# So what shortages are you personally seeing? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Quarantine Zone\ **Tags:** covid-quarantine\ **Created:** [July 24, 2020, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268 "2020-07-24T23:28:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 32
**Author:** ![GoodOldKJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc79bd/32.png) [@GoodOldKJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GoodOldKJ)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2021, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/621 "2021-04-07T05:32:05Z")
My birthday was last week, we had to switch ice cream recipes because junket tablets are impossible to find in store. Also my Mother had to search around to find butter milk for her traditional Easter cake and had to infact settle for low fat. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2021, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/622 "2021-04-13T23:51:42Z")
Welp, still no cooktop and I think the 13th counts as “mid april”; Bummer. I’d be tempted to order one from Best Buy but they don’t have 'em either. Some googling suggests I’m not alone: > **[Wealthy homeowners are dropping nearly $40,000 on luxury stoves that won't...](https://www.businessinsider.com/appliance-shortages-leads-to-delays-for-expensive-stoves-refrigerators-2021-4)** > > While demand for appliances amid a home improvement boom is partially to blame, external factors are also making it difficult to buy new appliances. ---
**Author:** ![xanthous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/53a042/32.png) [@xanthous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xanthous)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2021, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/623 "2021-04-14T04:10:55Z")
Got caffeine free Coke Zero today for the first time in 11 months. My partner was very excited- he’s not a fan of Diet Coke at all but made do with it all these months. ---
**Author:** ![teelabrown](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/teelabrown/32/8412_2.png) [@teelabrown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teelabrown)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2021, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/624 "2021-04-14T12:30:54Z")
I haven’t been able to find Spam in cans smaller than one pound in months. A big can does me no good, as 3/4 of it will go bad before we eat enough Spam musubis to use it up. Also, I buy loose-leaf tea from high-end tea websites, and none of them have any decaf black tea at all. My favorite site, Harney’s, says it’s due to “impacts of the pandemic on global freight lines”, and it should be back in stock by the end of May. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2021, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/625 "2021-04-14T23:50:35Z")
> [@teelabrown](#): > > I haven’t been able to find Spam in cans smaller than one pound in months. Same here. We buy the 7 oz cans, because there’s only two of us. Can’t find it. ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2021, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/626 "2021-04-14T23:53:28Z")
I’ve seen news stories indicating that shortages of pork in general are on the way. I think DH and I do have enough Spam (12oz cans) on hand for now. ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2021, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/627 "2021-04-15T17:19:39Z")
That makes sense, given the ham shortage at Easter. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2021, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/628 "2021-04-15T17:52:02Z")
The cat food thing is weird. I thought it was just the brand I give my cats, but apparently it’s a lot of different brands that are coming up short. It seems like I’ve bought the last two cases in existence of Royal Canin Adult Instinctive Cat Food. I’ve hit every store in the area, every online retailer, I even tried to buy it directly from the manufacturer. Failed at every turn. Gonna have to figure out something else to switch them to before these run out. There’s three of them eating this stuff, so I’ve only got about a week. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2021, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/629 "2021-04-15T18:07:23Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > I thought it was just the brand I give my cats, but apparently it’s a lot of different brands that are coming up short. A lot of different brands are made at the same factories 🙂. “Co-packing” is common in the industry with multiple brands sharing a common manufacturing facility to save costs. Recipes/ingredients and labels are swapped out from run to run, but they are all produced on the same line. According to one website Royal Canin for example is or was at one time made at the same facilities (owned by Mars Petcare) that manufactured Pedigree, Cesar, Nutro and Ol Roy dry. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2021, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/630 "2021-04-15T21:11:58Z")
I haven’t noticed any issues with cat food supply, though maybe it’s because we’ve been getting prescription hyrdrolyzed-protein food (one of the cats has had a few allergic dermatitis outbreaks, and since the vet assures us that letting the others eat the special food won’t hurt anything but my wallet I’ve been feeding it all around rather than try to police who eats what). ---
**Author:** ![BippityBoppityBoo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bippityboppityboo/32/5745_2.png) [@BippityBoppityBoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BippityBoppityBoo)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2021, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/631 "2021-04-16T00:15:57Z")
> [@Steve\_MB](#): > > others eat the special food won’t hurt anything but my wallet I’ve been feeding it all around rather than try to police who eats what). As if one could police cats. Short of quarantining each in their own room. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2021, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/632 "2021-04-19T14:07:55Z")
This may sound petty. I’m not seeing a shortage of eggs, but I’m not getting enough eggs in my eggs. When I pull out a large egg I often say to myself, “What the fuck is this, a robin’s egg”. The large eggs I’m purchasing are running significantly smaller than the grade would allow. I checked the last dozen eggs I purchased. Nine of them were under the 2.00 ounce minimum for the standard. The weight of all 12 eggs was only 22.4 ounces. That’s like getting eleven eggs for the price of twelve. It’s not just recently, they’ve been running small for a long time. The market I shop at doesn’t even carry mediums, so there’s no chance of them upgrading mediums to large, it must be their supplier. My surmise is that the suppliers food service customers may have been purchasing the medium eggs, and their buying patterns have changed, leaving the supplier with a bunch of unsold mediums, and they’re sneaking them in to the large cartons. It would bother me less if the cartons weren’t printed with a bible verse. I sent them an email with a verse of my own; Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment, in meteyard, in weight, or in measure. Leviticus 19:35 ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2021, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/633 "2021-04-19T14:13:17Z")
> [@Bill\_Door](#): > > The large eggs I’m purchasing are running significantly smaller than the grade would allow. I checked the last dozen eggs I purchased. Nine of them were under the 2.00 ounce minimum for the standard. The weight of all 12 eggs was only 22.4 ounces. That’s like getting eleven eggs for the price of twelve. It’s not just recently, they’ve been running small for a long time. I’ve noticed this same thing. For the purposes of comparing notes, I’m in SE Louisiana. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2021, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/634 "2021-04-19T14:14:30Z")
> [@Bill\_Door](#): > > My surmise is that the suppliers food service customers may have been purchasing the medium eggs, and their buying patterns have changed, leaving the supplier with a bunch of unsold mediums, and they’re sneaking them in to the large cartons. Far more likely that the supplier’s got a fresh batch of chickens. Younger chickens tend to lay smaller eggs. (Older chickens will eventually start laying smaller and smaller numbers of eggs, and so need replacement.) This may well be a seasonal issue, with suppliers switching to a new flock each spring. I agree that if the eggs are actually mediums they shouldn’t be marketed as larges. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2021, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/635 "2021-04-19T14:17:25Z")
Hmm. I will check the size of our eggs. Fwiw, I’ve had no trouble obtaining spam. After reading the pineapple-on-pizza thread I decided to try to make spam&pineapple pizza for the family. We found a small can of spam on the first try. I want to try again, and my daughter picked up another can, no problem. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2021, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/636 "2021-04-19T14:27:33Z")
For people interested in checking egg sizes and need to make sure their balances are correct, ten quarters weigh to all intents and purposes, almost exactly two ounces, the same as the minimum weight for a large egg. Technically ten quarters weigh 2.000034 ounces, but let’s not quibble. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2021, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/637 "2021-04-21T03:16:01Z")
just went grocery shopping and there was no lemon juice. None. weird. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2021, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/638 "2021-04-21T13:48:37Z")
My grocery hasn’t had lemon juice in a long time, but it predated Covid. I think it’s just that it’s not a good seller. People are more likely to buy lemons or, if they’re trying to save money, they get reconstituted lemon juice. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2021, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/639 "2021-04-21T17:59:28Z")
It’s been a big enough seller that they started selling larger bottles of it. I get the Italian lemon juice because it’s less bitter. I’ve replaced soda pop with it. ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Hedonia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ann_hedonia/32/319_2.png) [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2021, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/640 "2021-04-22T15:48:46Z")
So, how the pricing of these undersized eggs? Eggs have been dirt cheap in my area for months now- I think a carton of 18 large eggs ( the size I usually purchase) is currently $1.09. That’s up from about six months ago, when I could get a cartoon of 12 for .47, and 18 for .79…but they’re still so cheap I don’t really care if they are a little undersized. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268.md?page=31) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268.md?page=33)