Coronavirus Fears and Empty Supermarkets

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TW-Upstate NY
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Re: Coronavirus Fears and Empty Supermarkets

Post by TW-Upstate NY »

Around here, supplies are actually pretty good. Hand sanitizer, soap, masks and paper products are quite plentiful. I've even been able to buy one liter bottles of Purell two out of the last three weeks. Interesting thing about Purell too is it's only consistently been available at Target lately. It's still hit or miss on disinfectant wipes, gloves and disinfectant spray although I've done well in those categories lately. Then again, (and I know people who work can't do this), early morning weekday shopping is when I seem to have the best luck finding these items. On the grocery side of things, really no shortages to speak of either. The only limits these days seem to be on cleaning products with two of the local chains (Chopper/Market 32 and Hannaford) allowing you 2 each (IN TOTAL-none of this 2 each per SKU) and Wal-Mart and Target 1 each in total. Don't know about Shop-Rite since the closest one to me is maybe 25 miles away or so and I haven't set foot in one since January. I did notice Wal-Mart really doesn't have a limit on soap but still only one on hand sanitizer and Target 1 each on wipes and most cleaning products but none on hand sanitizer or soap. I remember one time maybe a month or more ago I made a trip to Market 32 on an early weekday afternoon and it was kind of a culture shock vs. my usual earlier morning trips. It just felt crowded. I honestly don't think I'll shop at that time of day or on the weekends ever again if I can help it.
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Re: Coronavirus Fears and Empty Supermarkets

Post by BillyGr »

TW-Upstate NY wrote: November 7th, 2020, 9:18 am Around here, supplies are actually pretty good. Hand sanitizer, soap, masks and paper products are quite plentiful. I've even been able to buy one liter bottles of Purell two out of the last three weeks. Interesting thing about Purell too is it's only consistently been available at Target lately. It's still hit or miss on disinfectant wipes, gloves and disinfectant spray although I've done well in those categories lately. Then again, (and I know people who work can't do this), early morning weekday shopping is when I seem to have the best luck finding these items. On the grocery side of things, really no shortages to speak of either. The only limits these days seem to be on cleaning products with two of the local chains (Chopper/Market 32 and Hannaford) allowing you 2 each (IN TOTAL-none of this 2 each per SKU) and Wal-Mart and Target 1 each in total. Don't know about Shop-Rite since the closest one to me is maybe 25 miles away or so and I haven't set foot in one since January. I did notice Wal-Mart really doesn't have a limit on soap but still only one on hand sanitizer and Target 1 each on wipes and most cleaning products but none on hand sanitizer or soap. I remember one time maybe a month or more ago I made a trip to Market 32 on an early weekday afternoon and it was kind of a culture shock vs. my usual earlier morning trips. It just felt crowded. I honestly don't think I'll shop at that time of day or on the weekends ever again if I can help it.
Weekend (or at least Sunday) morning is pretty good as well (plus they usually have plenty of anything on sale, given that those start Sunday for the 2 you mention + ShopRite).

I believe ShopRite was doing the 2 for cleaning items as well (though I don't remember if that was total or per type, like 2 wipes, 2 cleaners etc.).
Also had one of the more sensible paper item signs I've seen (only 1 of each for larger packs of towels, toilet paper, tissues but a couple if they were smaller packs (like 4 or 6 rolls of TP) and up to 8 if they were single rolls/boxes).

Never made much sense to be the same limit no matter what size (so you could buy 1 8 pack or towels or 1 single roll? Not so logical).

Hannaford actually gave out a coupon last week (via the rewards program) for two FREE packs of a couple of those odd brands of toilet paper they brought in. Did someone say FREE? ;)
(And if you don't need it/like it, your local food pantry can always use that kind of stuff - people often forget about that).
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Re: Coronavirus Fears and Empty Supermarkets

Post by Alpha8472 »

Whole Foods is limiting purchases. You can only buy 2 frozen pizzas. People are cooking more at home now.

Also, there is an aluminium can shortage. Diet root beer and diet cream soda is in short supply. They are rationing aluminum cans. Only the most popular sodas are being produced right now. Diet is not a priority right now. Progresso soup is also in short supply due to the aluminum shortage.

Can makers were not prepared for the shift from fountain sodas to home consumption in cans.
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Re: Coronavirus Fears and Empty Supermarkets

Post by storewanderer »

Alpha8472 wrote: November 8th, 2020, 1:48 pm Whole Foods is limiting purchases. You can only buy 2 frozen pizzas. People are cooking more at home now.

Also, there is an aluminium can shortage. Diet root beer and diet cream soda is in short supply. They are rationing aluminum cans. Only the most popular sodas are being produced right now. Diet is not a priority right now. Progresso soup is also in short supply due to the aluminum shortage.

Can makers were not prepared for the shift from fountain sodas to home consumption in cans.
Smiths used to have some interesting Kroger Seltzers called "Fizz and Co." - they were clear unsweetened seltzers but soda flavored rather than fruit flavored (cola, root beer, dr. k or whatever it is now). First, they moved them off of the water aisle and onto the soda aisle "due to popularity" according to a big sticker on the floor. Then they disappeared entirely. Supposedly their disappearance is due to this soda can supply issue and they cut lower moving flavors.
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Re: Coronavirus Fears and Empty Supermarkets

Post by TW-Upstate NY »

BillyGr wrote: November 8th, 2020, 1:04 pm Never made much sense to be the same limit no matter what size (so you could buy 1 8 pack or towels or 1 single roll? Not so logical).
That's true especially on antibacterial wipes. Several times, I've purchased either 75 or 80 count cannisters of Clorox and Lysol wipes in three count multi-pacs. I even think Wal-Mart sells their brand of wipes in a four count multi-pac. And just the other day, I bought a multi can pac of Lysol disinfectant spray. That's how they come packaged from the manufacturer so that's how the stores sell them. It is kind of an anomaly when you think about it.
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Re: Coronavirus Fears and Empty Supermarkets

Post by BillyGr »

Alpha8472 wrote: November 8th, 2020, 1:48 pm Also, there is an aluminium can shortage. Diet root beer and diet cream soda is in short supply. They are rationing aluminum cans. Only the most popular sodas are being produced right now. Diet is not a priority right now. Progresso soup is also in short supply due to the aluminum shortage.

Can makers were not prepared for the shift from fountain sodas to home consumption in cans.
That doesn't make sense, particularly since many people who drink the diet do so for a medical reason (needing to avoid the excess sugar). Seems it would be more logical to make all of them in proportion (that is, if you only have 75% as many case as normal, make 75% of what you usually would for each type).

Also seems that some of them have been harder to find even in bottles, which would not be impacted by this - in fact, if they were short on cans, making more in bottles would be better than not making it at all.
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Re: Coronavirus Fears and Empty Supermarkets

Post by Super S »

BillyGr wrote: November 9th, 2020, 11:21 am
Alpha8472 wrote: November 8th, 2020, 1:48 pm Also, there is an aluminium can shortage. Diet root beer and diet cream soda is in short supply. They are rationing aluminum cans. Only the most popular sodas are being produced right now. Diet is not a priority right now. Progresso soup is also in short supply due to the aluminum shortage.

Can makers were not prepared for the shift from fountain sodas to home consumption in cans.
That doesn't make sense, particularly since many people who drink the diet do so for a medical reason (needing to avoid the excess sugar). Seems it would be more logical to make all of them in proportion (that is, if you only have 75% as many case as normal, make 75% of what you usually would for each type).

Also seems that some of them have been harder to find even in bottles, which would not be impacted by this - in fact, if they were short on cans, making more in bottles would be better than not making it at all.
This might be a regional issue.

I have not seen this. Every store I have been to in recent weeks is well-stocked in all types of pop as well as beer, and while most stores tend to not sell multi-packs of bottled pop, this is easily found in singles in the usual places.

I also have not seen any evidence of a coin shortage other than a few stores posting signs.
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Re: Coronavirus Fears and Empty Supermarkets

Post by TW-Upstate NY »

Speaking of diet vs. regular, my beverage of choice is caffeine free Coca Cola in cans. Sometime over the summer, it became unavailable in any variety so I ended up switching to caffeine free diet Coke in cans and never found that to be in short supply. Since then, caffeine free regular Coke is now back on the shelves again. Haven't really looked in the last few weeks, but from the glances I do take while walking by soda aisles and displays in stores there doesn't appear to be anything amiss at this point in time. Whether or not that changes is the wild card in the equation.
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Re: Coronavirus Fears and Empty Supermarkets

Post by Alpha8472 »

Coca Cola is handling the can shortage better than the other brands. Diet Coke is so popular that they are still making it. However, the more obscure brands of diet soda are in short supply. The problem is that the aluminum can companies are already pushed to the limit and cannot seem to produce enough cans. They are not willing to spend money on more people or expanding production capacity since this shortage might only be temporary.

The coin shortage has mostly gone away. It was really bad at first when Walmart, Target, and supermarkets were running out of change. However, a month or so later the problems were mostly gone. There are less coins than before, but since the cashiers are encouraging cards or exact change the coins are not running out as much as before.

Many restaurants and stores are still keeping the coin shortage signs up. This encourages people to use exact change or card. It is keeping the coin shortage under control.

However, I remember the cash register at my workplace used to get stocked with many rolls of coins everyday. Now it is only a limited supply of each kind of coin. You have to ask every customer paying with cash if they have exact change to keep from running out of coins. Usually, we do not run out of coins these days. Most people are willing to dig in their pockets and pay with coins so we don't run out.

It is the cashier's job to manage the coin supply and ask customers to pay with exact change so that you do not run out of coins. The armored car delivery of coins is still limited.
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Re: Coronavirus Fears and Empty Supermarkets

Post by storewanderer »

Safeway tonight- paper products aisle 80%+ empty and no quantity limits being imposed. Safeway had a good amount of bleach wipes (store brand) though, first time I've seen them have that product in stock since March. Also seemed to have shortages on certain boxed foods (like Rice a Roni, Macaroni and Cheese, and such); canned soup was full though. Everything else looked full other than scattered out of stocks on some sale items.

Similar on paper products but perhaps a little better stocked at Smiths despite their limit 2 signs (per item not per category- useless limit really). Still no bleach wipes there, also have not seen that product in stock there since March.

Scolaris- paper product aisle 75% empty and "limit 1" signs posted. Though there was an endcap of some Suavo Oro or something bath tissue at 2 for $3. Frozen foods aisle has many out of stocks or low stock on frozen meals but other frozen items are stocked. Low stock on various grocery items throughout the store. This store never fully recovered from the COVID wipe out months ago. C&S is not doing a good job keeping its independents stocked in the NorCal region during this pandemic. I have noticed similar conditions in other C&S supplied independents in NorCal and this is disappointing as I really want to support these independent stores but it is hard to do so when they are not adequately stocked. Maybe they are focusing on larger accounts. Now more than ever these independents need wholesaler support. Associated Utah has managed to get product into its independents so they have recovered their in-stock... all of the Associated Utah supplied independent stores I've been in the last few months are fully stocked. Some have even had case lot sales.
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