Empty Shelves At Supermarkets

[StakeOut]

Inflation now is the highest it has been in the past 40 years.
It's currently at 7% and rising so expect to pay more for everything.
Here in my part of Texas I was paying about $1.59 per gallon of gas a year ago and the US was energy independent.About 2 months ago it reached $2.90 but has since dropped to $2.59 at Costco.
Meat,especially beef prices have almost doubled during the last year for the cuts I buy along with fresh fruit and veggies.
For the ramen ,there's plenty in all varieties at the 3 Korean markets around here along with a good fresh seafood selection.I lived in Seoul for 20 years so I know about high food and gas prices.I changed from a big meat eater to a healthier veggie eater.

 

[Dave.357]

Hit and miss here. Chicken and hot dogs hard to find
probably because price of beef.
Lot of empty shelves but not the same stuff every time.

 

[BC38]

There is this rule of thumb called the rule of 72. It tells you the length of time required to double the value of an investment - or purchase price of an item.

Divide 72 by your interest (or inflation) rate.

For example with 7% inflation divide 72 by 7 and you come up with (roughly) 10.3 years for the price of everything to double.

So for example if the 300% - 400% increase in ammo and reloading prices were due to inflation, which the Consumer Price Index pegs at 7% for the last year, we'd have had to have had that same 7% inflation rate for 15-20 years.
Obviously that isn't and hasn't been the case.

Conversely for the prices to have increased 300%-400% in just two years the inflation rate would have to be a consistent 72% (to double in the first year then double a second time in the second year). Also obviously not the case.

So, assuming the current demand and panic driven shortages pass by the end of this year, the prices should be around 15%-20% higher than the pre-panic prices, and continue rising at whatever the inflation rate is at that time.

This means that even assuming the inflation rate stays at the current 7% the box of 9mm ammo you bought for $15 pre-pandiemic and pre-riots should drop back down to no more than $17-$18. Assuming they continue producing ammo at a rate that keeps up with or exceeds demand.

For ammo, even with the roughly 20% increase in gun ownership, production is going to catch up to demand sooner or later. A panic like this just isn't sustainable indefinitely unless all those new gun owners become regular avid shooters - which we know isn't going to be the case.

Sooner or later enough people will decide they don't need to keep buying more and pretty quickly there will be s glut. We saw it a year or so into the last administration when people no longer felt their gun rights were being threatened. The cost of guns and ammo fell precipitously. The same thing will happen again.

Likewise, as more people get back to work baking bread and producing all the other consumer goods, supply will catch up with demand and then the inflation adjusted prices will end up being 15%-20% higher than pre-pandemic prices. I seriously doubt that will take more than a few more months. As long as Uncle Sugar doesn't keep printing trillions more in new dollars and hyper-inflating the economy with them.

 

[Greyman50]

Around here have not seen any empty shelves in any grocery stores, however some items seem to be " on the shelf" only once a month at wal mart. I inquired why there wasn't any ——— , clerks tell me it sells out and thats all they get for the month. Maybe I'm old fashioned but in sales of Any Type one has to have Products to sell, if certain items sell out quickly, Order More! Clerks tell me the " buyer" just uses a computer to order whatever in the same amounts, over and over. Perhaps making money is old fashioned?

 

[johngalt]

I've a few less than 100% fully stocked shelves here, but hardly Soviet Russia. My LGS guy says Ruger is 2 years behind though...

 

[sigp220.45]

My King Soopers (non-union, not sure if the others are still on strike) was fully stocked today. Gas was cheaper, too.

 

[Muddyboot]

Spot shortages of various items, frozen veggies seem to be the hardest item for my local Kroger to keep in stock.

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

Elk, deer and rabbits are organic. Just saying......

And I have a freezer full of venison, fish and wild turkey.

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

They are just "training us" for really hard times.

 

[coltle6920]

Meanwhile, gasoline and diesel prices have nearly doubled since last year, but it doesn't seem to have any effect on traffic volume. Everyone still seems to be out and about, and driving like their lives depended on getting there really fast.

Interesting times.

Definitely true! One-stop shopping is no longer a choice for a lot of us. It's hard to venture out to new stores or even multiple stores to find what you need. You might not find what you need let alone what you can use. That's why I'm taking my chances with ordering online and waiting to see what I end up with. Nothing is a necessity right now but it's nice to buy things that help stretch out what I already have. Give me a box of crackers and a jar of peanut butter and I'm good for a while.

Have to feel sorry for those people trying to feed a family.

 

[NYlakesider]

We are surrounded by Mega Marts and they all have varying degrees of supply issues. While smaller, ALDI is usually well stocked as, unlike some of the big boys, they strive to source as much product as they can from local producers.

The biggest hit or miss items for us from the big stores are canned cat food and kitty treats.

We had a hard time also, what my wife did was go with Chewy!

Shipped fast, right to our door and if you go over $49 dollars its free shipment. They always had what we needed in stock.

 

[pharmer]

Earlier, I was at the WalMart "Neighborhood" store. Certain items were missing. No olive oil spray, canned mushrooms. I went for those items and 3 others. Spent $67 "just because they had it." I'm sure that's how shortages start. Joe

 

[Skeet 028]

Yup, Dad taught me that when you go to work for someone you have agreed to sell them X number of hours of your time for X number of dollars. What they choose to do with that time is their business - they are paying for it - so they should be able to ask you to do anything as long as it isn't unsafe or unethical.

Worked in a fire dept. When the idiot ops manager told us we had to search for bombs when we had a threat...I piped up and told him if he wanted me or my guys searching for bombs... HE was gonna be attached on our hip. We were supposed to take care of the aftermath...not be part of the event. I had already found one...backed off and let the bomb guys handle it. Didn't see the ops manager there either! One of our guys walked off a plane with a bomb once...Later asked him if he had a death wish..a week later he transferred from the PoLeece to the fire dept

 

[DWalt]

The strangest thing I have seen so far was during a visit to the nearby HEB store this morning. In the drug area, all the shelves in the cough and cold medication section were completely bare, and that is a considerable amount of shelf space. I can think of no logical reason for that.

 

[Walter Rego]

I live in a small mountain community in Southern California. There are two small grocery stores in town with a small selection and high prices so twice a month I make about a 70 mile round trip down the mountain to do some meaningful shopping.

This morning I also found a lot of empty shelves. In canned, packaged and fresh meat & poultry sections. A lot of products that I buy on a fairly regular basis have not been seen in a few months. I never thought I would see food shortages like this in America. Not serious, like real food shortages, but surely not what I am used to seeing at "supermarkets" for my entire lifetime.

The products I could not find are not things coming from China and backed up in the ports but products from American food producers.

The good news is that there was plenty of toilet paper, paper towels, soap and the things that were sold out when the pandemic started.

 

[fiasconva]

Our local grocery stores have bare shelves too but every store is different. Sometimes you have to hit more than one store to get the groceries you need. That is one big pain.

 

[Bill Raby]

Food processing plants are shutting down production lines because they don't have enough employees to work them. It is happening all over. Too many people figuring out that going on welfare is easier than showing up for work.

 

[Rustyt1953]

This morning at the Walmart nearest us:

 

[StakeOut]

During the pandemic the government began paying people up to three times the amount they were making by inflating unemployment checks and extending the time limits.
Now,even with the minimum $15/hr,business can't fill the need.
A $20 minimum may be just around the corner and another stimulus check before election day to buy some votes in hopes of staying in power.

 

[walkin jack]

We are noticing shortages in some products in store too. But it doesn't stop there. Restaurants are running out of condiments and certain menu items and the last time I went to What a burger to order a bunch of burgers and and fries and shakes no one said anything when I placed my order but they were out of bags.

luckily I carry a few bags in the car for one thing or another. In these uncertain times it pays to stay prepared for a wide variety of eventualities. That was a good save that time.