A few empty store shelves now in the UK

As we near the end of July 2021, I was surprised to see a news photo of empty grocery store shelves in the UK. Here is that link:

www.dw.com...

According to DW News, a pingdemic is when many people are notified via smartphone app that they have recently been near a person who later tested positive for COVID-19. That app makes a pinging noise when it has to inform that smartphone users of any such exposure. So people are stocking up for an unexpected 10-day isolation stay at home.

Have you noticed any items in 2021 that are now hard to find on store shelves?

Last year, I shared info here on ATS about any items that were then in generally short supply. This year, most supply chains in the USA have normalized, except perhaps for some lumber products. Regarding price changes, my family and I have started buying minimally processed foods, which have been very price-stable so far. This year, I started baking w/ different flours (rye, spelt, and seaweed breads, plus raisin bars as well).

a reply to: Uphill

. The government has moved to downplay the reported supply disruption.

Trying to prevent protests? i could see this problary playing out in some other western countries as well. The price of some food items had being rising.

Newspapers carried front pages of bare shelves as it emerged that as many as 600,000 British workers had been asked to self-isolate, according to official government data.

How many of those workers were vaccinated?

They have just brought in some new rules allowing certain workers including food production to not isolate.

This now is a complete farce

a reply to: UphillMy instinct told me to 'go stock up' about a month ago, so I did. Since then as one example, I do quite a bit of my food shop at a local and very large BP cum M&S shop. Twice now in as many weeks they have sold out completely of fuel. For such an automated system in the fuel tanks their deliveries should always get to them before they run out. On another couple of occasions their M&S stock did literally have loads of empty shelves and refrigerator goods.

I can't really pass comment on the large superstores as I've only visited them about 6 times in the last 16 months.

Rainbows
Jane

a reply to: Uphill

Black pepper for some reason has been hard to find and ridiculously expensive. Like $7 for a few hundred grams. The same size bag was like $2 back in 2019.

The price of organic potatoes literally doubled a couple of weeks ago. From $4.99 for a 5lb bag to $9.99.

Last time I went to the store, the sauce aisles seemed pretty empty, Like the hot sauces and mustards and stuff. There was a lot empty shelves in the juice section and the baking section as well. Though the baking section's been pretty lowly stocked throughout covid.

Meat prices have been pretty up there for a while now. Pork's almost the price beef used to be, beef's just gotten stupid. $30-35/kg for sirloin or even stewing beef. Actual good cuts of beef are closer to $50-$60/kg. Even bacon's almost doubled in price. The crappy water filled garbage bacon's now the same price the thick cut good bacon used to be.

All I know is, i used to be able to go into a store, spend $20 and get enough food to make dinner for me and my wife and have leftovers for either lunch or dinner the next day. Hell depending on what I got, $20 could make pasta or stew or something that would last a few days to a week.

Now, $20 buys some meat and a small block of cheese from the deli.

a reply to: Uphill

Not doubting that this ping stupidity hasn't caused problems but did you notice which aisle that photo was taken?
In the middle of one of the hottest weeks this year I'd expect a lot of people to buy bottled water and soft drinks.
For all we know there's a guy with a pallet roller behind the photographer waiting to restock.

I'm sure there are going to be some shortages here and there but in a stage managed media pandemic world we need to be a little more suspicious of the continuous scare stories.

a reply to: Jaaaaamazing

This whole thing has being a farce since it started. I knew since they announced the vaccinations the variants would show.
They are pushing it heavily for the vaccination passports. Hard.

originally posted by: angelchemuel
I do quite a bit of my food shop at a local and very large BP cum M&S shop.

I assume those are business names in England?

a reply to: Tulpa

I was in my local Morrisons yesterday and I have to say there was less selection than usual.

The thing is; there isn't actually a food shortage - yet.
These 'shortages' are due to the large number of people who are self-isolating - there is no-one to drive the lorries and vans and no-one to stack the bloody shelves.

600,000 people self-isolating - hardly any of them are ill or have tested positive and the majority of them have been fully vaccinated.

Stupidity of the highest degree.

If anyone was managing a private company as incompetently as Boris is running this country they would have been sacked a long time ago.
Yet Boris is untouchable and any criticism of his appalling handling of this pandemic is immediately brushed under the carpet.

I’m in supermarkets everyday working around the uk…..not seen any empty shelves, but the sandwich meal deal sections seem to be lower than usual…….

a reply to: burdman30ott6
Yes
BP British Petroleum garage.
M&S Marks and Spencer.

Rainbows
Jane

a reply to: Freeborn

I'm not disagreeing as we've already discussed that ping thing and it is undoubtedly ridiculous.
I caught a bit of news earlier and some industry spokesperson whose name i didn't catch was talking about alternative arrangements and drivers dumping the app.
He was quite upbeat , though did say some things may be in short supply and he was telling people not to panic buy. That usually makes people panic buy as we saw with loo roll.

originally posted by: angelchemuel
a reply to: burdman30ott6
Yes

BP British Petroleum garage.
M&S Marks and Spencer.

Rainbows
Jane

You must be rich!

a reply to: Freeborn

Speaking on what I've seen here in the US lately, there are absolutely shortages happenings... even with food, and it seems like a perfect hell storm is rapidly growing. I don't know how much of the UK's food is US sourced, but I assume you all do get at least some ingredients and produce out of the USA. This country's breadbaskets have been decimated with catastrophe after catastrophe over the past year. COVID is a part of that for sure, especially in the nation's trucking and shipping sectors... things aren't easily moved from field to market to tables these days. Beyond that we've seen some pretty nasty weather conditions this year. Texas' is one of the country's primary winter producers for multiple crops, citrus, nuts, etc and the deep freeze they saw in January created holes in the supply chain that are going to be with us for awhile. Add to that the 1,000 year drought the western US is seeing, plus fires and major heat waves, plus a ridiculous amount of rain and flooding in some of the heartland farming areas and the USA's domestic agricultural sector is just not going to be producing what it usually does this year.

Alongside this, I'm seeing not just shortages but a total absence of a lot of products. Bicycle parts, for example... it seems that 12 speed mountain bike chains are unavailable everywhere except on Ebay where scalpers are having a field day. Simple stuff like tubes, anything with a microchip, and even some degreasers aren't a "we're getting more supply next week" they're "We have no clue when we'll get them in again" when you talk to the shops.

originally posted by: HawkEyi
a reply to: Uphill

. The government has moved to downplay the reported supply disruption.

Trying to prevent protests? i could see this problary playing out in some other western countries as well. The price of some food items had being rising.

Newspapers carried front pages of bare shelves as it emerged that as many as 600,000 British workers had been asked to self-isolate, according to official government data.

How many of those workers were vaccinated?

If you ask me food shortages are one of the main reason for protests and riots. And in such a case for good reason for a change.

a reply to: Tulpa
Nope! Far from it. Lol!
I just have myself to take care of now. My Supermarket of choice is Aldi, that's where I do my 'stock shop'. I just top up and treat myself as M&S By the way, a lot of their stuff is no more expensive than a lot of other 'larger' stores I find.

Rainbows
Jane

a reply to: Tulpa

I'm not disagreeing as we've already discussed that ping thing and it is undoubtedly ridiculous.

I know mate.
I was just pointing out that there was less selection than usual - might be related, might not.

I caught a bit of news earlier and some industry spokesperson whose name i didn't catch was talking about alternative arrangements and drivers dumping the app.

I fail to see how a person's job should be a determining factor.
We can't start applying different sets of criteria to different people....that is a dangerous road to go down.

Surely delivery drivers pose a greater threat of spreading the virus than people working in many other roles and professions.

He was quite upbeat , though did say some things may be in short supply and he was telling people not to panic buy. That usually makes people panic buy as we saw with loo roll.

I read that beer might be one of the things in short supply!

a reply to: Uphill
Shelves are full. Even beer after the Euros is stocked completely. No shortages from this angle bar scollops which are there one day yet not the next

a reply to: Uphill

The remedy for this is to stop carrying a cell phone. I haven't carried one for over 10 years.

Groceries in my area keep going up in price, but no real shortages yet.

a reply to: burdman30ott6

Personally I've not noticed any significant shortages, certainly not for any notable lengths of time.

Previously we've had numerous brand options for the same product, that seems to be changing a bit - I think that was expected after Brexit....a small price to pay for us finally getting out of the EU.

I wouldn't be surprised if other members see it differently.

However, I think its possible, maybe even probable, that for various reasons, including the one's you mention, that major shortages are coming....and I dread to think what problems that could cause.