What are you seeing at the grocery?

[Kilgore]

Was in the Winco in Longview WA to do the weekly shopping. Here is what I saw to kick it off.

No meat shortages of any kind. Stocked up on pork baby backs.
No produce shortages. The leeks were gorgeous, going to make leek soup
Flour was in stock but shelves were not full.
Lots of beans and rice available.
Full stocks of milk, butter, eggs.
No shortage of TP or bottled water.

Looks like things are back to normal here from a grocery perspective. Was interesting to see hardly anyone with a mask except employees.

Only big deal shortage was my favorite gin was out of stock!

What are you seeing?

[mokawanis]

1. The only items I have trouble finding

in the small town I live in, are yeast and flour. Everything else is well-stocked, except meat. I can always get it but there's less to choose from lately.

[Kilgore]

5. Tip on yeast

Forget the grocery if you have a restaurant supply near by. They sell it in pound bags and bricks. They had then in stock even when the grocery was out. We break them up into baby food jars and toss into the freezer.

[hunter]

54. Our supermarket is selling yeast at their in-store bakery.

They are packaging and labeling it themselves from their own bulk supply.

[Freddie]

57. Don't try to buy yeast on Amazon

There’s serious price gouging from outside sellers. Plus you can’t tell how close to the expiration date.

[NameAlreadyTaken]

60. Costco Business - $4.29 for 1 pound of yeast

And nationwide delivery. Saf-Instant brand yeast.

[kairos12]

2. Virus huggers with no masks and creeping up too close. That's what I see.

[33taw]

3. They were out of my Mom's cinnamon graham crackers.

[True Blue American]

11. I have an extra box!

[33taw]

64. I'll keep checking, maybe I'll find some.

[True Blue American]

65. They will show up

Somewhere!
I often make fun of myself for having a well stocked pantry of things on sale, but this was one time I went for 2 months without entering a store.

Now I make a definite list, in and out as quickly as possible.

[bigtree]

4. store where I work (Md.) just put up rationing signs throughout the store this week; bread, meats,

Last edited Sun May 17, 2020, 12:43 PM - Edit history (1)

...pasta, canned w/same. Two per customer.

Real shortages on most essentials. Other foodstuffs, and items trickling back.

I'm a night stocker, and my associates and I are still under siege, btw. Also, recognize that in-stock conditions might be right after an order, and not available to most shoppers later in the day.

[CTyankee]

6. hubby and I are not out. We are old.

I am eating a chocolate pie with whipped cream at 10 am and having my last cup of coffee for the morning.

[Kilgore]

8. Oh my!

I think I know what's for breakfast!

[CTyankee]

9. No, I snarfed a toasted ww bagel with veggie cream cheese and coffee at 8 am already.

I try not to be, but am, an eating machine...

[True Blue American]

10. I just had a bacon sandwich.:)

My meat for the day. Hmmm? Chocolate Pie? I have all the makings.

[CTyankee]

13. hubby scoffs at my pie. he prefers his blueberry. I say that's settling for less. We disagree.

[True Blue American]

19. Oh, I am with the chocolate!

Received a box of local expensive creams for Mothers Day. My limit,2 per day.

Peanut Butter pie with a drizzle of chocolate!

[CTyankee]

21. Od, yes, to the peanut butter pie! I wish I had some for this afternoon after my nap.

today's NYT puzzlie is SO taxing...

[True Blue American]

25. Well, I gave up

On The Hoarders. Listening to Tim Ryan lay out Republicans.

[Kilgore]

28. I'm with you

Making one now!
It's all your fault!

[mercuryblues]

34. Godiva has an instant dark chocolate pudding mix out

Put that in a Oreo premade cookie crust- divine.

[True Blue American]

35. Now, I have to have it!:)

[mercuryblues]

37. yes, you do.

You really do.

[True Blue American]

40. So far no weight gain but I do miss the pool.

A few more of these posts and I may.

[CTyankee]

50. whipped cream on top!

I put whipped cream in my coffee, too. That's good!

[Kilgore]

68. Really?

I'm in. It's on the list for next week's grocery run.

[CrispyQ]

56. LOL-great minds.

I had a chocolate pudding cake parfait for breakfast. Real cake, real pudding, layered in a parfait glass with Redi-whip on top. A few months ago I tried one of those pudding-cake-in-a-pan recipes and retch! The cake is bad. The pudding is bad. A dessert this good deserves to be made properly!

I used this Depression Cake recipe since I don't eat eggs. I cut the sugar to 2/3 cup and used one cup of strong coffee instead of plain water, and wow! It was delicious!

https://www.budgetbytes.com/chocolate-depression-cake/



on edit: I just saw the post about the Godiva instant choco pudding. Oh my! I was going to wait until my birthday to make this again, but if I find that pudding, I may not be able to wait.

[lpbk2713]

7. A lot of new employees.

The store must have a high turn over. And some of the regular
employees might be taking two weeks off for isolation time.

[SheltieLover]

12. I was at Aldi

About 1 week ago. Happy to say nearly everyone was wearing a mask.

There was no pork, just a few packages of burger, with a limit of 2, no chicken.

About the same as Krogers the week before, except Kroger had paper goods. $18 for 6 rolls of paper towels. They were fully stocked with toilet paper, but I didn't see a price. About 40% of employees wearing masks. Most wearing them like necklaces. Most customers had masks & wore them correctly. Kroger has almost zero meat of any kind, but this is a small store which was never well stocked, pre-covid. They always had meat, though.

Lady at Aldi said they are no longer getting the large packs of toilet paper & do not expect to ever see them again.

I normally buy in bulk, so a case of tuna (48 cans) was no problem, but chicken noodle soup was limited to 4 cans. I didn't realize, so lady took the other8 cans in case to restock.

No produce shortage.

Stopped at Dollar General for toilet paper. Not one roll. This is a store that pre-covid was literally stocked to the ceiling across the entire back wall. Where is all that paper going?

Now, if/when they have any, it is right upfront in a very small section.

Oh, this was in Memphis suburbs.

[True Blue American]

20. Have a Kroger?

I do the same ,have 2, in case someone else needs them. Actually on sale.

[GoCubsGo]

47. Aldi doesn't always keep things where you normally find them.

When I went there on Tuesday, they had 12-roll packs of toilet paper on a palette between wall freezer and meat cases, rather than in the household aisle, They have been pretty well-stocked in just about everything else, for the most part. They also haven't really jacked up their prices yet.

My local Kroger has been out of, or very low on a lot of the dried staples, meat, and higher quality paper goods. They had plenty of store brand TP. Very limited quantities of a few others.

[LisaL]

81. What do they think necklace mask is going to do?

[Victor_c3]

14. pasta sauce issues at mine

The only varieties they seem to have at my neighborhood grocery store is all the ones with mushrooms in them.

I absolutely hate mushrooms. If mushrooms didn’t taste like mushrooms, then they might be alright to eat.

[womanofthehills]

15. In NM masks must be worn in public places

Went into Natural Grocers - 10 people all with masks standing 6 ft apart outside while a staff member at entrance wearing a mask and sanitizing carts lets you in when someone leaves. Everyone masked and store-well stocked. Very small number of people allowed in store. Only item I cannot find anywhere is organic flour. I am so glad I live in a blue state

[tavernier]

43. Amen.

Same protocol here in the Keys regarding masks and distancing. Wipes are provided for carts. No one bitches or throws a tantrum.

[hunter]

58. Same here in California.

They won't let you in without a mask and I haven't seen anyone protesting. They are also limiting the number of people inside the store. I haven't experienced any long lines outside.

Shortages of some products seem almost random. There's toilet paper on the shelves again but you might not find your favorite brand and shoppers are limited to one item, be it a single roll or a mega-pack.

[CBHagman]

16. Not normal yet at my regular grocery store in the D.C. suburbs.

Frozen food shelves, especially those for frozen vegetables and fruits, are picked over or sometimes close to bare.

The pasta aisle is a work in progress. For weeks it's been mostly bare, but I saw a bit more stock last night (not a lot, mind you).

The baking goods aisle looked as though it was recovering. For some time there has been no baking soda aside from higher-priced organic baking soda, but as of yesterday some regular stock (house brand, plus Arm & Hammer) was there.

Paper products are another matter. At this point you have to be there when there are tissues in stock, and you have to ask clerks for things such as paper towels and toilet paper.

And other departments can look picked over or understocked: toothpaste, women's sanitary products, eggs.

But the dairy section is always fine. Always.

[Brainfodder]

17. Probably couldn't pay me enough to go actually out to a store until 2022, at the moment?

No health insurance.... and no chance of getting any time soon, that will be keeping some of us away.

Unless you can prove to me, that I will not be out 50-100 grand if I need "the treatment"?

Bye people, some of you really suck, some of you are alright, I guess.

[True Blue American]

22. Vote Democratic!

I am a Senior, very careful when I go to the store,list, in and out,mask sanitize everything, including groceries and bags.

[Brainfodder]

23. 35 year democrat here, not a problem!

[True Blue American]

26. I was kidding.

Everyone seems to be trying humor this morning to relieve the anger we really fee.

[Srkdqltr]

18. Paper towels at Kroger were gone yesterday

The gal who brought our order stopped at the Dollar store and got me some. Instacart folks are great

[beaglelover]

24. Pretty much back to normal here in the SFV region of L.A.

A few of the things that can be tricky are paper towels, disinfectant wipes. I was pleasantly surprised that the Dial hand soap with anti bacterial ingredients was back in stock this past Thursday.

[FarPoint]

26. Employee are not wearing the mask appropriately...

Most all masks are like...under their chins....useless essentially....Not seeing employees using hand sanitizer between customers...wearing gloves that are not being changed...all failures with mitigation of COVID-19.

[KentuckyWoman]

29. Kroger north of Cincinnati

Senior hour - 80% plus in masks. and the younger crowd generally is staying away that hour in respect.
Afternoons - under 50% in masks.

Employees all seem to have masks but most of them are wearing around their neck or nose out or some such.

We have A LOT of independent living senior communities out this way.

Meat is hit and miss - last week they still had a max 2 packs.
Paper goods are getting better but it's mostly the Kroger brand. I suspect that is deliberate.

can goods, freezer case, cereal aisles still have considerable holes, but it is getting better. I think the stock is coming but not at the level needed to get out ahead of buying. someone posted on "Nextdoor" they had a full shelf of cheerios and 20 min later someone else posted it is all gone.

[True Blue American]

36. My kids

Shop in Lebanon. No chicken, had to buy it from my store, north of Dayton.

[jimfields33]

30. Only shortage of toilet paper

They have not had any since lock down. Kinda strange. I was able to get some off amazon but this store still has none.

[Bayard]

31. Quick cooking brown rice

No where to be found anywhere.

Two groceries in our little KY town. The one I usually go to only has about half the customers in masks, but cashiers have them, and the plexiglass shield. Only allowed two packages of chicken.

The other one I was at yesterday, has unlimited chicken. There was only one customer in the entire store not wearing a mask. All cashiers had them, and the shield at the register.

Both stores had the 6 foot tape on the floor to check out.

[sinkingfeeling]

33. That's funny. The only rice in my store is quick cooking brown in

the cups and boxes.

[GriffenRamsey]

32. I live in a NE African American neighborhood.

It is solidly lower-middle class. Mostly single family homes.

If I go to Marc's, they have most things, but some things remain in short supply. Paper products, and wipes, alcohol, PPE, Lactaid milk, some brands of hot dogs, beef, chicken wings are scarce and expensive, there are no whole birds. Beef has doubled in price for common cuts and hamburger. The premium grade of ground beef is gone. All raman, most noodles are gone. Flour and yeast are still scarce there.

Some of the other stores are only partially restocked. The CVS nearest us is distressingly empty. Coolers are half-full. A series of signs at the entrance list what they don't have including wipes, sanitizer, alcohol, o2 meters, vitamin D, PPE are all gone. Coke is well-stocked, though no diet coke.

I drove 2 miles to the wealthy and white neighborhood near our premium mall. It has Neiman Marcus, Saks 5th Avenue, a Lego Store, etc. There is a Giant Eagle nearby. They have everything. Limits on PPE, wipes and Alcohol, good diversity of meats. Prices were noticeably lower on ground beef. Leaner cuts were available. Everything was stocked.

I also stopped at a gas station that had TP and paper towels.

[True Blue American]

38. Marc's?

That is a local, just opened here last year. They pride themselves on being local

[GriffenRamsey]

45. We have several of them.

Their aisles are too effin' narrow, especially now.

[tavernier]

39. Masks REQUIRED in all stores that are open.

[Meadowoak]

41. Central KY, hamburger costs $18 for a 2lb pkg at save a lot.

[Dawgman49]

42. full trumpets in SC

when i go to publix, feel like I'm in the video game frogger....having to dodge people with no masks...backing off from people in my space..i get in & out quickly as possible...winning

[GoCubsGo]

51. Yeah, and it's been that way all along.

A couple of weeks ago, the local Kroger was up to about 80% or so with masks. But, since Gov. McMoron started opening stuff back up, more people back to going without them. Haven't been to Publix lately, but I doubt it's any better. I try getting in and out as soon as possible, but they don't make it easy. I have to double back to get down aisles that were clogged up with shelf stockers and germ-spreaders. I think I'm just going to take my chances with the free curbside pickup for the time being.

[MuseRider]

44. A few shortages a couple of weeks ago

but we got most of what we needed doing the curbside. I had to run in after forgetting a couple of things I needed and I would guess about 60% were wearing masks, some gloves and the entire staff that I saw were doing both and helping to keep social distancing in the lines. There were no bullies but I did notice that those not wearing protection were also not helpful at keeping their distance.

A couple of days ago, hardly any masks and no gloves. 20% maybe were wearing masks. One little move toward opening up and they just gave up all memory of what was needed to keep things safer.

I have no hope for humanity and am going to wait it out with my mask.

[CrispyQ]

62. Ditto.

Many more masks and more respect for social distancing a few weeks ago. It's much more lax now, as if "The worst is over. We're on our way back to normal."

I predict a nasty second wave by July 4 and probably a third or even fourth one by November.

[MuseRider]

75. I have to add to this.........

my husband went back for a couple of things and he went inside. He told me that he never saw a single person without a mask on. Same store and it was busy. You just never know. I think there are a lot of people who tried to be the big, brave, independent souls and did not wear a mask but now that the state is loosening up they got a little scared of more people being without masks and masked up themselves. Maybe, who knows. Funny change though.

[spinbaby]

46. Haven't been there in weeks

I’ve been getting everything with curbside pickup, mostly Walmart. I don’t often say nice things about Walmart and don’t usually shop there, but their curbside rocks—much better than the local grocery chain or Instacart. Western PA.

[EllieBC]

48. At grocery stores near me in BC

Shortages of yeast still. Limits on eggs, dairy, canned goods, pasta, and meats. Meat prices are crazy high.

As for masks not many worn by shoppers or employees which is a big change from a week ago.

[ProfessorGAC]

49. Aside From Sanitizing Cleaners & Wipes...

..nothing notable here. The % of masks is VERY high, surprisingly.
I went to a garden center at Lowe's yesterday.
Lot's (!) of customers but in the checkout lines, people were staying 6 feet or more apart.
I saw 2 guys without a mask. They stood out like a muddy elephant in the snow!
There were probably 60 folks there, and it was outdoors, yet 96.67% of the people were behaving properly.
Much better than I expected.

[CrispyQ]

52. Tofu is finally back in stock.

In my 30+ years of being vegetarian I've never seen tofu out of stock, much less for four weeks.

TP is available, but in limited quantities and brands. Same with facial tissue and paper towels.

Clorox, disinfectant wipes, rubbing alcohol, and peroxide all out of stock. They get random deliveries, but you have to be there or it's gone in minutes.

Dry beans, rice, and oatmeal are hit or miss.

Flour and yeast are back in stock.

Fewer and fewer people wearing masks anywhere, and also a fair number not respecting the six foot rule. I will continue to use the shopping service so I only have to deal with one employee out in the parking lot.

[leftyladyfrommo]

53. Higher prices on everything. nt

[Freddie]

55. Went to Giant on Friday (Philly burbs)

Not bad. No yeast or distilled water. No “regular” rice, just the flavored mixes. Had TP but only 4-packs of brands I never heard of (no Giant brand). I hope this isn’t the next shortage but the dishwashing liquid was picked clean, I got the last 2 bottles of Ajax.
The service deli is closed, most likely because it’s impossible for the workers to stay 6 feet apart in the tight quarters. They had a good selection of pre-cut and packaged meats, cheeses and salads.
The meat selection was good. Limit 2 packs of ground beef. Wonder if the meat shortage just hasn’t hit this area yet. Plenty of produce and dairy.
Everyone was wearing a mask and the employees enforced separation while waiting for a checkout to open up. I think they are doing a very good job keeping things safe.

[NameAlreadyTaken]

59. Winco Foods is an awesome store.

Low prices, the same quality as eveyone else, bulk items and it's employee-owned. We wish we lived closer to one.

[Kilgore]

72. Did a comparison between them ans Wal-Mart during the peak crazy

Winco always had more stock, more often, and at better prices than Wal-Mart.

Winco rocks!

[MissB]

76. They pretty much closed their bulk bins until recently.

They reopened the bins where you pull down and release product. If you have to scoop it, they’ll have some pre-bagged. Not everything is in stock, but it’s still a great place to save some $.

[NameAlreadyTaken]

79. Thanks

[Turbineguy]

61. Safeway, Mill Creek WA. Hand sanitizer is back.

small bottle $3.93.

Everything seems to be in plentiful supply. Most customers and all employees wearing masks. One-way markers on the floor to direct traffic in the isles.

I often make small talk with the manager (we recognize each other in spite of the masks). He's selling a lot of groceries. Pretty good prices on some wines. Usual number of items on "club discount".

[yonder]

63. I am NOT seeing the gin that's allowed in your store.

But then, I never do.

We went yesterday and found most everything, including disinfectant wipes. No sanitizer and a few others.

With all this reopening it'll be interesting to see if we are forced back to square one in a couple of weeks. I believe I know the answer to that.

[raccoon]

66. Still difficult to find toilet paper. Impossible to find rubbing alcohol,

Hydrogen peroxide, and masks.

[SeattleVet]

67. Went to Costco Business Center in Lynnwood, WA last week.

Masks required, no line at all to get in. Well-stocked with pretty much everything. Had a table by the entrance where you could get a wipe for the cart. Huge pallet of hand sanitizer in 2-liter bottles, so we picked up one to refill our smaller containers at home. Plenty of meat, with a 1-case or 3-prepackaged item limit on some things. We got plenty of fruit, 25-lb bag of brown rice (not our usual brand, but still a good one), coffee (sale price on French Roast beans!), veggies, etc. My wife likes cottage cheese, so she now has a 5-lb container to enjoy. Our freezer is restocked with enough for a long time.

The Costco Business centers are different than the usual Costco stores - there are only 16 or 17 of them scattered around the country, and they don't have the usual consumer products (electronics, jewelry, optical, etc.) but do have things that restaurants and other businesses use. This is where you could get the primal cuts of meat (the ones that you would cut the steaks off of, for example), other bulk-pack foodstuffs, utensils and cookware (need a 10-gallon stock pot? a 5-pack of aprons? ), and commercial appliances and fixtures. If you have a way to divide and freeze or vacuum pack things these can be a good money-saver. This is where you'll run into your local restaurant chefs and convenience store owners stocking up for the week.

Open to all members, and they open much earlier in the morning and are not open as late as the consumer stores. Ours opens at 7:00 AM, closes at 6, and is closed on Sunday. Worth a trip if you have one near you.

[Kilgore]

70. Thanks for that tip.

We probably have one near Portland.
Usually visit Cash & Carry for that stuff, but I'm sure Costco is much better

[MissB]

73. I think we used to have one out HWY 26

But it looks like the closest one to Portland is in Washington.

[SeattleVet]

74. Sorry, but there are none at all in Oregon.

There are two in Washington (Lynnwood & Fife) and the next one headed south is in Hayward, CA (Bay area).

[Kilgore]

83. Ya, saw that

Will stop by on my next trip to Tacoma.

[niyad]

69. Did a quick trip through my King Sooper's yesterday. Everyone I saw was masked.

My KS (Kroger) has had purchase limits in place on essential items for almost two months


Plenty of pet food.
Well-stocked pasta, pasta sauces.
Lots of canned soups, almost out of ramen (empty boxes indicate they had been in stock).
Almost no flour/yeast
Decent amount of canned vegetables, tomatoes, tuna.
Decent amount of dairy
Well-stocked snack items
Did not check meat or paper goods
Could not speak to the rest, just hit a few sections.

[Skittles]

71. rising prices

that's what

[Coventina]

77. Still no TP, hand sanitizer, wipes, or baking soda this morning.

A little bit of Kleenex, not much.

No paper towels.


I don't eat meat, so I have no idea how the meat supply is.

[Meowmee]

78. I have been recovering from covid pneumonia 5 weeks now

I stopped shopping etc before that. I had a delivery today from peapod. Nothing missing. Meat is limited to two packs, and so are some other things everywhere here. I finally got regular paper towel. That is always out here now. I usually get that at bjs or costco, it is cheaper and in bulk. We use a lot. I have ordered the folded paper towels now too online. I forgot to add disinfectant wipes. I had bought a lot at bjs but we will run out at some point. There are none anywhere but I keep trying. Maybe they have them in person and they run out. I will not be shopping in person for quite a while.

I have managed to get a lot of things we need online - non perishable etc. I went directly to the source for some items and ordered in bulk for free shipping. I got 2000 alcohol prep wipes for $25 at amazon. I cant find them anywhere now. I think it is cheaper than my usual so I may continue that.

[LisaL]

80. Nothing, as I have been having everything delivered, including groceries.

[RobinA]

82. SE PA Here

Some sites are better than others. Slim pickings on TP, pasta, pasta sauce, dry beans, Canned beans, flour, sugar, yeast, dishwashing liquid, laundry detergent. Nonexistent - cleaner w/bleach, wipes, alcohol. I did manage to score two good sized bottles of hand sanitizer, which is a first.

[Generic Brad]

84. The exterior

I am avoiding stores.

[marlakay]

85. Trader Joe's today

Full measures only so many in store, most wearing masks few not but all employees are.

Not out of anything, tp, paper towels but I buy that at Costco which has had in also.

I did have to wait in line for 30 min. Most people just looking at their phones.

Went to Costco for gas today store parking lot about 3/4 full much better than last week when they started rule customers must wear masks I am in conservative town lots got mad. Last time I went only a 1/4 of parking lot full.

[Demovictory9]

86. TP and paper towels now always available but that aisle still mostly empty

alcohol now in stock but "limit one" still posted

[Ilsa]

87. I'm seeing buying limits on most meats,

Paper goods, cleaning products, alcohol, etc. The meat shelves look thinned out.

[JesterCS]

88. Idiots

Masks not covering nose, or completely under their chin not covering face until someone gets close,. Parents with babies not masked, social distancing not being followed. This is Kroger in Monroe, OH