ECON Report food and grocery price increases/shortages here - UPDATE, new runs on the stores

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ShadowMan

ShadowMan

Designated Grumpy Old Fart
Was in Costco this week in SoCal to pick up bulk paper products and a few bulk odds and ends. Since all the kids are out on their own we don't need to buy bulk for our routine shopping any more. Earlier in the week I was about to buy bulk flour on line and get it shipped because all we had locally was 1-2 lb repackaged baking flour (limit one) at our local market on our mountain. Strolling through Costco just to see "IF" they had any flour.....OMG....a FIFTY (50) pound bag for just over ten bucks ($10). The 25 pound bag of flour I was looking at on line was over $30 plus shipping!! Needless to say I snatched up that 50 lb bag in a heart beat.

I've been telling DW with everything going on in the country (and the world) we need to kick our one year back up another six months to a year.....and NOW she's totally on board. She always thought I was a bit of a worry wart before, but not anymore. WINNING!!
 
D

Digger

Veteran Member
I have frozen soup leftovers and the potatoes in it took on a woody texture. Maybe someone else will know for sure. But it did not work with my soup. We just picked out the potatoes and ate the rest.
 
SouthernBreeze

SouthernBreeze

Has No Life - Lives on TB
ShadowMan said:
Was in Costco this week in SoCal to pick up bulk paper products and a few bulk odds and ends. Since all the kids are out on their own we don't need to buy bulk for our routine shopping any more. Earlier in the week I was about to buy bulk flour on line and get it shipped because all we had locally was 1-2 lb repackaged baking flour (limit one) at our local market on our mountain. Strolling through Costco just to see "IF" they had any flour.....OMG....a FIFTY (50) pound bag for just over ten bucks ($10). The 25 pound bag of flour I was looking at on line was over $30 plus shipping!! Needless to say I snatched up that 50 lb bag in a heart beat.

I've been telling DW with everything going on in the country (and the world) we need to kick our one year back up another six months to a year.....and NOW she's totally on board. She always thought I was a bit of a worry wart before, but not anymore. WINNING!!
Click to expand...

I've always been pretty content with keeping a one year supply of everything in my pantry room. The way things are going, I've kicked into overdrive with stocking even more. I'm gonna be continuing to stock, until there is absolutely no room left in my house, even if it gets stacked against the walls throughout the house. If all that turns out to be two years worth, or 3 or 4, that's what it will be.

It's great that your wife is on board with ya on this!
 
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WalknTrot

Veteran Member
Wanted to put in a word...I had a craving for something sweet this afternoon before heading back outside, and it's too hot to bake.

Thought of the cans of B&M Brown Bread I have stashed in the pantry - and figured it couldn't hurt to check one out. Haha! For the sake of science and all, ya know. :) This stray lost can has been sitting since 2009 but was in beautiful shape, so opened it and had a slice with butter. Tastes as good as the day they baked it. So I went, hmmm...I wonder if it's still available on Amazon, as my habit has been to buy it by the 12 can case. Hard to find in the grocery stores here.

Obviously, it's not a real hot item with the newbie home cooks, because I nabbed another case just now 12 cans for $26.64. If you are a fan, and want some shelf-stable, quick, but serious comfort food for many of us, take a look. Still in stock. I was really impressed with how well it keeps.
 
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Meemur

Meemur

Voice on the Prairie / FJB!
WalknTrot said:
Wanted to put in a word...I had a craving for something sweet this afternoon before heading back outside, and it's too hot to bake.
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If you can stand them (too sweet for me, now) the single serving "cakes in a coffee cup" bake in the microwave in about 110 seconds. All of the major cake manufactures now have this as a commercial product but there are also recipes around the internet for making your own.

My sweet treat right now is chilled grapes with a little square of butter cheese.
 
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WalknTrot

Veteran Member
Meemur said:
If you can stand them (too sweet for me, now) the single serving "cakes in a coffee cup" bake in the microwave in about 110 seconds. All of the major cake manufactures now have this as a commercial product but there are also recipes around the internet for making your own.

My sweet treat right now is chilled grapes with a little square of butter cheese.
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But do they keep on the shelf for 11 years? ;)

If you aren't a Brown Bread "person" you won't get it. If you are, hie thyself over to Amazon.
 
TxGal

TxGal

Day by day
WalknTrot said:
Wanted to put in a word...I had a craving for something sweet this afternoon before heading back outside, and it's too hot to bake.

Thought of the cans of B&M Brown Bread I have stashed in the pantry - and figured it couldn't hurt to check one out. Haha! For the sake of science and all, ya know. :) This stray lost can has been sitting since 2009 but was in beautiful shape, so opened it and had a slice with butter. Tastes as good as the day they baked it. So I went, hmmm...I wonder if it's still available on Amazon, as my habit has been to buy it by the 12 can case. Hard to find in the grocery stores here.

Obviously, it's not a real hot item with the newbie home cooks, because I nabbed another case just now 12 cans for $26.64. If you are a fan, and want some quick, but serious comfort food for many of us, take a look. Still in stock. I was really impressed with how well it keeps.
Click to expand...

They're really good with cream cheese, too!
 
Ravekid

Ravekid

Veteran Member
Doomer Doug said:
The system is failing on all levels. It will take some time before it totally falls apart. We have, at most, till September 30th. Once the evictions start, maybe to October, November 30th, it will be hordes of homeless, hungary, violent, despairing, desperate people
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I'm not so sure we'll see mass evictions if the economy is still in shambles. I can see various issues in trying to get evictions processed: The criminal justice system at different levels (courts, LE) won't want to deal with it. A handful of evictions will result in LEOs getting into gun fights. Some evictions will have people burning down homes as a f-you to the owner/system. People will go onto social media pages and activists will announce sit-ins, confiscation, etc..

The owners who barely have any equity will likely just let properties go into foreclosures, forcing the Sheriff and bank to deal with the squatters. Some owners who have good equity in the property will likely take some questionable actions, trying to force the people out. This could be shutting off power, water, electricity, changing locks, even causing some minor destruction, anything to get people to vacate.

Real estate sometimes seems like a possible better investment than stocks, but now I'm not so sure. Too many people demanding free housing for the poor. To me, urban rental property is at risk of being confiscated, possibly with some sort of "payment" to the owner, and taken over by quasi-government groups to provide "affordable" housing.
 
Doomer Doug

Doomer Doug

TB Fanatic
I remember reading somewhere that during the depression they would send the Sheriff to try and seize/foreclose somebody's house, throw them on the street, and when they got there they would find a whole lot of neighbors with shotguns. They were either called block parties or Sheriff's Parties. :arg:
 
mzkitty

mzkitty

I give up.
Ravekid said:
To me, urban rental property is at risk of being confiscated, possibly with some sort of "payment" to the owner, and taken over by quasi-government groups to provide "affordable" housing.
Click to expand...

That's pretty much communism then, isn't it.

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Went shopping yesterday. Winn Dixie (FL) had everything, although Rice-A-Roni was stripped (people have developed quite a taste for it, me included), but I did get 2 boxes of the beef flavor. It's been on sale forever now. Pasta was a little thin, but the store brand (good stuff) was on sale for $.88 a pound box. I got 3. Cart was full by then, or I would have gotten more.
Some of the store frozen veggies (decent) were thin too, but I still got the ones I wanted. Other than that everything was good and I didn't see any real bare patches. They even had more Scott TP, so we got some extra of that. Forgot a few things, so may go back in a few days to avoid the weekend shoppers.
 
Sammy55

Sammy55

Veteran Member
We just got home from a trip to Sam's Club in Duluth (Hermantown), Minnesota. HOLY COW!!

I have never seen it so empty! Even just after the big rush on stuff in early Covid days, it still had supplies on the shelves. There were supplies, but the middle and top shelves were basically empty all through the store!!

No paper products - toilet paper, paper towel. Few Kleenex type products.
Very low on canned veggies and fruit. Just a few cases of a few kinds.
They had sugar and flour, but not as much as they normally have.
Their spices were low and not as many kinds of spices.
Not as many fresh veggies as usual or meat products.
Still had gaps in certain vitamins and OTC meds.
No Lysol or disinfecting products, except for one that wasn't that great.
They did have hand sanitizer, but it was mostly liquid and not gel.

Lots of stuff was out and the upper shelves were basically bare. I did see some stocking up, but not as much as there should have been.

What I keep telling myself is that it is because they just started a special buy this last Wednesday and everyone hurried to get the items that were on sale. I'm hoping that they have some of those items back in the next time I go there in a week or so....
 
S

summerthyme

Administrator
_______________
Doomer Doug said:
I remember reading somewhere that during the depression they would send the Sheriff to try and seize/foreclose somebody's house, throw them on the street, and when they got there they would find a whole lot of neighbors with shotguns. They were either called block parties or Sheriff's Parties. :arg:
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Dunno about that, but my Mom tells of moving multiple times in a year, apparently all within a few block area. They moved their few belongings (often at midnight) in a little red wagon. I suspect they'd scrape up enough cash to pay the first month's rent, and since there wasn't anything like computer background or credit checks, the fact they were 2 months behind on their current rent wasn't a factor.

Sometimes her father would scrape up enough work (he did anything... odd jobs, collecting metal and junk, whatever would pay) to be able to pay the rent for several months, but then his temper (a schizophrenic alcohol abuser) would get the best of him and he'd tell off the boss or get into a dispute with the landlord, and they'd be sneaking out at midnight again.

These days, of course, that doesn't work... wh8chnisca huge part of the reason we have homeless (aside from the ones who don't want the responsibility)... even if they can scrape up first-hand last month's rent and a security deposit, they can't pass a credit or background check.

Summerthyme
 
Ractivist

Ractivist

Pride comes before the fall.....Pride month ended.
Went to wal mart and schnucks today in central Illinois. Everyone wearing masks, it's da law.
Shelves had product, lots of shoppers. But everything seemed thinned out, variety more limited. Canned goods picked thru, plenty to purchase though. Looked like one run would empty the place quickly. Prices were reasonable. Red meat was high.
 
I

IJT

Veteran Member
Was in Publix in Knoxville today, canned goods picked over, many of the shelves had large empty spaces. What they did have wasn't stocked very deep. My wife still thinks I'm crazy when I buy certain products whenever I see them, TP, first aid stuff, cleaning products, canned chicken, tuna, bags of rice and beans. Cooking oil and sugar/salt., protein bars and protein drinks. I put things in the basket, she takes them out. We compromised this week on I could purchase half of what I wanted to. I have a stash she doesn't know about in the garage. LOL.
 
W

WalknTrot

Veteran Member
Sammy55 said:
We just got home from a trip to Sam's Club in Duluth (Hermantown), Minnesota. HOLY COW!!

I have never seen it so empty! Even just after the big rush on stuff in early Covid days, it still had supplies on the shelves. There were supplies, but the middle and top shelves were basically empty all through the store!!

No paper products - toilet paper, paper towel. Few Kleenex type products.
Very low on canned veggies and fruit. Just a few cases of a few kinds.
They had sugar and flour, but not as much as they normally have.
Their spices were low and not as many kinds of spices.
Not as many fresh veggies as usual or meat products.
Still had gaps in certain vitamins and OTC meds.
No Lysol or disinfecting products, except for one that wasn't that great.
They did have hand sanitizer, but it was mostly liquid and not gel.

Lots of stuff was out and the upper shelves were basically bare. I did see some stocking up, but not as much as there should have been.

What I keep telling myself is that it is because they just started a special buy this last Wednesday and everyone hurried to get the items that were on sale. I'm hoping that they have some of those items back in the next time I go there in a week or so....
Click to expand...
Interesting. I would expect Sam's to be a nuthouse on a Saturday, but they should be better stocked than that. Especially on items they have on sale.

I wonder if there aren't a TON of tourists up here that are doing their shopping at the same time they are spreading their riot-induced Covid throughout the Northland.
 
Jubilee on Earth

Jubilee on Earth

Veteran Member
Just came back from a quick trip to my local, small town family owned grocery store. I noticed that everything looked thinner than last time. More holes, more things spread out.

Here’s where it gets interesting tho. The man in line in front of me asked the cashier about some kind of frozen burrito that he buys regularly, and the woman shook her head. She said something to the effect of, “As of last week, most of the manufacturers have cut their production to only those essential items that sell frequently. The distributor cut our SKUs by more than half, so we can’t even order the things we usually stock. Your burritos must have been on the cut list. Sorry.”

That was extremely concerning. Anyone work in the grocery or distribution business know more specifics???
 
Sammy55

Sammy55

Veteran Member
WalknTrot said:
Interesting. I would expect Sam's to be a nuthouse on a Saturday, but they should be better stocked than that. Especially on items they have on sale.

I wonder if there aren't a TON of tourists up here that are doing their shopping at the same time they are spreading their riot-induced Covid throughout the Northland.
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We were there early enough. I had wanted to be there during "Plus" time, but our power was out and we had to deal with that before we left. So we got there just after Plus time ended. But there still weren't too many people, even when we checked out.

I was surprised that so many of the sale items weren't in stock. I chocked it up to the early birds getting there the last few days to wipe them out. Hopefully I can get the sale items later this week or next week.

I don't know about the tourists. How can you tell a "tourist" from the locals? I still haven't figured that out! I didn't see any sick people or hear any coughing so that was good. There were some people without masks, but the majority wore masks.
 
Ractivist

Ractivist

Pride comes before the fall.....Pride month ended.
Went to local Shnucks store today. Saw one of the managers and casually asked how things were going. The comment that mattered was that it was hard to get product. Shelves eluded to it. Not out, but not deep nor wide in variety. Times running out in my opinion. Hope locals are stocking up for what's coming on a similar basis to guns. I think that's a lot of the basis.
 
4

4RIVERS

Veteran Member
We now do most of the shopping for my mom. She likes DelMonte green beans. The grocery we usually take her to hasn’t had them in weeks, so today I set out to find them. We went to four different grocery stores around town and I finally found them at a Kroger. They had a couple dozen of them, so I bought her 8 of them. Hopefully that’ll hold her awhile.
At each store we went to, the canned goods were pretty low, with many sections completely empty. She also needed some Lysol spray and disinfectant wipes. These were nonexistent today. We stopped at four groceries and hit 4 Dollar General stores and cleaning/disinfectant stock was just empty, Gone...

None of the stores today looked good stock wise. Maybe it was because it was Sunday and lots of people shop the weekends, but if you need anything added to your preps, you better get on it. It’s not looking good.
 
T

Terrwyn

Veteran Member
Amazon has La Suer green beans for 21 something a case. In stock and next day prime. The stores might not be getting supplies but Amazon is whether you love them or hate them. If the object is to prepare for your family then who cares what their end game is.
 
greysage

greysage

On The Level
Strangely my local Hannafords was much better stocked this morning than I've seen the last few weeks. And it was a Monday morning too. It was a quick trip for sugar for coffee, popsicles, and bread. Got all of that and then some. They had Outshine Coconut dipped in Dark Chocolate popsicles! Whomever mentioned those on this thread, WOW THOSE ARE GOOD! Paper towels was loaded, 2 limit, and they even had Hannaford Premium PT!
Should have skipped the sugar, apparently I'm addicted.
They have people waiting at the door to educate on mask wearing. It's getting weirder if that's possible.
 
Ravekid

Ravekid

Veteran Member
Monday report: Central Indiana

Sam's Club:
Only one brand of toilet paper in stock. A Georgia-Pacific box with about twenty or so rolls, individually wrapped. Someone had opened a box and roll, likely to see if it was that thin industrial stuff. It was a cross between the cheapest of the cheap and higher end, multiply soft rolls. I was looking for the Member's Mark brand, which we've used for years and years. They did have tissue and paper towels, but not very many and had them upfront.

There were empty slots in the "fresh" frozen meat section, but there was a variety of items available. In the freezer section, chicken and beef were available, but slightly limited brands. The fully cooked Tyson chicken fingers is hit or miss and today it was a miss. They did have a store brand of fully cooked fingers, but they felt small through the bag so I passed.

Walmart:
Toilet paper isle was about 60% empty. Food was in pretty good shape but I didn't look for chicken fingers at Walmart or any fresh meat. Canned meat is readily available so I stocked up on another eight cans of chicken.

Odds and ins (P100, ammo):
I have a large yard and it has been hard to deal with keeping the weeds and stuff down as I've had to focus on redoing some drains and hardscapes. I had been using glyphosate or other salts to try to keep weeds down, but I'm wanting to limit my exposure to chemicals. Guy at hardware store says he always wears a mask and gloves when using it, and I figured it was about time for me to start. Figured a P100 mask should help keep inhalation down, so I went looking. Walmart has no masks at all, at least where they normally are in the sandpaper aisle. A hardware store only had a box of like 10 N95s, all higher end masks are gone from store shelves it seems.

Decided to take a road trip to local big name outdoor store here. Only range ammo for pistols they had that I could find was .22LR. I've been buying a few hundred a week since the riots basically drove demand. A week or two ago they also had .38spl for a fair price so I got a box of it. Now it is all tiny bullets.
 
TxGal

TxGal

Day by day
Dozdoats said:
4rivers,

Has your mom ever tried Hanover? Their Blue Lake canned green beans are good enough that my mom (who loves her home grown Kentucky Wonder green beans bettern anything) will grudgingly admit they are alllmost as good as her home canned beans. :D

She also likes their version canned with potatoes - Green Beans – Blue Lake – Cut with Whole Potatoes – 39oz
Click to expand...

Not trying to derail the thread at all, but are they as good as their line with glass jars? We used to get those back in VA decades ago, and they were top notch. Have never tried their canned version, but if they are as good as the ones in the glass jars, wow!
 
Ravekid

Ravekid

Veteran Member
IJT said:
My wife still thinks I'm crazy when I buy certain products whenever I see them, TP, first aid stuff, cleaning products, canned chicken, tuna, bags of rice and beans. Cooking oil and sugar/salt., protein bars and protein drinks. I put things in the basket, she takes them out. We compromised this week on I could purchase half of what I wanted to. I have a stash she doesn't know about in the garage.
Click to expand...

My wife has made similar comments, along with others. Here is what I tell them: When it comes to things like TP, it never goes bad. Who cares if I have a month supply or two years? If I buy two years supply and things calm down at some point, then I just save money from not buying TP for two years. I told my wife that even if I end up not caring for the canned meat (never ate it before recently), it isn't the end of the world if I donate $100-$200 of food to a local food bank. That is also money that is spread out over two or three years as that is because the stuff is good for that long of time.

I just told my wife about the lack of TP at Sam's. She wondered why. I told her people are still seeing what is happening in Portland, Seattle, and then every so often something flares up in another city. I'm now seeing more counter protests popping up. Anti-mask, back the blue, etc.. This won't end until the election and if Trump pulls off a win, it could be complete anarchy coast-to-coast. Even if Biden wins, the more radical left are going to protests and riot until they get the full plate of socialism they want: Free healthcare, free housing, free college, student debt erased, etc. etc..
 
4

4RIVERS

Veteran Member
Dozdoats said:
4rivers,

Has your mom ever tried Hanover? Their Blue Lake canned green beans are good enough that my mom (who loves her home grown Kentucky Wonder green beans bettern anything) will grudgingly admit they are alllmost as good as her home canned beans. :D

She also likes their version canned with potatoes - Green Beans – Blue Lake – Cut with Whole Potatoes – 39oz
Click to expand...

I doubt she’s tried them, but I’ll look next time I’m out and get her a couple cans. Thanks!
 
danielboon

danielboon

TB Fanatic
greysage said:
Strangely my local Hannafords was much better stocked this morning than I've seen the last few weeks. And it was a Monday morning too. It was a quick trip for sugar for coffee, popsicles, and bread. Got all of that and then some. They had Outshine Coconut dipped in Dark Chocolate popsicles! Whomever mentioned those on this thread, WOW THOSE ARE GOOD! Paper towels was loaded, 2 limit, and they even had Hannaford Premium PT!
Should have skipped the sugar, apparently I'm addicted.
They have people waiting at the door to educate on mask wearing. It's getting weirder if that's possible.
Click to expand...
Our hannaford was filled with holes canned goods were especially low they still had plenty of meat ,the two walmarts near me are really filled with holes no paper products in any of them one thing of note at one Walmart they had bags of 30 pound flour 7.98 a bag I couldn't believe the price
 
T

Terrwyn

Veteran Member
Dozdoats said:
txgal,

IIRC it's Hanover that uses white lined cans so the product doesn't taste 'tinny' over time. I've never seen any of their stuff in glass here in the wilds of Appalachia :D

My mom's opinion is good enough for me. :D

OF course, lined cans are bad for us too - Two Reasons Why You Need to Avoid Canned Foods and Beverages - Anne Guillot - Dietitian Nutritionist
Click to expand...
Well I'm 77 and DH is 80 and we been eating out of cans our whole lives so I think the proof is in the pudding so to speak.
 
packyderms_wife

packyderms_wife

Neither here nor there.
4RIVERS said:
We now do most of the shopping for my mom. She likes DelMonte green beans. The grocery we usually take her to hasn’t had them in weeks, so today I set out to find them. We went to four different grocery stores around town and I finally found them at a Kroger. They had a couple dozen of them, so I bought her 8 of them. Hopefully that’ll hold her awhile.
At each store we went to, the canned goods were pretty low, with many sections completely empty. She also needed some Lysol spray and disinfectant wipes. These were nonexistent today. We stopped at four groceries and hit 4 Dollar General stores and cleaning/disinfectant stock was just empty, Gone...

None of the stores today looked good stock wise. Maybe it was because it was Sunday and lots of people shop the weekends, but if you need anything added to your preps, you better get on it. It’s not looking good.
Click to expand...

There's a green bean shortage this year, as well as last year... so if you see green beans available and you like to eat them regularly then you better buy some. Fresh green beans are almost non-existent here in central Iowa this year, when I was at a local farm two weeks ago for local produce I asked about the green beans and she said the late freeze killed the blossoms.
 
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EYW

EYW

Veteran Member
Walmart has, or had, four-packs of Del Monte green beans but it is a pickup only item, and it appeared to be limited to two four-packs. Price was reasonable, around $3.70 per four-pack. You might want to check on that if DM green beans are a must. I got a case recently at Sam's. They were in stock for about 10 minutes, lol, but I got my limit of one.

ETA: This is the Mal de Wart listing Del Monte Fresh Cut Blue Lake Cut Green Beans, 14.5 oz, 4 ct - Walmart.com

as well as they have the Hanover (3 Pack) Hanover Blue Lake Cut Green Beans, 38 oz - Walmart.com

Whenever I have the extra money, I make an order of canned foods from Mal de Wart for storage. $35 is free delivery.
 
D

Dozdoats

On TB every waking moment
My 93YO mom just picked the first basket of fresh green beans from the 8 hills we planted on the short terraces in front of the house here earlier in the spring. Most people have flowers, we have pole beans :D

But they are her pride and joy, and she loves fresh beans and squash above all other food, so I can't not plant them for her.
 
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TxGal

TxGal

Day by day
Dozdoats said:
txgal,

IIRC it's Hanover that uses white lined cans so the product doesn't taste 'tinny' over time. I've never seen any of their stuff in glass here in the wilds of Appalachia :D

My mom's opinion is good enough for me. :D

OF course, lined cans are bad for us too - Two Reasons Why You Need to Avoid Canned Foods and Beverages - Anne Guillot - Dietitian Nutritionist
Click to expand...
Thanks, Dozdoats, that's good enough for me! Can't find them locally here in Texas, but I can sure try to order them. I really appreciate your post!
 
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M

Martinhouse

Deceased
I loathe green beans so I can't personally recommend any of them, but my sister loves them and she said tht Dollar General's Clover Valley brand are good green beans. Now, she is not a picky eater, but she wouldn't tell me they are good if they were not.

For what it's worth.

Oh, and they are still 65 cents a can, if they aren't on sale for 50 cents a can.
 
B

Barry Natchitoches

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Suburban Memphis Walmart:

Everybody wearing masks that I saw. I heard no grumbling about it.

It was a short visit, as I had a lot to do.

Lots of holes on shelving in the canned beam/chili area. In fact lots of holes in canning area everywhere.

NO Hormel canned hot tamales. I cannot find them anywhere, not even on Amazon.

No Lysol products, and, in fact, the cleaning supply aisle was pretty sparse.

Only hand sanitizer was liquidity thin, over priced stuff. I didn’t waste my money.

They were short on 1 gallon bottles of Great Value brand water. I bought the only three they had left.

I went in and out quickly, so that is all I saw.
 
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