Clearing shelves-Strike

[DawnM]

I need dog food and we typically get Kirkland.  All my local groups are saying Costco is packed to the gills all day long with lines to the back of the store.   There is no more Kirkland toilet paper and limited other toilet paper.   Other staples are gone.

Our Target and Walmarts are  cleared of diapers or are running very low

Some of this locally is due to people sending supplies to heavily affected areas from Helene, but I saw a post yesterday from the Santa Clarita, CA Costco with empty shelves as well.   

This is due to the longshoreman strike and panic buying.

What about near you?   Have you seen this in your area?

[DawnM]

On another note, does the longshoreman strike worry you?   What are your thoughts on the long term effects?   Did you see the Union head give his talk?  He was NOT PLAYING.  

Edited Thursday at 10:46 AM by DawnM

[Katy]

Oh goodness, I don’t know, but I’m going to Walmart and Costco this morning so I’ll check.

[Janeway]

I bought toilet paper at Costco yesterday. They sold out while I was there. They say they expect more in this morning.  I called the boys at college and told them to stop giving their toilet paper away., LOL.  They actually reminded me that toilet paper is Made in America so it should not be affected by the strike. I know this, you know this, but all the people buying excess don't seem to know this. There was plenty for other paper products.

[DawnM]

13 minutes ago, Katy said:

Oh goodness, I don’t know, but I’m going to Walmart and Costco this morning so I’ll check.

I ended up ordering TP from Amazon and will likely go to Petsmart for dog food to avoid Costco.

[Ann.without.an.e]

Aren’t you in N.C.? Everyone here is buying up all of these items and sending them to WNC. I don’t think it has anything to do with the strike? There will always be a portion of people who are buying out of fear but our area specifically is sending stuff to WNC. Diapers and dog food are high on the needs list and seem to be popular items to send. 
If it is just local, try ordering online from Costco.
I make my own dog food. That works too.  
 

 

[Ann.without.an.e]

15 minutes ago, DawnM said:

I ended up ordering TP from Amazon and will likely go to Petsmart for dog food to avoid Costco.

 Yes this is what I did for TP

try Costco.com too ETA: I just checked the app and you can have it shipped to you. I think this is just a local problem. 

Edited Thursday at 11:23 AM by Ann.without.an.e

[Pawz4me]

I'm pretty sure that the majority of the outages/low stock in NC are from people buying things to donate to relief efforts. But I'm guessing some of it is panic buying due to the strike. My understanding is that the strike is of Gulf and east coast workers, so those on the west coast shouldn't be affected.

[Ann.without.an.e]

1 minute ago, Pawz4me said:

I'm pretty sure that the majority of the outages/low stock in NC are from people buying things to donate to relief efforts. But I'm guessing some of it is panic buying due to the strike. My understanding is that the strike is of Gulf and east coast workers, so those on the west coast shouldn't be affected.

I agree. Proof of this is that online can ship. Even dog food. N.C. is just getting cleared to send to WNC. My shelves are empty here. But I think it’ll recover and restock quickly.

Edited Thursday at 11:25 AM by Ann.without.an.e

[Carrie12345]

It seems weird that shelves would be stripped in CA. West coast ports are open.

Dh and I have been trying to do recon on the NC area, as he’s flying in today. With so much going to Asheville, etc. (as should be expected), it does’t look like it’ll be easy for him to supply up for a while!

[MEmama]

I had planned a Costco run this weekend (partially because I'm legitimately low on TP, lol), but I might rethink going if it's going to be busy. Target was well stocked (in their usual messy, chaotic way) yesterday though. The news here is that it's uncertain whether the port in Portland will be affected by the strike, so maybe people aren't panicking yet.

TP seems like a silly thing to panic over since, as it's been mentioned, nearly our entire supply is made in the US, but it makes sense that we're still harboring fears due to Covid. Plus since it's non perishable and is certain to get used, it's not wasteful like sacks of flour might be right now.

[prairiewindmomma]

No panic buying here. The only things I have purchased because of the strike is good European chocolate. 

[marbel]

Costco in my area was insane on the day the strike started. I was clueless - I mean I had heard about the strike, but wasn't equating it to crowds at Costco - till I heard someone mention it as I was leaving. (There was a woman walking out ahead of me with a fairly small purchase and a man said "you should have bought more, port strike!" I did not see her reaction. I found his comment annoying.) If I had thought about it, I'd have bought coffee - one of the items I've seen as potentially a problem.  The cashier and helper were as stunned as I was about the crowds. I didn't notice any shortages but I wasn't doing a comprehensive big shopping trip and everything I was looking for was fine. I am near Philadelphia, one of the affected ports. 

Costco has said they have been preparing for the strike and are well-stocked. 

 

 

Edited Thursday at 01:25 PM by marbel

[Katy]

I’m in a suburb in the Midwest. Went to Walgreens, Walmart, and a local grocery store this morning. All the shelves appeared fully stocked. Costco doesn’t open until 10, but I probably won’t go. I found everything I need at the local store. I did visit Costco twice in the last 5-7 days and it looked normal then. 

[Indigo Blue]

At Whole Foods yesterday, there was plenty of bottled water and gallons of water. Aldi had plenty of toilet paper. This is NC …south Charlotte area. 

[Ann.without.an.e]

17 minutes ago, Indigo Blue said:

At Whole Foods yesterday, there was plenty of bottled water and gallons of water. Aldi had plenty of toilet paper. This is NC …south Charlotte area. 

Like Matthews/Pineville?

I wonder how the Costco there is? It may be worth a trip. I think the one on Tyvola is struggling? Just hearsay. 

[HomeAgain]

I went to BJ's this morning (MA).  I did get a new thing of toilet paper because we were due, but I found it interesting that the shelves looked fully stocked....until I looked up.  The top supply shelf was nearly empty all the way across on that side, so what was on the shelf was what they had. 

I have no idea what the regular grocery store looks like, but we now have 40 rolls in the house (32 I just bought) and will be fine until about mid November.  If we run out I'll order a bidet attachment.

I didn't check any other aisles.  We have a pretty wide range of foods we eat so I can always make something, I'm not worried about stocking up. 

[Arcadia]

Was at Costco yesterday around 5pm to get the towels DS18 wanted. Lots of Kirkland and Charming toilet paper. The Charming stock is less than Kirkland stock but that is common in my area. Last weekend when we were there, many people were buying stacks of bottled water and two packs of toilet paper which is typical here. I’m in the SF Bay Area.

[skimomma]

Grocery shelves are thinning out here.  I didn't connect the dots until after I left a store without several items I had planned to buy that were out of stock.  And I will never understand the TP thing.  Use your imaginations, people!  TP is not a life or death thing.  Sheesh.

I did note that Amazon Prime estimated 8-day delivery on several items that I ordered last week.  I doubt there is any direct relation other than Amazon will use any excuse to NOT do the promised two-day delivery on Prime items.  It's been years since we could rely on two-day delivery.  But 8-day?  Really?

 

[Tenaj]

Our Sam's clubs near Dayton OH are out of t.p. and it's not available to ship.  I bought some on Amazon just to be sure.  I have a college student in an apartment and inlaws who won't be stocked up.

Edited Thursday at 04:58 PM by Tenaj

[Corraleno]

I was at Costco yesterday and everything seemed totally normal — it wasn't any more crowded than usual, shelves were fully stocked, and no one seemed to be hoarding TP or anything. I'm in the PNW.

[TheReader]

I'm in Houston-ish area, and things were normal at the store when I went this morning. 

[Indigo Blue]

5 hours ago, Ann.without.an.e said:

Like Matthews/Pineville?

I wonder how the Costco there is? It may be worth a trip. I think the one on Tyvola is struggling? Just hearsay. 

This is at Waverly. South of Pineville. Just yesterday I was there and all seemed pretty normal. 

[KidsHappen]

Ok, I just checked Amazon and the 24 roll pack of Charmin is $35. I don't usually do the shopping so I don't know the regular price but that seemed kind of high to me. Is there some price gouging going on. 

Since covid I have made sure that my hubby buys tp at least every other time that he goes shopping so that we wouldn't ever have that problem again and just this week he informed me that he had stopped stocking up and that we almost ran out earlier this week. He bought enough to last to the next shopping trip which is on Friday. Hope there is some there tomorrow. 

Another thing that we do is keep baby wipes on hand which we use for various things. We are stocked up on them so they can be used if we did run out of tp. We are not stocked up on water though. Hopefully he will do some stocking up tomorrow.

[Shoeless]

The doofuses near San Antonio are panic buying tp and paper towels. I'm so mad that we're doing this nonsense AGAIN. 

 

[Katy]

I guess chocolate, bananas, mangos, imported alcohol, drugs (prescription and over the counter), car parts, furniture, lumber, and toys frequently come through that port. 
 

ETA: and Coffee!
 

I bet TP & bottled water is more related to relief or prep for the next storm. 

Edited Thursday at 09:12 PM by Katy

[Brittany1116]

I am in Florida. Toilet paper is nearly gone, water is in every cart. Family in AL said Walmart is bare and prices are way up. Butter increased more than $2 overnight, for example. 

[Faith-manor]

Our Walmart and Dollar General are kind of cleaned out of a lot of things. But that isn't because of the strike, it is because the fire chief is organizing a supply drive for Buncombe County, and several volunteer fire fighters are driving it down on Saturday. People are giving very generously. The one thing that the pharmacy, DG, WM had to do was limit formula because they would run out for local families before they would get another shipment. All of things will be replenished Monday.

It doesn't seem like the strike is really being talked about much.

[rebcoola]

Walmart shelves were fine yesterday 

[gardenmom5]

I was at costco today - seattle area.  business as usual.

[Kassia]

https://www.wkyc.com/article/news/verify/business-verify/no-the-current-port-strike-is-not-likely-to-impact-your-supply-of-toilet-paper/536-c8f84100-ee44-4061-ad28-4aeb205aacf7?fbclid=IwY2xjawFsAHJleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHf8rAMYmgq2ZgOAAvJJOJTGuwl4c455Q8-O5yppfvOW3wVGDLNbR--ypPA_aem_DZTldWYC-shSvMQYq-60BQ

 

About toilet paper and the strike

[mommyoffive]

BREAKING: A historic U.S. port strike has been suspended, sources say. Sources familiar with the negotiations told ABC News that the two sides had reached a tentative agreement on wages and agreed to extend the master contract until Jan. 15.

https://abcnews.go.com/US/dockworkers-strike-suspended-sources/story?id=114445386

[Ausmumof3]

I wonder if the global security situation is also playing into people’s fears? It seems unlikely but that’s some serious empty shelves going on.

which reminds me I’m down to my last TP pack for the first time ever since 2020: I should probably restock 

[El...]

Yep, no strike until at least January. Hopefully this will let folks calm down for now.

https://www.npr.org/2024/10/03/nx-s1-5139450/dockworkers-port-strike-deal

This forum helped me see covid and all its chaos ahead of time, so I appreciated the heads up! I ordered extra coffee earlier today. I can switch tp brands, but I can't get low on coffee!

[MEmama]

Went to Costco tonight. Water and TP were low, which is super weird because we literally aren't being impacted up here (and also TP is made in the US and water is well, everywhere here and there's literally no reason to need bottled --no storms or anything in the forecast). Everything else was normal.

I did notice people buying 2-3 packages of TP at a time. I think we just aren't over Covid fears yet.

[livetoread]

We're going to be like the Great Depression generation except instead of washing and reusing our tinfoil, we are going to stock up on hand sanitizer and toilet paper at the first hint of any crisis, large or small. We've lived it, we know what can happen, and no young, ignorant whippersnapper is going to talk us out of it.

[Faith-manor]

19 minutes ago, livetoread said:

We're going to be like the Great Depression generation except instead of washing and reusing our tinfoil, we are going to stock up on hand sanitizer and toilet paper at the first hint of any crisis, large or small. We've lived it, we know what can happen, and no young, ignorant whippersnapper is going to talk us out of it.

So long as we don't start saving bread wrappers and rubber bands.

(Says someone who found these things hoarded in every corner of my grandparents' house.)

[MEmama]

12 minutes ago, Faith-manor said:

So long as we don't start saving bread wrappers and rubber bands.

(Says someone who found these things hoarded in every corner of my grandparents' house.)

Uh oh, I totally wash and save aluminium foil, save rubber bands and have a stash of random plastic bags...I also save napkins and wooden utensils from restaurants and trips, and reuse ziplock bags until they fall apart. I promise I'm not a hoarder though, I just can't stand waste. My grandmother on the other hand...yeah, the depression really did a number on people. 

[Heartstrings]

They expect to have a deal signed in the next 24-48 hours so all the panic buying was for naught.  

[DawnM]

22 hours ago, Ann.without.an.e said:

Aren’t you in N.C.? Everyone here is buying up all of these items and sending them to WNC. I don’t think it has anything to do with the strike? There will always be a portion of people who are buying out of fear but our area specifically is sending stuff to WNC. Diapers and dog food are high on the needs list and seem to be popular items to send. 
If it is just local, try ordering online from Costco.
I make my own dog food. That works too.  
 

 

It is both. I  am on message boards.   However, as I said, I have seen pics from California Costos where shelves are empty.   

[DawnM]

8 hours ago, Faith-manor said:

So long as we don't start saving bread wrappers and rubber bands.

(Says someone who found these things hoarded in every corner of my grandparents' house.)

My parents had those too.   Mostly the rubber bands but I found a little area of a junk drawer with bread ties and plastic bread holder thingies.

[DawnM]

12 hours ago, Katy said:

I guess chocolate, bananas, mangos, imported alcohol, drugs (prescription and over the counter), car parts, furniture, lumber, and toys frequently come through that port. 
 

ETA: and Coffee!
 

I bet TP & bottled water is more related to relief or prep for the next storm. 

Not if it is nationwide.   Not every state is prepping.   

[Katy]

1 hour ago, DawnM said:

Not if it is nationwide.   Not every state is prepping.   

But the states where clear shelves are mentioned are in hurricane areas, and there are more storms coming. 

[DawnM]

1 minute ago, Katy said:

But the states where clear shelves are mentioned are in hurricane areas, and there are more storms coming. 

I have mentioned California twice in this thread.   

[Katy]

27 minutes ago, DawnM said:

I have mentioned California twice in this thread.   

Right, sorry. They’re in fire season, not hurricane season. And Northern California was 25 degrees hotter than normal yesterday. 

[Faith-manor]

10 hours ago, MEmama said:

Uh oh, I totally wash and save aluminium foil, save rubber bands and have a stash of random plastic bags...I also save napkins and wooden utensils from restaurants and trips, and reuse ziplock bags until they fall apart. I promise I'm not a hoarder though, I just can't stand waste. My grandmother on the other hand...yeah, the depression really did a number on people. 

In my great grandmother's house, we found every envelope of every piece of mail she ever opened all behind her couch. Many had grocery and pharmacy lists written on them or appointment dates and times. It was quite a haul! I think deprivation leaves the brain with a trauma response to any chance of being without a regularly used item.

The bread wrapper thing was epic. Grandma would take a bread wrapper, stash it with folded up bread wrappers until full, stash that bag somewhere and start again. I think we took over 200 of them out of the house. I am pretty sure it was a lifetime of bread wrappers. I am sure some got used. When ziploc bags made their debut, she never made the switch. I was staying with her for a week one time, and she sent me to school every day with my lunch packed in a bread wrapper with a twisty. The other kids looked at me like I had just fallen from the alien mothership.

[DawnM]

1 hour ago, Katy said:

Right, sorry. They’re in fire season, not hurricane season. And Northern California was 25 degrees hotter than normal yesterday. 

It has been on the news as nationwide.  Friends in VA, OH, KS, etc....are all reporting this is going on.  The news has specifically stated this is due to the strike.

[DawnM]

24 minutes ago, Faith-manor said:

In my great grandmother's house, we found every envelope of every piece of mail she ever opened all behind her couch. Many had grocery and pharmacy lists written on them or appointment dates and times. It was quite a haul! I think deprivation leaves the brain with a trauma response to any chance of being without a regularly used item.

The bread wrapper thing was epic. Grandma would take a bread wrapper, stash it with folded up bread wrappers until full, stash that bag somewhere and start again. I think we took over 200 of them out of the house. I am pretty sure it was a lifetime of bread wrappers. I am sure some got used. When ziploc bags made their debut, she never made the switch. I was staying with her for a week one time, and she sent me to school every day with my lunch packed in a bread wrapper with a twisty. The other kids looked at me like I had just fallen from the alien mothership.

I grew up without.  Not because we couldn't afford it, but because of where I grew up.   We had to make month long hauls of supplies at times.   There were no grocery stores nearby.   We would travel 1.5 hours to get to a country type store with a list you handed to the guy and then you would come back a few hours later and collect your box of what you put on the list.   

So yeah, I probably have some pent up trauma around this.

[Ann.without.an.e]

I really need a few things but don’t want to make the trip to Charlotte in vain. This last week was the week that I usually make a run to Costco and Trader Joe’s. Does anyone in the Charlotte area know what Trader Joe’s is like?

[Lady Florida.]

I saw this on a Costco fans Facebook page.