I had occasion to use some DRANO for a minor drain issue. The drano took care of it. So I went out to buy some more to stock up for the next time I needed it. (I obviously want to have it on hand at home rather than having to go out get it when I need it.) So anyway, I have checked with several stores. No one has any drano or any other similar products. I am sure I'll be able to find some if I hunt a little harder. But it got me to thinking. I recall several other products recently from the grocery store and other places that just aren't available. There just seems to be more products missing from store shelves. Is this my imagination? Or is it confirmation bias where I have reached a conclusion and am looking for anything that confirms my already established opinion. Any thoughts on this? Are you finding more products missing from store shelves? If so, why do you think that is?

yes there are definitely sporadic 'outtages' of some products

the COVID has consumer demand and the supply chain all out of whack

several stores were out of paper towels the other week...

its new normal i guess

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Good thing you didn't need some Claussen Pickles!

I do think manufacturers adjust their production to meet demand. For example, when toilet paper started to become available again after the COVID panic, paper napkins were nowhere to be found for some length of time after. I doubt that Charmin is making Drano, but perhaps there is a comparable effect going on here - e.g. chemicals used to make drain cleaners being diverted into more essential production, like ammo.

In our case it's canning lids. I've called or have gone to every outlet in the area and not one box is on the shelves. Thank goodness we have a few left over from last year, but nowhere enough for this years garden harvest.

Jim

locally right now...we have shortages of
Bikes
Ink cartridges
cleaning supplies
bleach
a puppy
guns
ammo (Obviously)
web cams
Dr. Pepper (this one surprised me. some type of can shortage)
A freezer
less selection of meats

Yeast was impossible to find in our area although it is slowly getting more available depending on when/where you shop.

I can't find Green Giant canned peas, zinc, and toilet bowl cleaner with the crook neck for squirting under the rim.

Paper towels, cleaning supplies (especially disinfecting wipes and sprays), and Claussen pickles are the major grocery items that I've noticed are tough to get around here right now.

On a broader scale, things like furniture, house building materials (lumber, flooring, fixtures, fencing), and bicycles are in short supply.

Lysol.

For me, it's spray cleaner for my kitchen countertops. I like the 409 Stone & Steel cleaner, but I can't find it anywhere.

TP and paper towels seem to be in pretty regular supply right now.

Claussen pickles are hit and miss.

I can't find Tonic water now, but there is plenty of yeast which was scarce for a couple months.

On the good news front, there was decent stock on the shelf of Scotts toilet paper this afternoon at the local grocery, and I picked up a large bottle of Purell hand sanitizer my last trip to WalMart.

That said, manufacturers have shrunk product lines so there's less lost time on production lines from product changeovers.

It's not clear when/if those dropped products will ever be coming back to stores. I suspect we may just have to learn to live with fewer consumer choices.

Plastic storage boxes. Who woulda thunk it?

I hit a couple of Target stores these past few days; one was completely wiped out, the other only had a smattering of large size ones that are overkill for what I need. However the Fred Meyer (Kroger) I went to immediately after the last Target had exactly what I needed, AND on sale. Clearly Target is having some resupply issues with their sources.

Since the start of this thing I've adjusted my plan & shopping lists.

If they have it & I use it, I get some. Even if I already have some. I'm not taking the chance of passing it up only to find it unavailable later.

Cleaning supplies are in short supply everywhere. Treated lumber is just starting to catch up. Shingles and OSB are currently under a supply crunch (although not for long on the OSB at current prices I’ll bet). Manufacturers are prioritizing their biggest volume and/or margin items.

quote:

Originally posted by Jimbo54:
In our case it's canning lids. I've called or have gone to every outlet in the area and not one box is on the shelves. Thank goodness we have a few left over from last year, but nowhere enough for this years garden harvest.

Jim

The best thing right now is to buy bulk.


Google this: "Bulk canning lids"

You can order directly from Ball or from vendors. The trick is to buy them in bulk.

You can really a good price, well at least when considering the current environment, and you really should consider buying a couple years worth.

I'd prefer to buy bulk from Ball, the manufacturer. Ball Link

You can go to Amazon and search Bulk Canning Lids. Make sure you buy with free shipping, and from Amazon directly, not some unknown vendor selling on Amazon.

Best wishes to you.

I was at our local Kroger a few weeks ago and the Coca Cola guy was stocking shelves with their products. Another guy on the aisle asked the question about why so many drink types were missing. With shortages, they’re focusing on producing top sellers and doing fewer runs of niche products (such as Pibb Zero). There hasn’t been any Pibb Zero or Diet Dr. Pepper on the shelves in our area in almost two months.

Store brand products such as trash bags, storage bags, hand soap, and a number of other products are in short supply or are out altogether since the plants that produce the store brands are often doing all they can to meet their own production needs. A friend at the store who works in the local store management told me that recently, too. They’ve been able to replace some of these with off or no-name brands, but not all.

I've been waiting for pressure treated lumber since June. Evidently it's in short supply.

I've had mildew spray and any other variety of bathroom cleaner (with bleach or without) on my list for months now. Still nothing in my local stores.

Yeast was also gone for months.

Sugar and flower have only just come back in stock.

Trashbags, plastic bags, AL foil, etc. were/are scarce.

We also needed a printer and there was no such thing anywhere until recently.

I still haven't seen napkins on the shelf. TP is still iffy, but no napkins.