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

[Sammy55]

We were at Sam's Club in Duluth, Minnesota today. The store was pretty packed with people, and about 90% of them were wearing masks. Even the younger folk. I wasn't. With the high humidity, I was having some trouble breathing so having a mask on would have took me down. But I neither saw nor heard any coughing, sneezing, or any other signs of illness.

The TP aisle was pretty full and in the process of being stocked up. TP and/or paper towel were also in a good share of the carts I saw after that aisle, so people were taking the packages probably as fast as the stockers were putting them there. There was a limit of one, but I was glad to get the one of each, the TP for my daughter (who doesn't stock ahead at all!) and the paper towel for the animal shelter. We have plenty, but I've been watching for the restock for them.

Lo and behold, they had sanitizing wipes!! They haven't had them when I've been there since before the shut downs! I'm sure they had a big pallet of them, but by the time I got there (10am), there was only one row left on the floor. I got a pack for my cousin who is a nurse and desperately needs them. I've been watching for them each time I go there, and she was so thrilled when I called her to tell her I got her a pack. The next time I see them, the pack is for me.

The meat aisles were pretty full as well as the canned and boxed goods. Even the fresh veggie and fruit cooler was full. It seemed like every aisle was being resupplied. So that was good!

The only big gaps I saw were the cases with the brats and hot dogs and sandwich meats. I suppose, with the Fourth coming soon, that was to be expected.

On the whole, I would say that Sam's had more in it than other times I've been there in the last few months. However, there were quite a few people with full carts of groceries and stuff, and a good share of it wasn't holiday stuff. So I imagine that a lot of those people are starting to stock up for if and when this virus stuff starts going again.

My dh went into Menards and they were pretty stocked up with distilled water, so he grabbed us several gallons. We use it for colloidal silver which we take throughout the winter to keep from getting sick.

I didn't have the time to go into any other local store, like Super One. Will probably go out again on Friday, one of the biggest grocery shopping days of the year. Ugh!

Oh, I wanted to add that Sam's Club had four different kinds of masks available. Both my cousin and daughter have asked me to keep an eye out for them. Both of them are required to wear them at work. My cousin didn't want any of them, though, because all of them were made recently in China or Korea. I did get a pack of 50 blue surgical masks for my daughter who isn't so picky.

So I think I did pretty good today in filling others' wish lists.

 

[annieosage]

Well I had to go to Home Depot today to get a garage door remote for my new car. They were packed!! no mask no entry. I was shocked how packed they were for mid-day on a Wednesday. I got what I needed and got out. I don't do crowds.

 

[Terrwyn]

Well I had to go to Home Depot today to get a garage door remote for my new car. They were packed!! no mask no entry. I was shocked how packed they were for mid-day on a Wednesday. I got what I needed and got out. I don't do crowds.

Same here Annie. We returned a lawnmower to Lowes this afternoon and it was jammed. Good thing we were able to park in the pickup zone.

 

[KFhunter]

We're in a "golden period" now, act accordingly.

 

[John Deere Girl]

Maybe you got my lawnmower!! Ordered one online to be delivered from lowes. They kept finding excuses to not deliver and then sold it to someone else. I shouldn't have to wait a month to be told it's 3 more weeks till I can mow my lawn. No apology given. Really badly run company .

Their website is HORRIBLE to order from. Last summer we had two bathrooms renovated to handicap accessible. It took us a month to finally tell them we wanted a complete refund and we took our business to HD. In store service is fine, but I will NEVER order online from Lowe's.

 

[Dennis Olson]

I’ve found that the user experience on the Lowe’s website varies significantly depending on what browser one uses.

 

[Digger]

Russellville Arkansas, my friend said Kroger frozen food was very low, and the cooler case in the health food section was empty. We ran in neighborhood market and there were noticable holes in the shelves again. We got most of what we wanted, except Sure Jel. I think I have enough, but wanted a few more. I may try on line.

 

[TxGal]

I went to the Kroger in Bryan, TX this morning. I was only there for a few things so I didn't look up all the aisles. Store was very busy, even for the self check-out there was a moderate line. Everyone was wearing masks, it's required again.

I was in the soup aisle checking out varieties, and while there has been obvious shopping, there were still a good number of choices available. Canned fruit looked good. Meat section looked good but I didn't check prices. Plenty of bottled water.

Big shocker for me, they did have hand sanitizer. It wasn't cheap and there was a limit of two, but at least there was some. An 8oz bottle was $6.

I'm glad to say there was quite a bit more semi traffic on the highway today. That was something of a relief from what I reported on Tuesday.

 

[Cardinal]

Walmart in N. Ga totally back to normal-cept for the masked employees. Everyone was ignoring the arrows on the ailes anyway. The barricades have come down and the store is fully stocked, even if at higher prices.

 

[parsonswife]

Walmart so Oregon. Shocked to see cat litter wiped out. Small appliances shelves still empty.

 

[ambereyes]

Walmart in West Texas (small store) was not real busy yesterday, employees wearing masks, no waiting to get in and very few shoppers in masks. Well stocked had hand sanitizer, sanitizer wipes and spray sanitizer. Beef and pork slightly higher, chicken about the same as a couple of weeks ago. Produce was packed in and fresh, frozen good, paper products okay. But beer and wine were low, needed to top off for the 4th.. LOL..

Semi traffic was high, more trucks than I've seen in awhile.

 

[Dozdoats]

Of the 4 cases of canned goods I ordered last time, just one of them came in. The store is having the same trouble getting stock. I ordered pears, peaches, peas and diced potatoes. Only got potatoes.

Revised the order some more and tried again, we will see what next week brings.

Take nothing for granted, folks.

 

[rafter]

Checked out my Walmart today. TP was almost empty. I'd say maybe 1/3 of the shelves had something on them. Paper towels probably half full. Dish soap looked way better than I have seen it for a while. Pretty much had all brands.

Frozen about half full. Not a lot of holes. Bread was half gone and a lot of empty shelves.
Canned veggies was bad. Lots of empty shelves and what was there only had a few cans. Same with canned soup...still empty.

Meat was stocked better than it has been for quite a while. Really didn't check much about it since I don't have room in the freezer to buy any. I did notice that Wright bacon had gone up over a dollar a pkg. Glad I have about 10 of them in the freezer.

Paper plates were empty. There were 2 pkgs of dixie plates so grabbed one of them, but they weren't the big ones..only 50 in the pkg. It has been that way for over a month, so not just because of the holiday.

Lots of fresh produce.

Didn't walk thru the rest of the grocery so don't know how it looked.

 

[parsonswife]

No paper plates at 4 stores I went to today

 

[annieosage]

Just put in for a curbside order tomorrow.
Ground turkey
Chicken breast
Fresh veggies
Dish soap
Bandaids
Eye drops
Personal items
Laundry soap
body wash
Paper plates
Clorox wipes (or off brand)
We will see what I get.

Ordered online from Kroger
TP
Paper towels
Kleenex
Peanut butter

I'll come back and let you know how it goes.

 

[Dafodil]

I am not far from you. Have you tried doing an Aldi order online and have it delivered?

They now have curbside pickup

 

[WalknTrot]

Have to keep in mind, it's a big holiday this weekend, plus, the first of the month. My signal to stay out of the stores, but...

 

[Cyclonemom]

Of the 4 cases of canned goods I ordered last time, just one of them came in. The store is having the same trouble getting stock. I ordered pears, peaches, peas and diced potatoes. Only got potatoes.

Revised the order some more and tried again, we will see what next week brings.

Take nothing for granted, folks.

Doz, keep reporting on this like you have been very insightful.

 

[cyberiot]

What kind of sex party are you going to have with that much mineral oil? I have severe obstructed sleep apnea and need to use the humidifier with my cpap machine, if I saw you with the last eight bottles of distilled water I would have taken a bottle from you and there wouldn't have been a damned thing you could have done about it because management would have been involved! What you did was selfish! OC went to the store and bought me two bottles and left ten on the shelf, because that's what considerate people do!

I always try to leave some on the shelf for the next person--it's good manners and good karma. As to distilled water, we have solar batteries that drink several gallons a month. Finally bit the bullet and got a countertop water distiller.

 

[justasec]

So I have ordered toilet paper on Amazon for nearly 15 years or so. Kids come get some and I stock pile it all the time. I have not been able to get my order on auto ship since February now. So as I have been going to the only two stores we have around here ( Wally World and Market rip off price place) it has been also put up until just recently. Last week I was able to get 1 package of toilet paper ( 12 rolls for 10.99) this week 18 pack for 14.99) I usually get a case for 24.99 - 29.99. That’s just for toilet paper. Time to go back to using leaves again! ‍

 

[greysage]

Hit one of the Hannaford's in my area (Vt.) yesterday. No paper towels. I was disappointed because the Hannaford premium paper towels seem nicer than the Bounty. Also, no beef boloney in the cooler. One pack of standard baloney and two packs turkey baloney. This is a big store too. Got my baloney fix at the deli counter though! Also the egg selection seemed small. Plenty of eggs, only a few choices for brands and types. The bagged broccoli crowns looked horrible, just crappy looking broccoli. Best part was the recyclable bag law came into effect 1 July. So I paid an extra 20 cents for paper bags. Cashier lady seemed all surprised that I had no reaction when I said, 'however many bags it takes.'

 

[fish hook]

We were at Lowes early yesterday to pick up a new lawnmower and their garden center was doing a booming business. This is the second one that we have to take back. The first one was from Home Depot. I am confused as to why these expensive mowers arnt working.

Because they are all built by the lowest bidder.

 

[Millwright]

Small regional chain, yesterday.

Almost no beef broth.

Chicken, turkey and veggie broth/stock was there, spread out on the shelf, but there.

Meat dept. was well stocked.

 

[fish hook]

Oh My Gosh! My mom just called, knowing that I was doing my shopping for groceries tomorrow. She went today. I always buy Wright's Hickory Smoked bacon in 1.5 lb packages. Price has been around $8 per package. Today, according to Mom, it has gone up to $14+ for the same size package! I'll be marking bacon off my list, and buy something as a substitute, like more bologna! I've eaten a lot of fried bologna for breakfast with eggs, grits, and biscuits. It's not bad.

And don't forget fried spam.

 

[Deanne]

And don't forget fried spam.

Funny in the day that bacon was cheap as dirt, now you can't afford it. A good bologna isn't cheap either. Might have to have SOS on biscuits in the morning.

 

[SouthernBreeze]

And don't forget fried spam.

Oh, yes. Lots of Spam. I had a huge amount stocked at one time. I lost a lot of it, because the seals broke. I've since restocked, but I can't find any Bacon Spam anywhere. We like that best. Bacon Spam is a really good substitute for bacon in BLT's. Just thin slice it and fry.

Went shopping Wednesday to a new Mom and Pop grocery store in town. Their price for 1.5 lb. of Wright's Hickory Smoked bacon was $13 plus a few cents. I passed right on by. It was still $1 cheaper than what my mom paid at Walmart.

 

[annieosage]

Kroger texts you a list of substitutions so I know I will not be getting the bacon or the wipes. Those are out. Everything else was in stock.

 

[packyderms_wife]

Amazon: “water distiller”. Hundreds of them.

Thank you, I just put one on my wish list for OC to look at, looks like this could save me $$$ in the long run for the cpap machine.

 

[WalknTrot]

Can't you guys get loose pork sausage? I use a lot of it for breakfast, though when our local meat store has their incredible custom bacon on sale for less than $5.00/lb, I always stock up. Freezes like a champ. Also, brats or any kind of sliced sausage (even sliced ring sausage) is good for breakfast.

 

[Jubilee on Earth]

Funny in the day that bacon was cheap as dirt, now you can't afford it. A good bologna isn't cheap either. Might have to have SOS on biscuits in the morning.

My local grocery store has bacon “ends and pieces” for half the price of regular bacon. It’s not as pretty or easy to cook, but it’s delicious and affordable. Just a heads up to keep an eye out for that.

 

[Marseydoats]

I always try to leave some on the shelf for the next person--it's good manners and good karma. As to distilled water, we have solar batteries that drink several gallons a month. Finally bit the bullet and got a countertop water distiller.

Can I ask which one you got and if you're happy with it? Too many choices for me to figure out which one to buy.

 

[cyberiot]

Can I ask which one you got and if you're happy with it? Too many choices for me to figure out which one to buy.

Haven't used it yet. This was a new purchase, triggered by the discussion here about the shortage of distilled water. Will report when I know more.

 

[coloradohermit]

I went to the local small town Kroger this morning, 7:30 to beat the weekend rush. I got everything on my list except for the Beddar Cheddar sausages. Produce was well and fully stocked. Frozen vegs were picked over but still had at least some of everything. Store brand cream of mushroom soup was fully stocked. Name brand beef broth was out, but it's space was filled with the store brand which had plenty. There were baby wipes pretty well stocked. The paper aisle was well stocked so I got a 6 pack of Brawny pt for 7.99(I usually get it on sale for $5.50) and a 6 pack of Quilted Northern tp for $7.49. Canned vegs were well stocked, but the canned white and gold corn I buy has gone up from 69 cents to 85 cents. Milk well stocked. Candy well stocked. Wet and dry dog food well stocked. Meat was fairly well stocked but I didn't need any so didn't notice prices. The 80/20 ground beef(store brand) was still "on sale" for $3.99 so I grabbed another pound. Can't have too much ground beef. ;-)

 

[SouthernBreeze]

Can't you guys get loose pork sausage? I use a lot of it for breakfast, though when our local meat store has their incredible custom bacon on sale for less than $5.00/lb, I always stock up. Freezes like a champ. Also, brats or any kind of sliced sausage (even sliced ring sausage) is good for breakfast.

Cary has never been able to eat breakfast sausage. Tried several different brands, and only found one brand he can eat. It's not always available. We get it from the small mom and pop country store about 2 miles from our house. They switch brands from time to time. We eat lots more bacon than sausage, and bacon is more versatile.

 

[Dennis Olson]

The only one I can stand is Jimmy Dean. That’s because it’s a “fine” grind. Most sausage is a coarse grind, and if I bite into a gristle bit, I hurl. Never had that issue with JD.

 

[vessie]

The only one I can stand is Jimmy Dean. That’s because it’s a “fine” grind. Most sausage is a coarse grind, and if I bite into a gristle bit, I hurl. Never had that issue with JD.

Jimmy Dean is the Only one I can stand.

I bit into a sausage patty at pancake joint in Bellevue, Wa. when I was in high school and ended up what I 'thought' was gristle but when I spit it out into my napkin, it was a hair follicle with a pig bristle in it.

Every since that traumatic experience, it's just Jimmy Dean for me when I do rarely eat sausage. V

 

[vessie]

My local grocery store has bacon “ends and pieces” for half the price of regular bacon. It’s not as pretty or easy to cook, but it’s delicious and affordable. Just a heads up to keep an eye out for that.

If I saw bacon ends and pieces for sale (never seen it at a grocery store before) and it was cheap, I'd buy a bunch of it and freeze it for when I was going to cook up green beans or white beans, much as the way I use fatback. V

 

[Grouchy Granny]

Went back to the local Safeway this morning (North Denver CO) to get the stuff I "forgot" when I was there on Wednesday. Finally found where they hid the spareribs that were on sale ($1.69 lb) and bought 2 packages. Produce still spotty - wanted another package of the tri-color coleslaw mix, but they were out so I got the last and final package of shredded cabbage (making the KFC coleslaw today). Got some more fresh mung bean sprouts so I can make egg rolls tomorrow. They are the only ones who carry fresh because the canned are just nasty.

They had a special on corn on the cob - limit 6 for .19 cents each! Filled my limit so we can do the GD's grad party tonight.

As far as sausage goes, my son can't eat Jimmy Dean because it makes his gout flare up. I've been buying the Kroger house brand which does not bother any of us. Beginning to think it's all the darned preservatives they put in plus something in their seasoning.

For the bacon ends/pieces and/or riblets - check in the frozen meat section - that's where they usually are and I find them at Kroger periodically.

 

[SouthernBreeze]

The only one I can stand is Jimmy Dean. That’s because it’s a “fine” grind. Most sausage is a coarse grind, and if I bite into a gristle bit, I hurl. Never had that issue with JD.

I like Jimmy Dean sausage, but it messes Cary's stomach up just like all the others. If it were just me, I would always choose Jimmy Dean's.
.

 

[Deanne]

My local grocery store has bacon “ends and pieces” for half the price of regular bacon. It’s not as pretty or easy to cook, but it’s delicious and affordable. Just a heads up to keep an eye out for that.

Will do that, thanks for the heads up !