Are you struggling to find the things you need? Empty shelves?

[Takket]

Andrea Mitchell is apparently decrying once again that store shelves are empty. So I'm wondering, are you struggling to get the things you need? I have run into things I would only call an inconvenience. Monday they had no shredded cheese at my store or the frozen meatballs I like. I ran in the store today and they had cheese but no meatballs.

They didn't have the frozen peas I like for about a month. No big deal. I bought green beans instead. Now they are back.

This is an inconvenience but its not like there aren't plenty of other things to eat........... so why is Mitchell portraying this as some sort of crisis????????? (We know why she is...)

58 votes, 0 passes | Time left: Unlimited
	I am struggling to find food and my family is in crisis of going hungry for lack of inventory.
	0 (0%)
	The store is usually missing some things on my list, but nothing I can't live without for a week or substitute.
	9 (16%)
	I have almost no trouble finding anything except for the rare occasional item they are out of for maybe a week.
	28 (48%)
	Not having any trouble with food/essentials, but do have trouble finding Christmas gifts/non-food items, but nothing essential.
	1 (2%)
	Might have to shop more than one place but eventually I have found everything I need for food and holiday gifts
	4 (7%)
	Have had no trouble finding anything at all the first time/place I look
	16 (28%)
	0 DU members did not wish to select any of the options provided.
Show usernames Disclaimer: This is an Internet poll

[Mike Nelson]

1. Well...

... not much trouble at all... CVS and VONS are my usual stops. I'm in Los Angeles... see no empty shelves. Maybe Andrea picked up Mika and they were shopping for Hillary's emails?

[Igel]

45. I don't see much empty shelf.

I see shelves pretty much full of stuff, but with products missing. For the most part.

If the stores I go to don't get stuff to restock, it takes them a few days to adjust the shelves to fill in the gaps.

Can't get the napa cabbage or the Scott TP or the 4-lb bag of regular cut fries or a brand of laundry detergent or 1/2 gallon skim milk?

Put bok choy in, leave the napa cabbage label; use house brand to fill in the missing Scott paper products; tater tots can fill in the french fry space; spread out another brand to fill in for the missing brand of laundry detergent and there's plenty of 1% milk.

Note I'm not west coast, and the Houston harbor hasn't had a backlog. In fact, traffic's up as ships get routed away from the backlogged west coast ports.

[badhair77]

2. I have trouble believing Andrea was actually shopping in a grocery store and

seeing empty shelves.

[Sherman A1]

8. Precisely

I’m sure that she sends someone else to do these mundane tasks.

[Takket]

12. I think you may be on to something..........

like perhaps she is gleefully hyping a fake crisis to make him look bad...........



my poll is someone facetious. We all know she's full of shit, just letting the numbers prove it........

[onenote]

3. So far, no real problems. But stores are beginning to limit purchases of some items.

[cbabe]

4. It's not the stuff, it's the stores. No Sears or pennys or kmarts or etc.

[XanaDUer2]

5. Catfood scarce nt

[femmedem]

11. +1

Still getting what the cats like online from Chewys but all the local stores have been out for more than a month.

[Maeve]

16. Our main problem, too

Shelves bare at Meijer, Kroger, even Walmart

[FakeNoose]

33. A year ago I had trouble finding canned (wet) dogfood

That was the fallout from the meat producers in the Midwest, having all their employees out with Covid. Some of the meat plants were temporarily closed, or they operated with less than half their normal staff. Well, the dogfood is back in stores but prices are significantly higher this year.

I'm guessing the cat food producers are doing the same thing now. Create a scarcity, can't find it readily available, customers get desperate, and suddenly they're willing to pay higher prices when it's back in the stores again.

It's the American way to making a profit.

[Raine]

42. I was told by one of the workers at PetSmart

that the shortage now is because of a lack of aluminum containers. The pet food suppliers are having to compete with other food suppliers who also need the cans.

[DeeNice]

44. aluminum shortage is partly due to changeover to electric vehicles.

Aluminum pricing is crazy right now.

[Raine]

48. Oh sure, that makes perfect sense. 🤔 nt

[cinematicdiversions]

47. Yeah I am fine... The cats on the other hand...

They need thier Friskies Shreds,

[Raine]

41. Yup, that's the problem I'm having too

I heard that's it's mostly due to a lack of aluminum containers.

[cayugafalls]

6. Not only, not having trouble, finding things on sale, in stock. And hidden sales.

I'm in SE Texas and no shortages at all here.

Occasionally, some items we buy are not in stock, but that happened BEFORE as well, so no big deal, just go back the next week and it is in stock again.

There was an old adage in the news business, "if it bleeds, it leads".

Nowadays we can change that saying to, "if you can cry, it'll fly"

[House of Roberts]

7. Three ounce cans of Fancy Feast are my only problem.

I like to split a can twice a day between my two girls, and they either eat dry food or bug me for their cookies (Temptations Treats) the rest of the time.

Fancy Feast has just about gone out of stock at Kroger and Publix.

[dameatball]

9. No issues at my Publix except for the mango key lime pie. But that's not a new problem.

As far as Christmas stuff I mostly do that online. Few alternatives in my town unless I want to be hanging around with about 70% unmasked shoppers (my guess, not official in any way).

[MerryBlooms]

10. Cat food has been the only problem. n/t

[mucifer]

13. Nope . In fact the shoes I ordered from fed ex came 2 days before it was quoted.

[femmedem]

14. No at-home covid tests anywhere.

Can't get an appointment, either, for another five days, and then you have to wait two more days for results. What good is that? The one place that was doing no-appointment tests ran out of tests this morning.

I'm boosted, but I got a sore throat last night and have a weird, slight burning in my lungs now. I'm assuming I have it.

[Lars39]

23. I hope you don't,femmedem,

but if you do I hope it’s a mild case, quickly and fully over.

[femmedem]

27. Thank you, Lars39.

I'm not too worried about myself because I'm boosted but it would be nice to be able to hang out with my husband by Christmas. And we were hoping to have Christmas dinner with a couple of family members, one of whom has a serious pre-existing condition.

[Lars39]

30. Well, I hope all goes well.

We’re delaying visiting my in-laws because of the anti-vaxxing siblings. Their little county had some of the worst numbers in the state.

[Mosby]

15. Cat food, pasta, paper goods.

[PuraVidaDreamin]

19. I buy canned tuna on sale for Ms. Kitty

It's highly likely she's never going back to her Sheba.

[meadowlander]

17. Not food

but I'm trying to remodel my bathroom and in nine months have only been able to get one contractor to come out and discuss it with me and three months later they still haven't sent me the quote they promised.

Because of the massive building boom. From the flourishing economy.

Why not report on that Andrea?

[badhair77]

34. Exactly.

I’m having the same problem. One store promised me an estimate but that date is long passed. Other contractors don’t even call back. I did manage to get my shed redone but it cost a lot more than the original estimate because of price increases. Where’s Andrea with that story? Even the local news covered it.

[CanonRay]

18. Jimmy Dean breakfast sausage

of all things.

[Ohio Joe]

20. No problems here...

I've not noticed anything missing or unavailable where I normally do my shopping. I get most things (food related) at the local King Soopers... There are items I go specifically to the local Sprouts for that are/where never carried at King Soopers but Sprouts has had those items in stock (and full shelves/bins) when I go there as well. Cleaning supplies have also not been an issue, all there when I want them... Christmas gifts... Fuckin-A, I never know what to get anyone and that problem has not been solved so... Thanks Biden

[3catwoman3]

21. Here's an odd one - cinnamon cookie decorations.

I make dozens and dozens of Spritz butter cookies every Christmas season, carrying on a tradition from my maternal grandmother. One of the shapes gets cinnamon hots put in the center. Couldn’t find them anywhere. Finally thought to check the candy aisle instead of the baking aisle, and snagged some, so the cookie making can resume.

[obamanut2012]

22. Cream cheese shortage here because of the damned snowbirds

That lasted about a week.

[RussBLib]

24. lots of cream cheese available here

didn't see ANY empty shelves at the grocery store this morning. also have had no trouble ordering and receiving items for Xmas from Amazon.

media only seems to want to focus on negative stuff.

please, MSNBC, get rid of Andrea Mitchell. And Chuck Todd.

[GoCubsGo]

25. I've noticed that the empty shelves are often chain-related.

I haven't seen frozen spinach at Aldi for a month. Plenty of fresh spinach, though. And, every other store has at least two or three different brands of the frozen stuff available.

[canetoad]

38. I buy most of my staples at Aldi

And have noticed various empty shelves this past few months; butter of all things, rice, baked beans, long-life milk..... the list goes on. Usually they are stocked a few days later and it's no real hassle but makes me wonder....

[GoCubsGo]

40. I suspect that there are multiple factors going on.

While the supply chain is improving, it's still not quite back to normal. To make things worse, parts of the country have had really shitty weather, and that affects trucking. It also affects what produce might be available. I suspect there is also still some hoarding going on. The media was really screaming about inflation for weeks. It has toned down, but the damage has been done.

[ProfessorGAC]

26. Not An Issue Here

For a short while, I saw empty Steve's in juices & sports drinks.
Lasted maybe a week & a half, a couple months ago.
That's back to normal, so I don't see any lack of goods here. NE Illinois in the middle of warehouse central.

[Stinky The Clown]

28. Lying right wing fucks

[tenderfoot]

29. The only thing I haven't been able to find is Coffee Crisp candy from Canada

I'm guessing it's because border closures and such.

Also, I bet Ms. Greenspan hasn't shopped for herself in decades.

[TlalocW]

31. I just got back from the store

Where I bought baking essentials because I put off deciding what pies I'm going to make. I was actually a little worried because I've done that before and couldn't find what I needed. Not a problem. Spices I needed, butter, pumpkin, blueberries, three different kinds of sugar, etc. The only section I was in that looked scant was dairy - particular the heavy whipping cream section, but I still had three brands and different sizes to choose from.

TlalocW

[JonAndKatePlusABird]

32. Makes me think of this scene from Arrested Development

[Torchlight]

35. Store-brand grape soda is the only thing my store's been out of

But there it was on Monday night, stocked from floor to ceiling in splendid purple, so my 1st world crisis was avoided.

[hamsterjill]

36. Canned cat food is in short supply.

Our rescue is having a hard time finding enough.

[roamer65]

39. Yeah. Same here in Michigan.

Petsmart and Kroger near me are almost empty.

Cats are gonna hafta eat dry food only if it gets much worse.

[MissB]

37. No cream cheese this morning

Eh, I’m fine with it, but there was a woman standing there looking forlornly at the empty shelves. I’d bought some a few weeks ago but was hoping to grab some spreadable cream cheese.

[DeeNice]

43. Being able to find preferred brands/flavors

is definitely an issue. But so far it's mere inconvenience, not hardship by any means.

[demmiblue]

49. Soy milk was out of stock at Kroger a couple of times...

I found some at Aldi.

The toilet paper aisle has also been a little bare.

No biggie.

[lostnfound]

51. Oh my god the Great Soy Milk Shortage of 2021!

Andrea should get right on it!

[haele]

50. No Diet Dr. Pepper or out of season fruit at the store is not a crisis

Our five year old is a picky eater, and we can still find whatever it is she will eat that week. Same with the cats.
I doubt Ms. Mitchell-Greenspan enters any store with groceries unless there's also a curated wine section. You probably won't ever see her at an Albertsons or Kroger.

Haele

[Vinca]

52. For some strange reason the cat food section of the store has been almost completely

bare for weeks. I don't get it. I've gone to Chewy and ordered what I want and had no problem finding it. Here and there I find the usual products I buy missing, but I've been able to substitute for them pretty well. I have a new toilet paper rule, though: when you see Cottonelle, buy Cottonelle.

[Tracer]

53. One thing I haven't been able to find for a year:

Those BirdsEye frozen white pearl onions.

Maybe they don't produce them anymore?