Our Costco is limiting meat...not surprising - just FYI

[mlktwins]

Our Costco now has a limit on fresh meat (limit of 3 total).  There was a 1 item limit on the bacon, hot dogs, and frozen salmon that we were trying to get too.  We managed to get 2 of their spiraled hams that we are separating and freezing.  Not surprised...just putting the info out there.  The Costco in the county next to us has imposed a 2 item meat limit.

I heard our BJ's was limiting meat yesterday.

 

[Soror]

I've not been in a store since March but i know even then Neighborhood Market (Wal-Mart) grocery store had a limit of 1, I think that was a limit of 1 per type but I'm not certain. I've heard that people are stocking on meat like crazy after the news about the meat processing places, makes it hard to tell how much is a supply issue and how much demand.

[Storygirl]

DH was at our Costco last night. He bought meat and didn't see signs about any limits. I asked if he noticed meat shortages in the display cases, and he wasn't able to remember; he was only focused on finding what was on his list and didn't pay attention otherwise.

The last couple of weeks, I have been putting various kinds of meat on DH's shopping list (he is doing all of our shopping, but I usually do it) for the regular grocery store, so that I can stock some in the freezer. He has not always been able to find everything on my list, or he has had to get it in unusual package sizes. So I know the meat supply has not exactly been normal here. I could say more about it, if I were the one going into the store.

But since our meat supply seems to be somewhat spotty, rather than consistent, I won't be surprised if we have limits soon.

[mlktwins]

1 minute ago, Arctic Mama said:

Time to start packing the freezer again I guess.  I had a bunch of space taken up by bone broth and frozen veggies but I need to free that up for more meat.

This was our last big stock-up.  Our freezer can't take anymore.  I am shopping for my elderly in-laws and my dad too.  We are just storing their meat here as they don't have an extra freezer.

[Arcadia]

Costco here has limit meat since shelter in place started in March. Not all meat are limited but fresh poultry has a limit of one. (ETA: per kind. so I could buy one pack of duck, one pack of game hen, etc)

Edited April 30, 2020 by Arcadia

[Ali in OR]

I know our Costco has been limiting chicken to one of any particular type. I didn't notice restrictions on other meat when I last shopped there right after Easter, but I wouldn't be surprised if there are limits now. I'm guessing the bigger drain right now is people suddenly wanting to fill the freezer for fear of shortages rather than immediate need. I never buy more than one Costco package of any type of meat anyway, and I shop there every 4-6 weeks.

[itsheresomewhere]

Started it here today.  Ours also includes limit one on chicken tenders/nuggets and lunch meat. 

Since March we have had the limit of one on fresh chicken, when they have it.

Edited April 30, 2020 by itsheresomewhere

[Acadie]

1 hour ago, mlktwins said:

Our Costco now has a limit on fresh meat (limit of 3 total).  There was a 1 item limit on the bacon, hot dogs, and frozen salmon that we were trying to get too.  We managed to get 2 of their spiraled hams that we are separating and freezing.  Not surprised...just putting the info out there.  The Costco in the county next to us has imposed a 2 item meat limit.

I heard our BJ's was limiting meat yesterday.

 

 

Thanks for posting this. Is the limit 3 packages of any combination of any combination of fresh meat? 

[Pawz4me]

 I was at Lowes Foods (regional chain in NC and SC) this morning. They had plenty of meats of all kinds and no limits that I noticed. In fact the meat case was more well stocked than I've seen it since this all started. They had TP, too!!

[MeaganS]

1 hour ago, Arctic Mama said:

Time to start packing the freezer again I guess.  I had a bunch of space taken up by bone broth and frozen veggies but I need to free that up for more meat.

 

For what it is worth, I can all our bone broth. It quickly took up too much space in the freezer, but is super easy to can if you have access to a pressure canner. It is one of the only things I regularly can. 

[mlktwins]

18 minutes ago, Acadie said:

 

Thanks for posting this. Is the limit 3 packages of any combination of any combination of fresh meat? 

I'm in Virginia.  I'll try and post the sign that was posted :-).  It said 3 per customer (beef, chicken, and pork).  Total of 3.  

 

Edited April 30, 2020 by mlktwins
Adding picture

[mlktwins]

18 minutes ago, Pawz4me said:

 I was at Lowes Foods (regional chain in NC and SC) this morning. They had plenty of meats of all kinds and no limits that I noticed. In fact the meat case was more well stocked than I've seen it since this all started. They had TP, too!!

Our stores now have TP, paper towels, kleenex.  Getting more cleaning supplies in.  Still hard to find wipes and hand sanitizer.  No more limits on milk and eggs.

Starting with the meat limits here (Northern VA).

[mlktwins]

1 hour ago, itsheresomewhere said:

Started it here today.  Ours also includes limit one on chicken tenders/nuggets and lunch meat. 

Since March we have had the limit of one on fresh chicken, when they have it.

Yes, we got one each of turkey and ham deli meat.  I was surprised to get 2 of the Kirkland spiral sliced hams.  We got one a few weeks ago and it was really good.

 

[mlktwins]

1 hour ago, Arcadia said:

Costco here has limit meat since shelter in place started in March. Not all meat are limited but fresh poultry has a limit of one.

I'm in Northern VA.  We haven't had meat limits at all until now.  

[mlktwins]

3 minutes ago, kand said:

I understand there’s not another good way to do it logistically, but it’s frustrating that the limits don’t take into account different family sizes. A single person is allotted the same amount of food our entire family of 7 is 😢. 

I don't have a big family, but I have FB friends that have been struggling with this for their large family.  It was really rough when milks were limited and they couldn't find eggs or cheese.

[Jean in Newcastle]

I stocked up on meat last week.  The butcher told me that I timed it right because prices were going to start to rise.  Plus, there were going to be shortages.  Not necessarily in all meat but in type of meat available at any one time. 

[Miss Tick]

25 minutes ago, Arctic Mama said:

If you have one in your area, Gordon Food Service requires no membership and has bulk lots for restaurants that are available.  Plenty of all different kinds of meat, at good prices, in normal and bigger quantities. I highly recommend them.

In normal times, do you find their prices to be comparable to standard grocery stores? I used to go there for the 1lb bags of yeast, but at some point I price compared a few items and didn't find any savings. Since I don't have a large family I drifted away, but it had been at least 10 years, so maybe things are different now (by which I mean "before" 😣)

[BusyMom5]

1 hour ago, kand said:

I understand there’s not another good way to do it logistically, but it’s frustrating that the limits don’t take into account different family sizes. A single person is allotted the same amount of food our entire family of 7 is 😢. 

 

We are a family of 8, and I'm buying for my MiL, so 9!  I admit I have checked out 2x when places had limits.  I've also had my 17 year old check out separately.  

Yesterday I did notice a decrease in the meat.  I was able to get some of the last chicken breasts out.  I buy beef from the farm, but passing by noticed it was really low.  My freezer is full of red meat, but I'm going to miss chicken!  I do live close enough to get a few direct from farmers.  My kids dont want to raise them to butcher 😉

[SKL]

I figured this was coming.  Glad we don't eat much meat.

[SeaConquest]

We don't have a large family, but there aren't any limits on meat at our local Costco. I have noticed that people have been trying to support our local farmers more, so most of the CSAs for meat and veggies/fruit are sold out in my area. Restaurants have also started selling groceries along with their takeout. We try to eat more fish these days, and get it from the local fish markets as much as possible. It seems that there is definitely a movement to buy local as much as possible, if you can afford it -- the bakeries, farmers markets, etc. -- everyone is offering curbside pickup or delivery, which makes it pretty convenient to support them.  

[prairiewindmomma]

Our Costco has the same sign as posted above. We are on the west coast.  We had about 6 weeks of rationing, 2 weeks off, and now we're back to it.  I'm happy it's limit 3 instead of limit 1. 

ITA about how frustrating it is to buy for a large family with these current limits.  Dh's only options are to shop more frequently, which increases our risk exposure, or to do without.  We have a couple of family members who do not do well on a wholly vegetarian diet.  

[Farrar]

I'm so well stocked right now... I should be fine. I mean, three packages of fresh meat is a lot of meat in Costco terms. Like, if I got one thing of ground beef, one thing of pork loin, and one thing of chicken, then that would be 12 chicken breasts, 4 pork loins, and enough ground beef for like 12 burgers and a couple of taco meals for us. That's like at least 18 meals for our family of four. Obviously that's less for bigger families. And if you got steak or something that's smaller in quantity, then that's less. But still.

Last time I was at Costco, they were limiting chicken. That's in DC. However, the chicken stock was really good so I thought it was a holdover from earlier in the pandemic times.

Right now, I've got steak for two steak and noodles and one steak fajitas dinner for us, two meals of burgers (buns also frozen), maybe 14 or so chicken breasts, another two or three pork loins, a package of ground pork and two or three packages of ground beef. Oh, and enough salmon for two meals and some sort of white fish for a meal as well. Oh, and four packs of italian sausage, a pack of breakfast sausage, and a package of bacon. Plus frozen meatballs. My chest freezer is still pretty full.

In normal times, I would keep maybe a third of that. But I stocked up and then have been trying to keep things mostly in stock for us. I still haven't touched the excess beans and pasta I got, though I will have to break into the pasta soon. That's still in short supply everywhere.

[prairiewindmomma]

Dh asked the butcher today: it’s limit three fresh, three frozen. They have different product code numbers and that’s when the register alert will pop up.

I am going to start another store report thread. Meat cases were pretty empty today again.

[Excelsior! Academy]

Grrr.  We have a larger than normal sized family and purchasing any groceries for our family probably looks like hoarding to others.  

[PrincessMommy]

6 hours ago, HeighHo said:

No limits here; the seniors wipe the store every morning during senior hours.  We've learned to give the butchers two hours so they can restock.

This is what I suspect is happening where I am too.  I have not been able to find TP even though I show up at the end of the senior hours... nothing.  The store says that stock up every morning.  I went to a store that has no senior hours and it was like Christmas in April!  The shelves were nearly full of tp.  I even had *choices*!!!

 

Edited April 30, 2020 by PrincessMommy

[prairiewindmomma]

55 minutes ago, Excelsior! Academy said:

Grrr.  We have a larger than normal sized family and purchasing any groceries for our family probably looks like hoarding to others.  

My friend with 9 kids at home (the young adults bounced back) says she is shopping daily to get by with the rationing still in place here.

ETA: She is dealing with celiac issues, egg and dairy allergies in the family. They pretty much live on meat and veg because grains like rice and beans spike blood sugars too high.

Edited April 30, 2020 by prairiewindmomma

[MrsMommy]

1 hour ago, Excelsior! Academy said:

Grrr.  We have a larger than normal sized family and purchasing any groceries for our family probably looks like hoarding to others.  

I have five children, four of whom are teenagers. I realized today that I'm constantly explaining myself to cashiers, not that it's any of their business. I shop once every two weeks (I really hope someday I'll feel comfortable shopping weekly again!), and I always have two overflowing carts. I have seen other shoppers laughing at me dragging them both through the store myself, which is super annoying. Today I bought approximately 25-30 pounds of various meats, and while I'm sure it looks like hoarding, that will truly last us about two weeks until I shop again! It almost makes me wish we had ration books or something.

[lmrich]

I went to Costco yesterday, and they were out of fresh chicken. I got some frozen chicken breasts. There was still pork and meat. People were buying quite a bit. 

[Farrar]

Even just shopping at stores here for a family of four makes me feel like a freak. I did a Trader Joe's run - first one since February. I filled a cart to the brim. But everyone else was buying like a tiny basket of stuff still. It's all single people here. Almost no families at all. And people are still shopping every couple of days. I've been doing every two weeks.

[Kassia]

I am so grateful that my sons are grown and out of the house.  I don't know I'd feed the three of them with this going on.  We're having enough trouble getting groceries with just three of us at home and we eat much lighter than my sons (DH, dd, and me).  

 

 

[umsami]

Our BJs, Costco, and Sam's have all been limiting.  I went to BJ's yesterday and it was one of each....beef, pork, chicken.  I asked if I could exchange my pork for beef or chicken as we're Muslim...no deal. 

[cjzimmer1]

I haven't been in a store since lockdown started but the chicken has been canceled off most of my orders since this started.  I did get ham at Easter time though.  But I kind of figured this was coming so 2 weeks ago I called my beef supplier (which thankfully I just got my yearly 1/2 in early February) and asked about pork. He had some going in the butcher this week.  I bought an entire pig.  It should be ready next week.  My freezers will be stuffed but we should have meat to tide us over for a while.  Maybe not as much variety as I'm used to but it's food and I can be creative.  

[Ellie]

I was in Whole Foods yesterday. Plenty of meat, bread, cheese, produce, dairy; no eggs. Mr. Ellie brought home eggs from Sam's, which now has no limit.

[Tap]

Limits are hit and miss here. Costco has a limit of 3 on meats and other limits on various items. 

Safeway had a limit of 2 per same meat item. There was plenty of everything except chicken breast. 

The line was too long at TJs so I skipped going there. 

Oddly enough, Target had the most picked over shelves. I guess it is because people go there to buy other things and wander. There are a few things I buy there, because they are the cheapest location to get them. I don't really destination grocery shop at Target. LOL

[marbel]

I was in Costco today, suburban Philadelphia area. There was a limit of 3 packages of fresh meat, and the picking were fairly slim for me. As I'd predicted, the unaffordable (for us, like ribeyes) cuts were plentiful, while the cheaper stuff (chuck roasts) were out, though there was pork shoulder.  There was no chicken at all, which is more upsetting to me than a lack of beef or pork.  

I had wondered if the meat limits would extend to frozen or other meat products. But we were also able to buy bacon and beef jerky. I didn't look for frozen chicken breasts/thighs, because I just usually don't buy those.  I am in pretty good shape with boneless thighs right now. (For whatever reason, I'm happy with chicken I have bought fresh and then frozen myself, but not with commercially frozen chicken.) 

[KungFuPanda]

I requested typical meats in my online order, so I struck out in that department. I ended up going in and getting one-off meats.  😂 I have turkey breast, bison, lamb, a 9 lb bag of leg quarters and a 9 lb pork shoulder. I cooked the pork so it would take up MUCH less room in my small freezer. 
 

I took the turkey breasts off the bone. Today’s menu was pretty much thanksgiving. I froze the second breast and the bones are simmering in the crockpot. 

[SoCal_Bear]

DH went to Costco yesterday. We have limit of 3 packages of meat now as well.

On 4/30/2020 at 11:16 AM, Storygirl said:

DH was at our Costco last night. He bought meat and didn't see signs about any limits. I asked if he noticed meat shortages in the display cases, and he wasn't able to remember; he was only focused on finding what was on his list and didn't pay attention otherwise.

The last couple of weeks, I have been putting various kinds of meat on DH's shopping list (he is doing all of our shopping, but I usually do it) for the regular grocery store, so that I can stock some in the freezer. He has not always been able to find everything on my list, or he has had to get it in unusual package sizes. So I know the meat supply has not exactly been normal here. I could say more about it, if I were the one going into the store.

But since our meat supply seems to be somewhat spotty, rather than consistent, I won't be surprised if we have limits soon.

I was at Costco on Wednesday and I didn’t notice any limits, but the sign out front said they were out of ground beef and fresh chicken.

[Ausmumof3]

https://7news.com.au/lifestyle/health-wellbeing/coronavirus-australia-cluster-emerges-in-meat-processing-plant-as-victorian-cases-rise-again-c-1012753.amp?__twitter_impression=true
 

looks like Aus is also having some meat plant problems 

[Arcadia]

On 4/30/2020 at 5:23 PM, umsami said:

Our BJs, Costco, and Sam's have all been limiting.  I went to BJ's yesterday and it was one of each....beef, pork, chicken.  I asked if I could exchange my pork for beef or chicken as we're Muslim...no deal. 

That’s sad. Maybe the cashier can’t override the system or don’t feel good overriding. Growing up Buddhist, my parents avoid meat especially beef. I would have bought for you beef and chicken using my “ration”. 

[Arcadia]

https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/costco-limits-meats-sold-per-customer/2283251/
“At Costo, the meat storage bins are bare and signs are visible everywhere, limiting three choices of meat per customer.

...

Owners of the Sonoma Meat Company in Santa Rosa say there’s no need to panic.

“Right now we have an abundance of local ranchers that are having their meat processed,” said Jenine Rinn from Sonoma Meat Company. “We are extraordinarily busy and when we’re busy it means local ranchers are doing really well.””

[BlsdMama]

I’m grateful we stocked up last month and filled the freezers. Limits without exceptions for a family of 11 pose a problem, especially when we live 45 minutes from Costco and we’re trying to limit our exposure by not visiting often or go to multiple stores.

[Ausmumof3]

https://time.com/5830178/meat-shortages-coronavirus/?amp=true&__twitter_impression=true
 

time magazine article on meat shortages - likely to be more expensive for months.

[Lady Marmalade]

I was at Sam's Club on Friday and they had limits posted.  I went there specifically for the giant tube of ground beef and was able to get one at just $2.99 a pound.  At my regular grocery store, ground beef had jumped up to $6.99 per pound for fresh, so I was hopeful to still be able to get it at Sam's.  The limit signs at Sam's were one per item at the time.  It totally frustrated a guy near me who was hoping to buy steaks for a family dinner and they were all in packages of 2 or 3, when he needed 6.  I walked away as he was trying to get the attention of the butcher. 

I had been planning on going back yesterday for a few more things, but decided I really didn't want to go on a Saturday.  I may pop over Monday after work. 

I can't handle Costco right now.  The one-way shopping aisles, the required masks for entry, feeling like every employee there is analyzing my every move to make sure I don't break a social distancing rule.  No thank you.  I'll go to Sam's where I can use my scan-n-go app and get what I need and get out with only flashing my membership at the entrance and my QR code at the exit. 

Edited May 3, 2020 by Lady Marmalade