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

[nomifyle]

I went to a bigger town than usual today. Went to walmart and actually found canning jars, got two cases of quarts and two cases of pints, which I haven't seen in months. They are the Kerr brand and the normal price. This store was seemingly well stocked and I didn't seen anything I looked at to be overpriced.

Dollar Tree "looked" well stocked, but not any of the things I was looking for was there. The first aid section was tiny, The freezer section was almost completely empty. Their cleaning section looked okay.

I did find cans of apricots that I have not seen in months, I took 6, but there were a few left.

I whisper to people I see to buy more food, some look puzzled and some thank me for the heads up. I always tell them that "God is good, all the time" and everyone I say that too agrees with me.

God is good all the time,

Judy

 

[Profit of Doom]

Gotta keep some for the hatcheries and for flu vaccines.

Could be wrong but it has to factor in somewhere right?

Those eggs must be fertile, not gonna come from the same farms.

 

[WalknTrot]

Flocks are coming into molt-season now...many farms will be turning over their older hens in the next couple of months. Not like spring, when all the pullets start to lay and eggs are cheap and oversupplied.

 

[Grouchy Granny]

Went to the local Wally yesterday for some items I can't get at Costco. Coffee aisle was well stocked, but canned veg's were pretty pitiful. I was after garbanzo beans to make humus with - only 8 cans of the Kuners left, so I got 4.

They did have quite a few of the small cans of canned mushrooms, but only the Great Value brand. Lady in front of my was loading up on them. She noticed me waiting as I wanted some as well, so she was nice and did leave about 1/2 a case on the shelf. Again, I took 4 and left the rest for others.

Meat was in better shape than the last time I was there (last month). They actually had the stir fry cut that I use for making beef jerky so I got 2 packages.

Cereal aisle rather slim as well.

Paper goods, storage bags, trash bags, aluminum foil were very slim. Looked like the aisle with paper plates was pretty much empty, but that could have been because of Labor Day.

Womens underwear very sparse!

I did notice people with loaded carts of groceries - this was at 7:30 in the morning! The store opens at 7 am, so they must have been in high gear to get that much in that short of time.

On a funny note, there was a lady in the produce section who was sanitizing every vegetable she picked up to put in her cart! I thought that was rather extreme, don't you? She was masked, gloved, and had a bottle of sanitizer and a cloth that she was using to wipe down her packages. I just shook my head and continued on my merry way.

 

[Dennis Olson]

Overall, I'm not that worried about food since I'm in Iowa.

I remember reading (in the Grapes of Wrath perhaps?) that people in Florida grow oranges to sell to people in California, who grow them to sell to people in Florida.

You think that Iowa produces food primarily for consumption in Iowa? You probably need to re-evaluate your bias.

 

[abby normal]

Went to my central Ohio aldi yesterday and everything looked great. Eggs were .69/dozen and milk was under two bucks a gallon.

Still not finding canned pumpkin though I could see the empty cartons where some used to be.

Was surprised to see cleaner with bleach, and disinfectant wipes (like "wet ones" ...good to keep in the car) though it was an unfamiliar brand made in Mexico. Limit one, so I got one of each.

Another pleasant surprise was some really nice looking sirloin steaks, haven't been able to afford them the last few months but I got a package yesterday. 6.99/lb, quite the steal!

Pumpkin spice everything is in full swing. I even saw maple bacon flavored coffee. Too weird, even for me.

 

[Carlyblue]

Yesterday, a Woodman's grocery store actually had wide mouth canning lids. There were probably 30 of them when I was there. I was very surprised! I called a friend of mine to tell her about the lids and she had me pick up 3 boxes for her.

 

[catskinner]

I remember reading (in the Grapes of Wrath perhaps?) that people in Florida grow oranges to sell to people in California, who grow them to sell to people in Florida.

You think that Iowa produces for for consumption in Iowa? You probably need to re-evaluate your bias.

This is so true. Around here, rice and catfish are to sell, not eat. We rarely have rice and a fish fry is a huge deal.

 

[Meemur]

You think that Iowa produces for for consumption in Iowa? You probably need to re-evaluate your bias.

No, because I have about a dozen CSAs (community-supported agriculture) in my area, plus a lot of the local farms do sell directly to Fareway or HyVee. I checked into that before I moved here. There is a lot sold to China and Canada, but there is a also a strong Iowa market.

 

[et2]

Kroger today. Fresh vegetables were pitiful. No bacon except a couple packs of store brand. Zero Oscar Mayer. Canned fruit picked over ... no pineapple ( last 4 weeks). Soups picked over. Many yogurts not available we usually get ( 4 weeks now). Paper towel rolls were less than half the size they use to be. Frozen dinners really picked over and not much of.

Odd thing ... there were only 2 cashiers open and people were lined 8-10 deep waiting to check out. This was very unusual for this store as there was always at least 6 belts open. Must be cutting way back on help.

 

[1911user]

Went to the local Wally yesterday for some items I can't get at Costco. Coffee aisle was well stocked, but canned veg's were pretty pitiful. I was after garbanzo beans to make humus with - only 8 cans of the Kuners left, so I got 4.

They did have quite a few of the small cans of canned mushrooms, but only the Great Value brand. Lady in front of my was loading up on them. She noticed me waiting as I wanted some as well, so she was nice and did leave about 1/2 a case on the shelf. Again, I took 4 and left the rest for others.

Meat was in better shape than the last time I was there (last month). They actually had the stir fry cut that I use for making beef jerky so I got 2 packages.

Cereal aisle rather slim as well.

Paper goods, storage bags, trash bags, aluminum foil were very slim. Looked like the aisle with paper plates was pretty much empty, but that could have been because of Labor Day.

Womens underwear very sparse!

I did notice people with loaded carts of groceries - this was at 7:30 in the morning! The store opens at 7 am, so they must have been in high gear to get that much in that short of time.

On a funny note, there was a lady in the produce section who was sanitizing every vegetable she picked up to put in her cart! I thought that was rather extreme, don't you? She was masked, gloved, and had a bottle of sanitizer and a cloth that she was using to wipe down her packages. I just shook my head and continued on my merry way.

Were many of the shoppers older? Grocery stores here have "senior citizens shopping hour" once or twice a week and it is the first hour they are open.

 

[coalcracker]

Had an opportunity to talk with an old friend who drives truck for Pepsi in NE Pennsylvania. Interesting conversation. He said the distribution center hasn't been getting certain product for weeks. He told me Gatorade has been very scarce, totally out of about a dozen flavors. He isn't sure why and nobody in the company is saying.

Also told me some vendors he knows from other companies have told him of severe shortages of product. He named Tastykake out of Philly as one such company.

I personally have yet to notice any Gatorade or Tastykake shortages here in central PA, but they may be imminent.

As always, take this FWIW.

 

[rafter]

Had an opportunity to talk with an old friend who drives truck for Pepsi in NE Pennsylvania. Interesting conversation. He said the distribution center hasn't been getting certain product for weeks. He told me Gatorade has been very scarce, totally out of about a dozen flavors. He isn't sure why and nobody in the company is saying.

Also told me some vendors he knows from other companies have told him of severe shortages of product. He named Tastykake out of Philly as one such company.

I personally have yet to notice any Gatorade or Tastykake shortages here in central PA, but they may be imminent.

As always, take this FWIW.

I saw a shortage a few weeks ago on Gatorade at Walmart. Hardly any on the shelves. But now it is ok....of course it has cooled down a lot and that could be the reason.

 

[Bones]

We had a nice shopping trip last evening into Aldi's.

I actually kind of like seeing the new to us brands, and different product offerings.

I found a new to me Spiced Fried Canned Apples. 89¢ each.

Lots of unusual things like that, in brands I've never heard of.

I picked up 8 cans of chilli beans and got limited at the cash register. I know the cashier, Stacy, and she just set them aside and rang them up in a separate transaction. I love knowing cashier's.

Aldi's was very well supplied, even though it was a Saturday evening.

1# packs of frozen 85/15 ground beef was still $3.39. Same as it was in Feb/March

The only thing I was checking and didn't see was their brand of Rotel.

Plenty of peaches, TP, spaghetti sauces and pastas, cheeses, meats, eggs, spice, frozen pizzas, fresh produce..... actually pretty much everything really.

This is in North Central Kansas.

 

[psychgirl]

Kroger today. Fresh vegetables were pitiful. No bacon except a couple packs of store brand. Zero Oscar Mayer. Canned fruit picked over ... no pineapple ( last 4 weeks). Soups picked over. Many yogurts not available we usually get ( 4 weeks now). Paper towel rolls were less than half the size they use to be. Frozen dinners really picked over and not much of.

Odd thing ... there were only 2 cashiers open and people were lined 8-10 deep waiting to check out. This was very unusual for this store as there was always at least 6 belts open. Must be cutting way back on help.

That’s odd, our Kroger was packed full of goods as WELL as shoppers yesterday! No holes anywhere that I could see...it was so crowded a couple of the lines snaked down to the pharmacy area! (I actually asked the woman front if me if I missed “something” on the news that morning since I had been at work.)..
It was “covid panic crowded” . Weird.

 

[tech020]

I couldn't find Campbell tomato soup at any store I went to. I ordered a 4 pack from Wal Mart.com along with Dinty Moore beef stew. Free shipping with a $35 order. I will keep ordering weekly until I round out my supplies.

 

[Jubilee on Earth]

I went to our local Meijer yesterday. I was surprised to see no paper towels. Not a single package. The aisle that's typically half toilet paper, half paper towel was all toilet paper. They had plenty of it, though I noticed they stopped carrying Scott brand. Also, still no canned pumpkin, and plenty of holes in the food aisles. No corned beef hash to be had, the canned veg and the whole broth section was pretty sparse. One thing that really caught my attention was that there was surprisingly very little in the way of fall decor and Halloween stuff. Usually this time of year there are aisles and aisles of candy, and tons of fall decor. I wanted to find a pretty fall centerpiece for my dining table and was just met with a sad looking end cap of some fake leaves, a few candles, and a couple of kinds of placemats. That's it. They still had summer clothes out, and I couldn't find a good package of women's socks for the life of me. I wanted crew socks, and all they had were anklet kind. It was clear that they were doing the best they could to fill gaps, and that supply disruptions were still an issue.

 

[Mary Contrary]

Hey, all... after seeing some first-hand reports on Facebook of noticeable food price increases, I thought it might be helpful in lieu of the current economic/pandemic conditions to keep a running list of any increases you're witnessing at the stores. Looks like for starters, the good ol' staple of beans and rice are going up significantly. Also, if you see any shortages, please post them here (with photos, if possible).

View attachment 183846

Some comments below this post:

-Yes! Just noticed the beans at Sams yesterday!
-I don't have a Sam's membership, I go to Costco, but I too have noticed prices going up. Kerrygold butter and organic ground beef both are up $2/each I believe. Other food items too.

I went to a friends house and he had pinto beans and rice and scalloped potatoes and fried pork chop. Yummy.

 

[Mary Contrary]

Hmmm.... went shopping for a few things yesterday. Had a $5 off store coupon. Also had over $12.00 in my points (more dollars off). And many things were on sale. Been trying to get canned goods and package things like rice, pasta and potatoes; jarred quart sauces of different types around $1.00. Beans I can't do much. However at the end I only spent about $30.00 for over $50 worth of stuff. And I got a new bunch of points. Oh, and they remodeled the store and now have a $1.00 aisle, all kinds of stuff. I couldn't believe a large selection of Wise chips were there, so scarfed up some of those too. I will say I am getting a little twitchy about going out now though, so we try to do our shopping at off hours, and wipe down the carts before we use them. Haven't seen anyone wearing masks in the store; haven't seen any oriental-looking peeps either.

Dollar Tree has for a dollar a 7 oz bag of cooked breaded chicken and you get 5 large pieces! Already cooked just heat up. And a box of different pasta and creamed noodles with chicken and peas or broccali. Well worth the price.

 

[Terrwyn]

Did an Instacart order today and prices are just out of sight on produce. Going to start buying at the Mexican market.
Bell pepper 1.50, white onion 1.00, cucumber 1.00 every item was like that. Also they were out of every one if the breads I tried for. Only had 2 of the 4 sloppy Joe mixes I wanted, no Oscar Meyer in stock. Are they out of business?
I'm going to call them. Was able to finish TG shopping for little items like lemon jello and crushed pineapple. They were expensive also. Whew sticker shock for sure.

 

[packyderms_wife]

Did an Instacart order today and prices are just out of sight on produce. Going to start buying at the Mexican market.
Bell pepper 1.50, white onion 1.00, cucumber 1.00 every item was like that. Also they were out of every one if the breads I tried for. Only had 2 of the 4 sloppy Joe mixes I wanted, no Oscar Meyer in stock. Are they out of business?
I'm going to call them. Was able to finish TG shopping for little items like lemon jello and crushed pineapple. They were expensive also. Whew sticker shock for sure.

bell peppers were a $1.50 there? They've been running $2.99 here so have been buying the value bag at Sam's club where they are a lower price.

 

[nomifyle]

I remember reading (in the Grapes of Wrath perhaps?) that people in Florida grow oranges to sell to people in California, who grow them to sell to people in Florida.

You think that Iowa produces food primarily for consumption in Iowa? You probably need to re-evaluate your bias.

I don't think we should take anything for granted.

God is good all the time

Judy

 

[Meemur]

bell peppers were a $1.50 there? They've been running $2.99 here so have been buying the value bag at Sam's club where they are a lower price.

Boone's Farmers Market at the Boone Co Fairgrounds, Thursday 3 - 6 (until late October) -- phone number at the link below

You might do better on prices there.

Boone Farmers Market

The Boone Farmers Market is comprised of a group of dedicated vendors who sell a variety of locally grown produce, baked goods and crafts to the citizens of Boone and the surrounding areas. The Market also supports the Iowa Farmers Market Association and the Buy Fresh Buy Local programs.

business.booneiowa.us

 

[packyderms_wife]

Boone's Farmers Market at the Boone Co Fairgrounds, Thursday 3 - 6 (until late October) -- phone number at the link below

You might do better on prices there.

Boone Farmers Market

The Boone Farmers Market is comprised of a group of dedicated vendors who sell a variety of locally grown produce, baked goods and crafts to the citizens of Boone and the surrounding areas. The Market also supports the Iowa Farmers Market Association and the Buy Fresh Buy Local programs.

business.booneiowa.us

I don't know what the FM market prices are like in Boone, but they are outrageous here in town. We shop the sales and do very good produce wise when shopping the sales.

 

[hiwall]

bell peppers were a $1.50 there? They've been running $2.99 here so have been buying the value bag at Sam's club where they are a lower price.

Bell peppers here are usually 99 cents. Sometimes one color is cheaper than other colors but not always.

 

[packyderms_wife]

No, because I have about a dozen CSAs (community-supported agriculture) in my area, plus a lot of the local farms do sell directly to Fareway or HyVee. I checked into that before I moved here. There is a lot sold to China and Canada, but there is a also a strong Iowa market.

This^^^ The grow and sell local markets are very strong here in Iowa.

 

[Seeker22]

I haven't been able to get Rock Salt to make ice cream. I checked last May. DH checked again today, store manager doesn't know when he will get any. I was so looking forward to getting these cherries out of my freezer. 2020- the year that just keeps giving. No Chocolate Cherry ice cream for me. Sigh.

It sounds like I'm being a little princess, but there are several more things I use rock salt for that are not so frivolous.

 

[Meemur]

Rock salt has a lot of uses! I use it to help control weeds on the paths near my veggies. I *don't* use Roundup there.

Not much new to report from today's shopping (Central Iowa), except today was the first day in awhile that I saw **zero** large holes in the frozen foods sections. Every store from Walmart to HyVee was stocked with frozen pizzas, mini pizzas, and other microwaveable after school types of snack foods! This is the first time since March or so that I saw this much product in stock at several stores at once.

Still no Clorox wipes, but there were other brands available (limit of one per customer). 70% alcohol and small bottles of peroxide were back in stock. No gloves but plenty of paper masks and hand sanitizers.

Produce sections looked great! The potatoes are coming in, again. They are still a bit small (all types) but they are this year's harvest and not half rotten. Apples are great! Got my first gallon of fresh cider. Yum!

 

[hiwall]

I haven't been able to get Rock Salt to make ice cream. I checked last May. DH checked again today, store manager doesn't know when he will get any. I was so looking forward to getting these cherries out of my freezer. 2020- the year that just keeps giving. No Chocolate Cherry ice cream for me. Sigh.

It sounds like I'm being a little princess, but there are several more things I use rock salt for that are not so frivolous.

I don't understand why you couldn't use any kind of salt

 

[packyderms_wife]

Rock salt has a lot of uses! I use it to help control weeds on the paths near my veggies. I *don't* use Roundup there.

Not much new to report from today's shopping (Central Iowa), except today was the first day in awhile that I saw **zero** large holes in the frozen foods sections. Every store from Walmart to HyVee was stocked with frozen pizzas, mini pizzas, and other microwaveable after school types of snack foods! This is the first time since March or so that I saw this much product in stock at several stores at once.

Still no Clorox wipes, but there were other brands available (limit of one per customer). 70% alcohol and small bottles of peroxide were back in stock. No gloves but plenty of paper masks and hand sanitizers.

Produce sections looked great! The potatoes are coming in, again. They are still a bit small (all types) but they are this year's harvest and not half rotten. Apples are great! Got my first gallon of fresh cider. Yum!

I suspect that that's because most of the children are back in school. If they end up being sent home again you can expect some major holes in those food sections. Locally I wasn't able to find corn dogs for awhile... yeah I know, they're total garbage, but I love eating one every once in awhile. OC surprised me with a box a week ago, apparently Fareway was having a hard time keeping them in stock, along with hot pockets, etc.

 

[nomifyle]

So I'm looking at the two boxes of 20ea 99mm that arrived today, total cost was $75. And then at the two small bottles of B&B that cost $27 each. I know that 9mm is almost impossible to find and we are greatful to have it, a little bit of something is better than a whole lotta of noting, but good grief.

DH went to Lowes, Tractor Supply and walmart today looking for a small window a/c, none to be found. I did find one on Walmart,com at a decent price. I'm hoping that he is coming to the reality that one is none and two is one, but he's a hardheaded fellow.

God is good all the time

Judy

 

[Michiana MaJo]

Three stores in my area have been out of tapioca, Post’s Bran Flakes, and pumpkin purée since I began looking, 2 weeks ago. Wondering if these items are hard to find, all over?
Pumpkin is usually on sale, this time of year.

I found some pumpkin scone recipes that sound interesting....anxious to try them!

 

[packyderms_wife]

Three stores in my area have been out of tapioca, Post’s Bran Flakes, and pumpkin purée since I began looking, 2 weeks ago. Wondering if these items are hard to find, all over?
Pumpkin is usually on sale, this time of year.

I found some pumpkin scone recipes that sound interesting....anxious to try them!

From what I'm seeing in the Aldi Nerd group yes there is a nationwide shortage of pumpkin this year, so far anyway. Some places have yet to harvest winter squash and pumpkins so this may change come October.

 

[coloradohermit]

I finally found dried apricots at Safeway today. Everything I looked at seemed well stocked but I didn't look at any prices.

I also went to Dollar tree. Since my cataract surgeries, my distance vision is outstanding, but the doc had told me I'd still need reading glasses since I didn't want to pay the $2,000 for upgraded cataract replacement lenses. Dollar Tree had lots in every strength, so I go a few to figure out which one I'd need. Very happy me to get readers for $1!! Now I can see the computer. WooHoo!

 

[nehimama]

A member here was looking for canned salmon without success. In my small city, SE MI, I found plenty in stock at the Dollar Tree yesterday.

 

[Seeker22]

I don't understand why you couldn't use any kind of salt

You can. If you use table salt, use half as much. I'm just used to rock salt. Old and set in my ways.

 

[Meemur]

You can. If you use table salt, use half as much. I'm just used to rock salt. Old and set in my ways.

Not a problem! And you'll find rock salt before long. It's probably a local shipping problem.

 

[Loretta Van Riet]

Went to my local Jewel (Albertson's) today. I was happy to see 3 shelves filled with disinfectant wipes! It was a brand I had never heard of before and you were only allowed ONE. They were expensive to boot! $4.49 for 75 wipes!

More happy news...canned veggies were plentiful and cost 0.99 per can for the house brand. No harvest type sales.

Fresh produce at par levels and looked fresh! I did not shop for meat today.
DuPage county, Illannoy.

 

[AlfaMan]

Got a weird one for you.

Diet tonic water.

Since caffeine free Coke Zero is now seemingly unavailable anywhere in the DMV (and we've looked) I've started drinking sugar free juices (Ocean Spray sugar free red grapefruit juice-yummm!) mixed with diet tonic water.
WalMart has been a regular and steady source for their brand diet tonic water-but recently supplies seem to have dried up. It's usually in the drink mixer aisle, and drink mixers seem to be plentiful. So does regular tonic water (it's as bad as drinking a regular coke, sugar wise). But the diet stuff is just not there in local stores. Possibly a shipping or distribution issue, don't know. The missus did find some other brand at Shoppers this week-and bought 2 cases of it (everything they had).

 

[WalknTrot]

I stopped at the local regional chain (N MN) this morning for a couple of things. Saw that they are back to selling the 4-packs of canned vegetables - beans, peas, corn (these were Green Giant - on an end cap) and four packs of Campbells soup staples like Cream of Chicken, Cream of Mushroom and Tomato. Since I'm getting the winter pantry up to speed, I tossed some in my cart. There were no limits. Head's up...this stuff is going to start appearing - 'tis the season. Get it while you can - no whining later.