# 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:** 40
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2021, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/781 "2021-09-23T16:50:58Z")
Cat fud is a function of meat by-products that aren’t there because of meat packing plant problems. That I understand. But what is causing the total lack of bagged cheap kitty litter? It’s freaking clay! How hard is that to produce? ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2021, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/782 "2021-09-23T17:40:36Z")
It’s probably not so much the production but other logistical issues like packaging or shipping. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2021, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/783 "2021-09-23T17:43:36Z")
I’m positive that’s where the problem lies. Still doesn’t solve the problem, but it does focus my ire a bit. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2021, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/784 "2021-09-23T17:47:34Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > but it does focus my ire a bit. Then my work is done here. ---
**Author:** ![JaneDoe42](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janedoe42/32/14104_2.png) [@JaneDoe42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JaneDoe42)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2021, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/785 "2021-09-23T17:49:03Z")
[quote=“HMS\_Irruncible, post:779, topic:916268”] We eat a lot of broccoli in our house, and we’ve never had problems finding fat green crowns, but for the past year or so they’ve been pale, spotty, scrawny, and just generally picked over.[/quote] I’d have to put this one under climate change. This has been a really bad year for produce. Melon, stone fruit and white onions have been really iffy this year. I’m a reasonably decent home gardener and the weather has been a huge challenge for me. We haven’t noticed a problem with cat fud, thank goodness, but we use Chewy and always have at least a month’s worth of crunchy and gooshy cat fud as well as litter squirreled away. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2021, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/786 "2021-09-23T19:21:14Z")
> [@JaneDoe42](#): > > I’d have to put this one under climate change. This has been a really bad year for produce. Melon, stone fruit and white onions have been really iffy this year. I’m a reasonably decent home gardener and the weather has been a huge challenge for me. The extremely hot June (we never ever ever get 100 in June…well, till this year) did our broccoli in (along with the beans, peas, lettuce, etc). We got some tiny heads. ---
**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:** [September 23, 2021, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/787 "2021-09-23T20:19:36Z")
I just saw a local news report about the nightmare of buying a car. A fellow had put in an order (including a deposit) for a minivan - 6 months ago. It arrived - and they demanded more money than agreed on. The dealer’s story was that at the time, there was a manufacturer’s incentive of 5,000 bucks that has since gone away, and the dealer was willing to split the difference. Sounds like malarkey somewhere - the manufacturer should have honored a signed deal, or the dealership should have enforced that the manufacturer did so. The purchaser ultimately paid 2K more for the car - as his alternative was to walk away from the deal entirely and wait months more for a new vehicle. The article mentioned that some cars are going for much MORE than sticker price. I’m very glad we bought ours when we did (last November) before things got this bad. ---
**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:** [September 23, 2021, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/788 "2021-09-23T21:19:39Z")
Yeah, I’m stressing about car dealer hijinks like that myself, since we’re getting close to ordering a Ford Bronco. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2021, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/789 "2021-09-23T21:32:13Z")
I just saw an article about toilet paper being hoarded again. I haven’t seen that particular problem in Northern California, though articles like that will probably spur a run on the stores. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2021, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/790 "2021-09-23T22:04:18Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Cat fud is a function of meat by-products that aren’t there because of meat packing plant problems. I’ve got to be honest, cat food has been _so_ very hit or miss lately I ordered 150 cans earlier this week when it was in stock. That’s 75 days worth, and hopefully things will be better in a couple of months… I haven’t had problems getting kitty litter, though, just getting Litter Genie refills. ---
**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:** [September 23, 2021, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/791 "2021-09-23T23:22:30Z")
My desk that I ordered back in March is supposedly completed. Now I’m waiting for shipping to be arranged; apparently this involves a dedicated truck from the state of origin. This should be interesting. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2021, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/792 "2021-09-23T23:23:21Z")
Isopropyl alcohol is in short supply here. ---
**Author:** ![mistymage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mistymage/32/459_2.png) [@mistymage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mistymage)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2021, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/793 "2021-09-24T03:34:05Z")
I think this has been mentioned but: bicycles. Prior to our daughter heading back to college we asked if she wanted a bicycle, a motorcycle\*, a car\*\* or a bus pass. She didn’t want any of them. Yesterday she called and wanted a bike. I guess a month of hiking up stairs and miles of hills finally got to her. I immediately went on wall mart and looked up a bike (she said mountain but would go ten speed). We looked for the cheapest model possible for 2 reasons: theft of bikes is a thing and she’s a buyer not a keeper kind of person. I found a Mt. bike I thought would work and then spent 30 minutes checking in a concentric circle every wall of marts to see if they had it in stock vs getting it shipped in. Found 1! Place A had it In Stock. Today dick hea err DH did his own search which said there was one at Place B so he stopped there and… nope. Plus, after we bought the bike at Place A he remarked how Place B had twice the rack room but only about 5 bikes (kids and adults) but Place A had less space but the rack was almost full. He did find me some more Olive Loaf the other day (yeah, I’ve learned the difference) and it’s in the freezer for when I get that craving. So I guess he really is a Dear Husband 😉 \*motorcycle was asked with enough time to got get her license and included moped… she’s rode motor bikes since she was … 5? first engine was from a small garden tiller. Last of the 4 bikes was a cross country moto type bike. No side walks or actual cement roads other than the highway so made sense as much as her older brothers ditched bicycles and went to cars. \*\*car was an option, we have one that could be hers and we’d pay the insurance, but the whole finding a place to park was on her (we’d help pay, but logistics was up to her). ---
**Author:** ![JaneDoe42](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janedoe42/32/14104_2.png) [@JaneDoe42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JaneDoe42)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2021, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/794 "2021-09-24T19:26:36Z")
On the upside, for us at least, hubs bought a rather pricey mountain bike 5 or 6 years ago and started riding it daily. After taking a real nasty spill, he figured out that maybe he was a little too old to be riding out in the middle of the desert by himself and the bike ended up in the back of _my_ shed. Because its _my_ shed it gets cleaned out once in a while, so last week I told him I was going to sell it if he didn’t put it in _his_ shed. While looking to see what he could possibly give up out of his shed, he came across his starter bike and his mid-level bike and figured he would sell all three of them. He started getting replies from his Nextdoor for sale ad almost as soon as he hit post and ended up selling all three bikes for more than he originally paid for them. He got a good price for his box of parts, too. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2021, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/795 "2021-09-25T00:22:56Z")
Just as a head’s-up: > **[Costco limits purchases of toilet paper, other household goods](https://thetakeout.com/costco-toilet-paper-shortage-limiting-purchases-supply-1847738865)** > > Snags in the supply chain are causing delays on some pretty important household items. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2021, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/796 "2021-09-25T02:19:47Z")
Bags of frozen chicken thighs. There are always plenty of breasts. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2021, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/797 "2021-09-25T02:28:35Z")
the north half of LA county hasnt had ramen noodles in about 2 weeks …instacart has taken them off their delivery list… ---
**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:** [September 25, 2021, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/798 "2021-09-25T02:36:29Z")
Looks like most Instacartable stores in Sacramento at least claim to have it (I don’t need any right now anyway, since I’m still well-stocked). Do you have Costco/Sam’s Club membership? You might be able to get that shipped via online ordering direct from the store website without involving Instacart. Amazon also purports to have a good range. (Note: I am not financially connected with any merchant mentioned other than as a customer.) ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2021, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/799 "2021-09-25T02:42:55Z")
we have a costco membership…aunt says shell lo0k monday when hopefully she gets a ride to our local one ---
**Author:** ![JaneDoe42](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janedoe42/32/14104_2.png) [@JaneDoe42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JaneDoe42)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2021, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/800 "2021-09-25T02:50:27Z")
Tell her to drive very carefully in the parking lot. Hubs was driving through a CostCo parking lot today and got hit by someone backing out. While they were exchanging information, Hubs watched someone else get into a fender bender. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268.md?page=39) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268.md?page=41)