am guessing kids won’t be going door to door this year or having parties. Good supplies of vitamins, OTC meds, & hand sanitizers. Limited cleaning supplies, as usual.

      We did go to a family wedding over the weekend. There were only 45 of us & it was outside. Our adult kids did not go & told us we are now in a 2 week “time out” & can’t see the grandkids until we can show a clean bill of health. Boo hoo!

      Keep preppin’ & prayin’!

  138. Made a dash to our local Foodland for picnic melons.

    Went up and down aisles for a quick assessment.

    Sparse products in canned veggie and fruit.
    Very little paper towels, but TP was plenty.
    Popcorn was finally back on the shelf (non-microwave).
    Sparse lunch meat products.
    Good supply of meats with no limits-but pricey.
    Limited flour selections – no yeast still after many months.

    All in all I would say it hasn’t changed since I was there last month. Shortages covered up by pulling product to front of shelf. And where no product was available they left that spot empty.

    I wore a mask, but few other shoppers did. There was no 6ft distancing at all.

    This is in Southern Middle TN – small town USA

  139. PNW . . . Just got cost for used 40’ shipping containers to be modified to my specs. Using one for storage and two as frame work for a hay barn. Got good price because am a repeat customer. However was told prices are going up next week. Business is really booming and they can hardly keep up.

  140. Shopped at local SavMart today, (area around capital of Ca.) was surprised to see grocery store completely well stocked. No shortages, no empty shelves, almost all shelves full front to back.Veggies and meats full. Prices higher than in Jan. for sure. Thought came to me, could it be that store products being pulled from around the country where a heavy political atmosphere is not present, sent to cities where there is a large presence of political activity and wealthy people reside? Or could it be that supply and demand is being maintained for now? Da. In S.F. area all ok,(middle upper class) Da. In L.A. area, (upper middle to wealthy) all ok. Calm before the storm, social engineering, blue states/red states, can’t figure out what’ going on, maybe smoke and mirrors.

  141. This was going to be the year of the move out of the city. Alas still stuck here. Also put off some purchases such as guns. Knew we’d need them at least for hunting. Finally saved up the money. Then the frustration of none to be found at normal prices. Yesterday finally got a 12 gauge and 20 gauge. Last of each. Today got the last gun safe and last flat of pint jars at the hardware store. Noticed a trend. Produce was in normal quantities yesterday. Getting a pickup order from WM and just was notified they’re out of the spiral notebook I ordered for list keeping. It’s August and kids are in school remotely. How can they be out already?

    1. DH has had trouble getting ammo for his 45. Had a neighbor stop by to say he saw a pallet at such and such store. Reminds me of the 70s when my in town Grandma would call my mom whenever sugar or other items with rapidly rising prices was available.

  142. Down in suburbia again for a few days to take care of business and some things for IL’s.
    Did something I haven’t done for years, I went to a WM yesterday. Although they had loads of junk food, canned foods were as bad there as everywhere else.

    They had their store brand of some fruit, the rest was packed in syrup in plastic cups to fill in the display. One case of Del Monte green beans and a few cans of mixed veg, the rest was odds and ends of store brand veggies. Pretty bad.

    I did score 4 cases of Kerr wide mouth pint jars. The entire section of jars & lids was empty, but at the very top of the section, I saw some a scattering of jar cases – guess no one looks up that far. It took a while to get an employee with a rolling stair set-up to climb up and get them,
    but there were 4 flats and I bought them all -$10.49 each. Employee told me there were no more in the store, and was surprised no one had noticed these before.

    Had to go to 2 grocery stores today to find an assortment of canned goods, including the most expensive – a Kroger store. But, Kroger was best stocked. They had some stock of every type of canned veggie, and multiple brands. They even had some no-salt and organic veggie options. Canned fruit very light, mostly store brand.

    Both grocery stores decent but pricey TP selection, limited PT’s, almost no liquid hand soap, the usual limited cleaners and disinfectants.

    Also seeing more holes than usual in anti-virals and some OTC’s such as Benadryl.

    Talked with cashier at Kroger’s, we discussed how you never know these days which store will have what or for how long. Her comment was that she would never have thought this could happen in the US, that people think of shortages in places like Russia.

    Finally, I think here in So Cal people’s normalcy bias is creeping in. Although there were people buying non-perishables in WM, in both grocery stores carts will filled with fresh and junk foods. Pretty much everyone was walking right by the canned goods (of all types) and dry goods such as rice and pantry items like sugar, salt and flour.

    Maybe people are being fooled by the new shelf-stacking techniques and think everything is okay, and that we are winding down on virus issues so food is no longer a concern. Maybe they just want things to be “normal”. Many are spending money are pricey produce specialty items, so it can’t be that all these people don’t have the money to stock up, rather they don’t have the desire to do so.

    Didn’t take long for people to revert back to shopping for the moment, not storing anything. Sigh.

    1. Here in Southeastern MA there is still a very limited supply of bleach, and really any cleaning product. I did see Lysol wipes in one store once since March and I bought 4 (two for me and two for my coworker). Have not seen them again. Dish soap was scarce last month but seems to be decent now. Large sizes of flour and sugar can be hard to fine but 5 lb bags are plentiful.

      I have not been able to find Little Debbie powdered donuts for 4 weeks. My autistic son loves them as a treat so disappointed I cannot find them (or any brand) in any of our stores… but he has adapted. Canned vegetables and fruit have been fine here. Tuna is back. TP and PT are probably a fourth of what they were pre pandemic. You can find them but the prices are much higher, there are still limits in place and usually only 1-2 brands now.

      A few months back anything for home baking including powdered milk, flour, sugars, baking powder/soda were all sold out. They are all back. Meats seem decent but still have limits here. I just buy extra every week in the store (canned veg, pasta, sauce, meat, sugar, pb, flour to put in my storage). I was already pretty good but feel better now. Stand up freezer plus 2 fridges/freezers are all stocked.

      All 3 freeze dried/long term food storage places I use have very limited supplies and up to 8 week wait times. Have still placed two extra orders and have gotten them…

    2. I ended up restocking my first aid kit, over-the-counter Benadryl‘s and cold and flu meds and vitamins. Did notice that there was not a ton of options for those. Vitamin C was almost sold out so others are thinking the same way!

      I definitely still see pockets in the canned pasta and canned tomatoes and canned fruit sections. Have not been able to find my son the mini powdered donuts he loves for four weeks?! Fresh fruit/veg seem stocked and meat too but more expensive. Plan to stock up on more canned fruit/veg, pasta sauces, PB, Beans, soups. I have a good supply but I only see this going up. 2 fridges/freezers stocked as well as the stand up freezer. Plenty of long term food storage too. Keep prepping everyone and stay safe. Southeastern MA.

      1. Ames, Vitamin C= Ascorbic acid. Look at serving size on package and add to a desired drink.

  143. Interesting thing on stock levels, went to Costco the other day, they were well stocked, the canned veggies and stuff were all name brands, none of that kirkland stuff, so that was a nice change. Still no wipes, no hand soap.

    1. Kula, we hit Sam’s last Saturday because we needed nitrile gloves and liquid soap for his business. It is an hour drive to get there so I was doing an extra cart for our personal use. While there my husband picked up a giant box of wipes and said he wanted to get it for home. Now you know why I love this man!

  144. OH,
    I second Anony Mee’s question – any indications yet on whether we continue with shortages, or go to total outages? I’m stocking fast & furious regardless, but your continued insights are appreciated and very helpful… thank you!

  145. OH,
    Thanks for the reply. Doesn’t sound promising. Made one last grocery run last night before heading back up to BOL. Some canned goods looked okay, such as soups and tuna. But veggies, fruit, meats all very light or out.

    Sadly, most people now walking right past canned goods aisles as they load up on only fresh and junk food items. In suburbia, it’s clear people have been lulled into believing all is well. No one at any store I visited appears to be stocking any non perishables. (4 diff stores over 4 days)

    Will look for more info over the weekend. Thanks again 👍

  146. O H ,
    Thanks for replying about shortages. I appreciate your insights on this issue as you are an insider in that area .I look foward to your comments.

  147. Just got back from Lowe’s (Ohio). 2x4x8 $6.50. Not a lot of them either. Had 4 people in front of me and 3 behind waiting to get some
    4×4 pressure treated -ZERO
    Very low on rest of pressure treated lumber

    1. Yep, and in our area the Amish are having difficulty getting wood too. If you have any wood stored, or or building supplies, keep it hidden out of other peoples sight.

  148. DB
    $6.50 for a 2×4?
    Unbelievable!!
    And no, to nil treated…..
    I guess my plans for building are shot.

    1. Joe c
      I know I about crapped. Just last November I picked some up for $3.83. Sure would hate to be trying build a new house

      1. We know a young couple that put their home building plans on hold because the materials kept increasing in price.

  149. Yesterday we went shopping ,here are a few observations. Bi-Mart is a chain of stores in Oregon,Washington and Idaho that carries a variety of products. They only had 2 boxes of 9mm hp ammo and 3 boxes of .357 hp,that was what I was looking for, the rest of their ammo section looked pretty light.The spam section was about 30 inches wide with only 7 cans there.Wrangler jeans did not have a lot of size choices. Half of the clerks and cashiers were all new faces.When we checked out they had no plastic bags at checkout, only paper bags with a Cascade Farm & Garden logo which is a spinoff of Bi-Mart.
    Grocery Outlet had lots of Chinese canned chicken and tuna and lots of Indonesia products.
    These were just observations when we were out and about.

  150. Today was shopping day for my neighbor. Because I had a dental cleaning scheduled for 1pm, I shopped in our smaller town for most of her purchase. She used to always shop here but I rarely do because the store charges 20% more for their items than the next town because they have a captive audience (Boo hiss). Anyway, buying her groceries at the store cost her $106 as opposed to the $84 I spend when I get them at Aldis. And I could not even find any paper towels for her there. This is not a mom and pop shop – it is a regional, large grocery chain. They had a few gaps here and there. My friend also wanted AA batteries but they were outrageously priced in the store so I told her I would get those online for her.

    After that I visited my Amish friend to take her 4 containers of Tang. She couldn’t find any for her store and Sam’s has the large containers for less than $7. So she was thrilled. And I gave her a package of the Tattler lids regular mouth to try because they have the same issue of lids shortages that we (the English) have right now. She orders my whole grains for me and is very reasonable on the price.

    After my dental appointment, I did go to Aldis and they appeared to be pretty well stocked. The cheese area was a bit light, but they still had some. I usually go in the morning and it was about 2:30 when I got there so that could have been the difference. Aldis still has the 4 can limit per item going on, which I don’t mind. I found paper towels there for my friend.

    I looked for garden seeds at Tractor Supply and the displays were gone. They are setting up all there winter stuff now. I picked up an extra set of red heat lamp bulbs to have on hand. Then I hit the local owned garden center where I still had a gift certificate. They had seeds but I had to carefully because many were to be sold by 12/19 (last year) and they were not discounted. If I have a choice, I get current year for purchasing. So bought a handful of heirloom seeds that we will enjoy at some point,

  151. Central Oregon

    Yesterday I had to laugh when an acquaintance sent a text to several people asking for canning lids as,gee, there aren’t any to be had and she had some canning to do. No I didn’t offer any from my stash. I did a look/see at Bi-Mart and there is virtually no canning stuff at all. No freezer bags either.
    Fred Meyer produce is usually one of the best around but today a few spots were filled (tomatoes, avocados) but many others were basically empty.
    Walmart looking for totes (cleaning shed) and the isle has been reduced by about half what it once was and that was 85% empty.

  152. central Texas updates

    Costco on Wednesday during senior hours:
    they DID have Kirkland brand sanitizing wipes but I am sure they disappeared within minutes as they were @ the entrance & only a small display. Bottled water was stacked to the ceiling! TP & paper towels @ about 25% & smaller, off brand packages were oddly available (even the checker commented that they have never seen that before). Flour, sugar & rice & dry beans all very low. The book section is really shrinking, too.

    HEB, regional grocery store on Friday afternoon was eerie! Most folks only getting fresh produce & junk foods…no one stocking up on staples or canned goods. I got the last crushed canned tomatoes, there was no Worcestershire sauce; got the last can of green chilies & there were no Chex cereals or their generic or store brand available. Lots of gaps in canned goods, pasta sauces & paper goods. Only one butcher behind the counter & only 1 bakery lady where there are usually 3 in each area.

    Keep prayin’ & preppin’!

  153. Dad and I were walking through the grocery store and I couldn’t figure out why it felt different. More spacious. Then I realized–at the back of the store there are usually freezer cases lined up. Six of them across the whole space. There were only four left, spaced farther apart. Also only partially full, which is unusual.

    When we got to produce it again looked more spacious. Two of the long bins across the middle were gone, and another was only a half bin.

    Very little on the top shelves (where they normally keep the extra cases) and again different products had been spaced wide apart so it just looked more orderly while disguising the lack of product.

    They were having their semi-annual case-lot sale, but I’d say the amount of cases was less than a third of previous years, and prices didn’t appear to be any lower than usual. One bag of sugar on the shelf, and one bag of flour. Packaging in the baking aisle much smaller, and a lot of empty spaces.

  154. Testing. My comment showed up in recent comments, but not here.

    Dad and I were walking through the grocery store and I couldn’t figure out why it felt different. More spacious. Then I realized–at the back of the store there are usually freezer cases lined up. Six of them across the whole space. There were only four left, spaced farther apart. Also only partially full, which is unusual. When we got to produce it again looked more spacious. Two of the long bins across the middle were gone, and another was only a half bin.

    Very little on the top shelves (where they normally keep the extra cases) and again different products had been spaced wide apart so it just looked more orderly while disguising the lack of product. They were having their semi-annual case-lot sale, but I’d say the amount of cases was less than a third of previous years, and prices didn’t appear to be any lower than usual.

    One bag of sugar on the shelf, and one bag of flour. Packaging in the baking aisle much smaller, and a lot of empty spaces.

  155. The chain store RURAL KING has canning supplies. Check online for a location near you.

    They will ship lids and bands but not the glass jars. They do have them in stock. We’re near the store in Huntsville, AL on our camping trip so we will be going there to stock up :)

    1. update to Rural King near Huntsville, AL. Nothing there in canning lids or jars. Their online info is incorrect.

    2. grandee
      Are you in need of jars with lids & rings, or just the lids?

  156. Freezer bags have been hard to find for some time now. I found a couple of boxes last week at Bi-mart. Checked in again yesterday and they had a few more boxes but I found a new addition by “Presto”. I’m assuming they are the same company that makes other kitchen stuff. It is gallon bags in a 90 count box for $9.99

    1. I used some of that brand this summer. Don’t use for anything with liquid. I had to double bag because of leaks.

      1. Phooey. Thanks for the warning. That is really nice to know! I have just used them for dry goods at this point.

  157. Still can’t find canning flat lids. Had enough from last year’s fall sales for this year. Have had more sealing failures than ever in my life. The rings and flats hold so little heat I can almost immediately touch them when pulled from boiling water. More cheaply made than those from many years ago.

    Noticed a major fast food chain has dropped cheeseburger ingredients to 1 versus 3 pickles, 1/2 slice cheese instead of full, and probably cheaper meat because the patty didn’t cover the bun.

    I expect many retailers will downsize or change formulas to stay profitable without raising prices despite higher costs of ingredients.

  158. The other day I drove up to DFM’s cabin in the mountains. Just north of Tacoma there is a string of RV and camper vendors all next to one another. One’s lot was empty. In the others could only see those buszilla RVs. No smaller or used campers to be seen anywhere. Have heard that folks are fleeing the cities.

  159. Today was shopping day but I only had to hit two stores – Walmart and Aldis. Walmart had about 10% toilet paper and even paper towels. Lots of signs saying please be considerate and just take one. The cleaner isle was very thin as was the plastic baggie area. Also plastic totes are barely there. Sugar area was pretty bare. I was trying to get thru quickly so didn’t check a lot of isles for content.

    Aldis appeared to be pretty well stocked. There are limits on many items (max 4 cans). Paper items limited to 1. Lots of shoppers but only 2 check out lanes open.

    1. DAMedinNY –

      I can vouch for SoCal Aldi as being the same a few days ago. Lots and lots of floor space, they could put a basketball court in there. Pelletized dry goods were picked fairly clean. The same 4 can limit applied to many items. The WalMarts near me are 3-dimensional festering hybrid hepatitis cultures, under normal circumstances. You couldn’t pay me enough to enter one now.

  160. Here in Michigan, having a hard time for last several weeks finding Ragu Brand cheddar sauce and Ragu brand Alfredo sauce. Also liquid Coffeemate in the Italian Sweet Cream variety is also no where to be found. Their website said this flavor would be unavailable thru October. Then I guess we’ll see what happens. I haven’t been able to find the generic store brand of this flavor either. My Walmart and my Meijer have limited stock of boxed pasta & again has been that way for awhile now. Meat still stocked well. PT and TP are stocked well and have been for awhile now, just wish they would go back on sale once in awhile so I could “stock” my shelves back up. Hate to spend full price. obviously no canning lids anywhere. But have found cases of Ball jars.

    1. Mom in the Mitten
      I found canning lids on line, they are the Kerr/Mason brand sold through Ball manufacture.

      Be care when you order as I discovered the gold regular lids came up with the rings order page. That told me they were out of those lids, where by I order their silver colored lids. They had free shipping which is really nice because of the price point for their sale.

      In order to find these lids I had to use a different search engine anything to do with the G has it erased from the pages-fyi. Use ‘ballmasonlidsdotcom’ discovered their site with DuckDuckGo, hope this helps anyone who is searching for this rare commodity now.

      1. Thanks for that info. I will jot that down for future reference. Right now I am sitting ok with my stash. Always keeping an eye out to replace those that I’ve used this summer. I luckily did a nice stock up in March when food shortages were hitting and wanted to be ahead of the canning crowd in the summer.

  161. Followed up on a Lehman’s order I placed last June for a sleeve of small canning lids. The lids at that time were back ordered and still had not come in.

    So they had cancelled my back order :(

    The lady on the phone told me, even tho their catalog is advertising the canning lids she could not take a re-order. They had no idea when, if ever, they would be getting any in stock.

    Wonder what we’re gonna do next canning season if lids are still unavailable !?!?

    I have enough in my preps for next years garden, but after that…

    I think I’ll try reusing some lids that I can get off a jar w/o bending them. Not throw so many away. I always hated to reuse in case I lost a seal and wasted my canning time.

    sigh

    1. Grandee,
      Someone suggested the other day (I’m sorry I don’t remember who, or I’d give them credit) to re-use one lid every batch. If it doesn’t seal, you know you can eat one jar of whatever you’re canning in a reasonable amount of time. It’s better than waiting until you’ve only got old lids left and having several not seal at once. It’s a good way to experiment with old lids without wasting an entire batch.

    2. grandee,
      i have been experimentng with used lids.. since not too long after i began canning. I wanted to know what my limits were… I almost never bend my lids in removing them. I have used a few up to 5 times. with good results.canning meats and broths.
      The lids must “appear new” to do well, no rust on rim, or splotches/missing paint. inside rubber intact and not nicked..lid base consistent in color and finish….. the ones that are having first use at 3-5 years seems to be best , have not tried anything of purchased in last 2 years… some of my oldest lids( 2002-inherited) i have tried re-use on non critical things…or 1/2 pint jars- i knew i would use soon..those did not seal.. .. to get one last use. used those on dehydrated foods that are vacuum packed. I have adopted a permanent marker line to be placed on top of jar lids that have been used once and each time one is opened and that lid appears ok. will add another line to it.after canned again. i place used lids in one place if appear good- if any damage and can be used for other applications i put them a different place./box/marked .
      . My best tip i got from “The Ohio Prepper’ -who has passed to his final reward- for general canning…after i had 10 out of 11 jars fail.- i put out an SOS. with meats it only makes them more tender so i re canned- did not loose anything but time…His tip …after cleaning lids thoroughly and rinsing in hot water bring to boil in water conditioned with baking soda. keep hot til applied to hot jars. …ie.for enough water to cover 7 lids, i use about 1/2 tsp baking soda. for enough to cover 12- i use about a teaspoon.
      i also clean all rims 2x once with hot water and once with vinegar. pack according to specifications re: raw or cooked meats.liquid/head space etc., pressure up and lower slowly- just common canning practice.
      Hope this helps.

  162. Tonight I opened a can of WM brand canned pears. Popped the top and drained the juice. Looked into the can and it did have pear halves in it. Reaally tiny ones. Can was less than half full. Maybe 30%.-40%

    1. Aka,
      Many canned meats have mostly liquid, not meat.. tuna, some 5-7 oz of salmon had about 2.5 oz meat.
      Another item.
      .. Hot hands MIA in our local wal mart. no place for them to be stocked.. pegs removed,sports equipment,( baseball and volleyball?) in place of much camping gear.

  163. grandee
    Go to ‘ballmasonlidsdotcom. Last place you will find any that I am aware of. If you purchase the regular lids be careful the gold are sold out only the silver lids are available.
    Use DuckDuckGo, any other search engine *g or edge* you will not find them.

  164. – Walked into Wally World Friday morning. Noted that they had a dozen cases of quart-sized Mason jars on an endcap near the front door, Number 10 cans of Lakeside brand corn on the next, and other “prepper’ type goods as you walked into the store further. It was almost like someone had been reading ‘what are there shortages of?’. Just for curiosity, walked through household goods, and saw quite a few more boxes of Mason jars, assorted sizes. Sporting goods, almost no ammo, no bullet-launchers, and nothing with weights in the fishing aisle. Didn’t have time to look at the rest of the store, but that’s what we had in west Texas.
    – Papa S.

    1. – intended to mention, one of the endcaps walking in had multiple 25# bags of King Arthur flour.
      – Papa 

  165. Antique Collector
    . . . .
    Thanks So Cal Gal. Made a run to Costco and there was an end cap just stacked with peaches.

  166. Headline at zerohedge; “Global Food Shortages Are Becoming Very Real, And US Grocery Store Chains Are Preparing For Worst Case Scenarios”What does that mean?

    1. Bummin’: ……I take that to mean that if you plan on eatin’ after your current stock runs out……….well, you best me adding to that stock while you can……least ways, that’s what I’m a-doin’……….but that’s just me.

    2. OH
      Why yes you did. Yet, how many paid really attention to those warning it was coming.

    3. Fyi- That article is authored by Micheal Snyder. He has been preaching doom porn for many years. I dont even read a article from him because he has been wrong more than right. Take it for what it’s worth. Do your own research.

      A&O

      1. 11H9,
        Not directed exclusively to you, but a good place to insert..
        Let’s not forget a STOPPED clock is right TWice a day. My measure: When advice concurs with my observance, friends see (thru different sources) It makes sense for me to act .
        Grand Solar Minimum,( with sudden frosts and snows in odd areas), Hurricanes/tornadoes/firestorms, all unrest, sickness-(not a complete list) all can affect every aspect of availability.
        This can be applied to all things prepping, especially to supplies not easily produced .. Determine if you have seed to raise 3-4 crops..+ enough in current pantry to last 2-3 years.All crops can not be grown in every location. Can you grow grains where you live? if wheat is short, do you have enough rice/other substitutes..spelt, buckwheat,sorrel flour..think outside the box. Our ancestors ate weeds.
        Consider how your use will change if/when shortage occurs in another product..Will you need more of this item?

    4. OH,
      Yep,you been saying it for awhile.
      but hey some of us are just alarmist huh?

    5. Country Translation: IF’N you want’ta EAT. You best have it in under your control, somewheres

    6. Thank you. Some listened. You were not talking to an empty room.

    7. 0ldhomesteder:
      Sorry my friend, been listening to you for years.
      Stop talking in riddles.
      Sure you need to “protect” your sources, OK, but say what you mean or stop the “round about”
      And yes we all got the “who is John Galt”.
      BTW all do respect, but enough…. OK?

      1. NRP & Blue

        Hehehe,
        The ole’steader got ya thinking, too?
        The messages I get is,
        Hold on to your ass….this ain’t gonna be no rolley coaster ride, in coming days, months, years.

      2. Blue, meaning is clear….on OH’s post.
        Please let NRP know you need more dog food.
        If FEMA controls the groceries ,AND distribution offices ,they also control whether you have food. It’s better to have food than to BE food.ASK him, Who ARE the people determined to be “the right people”.? Is it the people in the city living in small apartments or the people out in the sticks…they would be most concerned with…?

    8. Had an interesting discussion with my nephew some years ago. I asked him, if the government said to give them all his food to feed the poor, would he do it? He said “Absolutely.”

      “What if you then found out that they took it all to DC to feed the politicians?”

      His immediate response was, “I’d go get it back!”

      “With what? They already took the guns.”

      Silence. “Oh.”

    9. OH your replies are cryptic and make people think. I approve. Marxists hate thinkers.

      FEMA is a Political Animal, Food is a People CONTROL Weapon. Also a weapon to reduce Population when you don’t want them around annoying you.

      See Holodomor for details. Wikipedia has soul searing facts at least until Orville’s 1984 PARTY rewrites-deletes that also..

      I posted a better reply yesterday but even when I edited it for links never posted.

      MOMMY I’m HUNGRY is the song I don’t want to hear in my home. 30 some days until the Sock puppet is elected by fraud and deceit. Get ready while there is SOMETHING on the shelves.

  167. Had to go to the ‘big city” today so made the trip to Smartfoods. I mentioned a few days ago that they had sliced apples for a decent price so today’s trip was to go and buy some. I got the last 3 cans on the shelf. There were 2 more but they were badly dented. They don’t say what kind of apples but for me that isn’t an issue.

    1. aka
      Picture looks like Graven stein apples, picked up a case of them for us jic. They had rice, beans on the shelves, forgot to check out the pasta section. There were no food gloves on the shelf. The plastic wrap was on sale which just ended and it was wiped out, same with dish washing liquid.

      1. OK works for me : ) I’m used to looking at labels. Thinking of pet food with all the pretty pictures on the front- doesn’t mean a darn thing. They had large bags of rice/beans. Didn’t look any further. Well, they had a good amount of other canned fruit and I’ll have to think about that. I flinch thinking of where to put something else that has to be inside.

  168. Smart Foodsavers was well-stocked with the 1 lb bricks of yeast couple days ago.

    1. Thanks- I probably need to trek back over there and get a couple. Mine (small bottles) has been in the freezer for a couple of years. Might be good to get something more fresh.

  169. At the independent . co . UK, there is an article about the start of rationing in the UK again.

    Morrison’s is starting with limiting bleach, TP and disinfectants. Tesco limiting those plus flour, pasta and baby wipes. Tesco says online shoppers will also see limits on rice and canned veggies.

    Store spokespeople saying they have enough supply, but want to keep people from panic buying as during the first wave.

    I feel fortunate to have had these last few weeks to replenish items used during spring & summer, plus some extras. Not panic buying – more like calm, deliberate buying.

  170. Costco yesterday everything which on my list was in stock. Noticed some items were a one only limit when others were not. They had vegetables in, their usual fare along with ..yes..PEACHES!! Yum.
    Folks were going to TP & bottled water. Figure the bottled water was for those who have been displaced because of the fires in the State of Jefferson. Otherwise, rather odd they were gathering it up as our area has good water to drink.

  171. Went out today for my weekly shopping and there were no paper towels at all on the shelf. Cleaning supplies were also limited.

  172. I know it won’t come as a surprise to most, but I went looking for 2 quart /1 gallon bottles today. I started at the thrift stores–no luck. Not surprising, the way their inventory turns over. I’ll keep watching.

    Then Dad suggested the grocery stores. I didn’t expect to find the larger sizes, but we went anyway since Dad needed to get out of the house. And NOTHING. When I was in last they had a case of quarts and a case of pints. I talked to one of the managers and he said they haven’t gotten any canning supplies for more than 2 months, and no idea when more will come in. 2nd store had narrowed their canning area to 2 feet of shelf, half high. Again, no bottles. Apparently there’s more than just a supply gap. My guess is that the companies who make the canning supplies went under or shut down.

    Sugar and flour were limited to one per customer at both stores, and the supply mostly in small bags.

    1. Lauren, Parent company of golden harvest, ball and 2 others released info they would not be shipping any lids from October 1st until May… they are trying to build stock back up -They do not consider this to be “canning season”…..info was posted on channel i follow called suttons daze.-you tube…she read the letter., a friend got…

      1. Except that store managers say they haven’t gotten any shipments for months, and no indication of when shipments will start again. I should think they would ship through the biggest part of canning season and THEN start stocking up, but apparently not.

        1. They underestimated, thug flu hit and locked people down, they made groceries, gardens and canning very popular. When the shelf is empty. there is nothing to send out. Now they are using this as an excuse a: cya manuver.. their availability and manufacturing personell, safety guidelines have changed. they aren’t able to produce.as much as before Jan 1. .

      2. UPDATE: Jars/lids. I saw a video this afternoon- just out… by The Kneady homesteader.. There have been a lot of people crying out to Ball thru their facebook page. They made a release ..in part said that they are doing all they can to increase production of jars and lids. Shipments will be released to these places- bigger suppliers first… The list included Ae, Kroger,Michael’s, Target, True Value, and wal mart..

  173. Although i noticed empty pockets inside my store im puzzled why they are marking down food prices on select items that aren’t out of date.

    1. There is no re-supply on those items. they are getting rid of them faster, may be downsizing the product or it going away. if something you like best stock it up now.

  174. I continue to see lots of low/empty spots in fresh produce. Not just one store but multiple. Has not been any tapioca pearls for several months.

  175. Went to town yesterday to do some shopping. We seldom visit Walmart but yesterday was an exception. I was looking for a replacement watch band . They had few to choose from but did have the one I needed. Walmart had lots of empty shelf space in the grocery section, no Spam, sardines and tuna was pretty sparse.I bought the last 4 jars of garlic stuffed olives in stock.
    We also went to Bi mart. They did have some 9mm but no .357 magnum. I was allowed 2 boxes of the 9mm.They did have several long guns in stock and a fair amount of pistols as well. We like Quilted Northern T P . It was $ 7.47 for a 6 roll package of 3 ply that was supposed to be equal to 24 regular rolls.3 ply seems to be some heavy duty tail pipe cleaner, we’ll see.
    Prices continually are creeping up on everything. Our monthly prescription premium with Humana is increasing 30% next year. We are on fixed income so we try to be as thrifty as possible.
    Interesting times for sure.

  176. Stopped by Costco yesterday. Now that we’re near the holidays the two-pound vacuum-packed Red Star yeast is on the shelf. Shelves pretty full. No Chlorox wipes or ZipLock baggies. Brand name canned corn and beans have replaced house brand. Another brand of instant mashed potatoes is in stock.

  177. Was surprised to see a pallet of 7 CU ft chest freezers at Walmart this evening. Of course no hide nor hair of any canning jars or lids….

  178. Has anyone else noticed the shortages/lack of cheap footwear?

    Granted, the only retail outlet for shoes within 60 miles of me is the local Wally World, but their men’s shoes selection has dwindled steadily over the last couple of months….to the point that now, the racks are 3/4 empty with zero stock of popular sizes.

    I wear the cheap ($7.97) deck shoes much of the time, mainly because of the non-aggressive rubber soles that don’t load up with mud and are easier to clean…that, and they are lightweight and easy on and off. Wally’s hasn’t had a single pair….much less in my size, over the past three months.

    A minor aggravation, but could present a looming problem if it’s a sign that footwear is China dependent. Has anyone else experienced shortages in this area?

    1. Dennis,
      i cant wear store bought shoes, im a leather nut so make my own shoes and boots,
      what i have noticed is soles are in short supply, many are foreign made, well, actually, ALL are foreign made. There are some styles unavailable, some are barely available,
      i have noticed that inexpensive foreign made shoes are short, but some of the more expensive designer brands and such are doing their usual seasonal thing and are available.

      1. Kula,
        Soles for shoes in short supply? Got tires over there? Hirachi sandals like that make in Baja California. Maybe after the election you could gather up all the plastic B-d-n signs and laminate them into shoe soles. improvise and adapt.

        1. MinerJ
          i did think about that, the problem is that bias ply tires are about a thing of the past, true bias ply anyway, the steel wires found in most tires makes it difficult at best, i would opt for rubber mats before tires, easier to work with. Tires are not impossible, just difficult.

    2. I was looking for some inexpensive shoes a month or so ago and the whole entire isle was virtually empty. Don’t know if they were doing a change of seasons but it other than a few stragglers it was empty

    3. Dennis, don’t worry about it too much. The supplier will just take the 25% tariff to fund startup of their new factory in a different Asian country. Once they are rolling and price discovery has set in, your flip-flops will be back in stock, for $10.97; and you’ll pay it; because our Mango Messiah has ordained it. All of that formerly made in China stuff is suddenly, extremely profitable. Oops.

      1. …..or, I’ll break out my Red Wings and Tony Llamas that never seem to wear out…get ’em re-soled every 3 years or so like we used to do when we bought quality instead of throw away stuff…….

        1. Big fan of buying quality footwear. My dad thought I was nuts paying $75 for a pair of hiking boots in 1979. Spent my own money but he still criticized. Wondered if he ever thought about that when I was wearing them 15 years later. Buy quality and care for them properly. My leather dress shoes purchased from an outlet regularly last 5+ years before getting relegated to being just around the house shoes.

        2. My newest job has me standing hours at a time and my Redwings are more comfortable than my other shoes. Of course I was fitted with the right size at the store. Another essential step if you can still find it.

        3. Redwings are awesome.. I put a pair of blue insoles in mine and wore them out have re glued them 3 times.. never hurt my -almost flat but arched slightly big feet.Nothing available in womens size in 11.5/ comparable to 10 mens.

    4. I keep thinking, if the stuff is truly hitting the schumer, eventually your issues with a litigious society, lazy workers, and so on will go by the wayside. Idiots will be, in essence, culled in one way or another. There’s rural areas of the country where kids are still hard workers and with the shutdowns and economic downturn, are looking for opportunities to earn a decent living. Interstates and railroads offer transportation. Utilities are cheap. And there are vacant facilities that may provide an initial facility. Margins will be less but it’s sustainable.

      Scary thing disrupting the supply chain. Some American companies were so short sighted they didn’t own their own tooling. So if they want to move or need to move production, they have to re-invent a major piece of the process before they can start. And then of course China has those tools and no legal restriction from competing with you.

  179. I heard about some stuff called “mio”. It’s drops that you add to make flavored water. So, the same trip that I found the THIN mints I looked for the drops. There is a big section that holds probably a couple hundred of the tiny bottles. There was maybe 6 bottles in an otherwise empty wasteland.

    1. Oddly enough once upon a time we called water flavor enhancers TEA. Or maybe fruit spritzers or any number of things folks added to plain water, like a squeeze of a lemon maybe?.

      I’ve tried to add Hazelnuts ground fine to my plain coffee to get “Hazelnut Coffee” and found almost NO change in the flavor, indeed made coffee less tasty. They have to use chemistry to create a cheap flavoring agent to add to the coffee for that flavored effect.

      Those chemical cocktails like “mio” are “Good for you”? How about a dwarf lemon tree to brighten up your drab winter days?

      Just a thought.

      1. The massage therapist suggested it. I suggested tea and she thought something like mio would be better for hydration. I agree with you 100% that it seems to be a chemical cocktail and think I’ll pass on it.

        1. aka they have artificial sweetners which turn to formaldehyde in the body..

        2. yeah- I’ll stick with unsweetened ice tea. Have not been to WM so no report on candy shortages. Bi-Mart seemed fairly well stocked but they are a lot smaller store.

  180. I posted this in response to someone on open thread yesterday it also goes here. so have moved a copy of ..
    ..In some stores, DG, peppermint and spearmint hard candies are also missing. The spaces they had have been filled by other softer candy products. I found the deficit and have filled my coffers from another similar store. also .butterscotch were very low…

    1. I will look closer next time I go to the store. I’ve noticed some missing items too and I think I mentioned that the candy isle was at about 50%

  181. OH,
    Thank you for sharing this. And that’s just one warehouse – have to wonder how many more are standing empty when they normally would be full this time of year?

    Seems like it’s just a matter of time before the lack of backfill goes from being mostly behind the scenes to becoming common knowledge. If shoppers understood how fragile things really are, what kind of panic would ensue?

    1. So Cal Gal: Never going to happen. The average ‘shopper’ is so blindingly stupid that they won’t come to understand anything, until it starts showing up on their friends social media. Then the gates of hell will open, just like the TP crisis this spring, but worse. Every once in a while I think it’s a good idea to tell a ‘shopper’ the straight truth about inventory problems. It rarely goes well. Some people are SO STUPID that they think we concoct lies and fairytales to cover our desire to NOT sell them something. Ken mentioned overnight about an average 7-8th grade reading level in this country. But when it comes to fundamental concepts of how things really work, most are like infants both in knowledge and behavior. When the music stops, you’d better be home, be gray and behind locked doors.

  182. I did go out and get that winter coat today. There were plenty of men’s coats, but not many for women. I found some canning jars with lids at BigLots; only 3 packs with 6 pint jars were there. They were AnchorHocking brand. I didn’t see too many shortages at my local Kroger, but I’ve noticed that everything is getting more expensive.

  183. Quick trip to WM today. Candy isle is still as empty as last week. Not sure where all the Pierson brand mint patties are sold (Bi-Mart) but you get lot better deal than with the York brand. Halloween candy isle is full but definitely a lot smaller than normal .
    Also still no thermometers. I put a new battery in mine and it still doesn’t seem to be working correctly.

  184. We did a top off of supplies in a nearby larger town. We prefer Winco for food items and they were pretty well stocked up . House brand corn was .50 per can as were green beans and they had lots of stock in them.The meat section was well filled so we will be canning more chicken tomorrow.TP and paper towels were in good supply as well.They also had 25# and 50# bags of rice ,oatmeal,beans and flour .

      1. I had carpet spotting solution and laundry spot treatment by the same company. When things got short supply this spring, my neighbor needed some pretreatment. I went to give him the bottle I was using and it was the carpet spotting solution. It even got spots out after they’d been previously washed. As always check to make certain it doesn’t react badly with the fabric you’re treating. But it’s a substitute I am going to remember.

    1. oxi clean.. generic thru dollar general all dollar stores have one they make.. Dollar tree’s is out here too.but other stores have them. I use the powder in stain dampen an work thru material let it sit for a bit .

  185. 0homesteader:
    Less than 10 years ago Venezuela was the 4th richest country in the world.
    Can’t happen here huh??

    1. 0ldhomesteard:
      Not to worry about ole Blue…
      Heck, his stash is the backup for me 😳😳😳

    2. I went to a new youtube channel the other day, thinking she would be into homesteading, but it appears that at the moment she’s just interested in convincing everyone that there are no shortages, all is well, all is well. She calls it fraud.

      She seems oblivious to what’s going on in the grocery stores, let alone other countries. Like so many others, she sees only what impacts her directly. The problem being that she spreads her impact deliberately, and most of those who listen to her are not in the situation of producing all their own food, as she says she does.

      Those who listen to her are the ones who will suffer, when what they need is no longer available in the grocery stores and they listened to the voice of anti-warning.

      Makes me want to shift gears with my own channel. Probably won’t, but it’s tempting.

      1. Lauren,
        I know who you are talking about. She has a lot of good video’s ..on sourcing from irregular suppliers….but does not believe that 50-90mph wind, rain or lack of it or snow before harvest does any damage.Looks like she believes the crop numbers put out by various agencies.i just unsubscribed..

  186. Old homesteader,
    Thanks for your input on the food supply issue. It is a negative situation that you speak of , but it is a reality all must deal with in the world we live in .Because of our age we will stay put where we are and with what we have. No bug out plans for us.I think travel will be dangerous when the festivities really get underway.
    If DJT is reelected we only are buying some more time .
    Stay well and healthy.

    1. OH,
      SE Wa.is my area. Lots of rural gardeners , canners ,hunters, good people. We got burned a little with a ‘prepper” relationship and are pretty cautious about developing relationships,although we do have some. Cautious networking is good.

      1. O H,
        Good folks in these areas,mostly AG oriented crops,beef,pigs,etc. We like the area weather wise but it’s still under Inslee’s domain, ugh.
        We stay under the radar, barter when we can and slowly come across like minded people and build relationships from there.

  187. This is more proactive than observation. This last winter/spring I couldn’t find the proper size seed starting trays. What I ended up buying was smaller than I wanted. It may not have been an issue but we had an odd cold spell about the time they needed transplanted. This delay and an extra week due to virus related work demands resulted in too many root bound starts. I am saving vegetable cans, removing labels, and washing to use for seed starts next year. Will punch a few drain holes in the bottom. Plenty big and free. Already have 2 years of most seed but will be on lookout for the beet and cabbage I haven’t yet found.

    1. Mamalark
      One way to avoid the root bound is to use soil blocks, a bit more effort but the starts hold longer in the blocks, johnnys sells small blockers.
      Another way is to use those growing pellets, they swell up when you water them, act the same way as the soil blocks, are not cheap but are way easy, just make sure there is space between the blocks or plugs and you will be golden, goots grow straight out and stop when they hit air, have found it will buy you up to a month or more depending on the plant type
      😎 🤙🏻

    2. MamaLark:
      Here’s my 2 cents on what I use.

      Those red Dixie Cups, they are very cheap and can be used many years. And they are big enough so ya usually dont get root bound starts.

      I use a Soldering Iron to “burn/melt” several holes around the bottom edge, not in the bottom.

      I stack them in a 4″-6″ high tote and set them in the house close to a window. Usually can get 20-24 cups in each tote. This last year I think I had around 15 totes going.
      Plus the direct plant seeds.

      Nothing nicer than seeing a full pantry of home caned veggies.

      PS: Blue kinda looks at me sideways about all the totes setting around 🤪🤪🤪

      1. Nrp, good thing Blue just looks at you, either of my boys would “water” the plants.

  188. Spoke to a very good friend (20+ yrs) regarding the shortages at Walmart. Granted he deals with hard goods not grocery.

    He told me the DC’s are so slammed from demand and minimal staff from the Kung Flu that it is taking 10-14 days to get a trailer unloaded. Trucks can get a appt to deliver but they have to drop the trailer in their lot until it gets unloaded.

    Trucklines are starting to refuse deliveries to DC’s because they cannot afford to have their trailers sitting in Walmarts lot for 2 wks.

    He has also heard the same issues on non-perishable foods, just not as bad. Perishables are getting priority but still a longer delay than usual.

    He told me walmart is the worst customer he has had to deal with in his 30+ yrs in the industry. They are fining their distributors for anything and everything and not accepting Kung Flu as a excuse. Must have a 98% fill rate and deliver on time no matter the issues at their DC’s.

    A&O

    1. They’ve been doing that “drop the trailer” thing for years. The initial requirement (I don’t know whether it’s still in place) was that the driver would get the next trailer that was emptied, regardless of its condition or whatever. If they were part of a fleet, they would get the next trailer with that fleet name. It took about a week (and a couple lawsuits) for a workaround to be put in place–the driver could pick up his same trailer, IF he filled out the necessary forms with management and waited until it was unloaded. I think the intent was to drive the independents out of business, or at least out of business with Walmart.

      1. Lauren,

        What you say is probably true. All I know is what my friend told me, but its much worse than before. He works for a main hard goods distributor to Walmart. When he said trucklines can’t afford to leave their trailers there for 10-14 days speaks volumes. I know that trucking is already pressured. I see it everyday in my industry.

        I have no doubt walmart is doing there best to destroy the independents as well as the distribution side. Force the factories to go direct, demand higher margins or else. All about leverage. That’s why I dont shop at Walmart. Cant stand them and how they operate.

        A&O

        1. Ditto. I haven’t shopped there in probably 20 years or more. I refuse to walk through their doors, knowing how they treat their suppliers, their employees, and their customers. I will not support that.

        2. Odd that we are talking about walmart. Saw today that they are a sponsor to world economic forum. Same group calling for The New Reset that Ken mentioned in his article today. Many would be surprised to the list of their sponsors.

          We are contributing to our own demise.

          A&O

  189. Went to the Walmart today. Ugh. Stocked up on soaps of all kinds, TP, Ptowel, and picked up some winter slippers. Went up and down each isle to check for shortages.

    Shortages:
    bread
    pasta sauces
    sparse canned veggies/fruits
    paper towel very sparse
    some TP

    At just a glance the shelves “seemed” full until you looked close. Most stuff was pulled up to front with nothing behind. It seemed as if they were unloading the meat truck as those bins were indeed full.

  190. Did a quick supply top off at Costco and Winco. Costco was pretty well stocked up on things,didn’t see any glaring holes. Winco was in good shape also but they only had 1 1/2 quart canning jars available ,lids nada. Tp , paper towels were in fair shape and the the Quilted Northern was 20 cents cheaper than a few days ago.I bought the last two 5 gallon storage buckets in stock.
    On our trip to and from shopping we only counted 11 semi trucks each way , normally about 24 each way. That tells me that less product is being delivered.

    1. Supply side for hard goods, might want to look into unline.com. Been ordering from them for years, delivery time is 7/10 days. Purchased HD foil, plastic wrap, first aid, ropes, bio- chem suits, gloves, foot coverings, zip lock baggies, duck tape,, etc. a lot of items require bulk purchase, but many are per item. Just another option. I purchase for years no just months. Group purchases can save $. Stay safe. GrG out

  191. Wish I had known about this blog earlier. Great content.

    I work in supply chain in manufacturing and my team started covid planning the last week in Jan after our first missed shipment from a Chinese supplier.

    Personally I went from zero prep to reasonably well stocked in late Feb and early march when I realized what was about to happen. I had never had a stockpile before but I saw it coming just due to my work in supply chain.

    As of Nov 2020, the thing we should be preparing for is major transportation disruption. Once the vaccine drops into the marketplace, all refrigerated transportation modes will be at a massive premium, including refrigerated ocean containers rail, air and truckload. Much of that equipment now hauls fresh foods across the country from South to North or West to East. And many of our (non-refrigerated) goods that are manufactured in the Northeast backhaul on the same equipment north to south or east to west. That is going to come to a grinding halt, however that plays. It will reduce import capacity from other regions, as well as capacity to move goods within the US. We will probably also see you lockdowns again between now and February regardless of which political party wins. We will see more retailers fold because people simply aren’t buying their goods.

    Today I went to the wine and liquor state store (PA) and there were actually empty shelves. I asked the workers and they said that their deliveries had just been light for quite a while. No explanation. In PA it’s a state run wine and liquor distribution.

    As a supply chain person, I can tell you that we experience something called the bull whip effect. There is a primary issue experienced. And then the resulting chain reactions resounding from months or maybe a couple of years down the road.

    1. Katja –

      Great post. Thanks for sharing your insight!

      Glad you’ve joined us and hope you stick around. Welcome.

      1. Katja,
        Welcome and thanks for sharing your observations and experience with us! Glad you have been able to prepare, and look forward to hearing more from you. 👍

    2. Thanks, Katja. Yes, lots of supply chain issues. I’m seeing them at my work, as well. Things are backed up on docks right now as China tries to get everything in before tariffs (probably) go back into effect, coupled with fewer drivers out there. At the same time, many things that should have already shipped haven’t. Lots of problems come down the line.

      I’m glad you’ve joined us and that you saw the writing on the wall and were able to stock up yourself.

  192. Heard a bit of news on the radio couple days ago that TP is in short supply and that limits are being established at stores across the country. Later farm helper came over and said he heard several grocery chains announced they’re short on cleaning supplies. Doesn’t sound like these will be short-term problems.

    1. AnonyMee
      they are still out in Venezuela,,,
      been a few years!
      welcome comrade

  193. Draino. I can’t believe I ran out. I thought I had several extra bottles. When I tried to buy new ones, the store told me they hadn’t be able to get any for months. No drain opener of any kind in any store near here.

    1. DaisyK
      If you have baking soda and vinegar you have your own version of Drano.

      Start with a sink that has no water put down in for at least 15-30 minutes. Place a baking soda in the opening of the clogged sink opening.

      1)Fill it, about a 1/2 to 1 cup of baking soda.
      2) Tea kettle filled with vinegar–heat it up
      3) Pour hot vinegar over the baking soda

      **It will fizzles & make fumes,, so make sure your face is away from this action area. 😊 **
      Slowly pour the hot liquid on to the baking soda, let it bubble & fizz until it stops. Then add more hot vinegar to that drain until you have used up all the vinegar OR the baking soda is working its way down the pipes to remove all the oil build up. It will take a while to remove all the build up, if the drain is still slow, you will have to repeat these steps again.

      This mixture is not harmful to your pipes or other systems that is why we use it here at our home. I try to do this once every other month, cleaning each & every drain with this mixture. We are on a septic system. For keeping the septic healthy I use old yeast warmed up bubbling then flush down the closet sink/drain into the septic tank with warm water. You can also use the commercial products for septic systems.

      1. Antique Collector,

        Thank you. I do have plenty of baking soda and vinegar. I bought baking soda in bulk to use as a fire extinguisher and vinegar in large bottles to use for cleaning and as a weed killer.

  194. With the threat of another lock down, I’ve tried to think of “ holes” in things I might need in the future. Food, water, heat….just dawned on me that I have a Manuel log splitter that uses hydraulics. Never thought to buy extra trans. & hydraulic oil! Filled that gap, also bought a kerosene heater, extra kerosene & wicks. Shopped Thursday, store was over stocked, front to back, side to side, strange. Could it be that supplies are being diverted from rural areas to cities (blue) and bedroom communities of the wealthy and political connected reside? Just a thought.

  195. Went WM to pick up a couple of things and wandered down the paper towel isle. Almost empty with only wm brand on the shelf. Limit of 1 and it looks like the roll is about 30% smaller

    1. To add insult I took a better look at the package and they have the nerve to say that these are double rolls. They are smaller than a normal sized roll.

      1. aka.
        After I read your post. It reminded me of what happened a few days ago.
        I was taking a shower, when my wife came in to use the bathroom. I heard her say things like, ” It’s not as big as it used to be!”….”It doesn’t last as long anymore.”……” Oh well, I can’t live without it.” I sorta freaked out. I didn’t know if I needed a divorce lawyer, or a MSB link to those little blue pills.😫 So after the shower, I told my wife, I heard what she said. And asked if we had a problem. She laffed and said, ” I was changing out a roll of toilet paper you Dork.”……….I said, ” Oh. I knew that. I Love You.”….She said, “I Love You too, you Dork.” P.S. This afternoon, I went and bought a bundle of the biggest JUMBO rolls of TP I could find. To preserve marital bliss. Lol. 😎👍

        1. Livin’in the woods,
          It sounds like you are on a roll. Humor is important in tense times.

    2. Growing up in a frugal household, paper towels were either considered a luxury or a waste. To this day, my husband insists on having them and uses them – but not frequently. The only thing I use them for is drying chicken after rinsing and before frying. If I didn’t have them, I would just use a dishtowel. Instead I use old t-shirts, flannel and regular sheets, and towels cut up in rag size. I keep a small tub of them with my cleaning supplies. Unless used for a really messy job, they are washed with bleach for future uses. I have never run out even though I toss a few after a really messy cleanup. Now TP is another story……

      1. I am getting a lot better about using cloth and do have an old towel cut into pieces. I really need to move the PT out of easy reach. I have a stash of PT put back and wasn’t even looking to buy any. I think it was a knee jerk reaction of “empty shelf syndrome” and now buyers remorse.

  196. Beautiful day in central Texas, 70 degrees, sunny with a cool breeze. Hubbby and I got takeout lunch and enjoyed a few hours at the park, getting vitamin D and walking.

    Shopped at HEB and it was fairly normal with limits on TP and paper towels. Pasta and canned soups at half full levels, lots of good fresh fruits and veg though and prices continuing to increase.

    Went to Hobby Lobby yesterday and it was way too busy for my comfort so I think my Christmas shopping is also complete now.

    it is tempting, on a lovely day like today, to think things are normal. Kids playing at park, good grocery haul, etc BUT I fear it is the calm before the storm. A good friend just tested positive for Covid and another friend from church passed away last week! Keep prepping and praying my friends!

    1. We also said goodbye to a dear church bother last week (71yrs old/very healthy). Several sick, but of a younger age and have pulled through.

  197. Here in N.W. ARK. we are starting to see the TP shortages again.

  198. Took the time this morning to “top off” the preps in light of the possible upcoming trucker strike next week.

    *Chicken feed @ co-op. Was plenty to be had.
    *gas in all vehicles.
    *local grocery store was half way stocked-same as last time. Shelves half full. This time there was not a can of green peas to be had. None. Weird. No small canned hams (5oz size)-none last trip to store either. Only two expensive cans of Spam, which I grabbed. Other canned veggies sparse. Again low on popcorn/not the microwave kind. Meat section well stocked, no limits. TP was sparse, no limits.

    All store employees in masks. Some shoppers wore masks. I did not. No one asked me to put one on. The deli workers had masks but wore them under their chin. Sheesh.

    Noticed the rather large bill when I checked out. I’m afraid I’m gonna have to go to a Kroger or Walmart to see if it’s a little less expensive. Prices at my small town local grocery have gone too high for me.

    Top off. Prep your souls. See ya on the other side of “Stop The Wheels 2020”.

  199. Our Walmart in SC was pretty much empty last night. Only a few cartons of milk, eggs, very few paper products, empty soft drink aisle, extremely low laundry detergent, low cereal aisle.

    On Saturday, the local Food Lion had started rationing again, and there were lots of holes. Rice was low and a limit of 2. No paper towels and a few 4 pk of TP, limit of 2. Limit of 2 on Dish soap and laundry detergent. Cereal aisle spotty. Vegetables were ok.

  200. We went through a Winco grocery store today in Idaho. Inventory levels looked quite good. Plenty of TP ,paper towels, milk, eggs, canned food of all types, veggies looked good.Over all the store looked like normal times.

  201. The shelves were more full than usual and people in the aisles stocking the shelves–I think they just got a truck. There have been shortages and they’re putting limits on a lot of things.

    But I was listening to the managers talking down by the checkstands. Apparently they got two pallets of a sale item and it was gone within an hour. The manager said flat out that he’s having a hard time getting what they need.

  202. I’m still in suburbia and have visited 3 different grocery stores in last 4 days. Each seems to have their own shortages.

    All had minimal paper goods, everything limit 1 per household. Fresh meats and produce in good shape at all.

    All have thin but decent supplies of canned veggies, soups and tuna. Low supplies on canned fruit, chili and chicken/beef. But, no limits on canned items in any of the stores, one even has sales going on canned soups. Good stock on baking items, cooking oils, foil and zip bags in all stores.

    One store clerk said they have not been able to get their full allotment of TP in any shipment for months. One has most of the paper goods aisle filled with Christmas stuff, another has odds and ends including t-shirts and dog beds filling huge holes (which I’ve never seen in a regular grocery store before this week).

    With governor lock-down warning that shut downs are coming any day now, I’ve actually been surprised there were so few people in the markets. No sense of panic at all. Maybe people are becoming numb to it all.

    1. Or maybe those who would have stocked up have already done it, and the rest are oblivious.

      1. Lauren,
        I believe they are thinking the store will be open, all will be ok, will still be able to purchase all needed.under tighter control measures. ..They think” the big gravy train in the sky” will keep delivering to their stores.
        I had some friends that fell in this group. Had been telling them for 9 months to get their supplies in…” Oh we eat at restaurant..don’t cook but one meal, and it is left overs.from what purchased earlier..” first lockdown made a believer out of the whole cluster.I know 6 famiiies of the group..are socking it away..
        Others are already purchasing all they can…reasonably. Live in an area where may are poverty line retirement.

  203. Homesteader,,,
    its nice n warm here, get yourself a nice little ag lot with an ocean view and enjoy the warmth!

  204. Old Homesteader in your life a lot of changes have happened. Some by your choice, others by other folks choices. It’s life eh? I am mildly surprised you don’t have a bakers dozen bolt holes around this fine country and maybe overseas. We’ve both spent enough time overseas to know places where a cool million “Investment” would make you a well loved local. Sovereign Man has a lot of Option B style planning. I bet Bill Jenkins Horse could help.

    You can stand there and be “Legally Beggared” by Tax Payer PAID FOR LAWYERS or move on like both of us have had to do over the decades.

    Never stand before the raging elephant friend.

  205. Here is a mystery… Hormel canned ham 5oz size.

    I’ve been looking for this for several weeks now. Nowhere to be found. Not at local grocery, not at Walmart, not at Kroger. Not even online, “currently unavailable”.

    DD even checked her Kroger and not there. She could find no Hormel canned meats.

    We both could find 5oz size canned chicken of other brands. But nothing from Hormel.

    Mystery.

  206. Another example of “shrink”. Opened two cans of tuna today. One had a BB date of 2016 and the other one a date of this year. Weighed them both and no surprise really but the older can had 3/4oz more tuna than the newer can. Both are still a 5oz can.

  207. Went to sams club over the weekend. No TP or paper towels at all. Relative ordered a chest deep freezer in August, arrived last friday.

  208. WOW!! found regular jar canning lids at Walmart this morning. I bought them all. There was no limit, I asked. Also canning jars of all sizes!! Only got what I needed to can sausage today. Also they had pressure canners for the first time at a reasonable price.

    TP was plenty but paper towel was scarce and packaged in two rolls only. Still no canned ham in the small cans. Shelves appeared full but a quick look and the products were all pulled forward. Things still not back to what they were before the CoViD.

    1. I knew someone would say that :) I found a bunch of lids this past July and bought them all !! Over the next six weeks I resold them (for what I paid-no profit) back to my gardener/canning sisters at church, ’cause they couldn’t find any. I didn’t even get to use a single one for myself. I will do the same this time. Some folks just can’t get out to search the way I do and I share them with whoever needs them. Or I may have to keep them as I don’t have very many and I will be canning this summer. What’s the point of growing your own food if you haven’t a way to put it up??

      Did you expect us (gardeners/canners) to buy one little box of 12 at a time?? Gotta get ’em while I can. If it was ammo would you say the same thing??

  209. Hey Ken–this sounds like a great article: Hoarding verses Prepping.

  210. Been a while since anybody has posted on shortages……..wife and daughter did some last minute shopping at Wally World today…….cashier ran out of plastic bags….told wife that was the last they had….none in stock….none on the way….wife had to buy some of the reusable bags to get stuff to the car…..

      1. Might think so…..but wife bought the last of those…..at least that were on the rack …….said the cashier told her that she best not get a cussin’ from anybody cause she would walk out the door…..seemed more than a little testy about it…….

      2. Local grocery store is also running low. Surely someone realized the ban on reusable bags in some areas for the vid was going to affect demand.

  211. Costco filled up their spice isle running the same item. Of course it up on a higher shelf level where the normal person would not venture to search. It is a habit of mine to look up and down on those isles as many items you are looking for would be in that area. Vanilla is still up but not as bad as I have seen it for the past few years.
    Pharmacy area: liquid cough syrup-0, band-aids-0, latex gloves-0. Yet they did have everything else which was on my list. Finally had baby wipes in the store although not a large quantity, same for Kleenex.
    Canned veges, canned peaches were in stock. Kirkland roast beef has been off the shelf for at least 10+ months now, they did have canned chicken & their specialty tuna in stock.

    If one is questioning why their shopping is costing more. For every $100.00 your purchasing power had dropped down to $90.31 last time I checked the commodities market. OH, now we are down to $89.84 per $100.00 for the March futures market. In the past few months we have dropped around $6.00 per $100 of buying power.

    1. AC

      There also a more hidden cost increase than the register bill (mine seem to be well up from the numbers you mention).

      I used to get thousands of points for buying stuff, that could be cashed in for merchandise or to purchase selected items in the grocery store. This year, I barely got enough for one free turkey. I don’t do coupons, but I have not seen an abundance of those either.

      1. hermit us
        Understand your points on the purchases. We have one store for XX amount points you receive a check from them to use on goods from their store. The cost is not worth it to me, most items are 20-50 cents higher. I do most of our shopping at Cash & Carry, Food Maxx or WinCo employee owned stores. Costco is for bulk items and that is about every 6 weeks IF I need to go there. I use a list and stick to it unless I find something I forgot to write down.
        You are correct about the hidden costs.😣.ouch!! This bill was $130.00 more than the last time which was 4 weeks ago, and did not include the famous TP. 🙄

    2. Antique Collector
      . . . .
      Smart Foodsavers had the sausage gravy on for $6.99 a #10 can today. Best price I’ve seen on that in a while.

      1. Anony Mee
        I would,,,but ACDH is showing signs of pork rejection again, along with the milk factor. He was able to have pork for a while with no side effects but lately it causes tommy upset, no matter how I fix it. Off of his diet–again. I love sausage gravy & biscuits..🙄😥😫

        1. AC; do you have recipe for sausage gravy? I’ve eaten homemade only once, just loved it, nothing packaged comes close. Friend called his red-eyed sausage gravy with homemade pork sausage.

  212. Bought the last box of .270 ammo from our local hardware store today, $ 24.99 . They are unable to reorder from any of their suppliers.
    Bi mart had regular mouth pint canning jars w/lids at $ 10.99 a case. No wide mouth jars or lids . I scored some 9mm, 50 round box @ 15.95each, limit 2 . The overall inventory levels were not too bad, a few holes but not many.
    We notice that most pricing has been edging upward which reduces our buying power. On a fixed income that may get challenging.

  213. I forgot to post this interesting item….I sent two family members in two separate southern states several items from Sam’s Club to make sure they were topped off. The canned chicken (6 cans to a package) was sent separately and they had to sign for it from FedEx! That was a first.

  214. Central Texas Costco run this morning:
    The store looked more well stocked than I have ever seen it! Peaches in glass jars are back so we loaded up on those & dehydrated hash brown potatoes; meat was expanded into cheese coolers & cheese stuffed into new coolers. Several varieties of rice in huge bags were stacked high & canned meats galore! Paper goods still limited to one package & no diet sodas at all. Vitamins & cold remedies were well stocked although no zinc products. Keep preppin’ & praying’!

  215. We are already seeing less available chicken, esp. quarters, and legs.. few things and few breasts unless at highest prices market will bear. .. ie not sale prices.

  216. I’ve been to several grocery stores to see what’s in stock. Shelves are full. I would have thought that at this point that we would be seeing many shortages. Wondering if the full shelves have been orchestrated to keep panic at bay specifically at this time. Gasoline prices are creeping up.

    1. Pechora, I would be interested to know what general area those stores are at. Here in sW NY, paper products and cleaning products have been marginal for a long time. When available, there are limits of one per household. At the Walmart in the closest large town, they have many gaps in their items throughout the store.

      my son lives in southern AL and he would tell me they were good so I made him send me a picture to prove it. They were actually stocked better than ours although not as well as he initially thought. Items were brought to front to look full. But he also told me they had plenty of ammo and when I called him on it, he did admit no ammo to be found anywhere….he just had not checked recently.

      1. DA, I live in the southeast. Last Sunday, the grocery store was packed with customers. They seemed to be able to restock most everything. Went to the store on way home from work today and nothing seemed amiss with store stock. However, 1 gallon propane tanks have been missing on the shelves for over 10 days now.

      2. I was n wal mart in North east Ms. Holes in stock everywhere i looked…
        cooking oil- 12 ft front bottles only of cheapest varieties of veg oil. No peanut oil, or sunflower oil. expensive brands only.of olive..grapeseed- small.size.spray oil-less than 20 cans of 10 different kinds/brands.
        Ramen 2 opened single pack cases of 36 c variety and bowls…in a 12 ft section.
        Rice sparse..2 jasmine in 20 lb. , 2 of Basmati.10 lb. 3 of 20 lb white..Beans present.
        . refrig. sections looked ok- were busy stocking…
        Many prices missing…bacon???priceless.no 40 oz packs.only 12, 16 and 20…quality gone.mostly fat meat. They had a few cans of bacon flavored spam. and the cheaper plain wal mart version + treet the alternate <half case of any…. plenty nido milk,few choices of canned milks.
        Bread , fruit and veggies looked good. Have removed all dry peppers and authentic Mexican sugars. from produce.no root spices…

  217. I am just looking to feed my cat’s, some of you may think this is crazy but they need to eat too. Purina Pro Plan Seafood Stew has been out for well over a month. Is Purina shut down too?

    1. I don’t know whether Purina is shut down, but I have no doubt that pet-food vendors are struggling just like everyone else. Go to your grocery store meat counter and ask if they have scraps that aren’t good for humans. They may not be willing to give it to you, but the store has to pay to dispose of it so it’s a possibility. See if you have local butchers and ask there as well. Grind it up first if you have a grinder, otherwise put in bags in the freezer. Make sure your cats will eat it first.

      When you can get normal cat food, buy double each time you go until you have a months supply for your fur-babies.

    2. Gigi – Please consider upgrading to a large, muscular dog with attitude. As to the cats, do you have any Grocery Outlet stores nearby? They often carry Blue Buffalo and other premium pet foods for half to 2/3rd’s off. I don’t trust Purina, personally.

    3. Since your cats seem to prefer fish, get a fishing license and catch their food. Cats will eat trash fish that humans turn their noses up at (or do now.) Your state’s fishing guide will give you brief information on waters in your area but often the best information is in the aisles where you will get your fish bait. In many areas, this is an outdoor activity you can do without masking. In some areas, you may have to consider ice fishing. You’ll be practicing a skill you may need for yourself. An alternative would be to go to fishing areas and ask for what’s leftover from cleaning their fish. Some waters have fish cleaning stations so you could gather more at once. Cook what you get and remove the bones. If this is too inconvenient for you, consider finding your cats a home with someone who will. Finally, if you’ve done any reading about survivalist situations, consider when your cats become not pets but the food source they are in some parts of the world. It’s harsh but it’s reality to many. Growing up we had 29 cats at one time on our farm. Never bought pet food.

    4. Gigi,

      Chewy.com has Purina Pro Plan Seafood Stew 3 oz, case of 24 for $23.28. They also have it in a variety pack. I have used Chewy for years and really get good service.

    5. If your cats are good mousers, they may be able to provide some for themselves. If your cats are unable to hunt, you can trap for them. Sounds gross, but you can let them clean the mice found in the traps. Or….this is very far fetched… but you can raise fish for them in an aquarium and harvest them. There are some fish species that are very prolific.

  218. I have been spending more time than I care to in grocery stores lately. Families are being “quarantined” because one family member got cold symptoms and tested positive for Covid. So shopping for others…and for items I don’t use. People pay stupid money for colored water. On the bright side, I am introducing others to Aldi store products and their better pricing.

    I have not been able to find sliced pepperoni for awhile. Aldi did have plenty of TP and PT but limit one per visit. Sunday evening the store was well used and the evidence was everywhere.

    They have been good about letting me separate orders and still purchase the limit one items. They know I shop for a house bound person, obtain food pantry items, and now shop for another family….and myself. Each pattern is different based on each family’s need. I can tell some things ebb and flow on availability, but other the Pepperoni, We are not currently missing out on anything.

  219. I’m seeing lots of canning jars, but no lids. For about a month I couldn’t find vinegar, and very little baking soda. Apparently folks have discovered you can use these things for cleaning. My 15 year old loves tator tots, but we haven’t been able to find any. I’m well stocked on all of these items, but just noticing these things in the store. I’m also noticing a difference in available brands. Oatmeal is only available in a certain well known brand. I’m thinking that certain brands are being rewarded in the same way that certain big name grocery stores are being rewarded.

    1. In the Mitten,
      we have generic oats in 1 brand,(was2+) name brand. in midsouth region.
      I have not seen lids only for a while, only jars w/1x use lids. I had been purchasing few lid, each trip when available. I do have a few tattlers. i was gifted. Have been trying to learn as much as possible abt.use because new /use is different from standard lids.
      Baking soda has gone up almost a 1$ for 4 lb box. and usually shelf is very low.
      Vinegar is available and price is up by almost 1/3.
      There is still no alum free baking powder…of any brand. aluminum in all available. can be made with base ingredients..

      1. Just Sayin’, check out the Wecks canning jars. Uses rubber gasket, glass lids and stainless clips ( 2 for water bath and 3 for pressure canning). My friend uses them exclusively and my spouse got me some for Christmas. Not hard to find.

        1. DAMedinNY
          Ahh, the original ‘old fashion’ design canning jars. All of sudden I feel ancient, lol, guess it from digging though all those old collectibles.

          My grandmother had this style, plus the units with glass tops & rubber gaskets with a metal ring for sealing the jars during processing. Then came the metal lid we all have become accustom too.

          What was once old, is once again new.

        2. DAMedinNY
          After looking at these, they are not the same as the canning jars I was thinking about.
          Have you tried using these for water bath canning & pressure canning? It says they are ‘canning jars’.
          I do recognize this style of bales that hold the lids onto the jars, they were a style I had seen many years ago. I was thinking these were the wire bales that wrap around the jar holding the rubber gasket & glass lid.

        3. DAMedinNY/AC

          Would these canning jars be Weck?
          A European canning jar?
          Made in Germany.
          Today, the other half was asking if their was any talk of these types of jars on the board.
          One of her friends found this type in their rummaging.

          Well, let me ask….

        4. Joe c
          Yes, that is the brand DAMedinNY had posted about. Never heard of this company before, so any and all knowledge is greatly appreciated.

        5. AC

          Hehe
          I guess we were asking the same….
          All the info we know is what I had posted, earlier….
          Sorry

        6. Joe C, sorry for delay in answering this…I just noticed your question. I have not yet personally used then for pressure or water bath canning. However, my good friend is a German and she used them for both regularly. You use more clips for pressure canning. Two are needed for water bath, the company says use 3 clips for pressure canning, and my friend prefers 4 clips for pressure canning.

        7. That’s okay, DAMedinNY
          Thank you for the info. I will pass it on.
          I’m not sure what their intentions were.

  220. I attempted to purchase 20% poultry pellets again today from our local suppliers…again, it is not available. We have many suppliers in our area. Fortunately we knew this was coming, so I ordered an alternative in early December. My poultry are being slowly changed over to a mixture that contains more peas for the protein. I will be good for awhile, but I am also contemplating reducing my chicken flock. The chickens love the new stuff but the turkeys and ducks are not quite as happy about the new stuff in their feed ration.

    I also stocked up more oyster shell because I go through a lot of that. 20% does not have the same levels of calcium as the 16% standard chicken mash. I also was able to get standard grains so I can continue to mix up the scratch that I also provide (it also has oats, wheat, corn, sunflower seeds, and buckwheat, along with kelp powder. I have included triticale and barley from time to time.

    1. DAMedinNY,
      i got a bag soy meal to boost 16% layer pellets one would add..1/6th portions abt 8 lbs per 50#. found this on a u tube in a video on blending own feed/layers- i reviewed several.was the easiest single thing to implement. and not as expensive as other options in my location…
      My hens do no like small grind. so occassionally i will bake them cornbread and add a cup or so to it.. soy is not my favorite but is one of highst in protein.. pea protein additions i have not found.. like you am feeding more scratch, even tho much further south.and opting for one with many more grains in mix.. the girls come running when we come out of the house-unless it is black dark!

      1. Addum : cook and crush,egg shells. recycles the calcium you have.One supplier had zero calcium last visit.. extra bag is good planning.

      2. i try not to feed soy if possible…so much is GMO. Peas were used for chickens long ago and my hens seem to love it. I don’t like fine grind but I can request a medium grind because it is a custom blend. The turkeys and ducks are having a tougher time adjusting but I am sure they will get there. Peas are very hard to find for animals feed but some feed producers can get them.

        1. I have bought 50 lbs of soy n last year..I have something over 40 lbs left… use to boost low protn foods only and only intermittent during winter.. -if nothing else is available.. sparingly is how i use soy also.. our chickens get much additonal protein by doing their own digging…-so during bad weather is whn i need it.. when winter s over i will put in a container, label and freeze..

  221. Definitely seeing grain prices increase. Sheep pellets are up $1/50 lb bag. Other grains are up as well. Not seeing major price increases in dog food though.

    1. Pecora ,,,,,,, only going to get worse ,,,,,,do to gov BS we have over 5,000 acres of winter wheat in the ground , we are just going to run cattle on it instead of harvesting it this year ,,, notworth the trouble to harvest and store it , combines we used in the past were lost in fires last year ,need 5 at a million $ a copy plus support trucks and equipment. Running cattle was a last minute thing we were talking about big game hunting leases and never having cattle again. If that happens you the consumers will lose the grain and the beef ,and we the ranchers get a big conservation tax break
      Food,the next weapon of the coming war ,,,
      Read all about it in Atlas shrugged,,

      1. I read Atlas Shrugged a few years ago…great read. Just wish there was a place for freedom loving people to go like there was in the book. I’m going to raise my own alternative feed in the future.

        1. Pecora,,,,,kula,,,,,,,when we first started the valley it was such a place ,now with sat spys privacy is gone ,making a tax nightmare ,a lot of the fun is gone , the true high rollers are leaving for New Zealand and such , but the message of the book still applies ,
          , ,as do the warnings ,,,,,the place is still there , the worst part of the journey is in your head ,and letting go of things that hold you back,looking back after the years I have said to myself I was my own enemy to thing I wanted to do some times , my loss ,,,
          ,,,,,,,,,but who is John Galt still applies, , ,tea and chocolate and it’s still a special place ,

  222. It’s a beautiful morning here in my neck of the woods. Cold-ish, but the sun is shining clear and bright. I’ve been seeing, and hearing about shortages of some things considered essential to homesteading/self-sufficiency, so thought I’d share them.

    On the chicken front, chicks appear to be getting harder to come by. From a friend in a neighboring state, their local supplier was only expecting to have 250 broiler chicks on hand. For the year! I’ve read in other locales purchases are limited to 6 layer chicks per customer. If you’re planning to get some, might want to reserve now, if possible. I placed my orders locally last week, but plan to confirm them today or tomorrow. Likewise, feed. Ice Age Farmer does a good job explaining how grain shortages will affect livestock supplies, so check out his work.

    Some hardware items, such as the good fencing staples, are disappearing. I was able to get a couple boxes of 1 3/4″ staples, but that was all they had. I’ve heard similar reports from others. Same goes for any of the better hardware, tools and parts. Think about the year ahead, what you’ll need, and get it now. Prices will only rise, and availability will only fall.

    1. Farmgirl
      Time to check our inventory for such items, as was planning on replacing the fence from livestock field & fence to horse 2×4. Sturdier, and considering our fence is well over 20 years old but still was a product of “Made in the USA”. Plan on keeping it on hand for the areas we are not using the other fencing.
      There goes my allowance….

    2. Farmgirl
      ….and the noose around our necks, continue to tighten.
      Availability of pullets?
      Okay maybe the population is wising up.
      Fencing nails? The ones commonly used for barbed wire right?
      A shortage of those?
      Why?

      I’m glad I bought several hundred this fall, and coils of barbed wire.

      Check your lumberyard. Ours/my go to, is Menards. They had plenty on hand, the last I knew.
      A person would think a farm store would carry plenty more of fencing type nails.

      1. Maybe the shortage of fencing nails, is because DC had to be protected from terrorist

        1. Joe c,

          Not that I’d want to, but I can’t even imagine how one would inflict massive harm on someone with fencing staples. Not unless you could get them to hold still for a bit, lol. Takes enough care just getting them straight in a solid post!

      2. Joe c,

        I was planning to get to town today, but got caught up in school and home stuff. I haven’t been to the local lumberyards yet, but I’ll check them out. I don’t know if the issues are excess demand, production issues, or if the supply is being diverted elsewhere. I am seeing canning jars pop up from time to time, though still rare. I know steel prices are going up dramatically, too, so anything related to that will get more expensive.

        From my econ classes, the perspective is rising prices are a function of shift in demand, lack of the resource, or devaluing of the currency. Or some combination thereof. I’m sure the third one is in play, just from looking at how high the markets have gone based on…..nothing having to do with increased value or production.

  223. -Don’t understand it, but Bay (Laurel) leaves, the spice seems to be in extremely short supply, here in west Texas. just spent three days looking for some for DW.
    -Papa S.

    1. Papa Smurf
      Call you local nurseries in your area for this tree. We received one years ago from df’s, and if you lived closer would send home a bag it for your dw. I have a hard enough time just finding people who know what it is & what is used for in cooking.🙄

  224. Yesterday Brownfield Ag News published the info released in the most current monthly crop reports for wheat, corn and soybeans. As Ice Age Farmer has been saying, and our own OH has been reporting, the US is continuing to sell/export even as we are running low ourselves, and other export nations have reduced or eliminated exports to hold for their own use. Newest YTD numbers vs prior year:

    Ending stocks:
    Wheat down 19%
    Corn down 22%
    Soybeans down 77% (not a typo)

    Prices:
    Wheat up 9%
    Corn up 21%
    Soybeans up 30%

    And looking at reports and tweets from various commodities trades, India’s sugar exports are down 59%, blamed on the ongoing shipping container shortage (we know who is holding containers).

    Agentina: major weather-related issues causing late plantings, reduced yields and latest crop rated just 24% of corn and 19% of soy as good to excellent quality. Traditionally, they have been one of the largest exporters.

    None of this is good news for food production, nations with little or no reserves and farmers relying on crops for livestock feed. Info continues to point to more scarcity and higher prices ahead.

    1. So what yer sayin is i better get me cereal before the price goes through the roof

      1. somewhere out on that ocean Kula, there is a cargo container full of CocoPuffs with your name on it.

        1. Minerjim:
          Yeppers I can see Nailbender as a CocoPuffs sort of dude
          LOLOL

  225. SCG and OH,
    Thanks for your reporting on future food issues. It certainly does not bode well for folks who like to eat food.
    I agree wholeheartedly on 2 years worth of food in the pantry, it is money in your personal bank.

  226. Stopped by Costco yesterday. Limits are off bottled water and toilet paper. Still on some cleaning products. Noticed that the 8 pack of SPAM was up to $19.99.

  227. My last trip out for groceries, spices were wiped out. I wanted to replace the bay leaves I just used up, but pretty much no spices/extracts in the spice section. Lots of canning jars, but still no lids. No dish soap or dishwasher detergent. My daughter and I both have long hair, so I like to keep extra hair brushes around. The whole aisle of combs, brushes, barrettes, “hair pretties” was completely empty. Baking soda has been in low supply (I use for cleaning), and sugar is only available in store brand four pound bags.There were very few bags of rice of any kind.

  228. Not good, seeing stuff like that over here, parts just not available for big stuff. Good reason to just KISS….

  229. Was in town this afternoon. Found cases of wide mouth quarts at Bi Mart. No place else. Asked if they had flats or rings. Nope – and no idea when they’ll get some in. Only jelly jars at Ace Hardware. Also no idea when they’ll have rings, flats, or larger jars. Goodwill which usually has shelves overflowing with canning jars had a handful of jelly jars. Clerk at Bi Mart mentioned that they ran out of jars last summer just before tuna canning season. Said that’s why I was shopping now. She also said garden seeds are in early and advised to get what I needed now as they’ll probably run out again this year.

  230. The Meijer store I shop at had dozens of canning jars, of all sizes. A young lady was unloading them from carts and didn’t have enough room to put all of them on the shelves. They also had wide mouth lids, but no regular. I only grabbed one box of lids, leaving them for others. Also, the spice section is still pretty much empty.

  231. Costco:
    No Kleenex, refried beans, roast beef, mushrooms, Kirkland coffee ground. The only ground coffee was Folgers, rest was in the small K cups or beans to be ground. The pharmacy area was missing an entire aisle. Ensure, latex gloves were absent. Cough syrup, an many OTC medications were available which surprised me.

  232. Sheba pate cat food(Signature Seafood) for the one kitty that has few teeth and is particular on what he eats. Yes, he is spoiled! Chewy is out-Walmart is out, which left only one place to go to the Big A. For the other places we on the notification list IF they ever get it in stock. Will check Pet Smart and PetCo next.
    Ordered 3 bags of their Blue Buffalo cat food. The bag sizes have been altered down from 20lb to 18 then to 15 and now—WOW a whole 11 pounds. Price has not gone down, just the size of the product offered. :-(.

    1. Pet Co and PetSmart are also out of this food. Guess I had better put in another order with ol Chewy for the kitties as the neighbors kitty has decided it loves living here.

  233. Just received my second notification from Chewy about products out of stock with unknown return dates.
    First was Purina Beneful Healthy Weight with Farm Raised Chicken dry dog food. They couldn’t explain why they weren’t going to stock it any longer, and suggested I check with Purina.
    Today it was Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Urinary SO, both canned, dry, and treats. According to the rep, the company isn’t giving any guidance about which special diets they are going to be producing, or when, just that they would be changing the production schedule. While there are lots of other options, this particular brand was the “winner” of an exhaustive taste test when one of the cats was diagnosed with urinary crystals several years ago. I’ll be good for quite a while with what I have on hand, but guess I have to re-prioritize research on what to feed when the Rx diets run out completely.

  234. Heads up MSB Patriots

    I talked today with 2 Hardware store mangers, Ace and True Value. Any thing to do with steel is already in short supply. Nails, staples, wheelbarrows, T posts, cattle panels, tube gates, anything to do with steel is gonna get real hard to get.

    Also, bag cement, plastic fittings, paint, and replacement wood handles ( I did not get mine).

    1. Stand,
      So starting a new livestock structure and a housing project sounds like a big mistake….at this time?

      Yea…
      another foiled plan.

      Well at least I’ve got my several coils of barbed wire and fencing staples.

    2. Stand My Ground, Joe C,
      Well at least 7/16″ osb seems to be well stocked, at $38/sheet, I suspect it will stay that way for awhile.lol. I am thinking I need to fabricate that compressed earth block machine this summer. Dirt is the only thing I have around here that is cheap and in good supply. Earth blocks might be strong enough for two walls for a livestock shelter. Maybe throw some willow branches over the top for shade? Gotta make due with what we have.

      1. Minerjim,—Reading your post reminded me of the sod house and livestock shelter ‘Pa’ made in Little House on the Prairie. I honestly don’t remember when I read that, but it’s some 10’s of years ago.

        1. Farmgirl,
          Out west here there is not much sod, but some of the old farmsteads still have Adobe brick above ground “root cellars”. Compressed earth blocks are a modern upgrade of Adobe bricks, stronger too, but use basically the same soil. Given the ridiculous prices increases on lumber I’m looking what the old timers used before they could get lumber hauled in. Can’t get any more basic than dirt.

    3. Joe C and Minerjim, do you have access to BLM firewood permits? When in Colorado years ago helped a friend “Harvest Firewood” in 12 foot bucks. Explained it to the Officer that was curious “easier to buck to size at home with my Jig”. Used them to build earth sheltered log cabin style shelters for his cattle.

      Permies.com has some information on how Sepp Holzer does this style of farm building.

      Reference Soddies and such GET a roll of heavy duty black plastic to provide a rain proof roof or you will know about bugs and dirt clods-mud dripping from the ceiling as described by many homesteaders of that era. Lowes still has them but with oil issues how much longer friends?

      And Cid try to send us something useful. I did a summer in a medical clinic in a Reservation. Nothing noble about our native Americans there. Drugs, Booze, beating wives and such. The good ones LEFT to work in the Real World to escape that ghettos. 3+ generational Welfare at it’s worst.

      1. 3+ generational Welfare – Doesn’t matter the race, creed, or ethnicity of the family, any family that’s living a 3rd generation of life on the dole is so out of touch with the realities of living without government goodies, it’s extremely unlikely any member will rise out of the trap of the social safety net. Just like it’s rare for a family business to survive beyond the 3rd generation. They lack the experience of the struggle of the founding and development to be agile enough to sacrifice and/or survive any pitfalls that arise.

        In each instance, it takes overt intentional action to avoid what is likely inevitable.

    4. Don’t know why y’all are worried about shortages and prices of Building Materials, with the price of Fuel now who can afford to run to town to buy that stuff, even if you could find it… 7/16-4X8 OSB $38.oo… That’s BULL CRAP

      Fuel here has gone from $2.06 to $3.15 per gallon of Reg, since Blow was placed in office.

      1. NRP and Blue,
        Yep… day before yesterday the cheapest gas station here was $3.55 for regular. Many already over $4. And it seems to be climbing as each station gets re-supplied – so pretty much daily.

        But, all we hear in the news are those big $1,400 payments going out to many people. So, you know, there’s that.

      2. NRP&Blue,
        True, that.

        I still have to drive to work 5 days a week, I might as well drive a couple more miles to the local lumber yard.

        Besides, that 10 cent an hour raise, next month, will cover all these price increases.
        And that $800-$1500, whatever .gov check, will almost cover my extra covid unemployment taxes. Then added tax on top of that payment, for next year.

        Hahaha,

        (Excuse me while i go puke)

  235. I check Chinamart every week since they are the cheapest. Finally scored a whole case of lids this week at normal prices.

  236. Although I listed some in Open Forum column, here is an updated list.
    Chef Store(aka old Cash & Carry): Beef/pork section was sparse but they had received deliveries but it was minimal compared to previous times. Dairy in the same condition, fresh vege department was fine. Knorr liquid bullion beef non existent for the past 6 months. Canning supplies a big zero. Frozen vegetables case was very low for standard fare-mixed veges/corn/carrots & peas/peas/blended veges.

    Costco: Ground coffee-Kirkland/Tang/Grape juice/vanilla bean-0. Realized I have not seen the book/dvd section in the store for sometime, unless they are hiding it from those know how to read.😎

  237. Check your local Costco stores for 7cuft chest freezers. I saw one being purchased yesterday but my basket was full.😉

  238. Shopped at WM today to add to deep pantry. Just purchased soup and jams. Got several cases of Campbell’s cream of chicken and tomato soups on sale for $0.98/can. They’ll be good poured over rice or noodles. Campbell’s chunky soups also several cases. NRP – price has gone up 9% over last year from $1.52 to $1.67/can. About half the variety available as late last year when I bought soup. Got jams and fluff to go with pb from Costco couple days ago. Figure pb and jam, or fluffer nutter, will give protein, fat, carbs, and on whole grain bread enough fiber.
    . . . .
    Yesterday added to OTC and first aid supplies. Stores very low on house brand and real Neosporin. Added a variety of reading glasses, JIC. Also mending supplies, safety pins, and elastic. More candles, but could not find wicking in either housewares or crafts. Saw no canning jars or lids anywhere.

  239. No shortages as such, but prices are insane. Cereal has doubled in the last few months. Not surprising, and I’ve been expecting it, but still a shock to pay $6 for a bag of cereal. I know, I know, the boxes are that much and hold much less–but their prices are up as well.

    Most staples appear about the same, but prices for baked goods (anything grain based) are up. Meat prices are down slightly, but processed dairy is up (cheese, sour cream, yogurt, etc) while milk remains the same.

    Essentially, it looks like anything sourced locally/regionally is about the same price for the moment, while anything processed is going up fast. Not unexpected, and a trend that will certainly accelerate as gas prices rise.

    Oh, and on another note, a major store (the closest to my house) just closed. No warning, no sales to get rid of stuff, just wide open one day and closed the next.

  240. Went to the grocery store this weekend. Canned vegetables seem to be well stocked. Cheese prices are going up. I only shop items on sale or with rebates and tailor my meals and preps around those. Noticed at tractor supply that chicken feed has switched to 40 pound bags ($10) where a 50 pound bag used to between $13-$15 depending on brand. Chicken feed was very low. Used to be $7.50 for sweet feed, now $10.

  241. There’s an article on zero hedge about a global plastic shortage, already an issue before, now compounded by the deep freeze in Texas. This will affect all manner of things: packaging, pipe, paint, medical equipment, car manufacturing, shelving, etc… Honda is shutting down production at a couple of its plants this week due to the shortages. The article says the issues are not expected to be resolved until possibly next year.—Trying to think about what items we use that will be affected, and there are just so many.

    1. Farmgirl,
      Try to focus where lack of plastic would hurt you the most. For me it would be vacuum seal bags, plastic tarps, trash bags. You can bet if the administration starts pushing a “green” agenda, plastic will be in their crosshairs, because, ya know, people can’t be responsible to dispose of plastic properly, so we gotta take it away from them.

      1. Minerjim,—I have vacuum seal bags, but am getting some more. Tarps is a good one. I’d love to be able to get the good canvas ones, as they can be waterproofed and last much longer, but they’re a bit spendy. Good reminder on the trash bags! It’s always good to have plenty of those – useful for so many things. I’m also going to see what paint is going for, just to have a couple gallons on hand. Unprotected wood is vulnerable wood, so paint would be good to have for touch-ups. I guess the plastic shortage is predicted to be wide-spread and long lasting. Makes me wonder if this isn’t also part of the fossil fuels bad/green new deal roll-out. Feels like we’re getting kind of ‘blitzed’ now – all out.

        1. Farmgirl, I buy zip ties in bags of 1000 from Home Depot. 8” and 11”. Use them all over too.

        2. Anony Mee—Heading there tomorrow! Hope they still have some. I do have a supply, but not enough to last.

    2. Farmgirl, sheet plastic so many uses both clear and black. 5 gallon buckets and LIDS again so many uses. Having some PVC pipes, glues (Yes also getting shortage around here) and FITTINGS. I can patch up a lot with some connectors and bits of pipe but fittings are needed.

      Prices in everything have another reason to rise as even “Tin Cans” often have a plastic liner in them.

      Stairstep failures from errors in judgement in wind power vs coal and so on will be our ongoing national nightmare. Fossil fuels allows so many people to eat and stay in power today. Our Fertilizer is often oil based as Natural Gas is often used to make fertilizers.

      1. NHM,
        I found my local “TacoTime” sells their used 4 gallon, food grade buckets, for $2 a piece with lids. Every time i go in, i make sure i have an extra $10 for buckets to have a store on hand for long term packaging of food items.

    3. I don’t know if it will spread to all plastic products, but so many products are packaged in plastic these days. I thought about a couple of items on Minerjim’s list – vacuum seal rolls and trash bags along with freezer bags. But then, I started looking around – shampoo, dish soap, toothbrushes… the list went on and on. Again, not sure if the shortages will be that widespread, but plastic has invaded nearly every household product these days.

  242. Our local Bi-Mart gets its weekly truck on Wednesday morning. Wednesday afternoons I am in town for pig scraps. Stopped by today to find that their canning lids which had finally come in – limit two packages – were already sold out. Stopped in sporting goods and for the first time this year found you know what. Not a lot on hand but was able to buy two different calibers – limit one box each. Lady behind the counter said there was a line outside the store for her hours before the store even opened this morning.

  243. Just a a quickie,,,,, corn hit $6.70 a bushel yesterday up from $4.60 three weeks ago ,looks like might top around $8.00 today. We shall see won’t we ,,,talking heads are saying $12.00 by October ,cattle are way down . as much as $20. A hundred wt.but in the box up from $180+ to over $284 yesterday ,,,,,
    Got your popcorn ?

  244. Spoke with DFM in Vegas earlier today. Said she can’t find tarragon for her garden – neither plants nor seeds. Told her I probably have some older seeds in the freezer and could send. In town this afternoon so thought I’d take a look. Neither Tractor Supply nor Home Depot had tarragon. Did find seeds for her at Bi-Mart.

  245. Here in Michigan I am seeing cases on the shelves of ball canning jars all over now, Meijer Walmart, Menards and local grocery stores. I am not finding any place with just the lids/flats. Hopefully will see those soon. I am seeing a shortage of canned cat food (friskies) as was mentioned by a poster on the west coast (sorry can’t remember exactly who). I am also seeing a shortage of Rolaids (extra strength mint). Looked in multiple stores here and online (way too much $ if available online). I did find some at a local grocer so I bought 4 and left 2 on the shelf for others. That’s what’s going on here in my neck of the woods!

    1. Mitten Mom, I’m seeing the same thing with canning supplies in my part of the mitten. Lots of cases of jars, but no boxes of just lids. Also, the spice section has been wiped out for about two months now.

  246. Here in the PNW, I cannot find Pledge or any type of dust spray. Weird.
    Peace,
    MadFab

  247. Got my gas tank filled today along with some spares. Not sure how this Colonial pipeline is going to affect gas prices. I paid $2.49/gallon today.

  248. Went to Wally world last weekend and could not find any pool filters and there is a limit on pool chemicals mainly pool shock. Also could not find very much outside paint.

  249. Dislike shopping at the walking martin store, opted to go B B for usb stick. One can only find movies in the front walk in display, many of those are old movies upgraded to the latest 4d versions. The area that once held those items is a large empty space, or it was when I was there.
    Upon entering the store IF YOU are not fully vaccinated please wear a mask. I grabbed a mask because those who received the gene therapy are the carriers according to the cdc. Another trip back as I need an additional part to fix a problem😣. Who knew sound bars require updates to operate properly🙄. Thought it was the battery failing in the remote when it the bar started flashing, running through the different connections. So I shut it down–darn!

  250. On line ‘how to cook or can’ blogs, are reporting a shortage of jelly jars. One from the Florida area, an I believe the other may be located in the heartland belt of the USA.
    Thought would pass that along to those who put jams and jellies.

  251. AC,
    Jelly jars have been hard to get for awhile here in the Rockies. We go through 15 cases a year for our Montepulciano grape jelly. I buy them all year and stack them in the barn. I have seen a few cases of Ball jars lately, maybe 1 case of Kerr. Pur brand (china) can be found at an exorbitant price at the hardware store, Anchor Hocking at Wallyworld non-existant these days.(good jars btw). Hope the smoke over your way is not too bad for you.(btw- you can stop sharing anytime. Lol.)

  252. Tires, it is sales time because of the holiday. Of course the tires I wanted were either more money at one store or purchase the exact same tire under a different name for less.
    It appears that everyone wanted the same tire which I was searching for, and coming to the same outlet. You required XX tire you pre-paid for them to arrived in about 2 weeks out.🤔 No, as the rubber to create those tires comes from over seas thankyou very much.
    The attitude of those purchasing said product was,, ohhh, ok,, no problem. 🙄

  253. AC, I went thru a similar situation last year. Wife wanted a bicycle so she could exercise. So, we went to a bike shop and had to order the bike she wanted (covid 19/lockdowns etc.). Six months latter “it’s still on the ship,” “the ship is here, (at the port in LA.) ( the bicycle was made in Taiwan) but, the container hasn’t been off loaded yet”, ( I tried to get my money back but, the owner refused said, it was a special order and could not be cancelled) and than the last one ” Your bicycle is on the east coast, being off loaded”. “I told the owner that he will be talking to my lawyer” he laughed and said “good luck with that”…. I got the bicycle the next week, never did call the law firm that I use.

    Will never recommend that bike shop to anybody.

  254. Found Hard white wheat in stock at a place back east I believe the price for the 40/50lbs was not prohibitive around $40. The shipping costs however to deliver out here was $60+, and I was just looking to get a price range.
    Yes, I should have purchased it, but my cupboards are already full. I was just sight seeing, so I would know how bad the supply of certain grains were.
    It was the first place that I found actually had this in stock and not on back order.

  255. At the Safeway this afternoon. Sign in the bakery said due to shortage of supplies they were not making any donuts. Only had a couple things to pick up but noticed aisles I was in were fairly thin. One lady went by with a cart full of dish soap and cleaning products. Smart gal.

  256. DH favorite adult beverage continues to be out of stock. A Canadian whiskey and his second choice was also out. Today’s shopping list found name brand sliced turkey, antacid tablets, nasal allergy spray, and ice cube trays not available. I have been trying to find more traditional ice cube trays for two months now. It could be they have stopped making them even though they continue to show up on their website as a product.

    1. MamaLark,
      Try the thrift stores. Mine in the PNW ALWAYS have them. Sometimes bags of 6+ for 1 dollar.
      Just a thought.
      Peace,
      MadFab

  257. MamaLark,
    Dollar General has some shaped ones, are semicircles. they work well for us and stack compact when not in use. When filled they are turned in opposites and can be stacked to freeze. they come in packs of 3.close to 1$ each ..the square/oblong cubes we grew up w/( hard plastic,in 80’s) do not nestle for using less storage space when not in use. I have not looked lately…..I was going thru some stuff from parents last week and i found 4 metal complete w/ the dividers that lift to eject the cubes…SCORE!(my DH was not thrilled, but i was)…LOL

    1. We were trying to stay away from the nesting version. Both of us have forgotten to alternate resulting in a mess when refilling at our daughter’s place.

  258. Hopefully I didn’t already post this. National trade publication emailed saying paper version by request only due to paper shortage. Gas station had no receipt tape at pump or register. They had to print my receipt on the 3 part tractor fed paper. Clerk said some locations out of napkins. Yet most of my mail today was paper junk mail.

  259. Things must be pretty bad for you folks when you make front page of the business section of one of our national news papers here in Canada. Essentially the article said there was so much stuff still on ships either in transit or at anchor that if the container wasn’t off loaded by 01 November it wouldn’t be on the shelf at the stores in time for Christmas! A major trucking company in LA said that they just couldn’t keep up with getting unloaded stuff out of the ports due to driver and truck shortages and was a bit more optimistic about stuff getting out in the next few days having a 50/50 chance of being stocked by Christmas with early January being a better bet. Not sure you can count on Black Friday or after Christmas sales like we used to so if you see and need it buy it.

    1. Jack Frost, we already make many of our Christmas presents, it is the other things we use daily we are getting now in quanity to use.. those who don’t prepare will have a rough go of it..we have had one or two warning us of this mess coming for a couple of years. those who heed ed the warnings will make it.

  260. You can make ice cubes in a jiff by putting plastic wrap or tin foil over egg cartons, just make sure its new/sanitary etc. Antacid can be made from baking soda and water. Vodka is still available, and can fill the void for most adult beverages. Here in NH we have Graingers for 12.99 a liter or 750ml, prior to Covid is was 8.99 a bottle, buy a case of it if you can as the price is going to continue to go up, and it works for medicinal purposes and making vanilla and whatnot.

  261. At the store this morning; zero facial tissue, zero tp, zero Fels Naptha bar soap, zero baking soda, zero soda crackers. As Pioneer Woman mentioned, vanilla has skyrocketed. I also noticed there is no plastic cutlery. Not even small packs of it.

  262. Not so much a shortage. Noted another $1 price increase on peanut butter at Costco. Up about 50% over past 18 months. Big bag of powdered milk at restaurant supply up 40% over six months ago.

  263. Anony Mee,
    i know the supply chains, farms and such have been hit hard by our government mandates, but i wonder how much price gouging has been going on for some things.
    suppliers taking advantage of the disinformation and hype doled out by the MS news media.
    makes me wonder sometimes.

  264. Shortages today included potato chips, tube type biscuits and rolls, eggs. Store had chicken on sale for 99 cents per pound. I didn’t get there quick enough. All out. Also had store brand half hams bone in for 99 cents. Only 6 left. So I did score on that. Noticed sale prices of many items were 40% to 100% higher than pre-pandemic sale prices on other items. Woman checking out ahead of me commented about how prices are going up.

  265. Good day Everyone,
    Had been running some errands for our fam and others who are home bound.
    Here’s what I saw:
    Trader Joe’s- 95% percent of produce of all varieties gone…
    I don’t usually shop there too far away but was in there area for another reason
    Wally World- overall decent today, pasta it cannot stay stocked up about 15% left, other times totally gone.
    I eat brown rice pasta so that has been in stock. Juice very thin stock. Frozen potato products very sparse.
    All types of refrigerated milks thin and some varieties out.
    Interesting our little mom and pop independent grocer is doing well.
    I think which supply chain they use makes a difference.
    Our chickens and ducks so happy for an above freezing day and sunny.
    I held one of my Lavender Orpies and we watched the afternoon sun today.
    Good Shepherd bless you…

  266. Went to Wally World to pick up some jars and lids I ordered last night. The jars disappeared since the time I ordered them, so I ended up with just lids. (The young guy who brought them out to me said he didn’t understand what happened with that. He thought that there must be someone out there who now had jars without lids. He probably has no real idea of what canning is.) Went inside just to check out the meat; there was one, and only one, fryer chicken in the store. There were no cut-up chicken pieces, no rotisserie chickens for the dinnertime crowd. I picked up the last three packages of 1-lb. bacon. It seems that most of the name brands are going to 12-oz. packages, but the generic ones are still a pound, and the prices are lower than the 12-oz. ones. Unsurprisingly, no meats were on sale.

  267. Romeo Charlie, Thanks for the zh article. Yep. Now is the time; today is the day. Too many follow the jokey advice “Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can leave for the weekend.” Chatted with a friend yesterday whose family is big in grocery business. Less than two weeks of food in the warehouses and almost nothing coming in behind it. When dire shortages are here folks will steal, loot, damage the stores which will then close. School breakfast and lunch programs suffered this year. Next is likely to be much worse. All the bad effects of GSM multiplied by war, inflation, political ineptitude. Who can spell societal upheaval? Buy it, grow it, preserve it today so your loved ones can eat later in the year.

  268. We’ve been looking for Nalleys Original Chili Con Carne With Beans for a couple months now. Extra peppermint gum was hard to find but it is back on the shelves. Also hot dog relish.

  269. Ken.

    Any way to get this reposted fresh? Be nice to see where we’re at with current shortages now. Thanks.

  270. In regular supermarket you can find most everything-(suburban downstate ny)it’s just the cost is way-way up (even “sale” prices)
    You may not have as much selection at times but it is available

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