FOOD Report food & grocery shortages / price increases here: 2022 Edition

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PalmettoGirl

Senior Member
I was at Harris Teeter this week in Charleston, SC picking up a few things. I do most of my shopping at Walmart because it’s so much cheaper generally. But there are still some items I prefer to buy at the store. I remembered while I was there that we had run out of Selsun Blue and thought I’d pick up a bottle until I saw the price. $9.49 for an 11 Oz bottle! The next time I was at Walmart I looked and it was even $6.98 there! I ended up buying the Equate brand for $4.24. I asked my kids if they wanted anything special from the store and the only thing my son wanted was orange juice. I don’t buy it often because it’s straight sugar and usually expensive. What surprised me was how much the container had shrunk. It used to be 64 Oz and it’s now 52 Oz for $3.18. Shrinkflation is real.
 
PinkRoses

PinkRoses

Contributing Member
I forgot to get something yesterday that I need for the chicken & dumplings I'm making this weekend, so I made a quick trip to Walmart. I saw they had the Saturn peaches, which I love, so I grabbed a package which had 4 small ones in it. When I scanned it the price came up $4.88 - no thanks! The young man who removed it from my register said he didn't blame me.

Without them, my total purchase came to $6.66! :rofl:
 
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Lei

Veteran Member
WalknTrot said:
Went up to the local/regional chain (N MN) for a quick grocery run - only needed a few things, too hot to head all the way to Walmart for a pickup, and was simply not organised enough this morning.

Haha. Benefit...got to park my trusty-dusty Chevy pickup next to somebody's shiny red, gorgeous Jaguar. Man..she was purty! I figure some off-season homie mega-mill pro-hockey player summering at the lake nearby. Didn't catch who owned her, but met a mighty-awful-smiley buff young cutie coming out of the store when I was going in. He was wearing suspiciously clean, new-looking Carhartt bibbies. Maybe he was the one. :lol: (Yes, he had a shirt on underneath!)

Anyway...they had NY Strip for $8.88/lb, so I nabbed a few. Noticed their $3.49/lb 80% burger was flying out the door and constantly being restocked.

Yeeks..salad makings are getting expensive - would pay for anybody to spade up a strip of grass and grow a row of spinach and romaine, along with maybe some cukes and green onions.

I found off-name dried pasta for 1.29/lb so grabbed a few lbs of rotini for cold salads. I don't use much of it, and not worth breaking into the LTS macaroni or spaghetti. If I go by that way again, I might pick up some more. In their weekly ad this week, the store is really promoting store brands again.

Noticed that the convenience baking stuff is stocked pretty thin, also packaged cheese, like shredded parm, mozzarella, cheddar.

Miracle Whip - sale price is up to 2 big (30 oz?) jars for $8.00. But...it's summer salad and soon BLT season, so....there ya go.
Oh...and no limits on anything.
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Grow your own lettuce. Get a gallon milk jar. Wash it out .Cut off the top rim. Fill with water and 1 tsp miracle grow. Place a net pot with some pillow stuffing in it in the top off the jug. put a seed down in the stuffing. Cover the outside of the jug with aluminum foil and set it in the sun.
One month later you can eat a big lettuce. I like to grow the Butter lettuce this way. Other mediums than the pillow stuffing will work.
 
Loretta Van Riet

Loretta Van Riet

Trying to hang out with the cool kids.
Lei said:
Grow your own lettuce. Get a gallon milk jar. Wash it out .Cut off the top rim. Fill with water and 1 tsp miracle grow. Place a net pot with some pillow stuffing in it in the top off the jug. put a seed down in the stuffing. Cover the outside of the jug with aluminum foil and set it in the sun.
One month later you can eat a big lettuce. I like to grow the Butter lettuce this way. Other mediums than the pillow stuffing will work.
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Like these??

and this lettuce?

 
G

Gold Dust

Veteran Member
PinkRoses said:
I forgot to get something yesterday that I need for the chicken & dumplings I'm making this weekend, so I made a quick trip to Walmart. I saw they had the Saturn peaches, which I love, so I grabbed a package which had 4 small ones in it. When I scanned it the price came up $4.88 - no thanks! The young man who removed it from my register said he didn't blame me.

Without them, my total purchase came to $6.66! :rofl:
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You should have bought gum.
 
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Slydersan

Veteran Member
anna43 said:
... Case with tubes of biscuits etc. were very scarce and condensed to a very small amount on part of one shelf...
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Just FYI - I've noticed in my area that a lot of times the Pillsbury tube type biscuits are out of stock, but over in the freezer aisle they have a package of 12 frozen biscuits - also by Pillsbury, and also sometimes by a smaller regional bakery. They look like little, white hockey pucks. You can take out as many as you want and bake them, instead of having to do the whole tube. They don't get as big as the "Grands", but they taste the same to me.
 
Millwright

Millwright

Knuckle Dragger
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Ducked in a smaller regional store yesterday to pick up some beef broth for the dog's food.

More expensive that wallyworld, which is normal.

BUT, it was worth a buck to avoid doing battle at WW.

Other than that, I just walked around the store looking at prices.


Customers must have though I was that crazy homeless guy. Was kinda skuzzy from welding all day.

I kept looking at things going, WOWWWWWWW.
 
greysage

greysage

On The Level
Topped off the vehicle from driving this week and hit the grocery store for small top-off.

Seems like the small trips are averaging around $80 for not much.

Of note: Was hoping to get raspberries, a week ago they were on-sale two-for-$5 (those little flats). Went there first thing today, $6.99 per little flat. Grabbed blueberries for $3.99 pint. As I'm checking my list an older couple walks up to the raspberries, and the woman exclaimed, 'You've gotta be kidding, that's ridiculous, way overpriced!' She wanted raspberries too.

Diet Pepsi six-pack 16oz up .60 to $3.99.

Never seen more sugar products in that place than today, there seemed to be cookies, cakes, cream filled things, on display throughout the store.

Saw an uptick in masks, or maybe it was because I went so early.
 
briches

briches

Veteran Member
Loretta Van Riet said:
Like these??

and this lettuce?

Click to expand...

I found this video on YouTube - looks easy.

View: https://youtu.be/NT1SJ38dQ6M
 
Mprepared

Mprepared

Veteran Member
Case of Fancy Feast was $17 went to $22 and was $22 last week and $24 this week. I went to a fruit/vegetable stand that is there every year and sells plants like tomato plants and flowers and a lot of fruit and vegetables. I went today and not any food. I asked and she said something about it being a late crop and next week going to get apricots, onions and potatoes. This place usually has huge cardboard containers full of apples and there was not 1 box of anything.
 
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moldy

Veteran Member
Local Safeway finally got their freezers fixed. the girls stocking were so excited! I was able to pick up sale items that the shelves were bare on yesterday (pasta sauce, coffee). I don't know if there was a delivery last night, or if they hold some in the back for the weekend, but the shelves and produce were better stocked than yesterday.
 
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Lei

Veteran Member
Went to local Health Food store where I have shopped for 20 years. I needed 6 different spices , they didn't have any of them.
The local grocery store wants $8 to $10 for a half gallon of ice cream that isn't really a half gallon anymore.
This was not high end ice cream either !
$7+ for 6 bagels . Cream cheese is $6.59 for 8 oz package. $3.29 for a can of refried beans. Most vegetables are $2.59 or more per can.
I'm going to Costco next week to see if prices are any better. Living in Hawaii has always been expensive but I rationalized because we don't need AC or heat .
 
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Terrwyn

Veteran Member
I placed an order at Vitacost for Marinara sauce, rotini, mustard, ketchup and 3 jars of spices. I just am not running into shortages and out of stock much on anything.
One store I do instacart at was out of Cilantro Salsa but that was no big deal. Somebody was talking about a mustard shortage but where? It's everywhere , every kind.
I'm in CA high desert in S. CA.
 
phloydius

phloydius

Veteran Member
Terrwyn said:
Somebody was talking about a mustard shortage but where? It's everywhere , every kind.
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I remember reading about the mustard shortage a few weeks ago if I recall correctly. It was not that there was a shortage of the condiment mustard on shelf, it was that there was a shortage of mustard seed in storage / harvest. The implication was that there will be a severe shortage of mustard on the shelf (and things made of mustard) later this year and most of next year.
 
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ReneeT

Veteran Member
Minimal meat in stock - large gaps in the cases at the Evil Empire. Chicken breast is available in small amounts fresh and frozen, quite a few bags of frozen wings. My small local grocery has beef and pork in stock as they get their sides directly from the locker plant and cut the meat themselves, but their stock of chicken is low and is mostly 5 pound bags of flash frozen chicken breast. I've purchased the 5# bags of chicken breast there in the past and canned them when they were $6 for a 5# bag; they now fluctuate between $10 and $11 per 5# bag.

Canned fruit and veggies are low in stock at WM - one flat on the shelf with no flats behind them. Small local store has some off brands for veggies; very few major labels. No canned fruit that wasn't from China. The did have frozen fruit, but it was pricey. Boys and I are going to run up to the local orchard today to see about peaches - the ones I got last year had issues with rotting before they were fully ripened, and when canned, the taste was insipid. I need to retire and plant more fruit trees.

Lots of other gaps on the shelves - only one box of packets of the various packaged pasta/rice type sides - Knorr's, etc... brands, and some types were out of stock. My local Dollar General has some gaps on their shelves, but they usually don't have more than a couple of types of the packaged sides.

Formula shelves were mostly empty - I've been keeping any eye out fora certain type for a cousin's grandson; haven't found any for at least a month, and likely two as the last time I saw her was when we did my taxes. They had two small cans (powder) of a type he can't use; $18 each.

I will pick up mustard when I take the grandsons home this evening - we don't use a lot of it, so will probably pick up four of the bigger squeeze bottles - that will take care of our needs for a while.
 
phloydius

phloydius

Veteran Member
Deanne said:
Since watching Boots on the Ground, thought I would check out the medicine section in GD. 2 boxes of Tylenol left, no Advil or any of the cheaper brands. I got what I could find.
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We do not take much of the OTC medications. I bought quite a bit back when getting ready for the pandemic (Dec 2019 - Jan 2020). Almost all of them are unopened. Maybe it is time for me to buy replacements & gift/donate the older ones.
 
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Terrwyn

Veteran Member
Deanne said:
Since watching Boots on the Ground, thought I would check out the medicine section in GD. 2 boxes of Tylenol left, no Advil or any of the cheaper brands. I got what I could find.
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This is another thing. I replenished my supply of Advil, Tylenol, Aspirin,Aspercream with Lidocaine etc online at Walmart. I mean I would love to give a doomer report but i am not running into the shortages everyone keeps talking about.
 
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summerthyme

Administrator
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SAPPHIRE said:
Don't toss older NSAID stock....most will last years past best buy date if stored in dark, cooler area..........keep 'em sealed and dry and they should be still okay......research it online if so inclined
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True. And actually, MOST OTC meds will keep for years (and still be safe and effective) past the "use by" date. Gel caps have a much shorter life... choose solid pills when possible, or dry capsules. But even stuff like cough syrup lasts... we seldom get sick (and medicate even less), so if we do need symptom relief, the stuff in the cabinet is often 5 years past date. NyQuil and Robitussin cough syrup both worked like new.

The only out of date stuff I ended up tossing when we moved were B complex and multivitamins. Anything older than 5 years had turned dark and smelled bad.

Summerthyme
 
psychgirl

psychgirl

Has No Life - Lives on TB
There were only three of those 1$ size bottles of white vinegar at Kroger today
Indiana
I’ve never seen that before!
No gallon size at all in any brand
 
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vessie

vessie

Has No Life - Lives on TB
ainitfunny said:
Found another TWO LOAVES of Thomas Cinnamon- raison bread from COSTCO.with
EXPIRATION DATE FEB 26 2022 SOFT, NO MOLD, OPENED- SMELLS FRESH, ATE TWO PIECES TASTED FRESH AND GOOD!

I THINK Cinnamon and raisons must have some anti bacterial or antifungal properties for BREAD TO LAST FOUR MONTHS!

It would be interesting to make HOME MADE BREAD AND ADD CINNAMON AND RAISONS TO IT, COOL,AND WRAP IT UP IN A ZIP LOCK BAG AND SEE IF IT GOES MOLDY IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS!
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If you get the chance to go by Fife, do try and check out the Costco Business Center.

You’ll be amazed at what they carry!

They cater to restaurants and businesses but any Costco member can buy there.

And many of the prices are lower than at the regular Costcos. V
 
L

Lei

Veteran Member
Loretta Van Riet said:
Like these??

and this lettuce?

Click to expand...
Yes . Exactly. This is a take off on what is called the kratky method . Lots of info online and YouTube.
 
rafter

rafter

Since 1999
Marseydoats said:
Find a local farm. I pay $10 for 50 pounds and they load them for me. Their oats are cleaner and fresher than anything that comes from the store.
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No one around here grows oats. Tractor Supply oats are clean and that is why I get them there. The local MFA oats are more dust than oats and I refuse to feed them.
 
Raggedyman

Raggedyman

Res ipsa loquitur
here in WNC over the last several trips into FUD LYIN I've noticed the chicken cooler was VERY sparsely populated . . . and its been that way for at least the past two weeks - varying days and times. also low - principally NON EXISTENT on some varieties of Johnsonville brats and sausage we like. Ingles has been somewhat sparse as well with the availability of split bone in chicken breast in particular and certain varieties of sausage we prefer

we were in SKAMS KLUB this friday after an appointment in ASSville - 10:45 AM meat cases were very low given previous excursions at similar times and day. produce was also light - completely out of flavor bomb tomatoes, sour cream and sweet sausage.
 
ainitfunny

ainitfunny

Saved, to glorify God.
vessie said:
If you get the chance to go by Fife, do try and check out the Costco Business Center.

You’ll be amazed at what they carry!

They cater to restaurants and businesses but any Costco member can buy there.

And many of the prices are lower than at the regular Costcos. V
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THANKS!
 
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WalknTrot

Veteran Member
Did a small Walmart pickup order this morning. (N Mn). Mostly fresh fruit and veg, baking supplies, some canned vegetables, refried beans and their 12 oz. canned chicken. Everything ordered was in stock.

Ugh..prices are definitely up. Thinking mostly of the canned chicken, (now 4 for 9.98) which used to be almost a wash cost-wise as to whether it was worth canning at home. Will have to redo the numbers if I want to continue with "convenience" shelf stable canned meat. If I can get bone-in chicken quarters for less than $1.00/lb. and fresh burger for ~ $3.50/lb. might make sense to start canning my own again. Probably well worth it to do pork or pork sausage...especially if I can find shoulder cheap.
 
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connie

Veteran Member
Not a shortages but I was in a Tom Thumb grocery in DFW area. They had mini pineapples and mini cantalopes.
Each could only have about 6 bites. Just shook our heads.
 
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parsonswife

Veteran Member
connie said:
Not a shortages but I was in a Tom Thumb grocery in DFW area. They had mini pineapples and mini cantalopes.
Each could only have about 6 bites. Just shook our heads.
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I'm noticing a lot of Mini's. Saw Acorn squash size of a softball. I went to my vendor jobs this week and audited the new Kind bars Gomacro v
Bars and cliff bars. All called "Thins" and Mini's.

I'm thinking the harvests and supply are stretched thin as its just shrinkflation being rebranded
 
rafter

rafter

Since 1999
I went to Aldi today and things have gotten worse. Much worse. Empty shelves where they have just put whatever on the shelf that they could find. Example was boxes of fans on the top shelf where the soup should be.

Lots of empty in frozen where meat would go and then there was this very large space where normally there is ice cream and other frozen food.

1656368646105.png

They did have a few more canned fruit. Fruit cocktail, apple sauce and canned pineapple. They also had white vinegar.

Other stop for today was Amish store where I got Braggs Vinegar and some organic apple cider vinegar. Only a quart of each. They had gallons but I couldn't afford it. Over $20 for a gallon. Also picked up some dehydrated mushrooms, more spices, double smoked thick sliced bacon for $6.50 a pound...and some smoked cheddar cheese.

There was a newbie prepper there trying to figure out his new life. He had a deer in the headlights look and was asking a lot of questions from the owner as far a shelf life. He has no idea what he was doing.
 
ExCop

ExCop

Veteran Member
Southwestern NH. Aldi. Small pkg boneless breast $4.99/lb only a few on the shelves. Thighs and drumsticks packed. Milk was strange they just dropped a pallet of gallons in the fridge and let everyone fend for themselves. Produce was pretty poor which is unusual. Everything else was average stock levels.

Been hearing about rodent damage to product coming in from warehouses but this was the first time I saw some at Aldi. Be aware when picking dry food packages. Saw damage in chips, cookie’s and tortillas
 
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