What I couldn't get this week shopping

StarSong said:
Didn't we all notice some out-of-stocks before February 2020, and shrug them off as annoyances rather than a larger pattern?
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Yes, I remember a couple of years ago that Aldi and Lidl were both out of canned green beans for weeks. I feed them to my dogs so I like to get the cheap generic ones that they sell. I had to buy the name brands at another store for awhile. I never knew why they were out. Same thing happened with canned black olives once, which we like to buy.
 

This week - quiet a few things, and what I could find seemed a lot more costly than on my last grocery trip. Tried the three stores to get oyster crackers. Seeing a lot of empty shelves - worse than when the pandemic started. Just for a few snacks, sandwich and salad fixin's - over $90! Last time I bought a bags of salad mix, they were 2 for $4, now they are $3.99 each. Dollar liters of seltzer are now $1.75. A box of 20 Bigelow tea bags went from $2.99 to $3.49.
 
Still no store brand oyster crackers to be had locally. The clerk in one store (Family Dollar) volunteered the info that there hasn't been ANY food on the delivery truck for the last 2 weeks. No turkey pastrami at the deli at the supermarket. They haven't had it in a while. There, the counter person said it had been discontinued. Guess I won't have to bother asking for it again. No size AA lithium batteries to be had anywhere.
 
debodun said:
Still no store brand oyster crackers to be had locally. The clerk in one store (Family Dollar) volunteered the info that there hasn't been ANY food on the delivery truck for the last 2 weeks. No turkey pastrami at the deli at the supermarket. They haven't had it in a while. There, the counter person said it had been discontinued. Guess I won't have to bother asking for it again. No size AA lithium batteries to be had anywhere.
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Deb, I know you're resistant to the idea of using a credit card and buying on line, but things like specialty batteries are much easier to find through the internet. Walmart.com, Target.com and Amazon.com generally offer free shipping for orders over $35.

Major credit cards offer an easy way to create "one-time only" numbers to make online purchases, meaning you wouldn't be using your actual card number when interacting with the stores' websites.

As for the turkey pastrami, you may have to drive beyond your small town to find it. Are there any big stores (like Walmart) within reasonable driving distance?

I feel your pain. It's a drag to not be able to find what you need/want.
 
StarSong said:
Deb, I know you're resistant to the idea of using a credit card and buying on line, but things like specialty batteries are much easier to find through the internet. Walmart.com, Target.com and Amazon.com generally offer free shipping for orders over $35.

Major credit cards offer an easy way to create "one-time only" numbers to make online purchases, meaning you wouldn't be using your actual card number when interacting with the stores' websites.

As for the turkey pastrami, you may have to drive beyond your small town to find it. Are there any big stores (like Walmart) within reasonable driving distance?

I feel your pain. It's a drag to not be able to find what you need/want.
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I agree and I think it’s because Deb mainly shops in her small town. We have no shortages here.
 
My meltdown in Job Lots.

First off, it was crowded for a weekday morning. Long lines at every register and people in catatonic trances blocking every aisle. Couldn't find half the items I went for. Asking floor clerks just netted bemused stares or a statement of, "If it's not on the shelf, we don't have it." When I finally got to the checkout, the clerk scanned my courtesy card, the proceeded to ask me to fill out an electronic form where I had to provide my email address and phone number. I protested saying that I had provided that information when I applied for the courtesy card. She said that they had to update info on customers. After a little back and forth about it, she bypassed the electronic form.

After scanning a few items, she picked up a bag of egg noodles and the bag split. I told her to forget it, but she called over another clerk and told him to get a replacement. Meanwhile the line behind me kept growing. Then another item wouldn't scan - it didn't have a bar code. Another clerk was summoned, and after some wait, she returned and said that was the only item in the store that didn't have a bar code and they didn't know what the price was. I told the check-out clerk to forget it.

Then I had a pair of sneakers where the shelf tag said $9.99, but when they were scanned the price was $25. I told her to forget the shoes. Now the line behind me was about 10 people.

I finally had enough and spoke out emphatically, "I have NEVER had so much trouble at a Job Lots before! First it's sign this, fill out that. Your merchandise doesn't scan correctly or has compromise packaging!" I regretted it - it wasn't the poor check out lady's fault, but I had had my fill of frustration.
 
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debodun said:
I regretted it - it wasn't the poor check out lady's fault, but I had had my fill of frustration.
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Your frustrations were understandable. If I catch myself being grumpy, I apologize and tell the clerk that it’s not their fault. I wish they could pass on the customers opinions of the illogical decisions made by management or head office.

I sure do appreciate a single line for all tills.
 
debodun said:
My meltdown in Job Lots.

First off, it was crowded for a weekday morning. Long lines at every register and people in catatonic trances blocking every aisle. Couldn't find half the items I went for. Asking floor clerks just netted bemused stares or a statement of, "If it's not on the shelf, we don't have it." When I finally got to the checkout, the clerk scanned my courtesy card, the proceeded to ask me to fill out an electronic form where I had to provide my email address and phone number. I protested saying that I had provided that information when I applied for the courtesy card. She said that they had to update info on customers. After a little back and forth about it, she bypassed the electronic form.

After scanning a few items, she picked up a bag of egg noodles and the bag split. I told her to forget it, but she called over another clerk and told him to get a replacement. Meanwhile the line behind me kept growing. Then another item wouldn't scan - it didn't have a bar code. Another clerk was summoned, and after some wait, she returned and said that was the only item in the store that didn't have a bar code and they didn't know what the price was. I told the check-out clerk to forget it.

Then I had a pair of sneakers where the shelf tag said $9.99, but when they were scanned the price was $25. I told het to forget the shoes. Now the line behind me was about 10 people.

I finally had enough and spoke out emphatically, "I have NEVER had so much trouble at a Job Lots before! First it's sign this, fill out that. Your merchandise doesn't scan correctly or has compromise packaging!" I regretted it - it wasn't the poor check out lady's fault, but I had had my fill of frustration.
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I had similar problems at the local Tops Friendly Market this morning.🙁

Before 8:00am they don’t have a regular cashier on duty so you are forced to use the self checkout. This morning nothing scanned properly. Before I finished checking out I had three employees helping me.

Some days you’re the pigeon and some days you’re the statue.😊
 
The multivitamin racks are really empty. Kirkland seems to have quit carrying the ones I just learned to like.

The makeup department at WM hasn’t the SPF moisturizer that I‘ve wanted for two weeks. Looked at the other products and the shelves are almost bare there too. The clerk said they’re changing suppliers because the other wasn’t doing a good job. Neither is this one.
 
some of our stores look like this ...

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https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...-2-000-HGV-drivers-Royal-Logistics-Corps.html
 
Must be tough living where food shopping is limited. I can walk to Albertsons, Smith's & Walmart Neighborhood markets. All 3 fully stocked. Then with a short drive Large stores catering to the spanish population Marketon, Cardenas & La Bonita all fully stocked. A little longer drive but for speciality Laos Asia Market, India Market.

Having fresh fruits & vegetables available year round & make it from scratch no junk food menu variety was part of our retirement plan. Last year during the panic it was a little tough but doable since we have a selection to chose from.
 
What a heck of a mess. Short a 100,000 drivers! I gather most of this is because of the number of people that have to isolate because of their phones alerting (pinging) when they were near someone who tested positive. Or is it an excuse for ‘work to rule’.

There must be 100s of thousand of other occupations with the same problem?

@horseless carriage, isn’t logistics your specialty? Any opinions on this?
 
Jules said:
@horseless carriage, isn’t logistics your specialty? Any opinions on this?
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To obtain a licence to drive an articulated truck a candidate must first take, and pass, a driving test on a rigid heavy goods truck. The cost of that is about £3000. That's assuming that the candidate passes the test at the first attempt. It will cost another three to three and a half thousand in order to obtain the licence to drive articulated trucks, again, assuming a first time pass.

It's a lot of money for someone to find, many simply cannot, so as the older drivers reach retirement you have the perfect storm. Many blame Brexit, the loss of foreign drivers and any other reason, but the blame lays squarely with employers not paying a living wage. My brother and I employed about forty drivers until we retired and sold our business ten years ago. We paid a good salary and gave them five weeks annual leave instead of the statuary four. We never experienced a driver shortage.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-58006669
 
Jules said:
What a heck of a mess. Short a 100,000 drivers! I gather most of this is because of the number of people that have to isolate because of their phones alerting (pinging) when they were near someone who tested positive. Or is it an excuse for ‘work to rule’.

There must be 100s of thousand of other occupations with the same problem?

@horseless carriage, isn’t logistics your specialty? Any opinions on this?
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'pingdemic' they are calling it....
 

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