Some of the shortages I can understand. Some of them I can’t. I have no idea how a lot of things are made but honestly, I’m sick of shortages. Vince thinks it’s all being manipulated. I have no idea. I just want to go back to the days when .. you want something, you go to the grocery store and get it. As I make my grocery list every 10 to 14 days, I always wonder how many of the things on my list will be out of stock. I can’t remember the last time that I got everything I wanted and it isn’t even crazy, unusual stuff that they’re out of.
Time before last, it was flour. This week, it was soy sauce. Then when Vince was out, he stopped by two grocery stores . . no soy sauce. No low sodium; no regular; no off brand . . NO soy sauce.
I did a search “why is there a shortage of soy sauce?” and saw lots of talk about a shortage of soy sauce in 2020, which I missed, as well as a ketchup shortage in 2020 that people were talking about.
It could be a bottle shortage or a cap shortage. It could be no shortage at all. Maybe everyone in this area is making a recipe and they needed soy sauce.
Think about how many bottles of anything are on the shelf in the grocery store. Most stores keep nothing in the back. What if at the quilt guild meeting and at the nurses’ break station (I don’t even know if they have one), and in the teachers’ lounge at school, someone shared the same recipe that called for soy sauce and everyone went out and bought soy sauce, there would be a shortage here but not everywhere.
I suppose the toilet paper, Lysol and hand wipe shortage was nationwide or even global but soy sauce . . surely there’s an explanation that’s very simple and doesn’t involve a world wide conspiracy theory.
Paula Nordt says
I usually shop once a week, stopping by Walmart and Kroger. My husband wanted crunchy Cheetos. None anywhere! Not an earth shaking shortage, but weird.
Judy Laquidara says
It’s going to get real when I can’t find Dr. Pepper and I expect it any day. Why not?
Kim A Paventy says
My husband develops new products in the RV industry and the shortages are real. Many different factors are creating them. A lot of it is when Covid hit the world shut down. Most companies put the breaks on, many people that could retire in a few years pushed up plans. China and other countries went into lock down for several months. Once Covid calmed down every one started back up full steam ahead!!!! The supply chain was broken, the shipping ports didn’t have enough boats or containers for the stuff. The ports raised prices so the manufactures had to raise prices and on and on it goes. I listen to him on the phone day after day trying to get his new projects going but having to cancel them due to pricing and supply chain issues as I sit in the other room doing my accounting job for a local countertop manufacture. We have had problems also shipment delays, glue shortages, etc. In the beginning I stayed home and sewed face mask so our crew of 50 installers could do jobs. Home Depot instructed us to do temperature checks and have masked installers. We couldn’t get enough masks so I stepped up.
Judy Laquidara says
I do believe some shortages are real but I don’t believe everything is real. We have a couple of friends who work in manufacturing and some of their companies have chosen this time to shut down production and do add ons or make needed updates to manufacturing processes but they’re still blaming their lack of production on Covid.
Why would there be no soy sauce in our entire town for a couple of weeks when everywhere else has it? Not every shortage is Covid related but Covid is getting blamed. I was at a local drive thru earlier this year and they were out of everything and blamed it on Covid but the same franchise about 6 miles away had everything. That’s what I’m saying . . I believe some shortages real but some are due to other things.
Shipping is a nightmare. Not only the increased costs but one guy who works for a major manufacturing company said they’re a container shortage and even if the product is made, they have no containers to ship it here.
I made and sent masks to a cousin who works at a large Toyota dealership and they couldn’t get masks. We shipped a lot of the 3M masks that we had to a hospital in Louisiana who could’t get masks so I do know some of the shortages are very real but it’s equally as frustrating to know that some of them don’t have to be happening right now.
Elle says
Funny you mention Soy Sauce. My ritual is, when I pull an item from the pantry, I put a replacement on the shopping list. (I’m nowhere near the prepper you are BTW). Got a bottle of low sodium soy sauce this week. Shelf was full. I’m out West.
Covid here is the worst it’s ever been. The stores are being proactive and limiting paper products. Smart move!
Judy Laquidara says
I usually have at least two or three extras of everything and any time I use something, I add it to my shopping list and stick the new one behind the older ones. The move kinda messed up some of my food storage organization. I have a feeling there are several bottles of soy sauce in boxes . . somewhere but not where I needed them.
Covid here is terrible too. I’m staying home as much as I can though Vince contines to go everywhere. Home Depot, Aldi, Lowe’s, Walmart on Saturday .. a holiday weekend and the first weeekend of the month. I figure it doesn’t do me a lot of good to stay home if he’s going out every day because I’d likely get it if he does but . . what can you do?
Teri says
We have a big problem in CA…..no one wants to work…they get more money on unemployment that keeps being extended…so why work……so there are no workers to do the job. Maybe that’s part of the problem…
Teri says
They have lots soy sauce on Amazon
Judy Laquidara says
I wasn’t that desperate. 🙂
Kathy says
In Alaska, this time of year, people are smoking and canning the fish from last year, because they caught new fish this year and need more freezer room. The recipe we use has soy sauce and brown sugar, salt, garlic, red pepper, and white wine. We brined a cooler full of fish, so we used 2 big jugs of soy sauce and several pounds of brown sugar. Maybe Missouri folks are all smoking fish?
Joan says
Yes, I’m in Alaska, too, and haven’t been able to find wide mouth canning jar lids and kosher salt all summer, no doubt due to fish canning season. Cornstarch and chocolate chips are also impossible to find, a curious combination with smoked salmon! 😉
Judy Laquidara says
That’s crazy – especially when you NEED it. I always try to inventory everything after canning season and make sure I can get what I need before the rush. This year I bought pectin way early and I know people here have been trying to find it. I haven’t been in a store in a while so unless I order something from WM and it doesn’t get delivered, I don’t know what’s hard to find and what’s not so I don’t know about cornstarch here.
Judy Laquidara says
I kinda doubt that. The weird thing is that Vince went out Thursday (I think) and the shelves were fully stocked with soy sauce again. Shortage is over here. 🙂
Sandi B says
It took over two weeks for Walgreens to get a medicine in for me. Its a maintenance med. They were able to give me a 5 day supply during that time, but I still ran out twice. All of the local stores were out of it, too. I had to involve the STORE manager (not the pharmacy manager) and he was able g o track some down. We went to Applebee’s- they were out of several food and bar items.
I wonder if we’ll ever return to pre-covid normals.
Judy Laquidara says
I wonder the same thing. It’s like customer service. Vince and I expect better. Chad, because his generation has mostly known only bad customer service, thinks we’re being picky when we expect a call back if someone says they’re going to call back.
montanaclarks says
In Montana it’s coleslaw dressing (Litehouse brand) and Spray and Wash. Haven’t been able to get either for at least a month!!!
Judy Laquidara says
Spray & Wash or any kind of spot stick was impossible to find here around Christmas. I haven’t looked lately because we had a good supply in TX that got moved. Are other Litehouse brands available?
Denise Fischer says
I couldn’t find gallon size Heinz white vinegar, most stores didn’t even have quarts. Or any vinegar at all. I finally found it at an Asian grocery store.
Judy Laquidara says
Really? I have plenty but will make sure I don’t run low before I start looking for it. Thanks for that warning.
Tee says
I never saw canning lids restocked at any of the stores near me in Minnesota, but I found them in Denver quite a few weeks in a row. I bought enough small mouth lids but never found large ones. I have a stock of the Tattler lids you told us to buy when they were on sale, but haven’t run out of the regular ones yet enough to try the Tattlers. So far, we are good in our small town for nearly anything I have needed, but I have seen spots on grocery shelves empty for various items.
Linda in NE says
Shortages are so weird. Here we could get large mouth canning lids but the only regular mouth ones I found were at an Ace Hardware in March. Haven’t seen any since though. I did finally get part of my backorder from Lehman’s…the large mouth lids of course, a whole year after I ordered them. Still haven’t seen the regular size from that same order. Funny thing is that there are plenty of jars (with lids) available. I bought 3 or 4 refill size of Shout stain remover at one point and then didn’t see that size again. Maybe it’s in now, I haven’t been to that particular store in quite a while. I always see the spray bottle size but not the refill. Like Judy, I always try to have one of certain items in use and at least two backups as long as there are quite a few on the shelf when I’m in the store. When I see my brand of toilet paper on sale I buy a package. It will be used sooner or later. Also haven’t seen any pint size freezer bags in area stores for about a year, at least. I use them to freeze sweet corn and did find some on Amazon early this spring so bought six boxes of 20. Guess I’ll save what I didn’t use this year for next year. Are we being trained to accept shortages as a way of life?
Suzette Harris says
We are not able to get our favorite flavor of Gatorade right now because they are saying they’re having a hard time getting in the plastic bottles to put it in. I’ve been watching the shelves and so far they’re pretty thinly stocked with Gatorade. I think they must be only supplying their best sellers because that’s all I ever see and not the unusual flavors.
Judy Laquidara says
I heard that about a couple of soft drinks too – that they were cutting out a couple that don’t sell as well and concentrating on the better sellers.
Kaitlyn Jade says
I been looking for soy sauce for a month now in FL. The lady at Aldi said they hadn’t had it in the last few shipments and I started googling. Looks like I’m not the only one in search of.soy sauce. I cook with it frequently, and am down to the last of my reserve. I hope they it’s back in stock soon.