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Just an observation on shortages.


Carrie12345
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There are interruptions in the supply chain all along the way.  Sometimes it is hard to figure out where the bottleneck is.  For example, you want to buy some pasta.  And they are out.  You know why? The paper-box manufacturer can't hire enough people to make the boxes the pasta is packaged in or the cartons the boxes ship in.  Nothing to do with the wheat harvest or the pasta manufacturing machinery.  

Between the interruption of work in the pandemic and the unwillingness of people to return to work in paper factories, you get no pasta.

It's not always obvious, that's for sure.

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Maybe I’m just not that observant, but I haven’t noticed ANY shortages at the grocery store. Most recently, I’ve shopped at Weis, Lidl, Aldi, and an international market. 
 

I spotted the first halloween candy today, so maybe they’re just all-around extra where I live?

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6 hours ago, Resilient said:

There are interruptions in the supply chain all along the way.  Sometimes it is hard to figure out where the bottleneck is.  For example, you want to buy some pasta.  And they are out.  You know why? The paper-box manufacturer can't hire enough people to make the boxes the pasta is packaged in or the cartons the boxes ship in.  Nothing to do with the wheat harvest or the pasta manufacturing machinery.  

Between the interruption of work in the pandemic and the unwillingness of people to return to work in paper factories, you get no pasta.

It's not always obvious, that's for sure.

Random weird things happen, too. The other night, dh helped clean up a tractor trailer accident that spewed a full load of bread products all over the gully it dove into. Lots of people somewhere are going to wonder where their cinnamon swirl is!

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On 8/15/2021 at 7:53 PM, Carrie12345 said:

Wait, wait. Store brand is still the same. 
 

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Have you noticed with the Bowl and Basket chicken that it is tougher? It's been fine for slow cooked recipes, but when we've grilled it it's been tough. We love most of the Bowl and Basket things we've tried so this is disappointing, especially with the price being so much lower.

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I was putting together a curbside order and got a notice about deli meat shortages. I can't say I've seen that before. A few stores near us are starting to limit certain items again, and I'm hoping they don't start limiting milk again. We've also noticed a sharp increase in prices lately that has us a bit freaked out. Quite a few fast food places have notices about difficulty getting supplies with certain menu items being temporarily unavailable. We're generally well stocked but may start stocking up on sale items that we use a lot of.  We've been trying out various Aldi products since the prices are a lot cheaper than the supermarket. Dh is getting ready to purchase a lot of flour, sugar, spices, etc. for holiday baking in case we have shortages again.

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6 hours ago, dsmith said:

Have you noticed with the Bowl and Basket chicken that it is tougher? It's been fine for slow cooked recipes, but when we've grilled it it's been tough. We love most of the Bowl and Basket things we've tried so this is disappointing, especially with the price being so much lower.

Hm. I haven’t, actually. But that could be because I haven’t been paying a lot of attention to what brand I’ve been using for which purposes. I’ve been doing a lot of shredding and also storing.  Our grill has been out of service this year.
The only chicken breast I’ve found a real issue with (for myself) is WM’s giant bag of prefrozen breasts. Could be the process, not the brand. That texture bothers me.  
I wasn’t thrilled with Aldi’s (fresh) megapacks, but I think that’s because the breast size was so enormous that I imagined all the horrific chicken documentaries but 5x worse. I don’t remember an actual meal difference.

But now that’s all I’m going to think about, lol.

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On 8/17/2021 at 10:18 AM, mommyoffive said:

Dh bought liquid chlorine at Lowes yesterday.  We had two  big tubs earlier in the summer and are out of that now.  Hoping to make it through the season.

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In the auto repair world, parts are in crazy short supply.  Also, drivers for trucks.  Both to bring in parts and take away salvage cars.  And hold times for ordering parts or dealing with insurance companies......I would estimate it is 4 times the wait it was pre pandemic.  Things are strange that is for sure.

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9 minutes ago, Scarlett said:

In the auto repair world, parts are in crazy short supply.  Also, drivers for trucks.  Both to bring in parts and take away salvage cars.  And hold times for ordering parts or dealing with insurance companies......I would estimate it is 4 times the wait it was pre pandemic.  Things are strange that is for sure.

I’ve been without a car since… I don’t remember the day. I dropped it off before August started.

I’m losing my mind.

ETA: Without MY car. I can take dh’s now and then but that’s not the same. And the inside of his car is like a hoarder house. Blech. 

Edited by Carrie12345
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I have not observed any shortages at Aldi or Kroger for the products I usually buy. (Currently I limit store trips to once a week)
I don't shop at Walmart but I know they were closed recently for two days because of a Covid outbreak. Officially they said "extra sanitizing and stocking".
I expect empty shelves in cleaning supplies/paper products/school stuff this week because the university starts on Monday and thousands of students are moving in.

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3 minutes ago, Carrie12345 said:

I’ve been without a car since… I don’t remember the day. I dropped it off before August started.

I’m losing my mind.

For body work or mechanical repair?  And yes we have had so loooong jobs.  It is been tough on us and the customers.

 

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Friends of mine are now nervous about shortages. When people who don’t worry about things I worry about start worrying about them, I get real worried, lol.  
Sam’s apparently had nothing they went for (I don’t know what they went for) and then Cracker Barrel was out of a lot of normal menu stuff.

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Prepper forums are apparently talking about stocking up down here due to seeing US food prices.  Honestly I’d say fresh food prices have been down here if anything and we’re expecting a bumper wheat crop etc with the season so far unless the mice wipe it out.  Dh suggested doing a bit of a stock up again just in case.  Covid situation is likely to deteriorate here in the next few months I suspect given the direction things are going so I think it’s probably wise to be prepped a bit just in case.

 

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1 hour ago, Ausmumof3 said:

Prepper forums are apparently talking about stocking up down here due to seeing US food prices.  Honestly I’d say fresh food prices have been down here if anything and we’re expecting a bumper wheat crop etc with the season so far unless the mice wipe it out.  Dh suggested doing a bit of a stock up again just in case.  Covid situation is likely to deteriorate here in the next few months I suspect given the direction things are going so I think it’s probably wise to be prepped a bit just in case.

 

Prices are through the roof here. I'd say I'm spending 20% more each week on the same quantity of groceries. It's not too bad ATM because I'm saving on commute costs but boy, it stings. 

 

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2 minutes ago, Melissa Louise said:

Prices are through the roof here. I'd say I'm spending 20% more each week on the same quantity of groceries. It's not too bad ATM because I'm saving on commute costs but boy, it stings. 

 

Yeah right.  We just haven’t seen that kind of jump at all but I do a lot of non supermarket shopping.

Some thinks like strawberries etc are really cheap because they are cafe/entertaining foods and so the demand is lower interstate for them.

Also meat prices may be up?  But we have our own supply.

Edited by Ausmumof3
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1 minute ago, Melissa Louise said:

Prices are through the roof here. I'd say I'm spending 20% more each week on the same quantity of groceries. It's not too bad ATM because I'm saving on commute costs but boy, it stings. 

 

Same

and we grow all our own veggies

meat is going to go way way up because the price of live cattle is the highest it has ever been. It is over $10 kg live weight before it is even slaughtered and butchered.

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2 minutes ago, Ausmumof3 said:

Yeah right.  We just haven’t seen that kind of jump at all but I do a lot of non supermarket shopping.

Some thinks like strawberries etc are really cheap because they are cafe/entertaining foods and so the demand is lower interstate for them.

Also meat prices may be up?  But we have our own supply.

Strawberries are cheap here too! Yay! 

All my shopping is supermarket due to 5km limit - that could explain part of the increase. 

We don't buy much meat - too $ - but definitely, if you raise your own/grow own veggies etc, that would help. 

I'm worried for people in the cities on Jobseeker trying to afford an extra 20%. Apparently food pantries are run off their feet ATM. Yesterday I saw that someone has started a small pantry of shelf stable food along the river walk, which is a good idea. 

 

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5 minutes ago, Melissa in Australia said:

Same

and we grow all our own veggies

meat is going to go way way up because the price of live cattle is the highest it has ever been. It is over $10 kg live weight before it is even slaughtered and butchered.

Wow! That is crazy high.

Where we are in the States, it is harvest season and the crops were good so prices are competitive. This fall there will be a culling of herds so beef will be reasonably priced, but then jump up for winter but nothing like this. I am so sorry you are experiencing this. It is tough to feed a family under these circumstances.

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1 minute ago, Faith-manor said:

Wow! That is crazy high.

Where we are in the States, it is harvest season and the crops were good so prices are competitive. This fall there will be a culling of herds so beef will be reasonably priced, but then jump up for winter but nothing like this. I am so sorry you are experiencing this. It is tough to feed a family under these circumstances.

It is mostly because Australia had a several year drought, and most big farms right across the country destocked some completely. So now we have had rain again all the farms are restocking.

the cheapest cuts of beef, like minced beef are about $16 kg. Though cheaper can be found if you want poorer quality. Steak is  $27 kg and up

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2 minutes ago, Melissa Louise said:

You just buy chickpeas instead of meat. It's not really tough - meat is a luxury product. A treat. 

We have chickpeas and lentils in soup every day for lunch. We eat meat of some sort every day for tea(dinner).  We eat a lot of chicken now, but I am chronically anaemic, even with iron supplements I cannot keep my iron levels up . I have to eat meat every day ,not a very big piece . I think a piece the size of your palm is the recommendation as a serving.

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1 minute ago, Melissa in Australia said:

It is mostly because Australia had a several year drought, and most big farms right across the country destocked some completely. So now we have had rain again all the farms are restocking.

the cheapest cuts of beef, like minced beef are about $16 kg. Though cheaper can be found if you want poorer quality. Steak is  $27 kg and up

We buy chicken, mince and salmon. Not all in the same week. Two of the three.  These are reliable proteins, with a consistent cost. $22 each week. 

Once or twice a year my Dad buys me some lamb cutlets. I love them - my fave meat! 

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Just now, Melissa in Australia said:

We have chickpeas and lentils in soup every day for lunch. We eat meat of some sort every day for tea(dinner).  We eat a lot of chicken now, but I am chronically anaemic, even with iron supplements I cannot keep my iron levels up . I have to eat meat every day ,not a very big piece . I think a piece the size of your palm is the recommendation as a serving.

This is why I serve ds red meat  (coeliac, had iron issues).

But it's only ever mince, lol. Sometimes thinly sliced beef in a stir-fry. 

Dairy + gluten free products really drive up my regular bill, rather than a bit of mince. Veggies are $$ at Woolies, too. 

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6 minutes ago, Melissa Louise said:

We buy chicken, mince and salmon. Not all in the same week. Two of the three.  These are reliable proteins, with a consistent cost. $22 each week. 

Once or twice a year my Dad buys me some lamb cutlets. I love them - my fave meat! 

We buy  1 roasting chicken or a packed of drumsticks, 2 kg chicken breasts,1 kg mince  per week plus  one of either a corned beef, or beef sausages, or a piece of steak, a roast pork Very occasionally a roast beef ( mostly if my oldest son is visiting from Melbourne). My second ds gives us shark fillets regularly.

 I plan on  under $15 per meal for meat for 5 people , everything else on the plate is from the veggie garden.  We eat a LOT of veggies with every meal

Edited by Melissa in Australia
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12 minutes ago, Melissa Louise said:

We buy chicken, mince and salmon. Not all in the same week. Two of the three.  These are reliable proteins, with a consistent cost. $22 each week. 

Once or twice a year my Dad buys me some lamb cutlets. I love them - my fave meat! 

Lamb is expensive in Australia? I would not have expected that. 

We haven't had it in years except for one time I bought some on a super great sale... And it was nasty. 😢 

 

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21 minutes ago, Melissa in Australia said:

We have chickpeas and lentils in soup every day for lunch. We eat meat of some sort every day for tea(dinner).  We eat a lot of chicken now, but I am chronically anaemic, even with iron supplements I cannot keep my iron levels up . I have to eat meat every day ,not a very big piece . I think a piece the size of your palm is the recommendation as a serving.

 

On 8/19/2021 at 10:08 AM, Scarlett said:

In the auto repair world, parts are in crazy short supply.  Also, drivers for trucks.  Both to bring in parts and take away salvage cars.  And hold times for ordering parts or dealing with insurance companies......I would estimate it is 4 times the wait it was pre pandemic.  Things are strange that is for sure.

Drivers are definitely in short supply and impacting supply chain as are diesel mechanics. (It’s what DS16 wants to do so random facts stick pertaining to this subject.)

22 minutes ago, Melissa in Australia said:

We have chickpeas and lentils in soup every day for lunch. We eat meat of some sort every day for tea(dinner).  We eat a lot of chicken now, but I am chronically anaemic, even with iron supplements I cannot keep my iron levels up . I have to eat meat every day ,not a very big piece . I think a piece the size of your palm is the recommendation as a serving.

This is an aside but I have generally struggled with anemia but far worse these days. I need B12 in a methyl form. I still supplement my iron (Ancient Nutrition) but if I don’t do B12 (and I do 500,000+ % daily) subligually, I’m right back to anemic. 


 

Got the announcement today - Chic Fil A is out of ice cream. Good thing it lasted through the summer. 😉 

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19 minutes ago, marbel said:

Lamb is expensive in Australia? I would not have expected that. 

We haven't had it in years except for one time I bought some on a super great sale... And it was nasty. 😢 

 

When I was a child lamb was the cheapest meat. It was mostly what we ate. My mum would buy half a lamb every 2 weeks and that was just about all the meat we had. Now lamb is more than beef. A luxury  to be savoured a few times a year

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3 minutes ago, Melissa in Australia said:

When I was a child lamb was the cheapest meat. It was mostly what we ate. My mum would buy half a lamb every 2 weeks and that was just about all the meat we had. Now lamb is more than beef. A luxury  to be savoured a few times a year

Lamb is VERY expensive here. We have it once per year. Most people I know outside my family have never tried it.

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2 hours ago, Melissa Louise said:

Strawberries are cheap here too! Yay! 

All my shopping is supermarket due to 5km limit - that could explain part of the increase. 

We don't buy much meat - too $ - but definitely, if you raise your own/grow own veggies etc, that would help. 

I'm worried for people in the cities on Jobseeker trying to afford an extra 20%. Apparently food pantries are run off their feet ATM. Yesterday I saw that someone has started a small pantry of shelf stable food along the river walk, which is a good idea. 

 

Yes the 5km radius would suck.  Also when we had lockdowns before the shops pretty much stopped running sales which made a big difference to our budget.

Thing is we 💯 produce enough food here in Aus.  We just need to make sure it gets distributed.  Maybe I will go drops some eggs and greens via the grow free cart this week if I can 

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1 hour ago, Faith-manor said:

Lamb is VERY expensive here. We have it once per year. Most people I know outside my family have never tried it.

It is now.  We had a sheep farm growing up so pretty much lived on it and even when we sold up lamb was cheaper than anything else.  Chicken was a massive luxury.

Not anymore, chicken is cheap, beef moderate and lamb is super expensive.  I suspect that’s to do with labour costs because there’s more work to the same amount of meat with a smaller animal.

Mostly we live in wild venison with a bit of chicken.  I feel pretty lucky when I see what meat costs plus it’s more ethical I think.

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18 hours ago, Melissa Louise said:

All my shopping is supermarket due to 5km limit - that could explain part of the increase. 

Please excuse my ignorance; all my google results focused on international travel.  
I’m assuming 5k is a quarantine measure? Is that workable for the whole of the region(s) involved?
 

I’m just trying to imagine what that would look like in my world. Basically, gas station deli/minimart (very mini), mediocre pizzeria, and so-so Chinese takeout. That’s all my food access within that radius.

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2 hours ago, Carrie12345 said:

Please excuse my ignorance; all my google results focused on international travel.  
I’m assuming 5k is a quarantine measure? Is that workable for the whole of the region(s) involved?
 

I’m just trying to imagine what that would look like in my world. Basically, gas station deli/minimart (very mini), mediocre pizzeria, and so-so Chinese takeout. That’s all my food access within that radius.

It is because of the lockdown

 Here in my part of Australia (Victoria) we also have a 5 km limit. But I am rural, so 5 kmwould not get me near any shop at all. So it is then the closest supermarket. Which is 17 km away, but there is only farmland between. Common sense is to be applied. In Melbourne you are meant to go to the food shop in your suburb 5 km in a city can get you a long way. In the country 5 km is nothing at all.
 

It is actively inforced as well. On Sunday we helped my ds17 shift 100 km to nearest very large town.We were pulled up by the police to check our reason for being 5 km away from place of residence. Shifting for work ( he started his apprenticeship on Monday) is an approved reason. 

Edited by Melissa in Australia
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3 minutes ago, Carrie12345 said:

Aaahhhhh! As an American, I’m unfamiliar with that kind of system being effective. 🤣😭

I was interested in your question because we have no grocery stores (or restaurants) within 5km.

Then when I was reading the answer, I got to the common sense part and I thought the same thing that you did -- oh, that's the problem.  We don't have common sense in our country...

 

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3 hours ago, Carrie12345 said:

Please excuse my ignorance; all my google results focused on international travel.  
I’m assuming 5k is a quarantine measure? Is that workable for the whole of the region(s) involved?
 

I’m just trying to imagine what that would look like in my world. Basically, gas station deli/minimart (very mini), mediocre pizzeria, and so-so Chinese takeout. That’s all my food access within that radius.

It is a quarantine measure for 12 local government areas in the greater Sydney region. 

People outside of those 12 LGA's can travel within their local government areas, or to the nearest shops. 

All the 5km areas are densely populated - I can walk to three supermarkets within 5 km. I just can't go to the farmers market etc.

 

 

Edited by Melissa Louise
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