A SDA Survey for readers who have been to a grocery store in the past few days. Report your personal observations in the comments and if you have photographs, email to kate@katewerk.com with GROCERY AISLE in the subject line, along with the date and location.
Do not clutter this thread with chatter, please. Off topic comments and debate will be deleted.
North East BC
Five big grocery stores here and prices are rising steadily.
They each have their empty shelves that rotate in each store, but that seems to be a staff or computer problem.
Good sales or pandemic scares do cause runs, the highway shutdowns caused a few problems, but otherwise we have no major changes yet.
Happily, the local farmers are able to sell in the stores. Butcher Block has good products and the local eggs and potatoes are excellent.
Walmart in Cornwall Ontario:
No bacon.
No frozen berries.
Lots of thin shelves.
Prices up on many items.
Okanagan Valley in BC. Large shopping trips are in Kelowna at Costco and Superstore, smaller trips to local stores. Costco was a disaster zone of empty boxes and pallets that were near empty, but that seemed more a staffing issue. Went last week before Christmas and again in mid January; prices on some frozen manufactured food products were up 30% Smaller stores have many empty spots on the shelves; took the last lettuce, mushroom (one Portobello), bag of peppers and Feta. Meat prices are very high. Produce is often over ripe or spoiled -best before dates are usually less than 10 days away.
Postmedia reporter Anthony Furey’s pic of an Ottawa Loblaws.
https://twitter.com/anthonyfurey/status/1483998805787918336?cxt=HHwWgIC-oaTDnJgpAAAA
Here in Florida grocery stores are well stocked with a few item un available…..table salt was one
Surprisingly…..you can almost eat out for the price of prepping it your self.
bacon and eggs toast coffee (5 slices of bacon) $4.99
full rack of ribs with 3 sides $20.00 (enough for two)
Fajitas night steak special $8.99 (again enough for two)
Taco Tuesdays $0.75 each
Prime rib sandwich with 2 sides $9.99 (usually 1″ thick slice)
and usually 2 for 1 beer from 4-7 pm ($2.50)
Also ordering food and paper products on line…..no shortages only a few delays
Publix, Flagler County, FL, has been struggling but is getting better. A couple of days ago economy bread completely gone, Kelloggs Raisin Bran completely gone. Friskies cat food has been hard to locate at multiple venues except Tractor Supply (Yes, there’s a TSC in a beach county). Prices have climbed more steeply at the Florida store than Iowa.
We’re having a tough time remembering because we were just back in Council Bluffs, IA where the HyVee has not had any noticeable stocking issues. The stores are laid out differently so we tend to struggle to recall the Publix issues since we’re at the same time struggling to locate product placement. Having said that, Publix is a terrific grocer, high quality, but with obvious issues with supply chain management. They didn’t have Breyer’s Smart Carb Ice Cream bars for the better part of a year, a critical failure in my small world.
Sunshine Coast – BC: No poutine gravy anywhere: The horror!
Sunshine coast eighty kliks north of Vancouver. Meat of all types available, but thin on the display racks, and prices up about 25% from two years ago. Fresh produce seems well stocked and available. Dairy also. Have noticed the soups and powdered gravy mixes in very short supply. Don’t eat cereal, so don’t know about availability, will check and be more observant next time I’m in the stores. Frozen isles seem well stocked, and most of what I need or buy, seems available. A pet comfort food item, British sage and onion stuffing went from $4.79 to $7.99 in a six month period, so don’t buy it anymore. Shrink flation is a biggie, and the local Rona says they are about 62 truck deliveries of supplies behind, since early 2021. Lumber was stupid for a while,. but has eased somewhat. Forget quality plywood, unless you’re wealthy. Our GM new car lot is pretty much vacant, and the Ford dealer has issues but some vehicles in stock, and yeah, the F150 is in high demand. One thing I’ve noticed over the last two months is the increase of the plant meat crap. The shelf area doubling in size, while the real meat shrinks as it’s prices rise dramatically. I am wondering if this might be a deliberate attempt to force folks to buy the veggie meat crap. I’ll go completely vegan before I ever buy that shit. I have good freezer supplies as well as dried food and rice.
I’ve deliberately connected with local hobby farmers for some fresh produce, plus eggs and chickens, and have pork, beef, lamb, and goat, available from them in the spring. When the stuff gets really short or impossible to buy, having the hobby farmer connection will be a big factor. get connected now, before they get inundated with demand. They will take care of those that support them now, before selling to new customers.
Some final items, some of our stores are closing on odd days or afternoons due to staffing issues, and all the local carriers and delivery companies are desperately in need of drivers and operating personnel, as are some grocery stores as well. Out Walmart has a few empty shelves, but pet food hasn’t been a problem for us yet. Gas is not yet a problem except for price at the current $1.68 per liter, about $8.35 Canadian per gallon. I don’t expect this situation to improve in the near term, and inflation will be a killer. We can all thank Mr Turdo for this folks, and he’s still spending our tax money like a drunken sailor.
Calgary Sobeys Store being renovated so lots moved and shelves vacant
Pet food display shrunken and supplies limited, mostly available in the smaller sizes.
Noticed an unexpected special in the flyer and on in store isle end displays – ice cream. Last time I checked not a hot item in January but it bulks up otherwise empty shelves.
Fresh produce limited and prices up.
Full shelf – thank a trucker
Empty shelf – thank Trudeau
Not groceries, but Teg’s tools in Hamilton Ont. has no woodworking/metalworking machines in it’s showroom. They report that all their showroom machines were long since sold, and people are buying sight-unseen right off the delivery truck. Pre-order and long wait, basically.
I wanted a metal lathe to get some maintenance work done, managed to scoop the last 12″x36″ from Busy Bee. The King machine from Teg’s would have been nicer, but they didn’t have one and couldn’t get one. There’s not even a waiting list.
If you need a table saw or whatever and you know where one is, go get it now.
Central Alberta, wife has noticed cleaning supplies, along with dish soap and TP low or empty on some shelves.
An additional note, I’ve read online that ammo is also crazy expensive everywhere, bought a lifetime supply including reloading supplies back in 2008 so not a personal concern. Same for dried 25 & 30 year stored foods, have a good 3 year supply that cost a pretty penny back then, not so much today.