Am I being paranoid

Today I went to two different grocery stores in my area.
And much to my surprise they had some seriously bare shelves. Certain fruits were non existent in the store(not talking bananas only)
One had several entirely bare isles. Am I seeing a beginning of a possible food crunch? In my area only? or is it in this country.

How bad is the oil crisis getting ,really? We hear stuff from a distance,our bills get bigger..but so far we haven't seen the material signs,like food shortages or long gas lines.. Sure we don't have long lines at gas stations and fights breaking out like in the 70's..but you can see extra security ramping up at some gas stations..

But how long until it all starts to fall apart ?
I don't expect the MSM to be honest and I certainly don't expect this government to tell us anything..or business..How soon does the shit hit the fan?

This summer? this fall? Winter?
How much time do we got?
How many stores restaurants and shops will be forced to close because they can't afford to run?
What will the confused and oblivious people do when denial can no longer hold back the truth of what is happening to us?
I dread the coming days..

Anyone else see bare shelves or isles in supermarkets yet?

The prices have certainly gotten higher. I have noticed the selection has seemed somewhat sparser lately though.

Sometimes the shelves are more bare than usual because they haven't been stocked yet. Most people do their grocery shopping on Friday or saturday, and the deliveries, for the most part, are on weekdays. And it being late spring, there's lots of backyard barbecuing going on.

A few weeks ago, I went to the supermarket (Jewel, here in Chicago), and they had five heads of iceberg lettuce. Two days later, iceberg was abundant. That's why, if you go to a supermarket late at night, you'll find lotsa people working hard to stock those shelves.

When I worked as a janitor in a supermarket in New Orleans, I was always surprised about how things opertated behind the scenes. Instead of getting paranoid, why didn't you just ask someone who actually worked there about the bare shelves?

- Greens, fruits and veggies delivered by a local grower each week.

- Locker meat from a local ranch.

I go in for bulk grains every now and then. it's about $100/mo to feed my family of 3.


I wouldn't doubt it if transportation costs are killing produce sales, since most of it comes from far, far, away. Even if you live in Cali. Grocery margins are so tight, it's probably not worth it for them to stock quite a few fresh items, and their big corporate structure renders them little flexibility in who individual stores can buy from.

the shortage of bananas is a bit puzzling, though.

One thing I do know, is that local businesses in my town are suffering badly. Meanwhile, Wal-Mart is expanding like mad.

Interestingly enough, though, I noticed that for some time the tuna shelves were sparse. After the bird flu scare. Nothing else in our stores (I'm in Chapel Hill, NC) seems to be affected.


:pals:

I'll share with ya.

...shop at the farmer's market for fresh foods because that's a local source. Don't sweat it. I was at Costco today and they were well stocked with everything (everything in the universe it sometimes seems).

If you just keep in mind the usual rules about rotating the two weeks of supplies that you keep for natural disasters you should be fine.

I lived in Hawaii from 1957 to 1979, and every time there was a West Coast dock strike that went on long enough, we started to run out of things. One year the local rock station had a contest to win a case of toilet paper because people worried about shortages had created one by stripping the shelves. :eyes:

My biggest concern today is that the "just in time" supply lines have eliminated storage warehouses altogether. That leaves us more vulnerable to the inevitable screwup that will come along some fine day.

Don't panic. Prepare.

Hekate

I was thinking this might have been inserted into newspapers across the U.S. as it was in mine IIRC-WA State Response to Flu Pandemic. I threw mine out so I don't have the exact wording but it did say to stock up on food supplies and water. This might be what you are seeing. Did you get a newspaper this past week with a state response flyer in it? Or receive one in the mail?

Edit to add link. The actual flyer link is PDF but this is the way to get to it. Do a search of your state and see if one was issued. I believe Oregon had one too.

http://www.doh.wa.gov/panflu/family_brochure.htm

You can view it in a single page format. Page 2 describes what you should do-
Stock up on food (non perisible) 1 weeks' worth per person etc.

It maybe because of bird migration from Asia that they released this document here in WA. I haven't been to the food stores since I received it, so I don't know the local affect.

Social security, disability, plus paydays for those who get paid: monthly, 1st/15th and every other week. Phew-hope that makes sense! I think LOTS of people were out stocking up-I know my family and I did because it was payday for us.

However, that doesn't mean I'm not wearing a :tinfoilhat: because I am worried about what the coming days, weeks and months may bring. Between the bad economy and the uncertaintly of Iran plus the crazies in D.C...it's enough to make anyone freak out! :scared:

The MSM does not have to be honest. Elsewhere in the world there ARE honest (or at least more honest, or honest enough) news stations.

Also, if there is a problem, it isn't gas yet. We are not short, for instance, and it is well known that if there is a big shortage, America will go for the grab. (Nab all the oil they can)

That said, there could be food problems internal to the US.

I do see this. Never a basket really full. I do go early as I hate to shop but I used to get behind people with baskets filled to the top and I have not seen one in ages. I think that is odd.

:D

We have a good stock of DANCING bananas locally, though...

The only thing I have trouble finding is my Morningstar Sausage Patties. But I doubt that there is a run on them because they are vegetarian.

Because of Bush's deft negotiation, we should soon have MANGO'S for everybody! By the way, no noticable shortage here in Central Arkansas, but then, even us city-slicker types here can hunt and fish. Thanks.
quickesst

it usually means they're doing a major rearrangement of the store. Supermarkets love to do that; it's part of their customer management. If you've learned where everything is, you hit and run those spots and ignore the rest. They can't get you to do impulse buying.

So, periodically they'll rearrange certain areas to throw you into contact with stuff you normally pass up.

I'm serious; this is part of basic supermarket management. Don't worry about it, but maybe worry if you can find your canned tuna. :)

or Monday, for reasons explained in other posts... But just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're still not out to get you.

that people are a bit nervous about 666 and stock piling.
Do you live in a religious area?