# 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:** 51
**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:** [November 17, 2021, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/1001 "2021-11-17T00:12:59Z")
Vons, SoCal - Bought one of the **two** 24 can Friskies cartons they had today. Other obvious empty shelves were certain chips and of all things Capri Sun and other pouched kid’s drinks. All of them gone. ---
**Author:** ![Bonum\_Legatum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bonum_legatum/32/6183_2.png) [@Bonum\_Legatum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bonum_Legatum)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2021, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/1002 "2021-11-21T14:17:45Z")
Major-brand unscented liquid laundry detergent. Every major brand available on the shelves has some “spring-fresh” or “floral” perfume added. Fortunately I found a store brand with a low level of perfume that is bearable. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2021, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/1003 "2021-11-21T17:36:13Z")
For whatever reason, I can’t find ortega brand taco sauce. Theres other brands but that one is gone from multiple stores. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2021, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/1004 "2021-11-21T17:39:24Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I was in a smaller Target yesterday and the toilet paper aisle was decimated. There wasn’t many paper towels either but the almost total absence of toilet paper was very clear. I was in a full-sized Target yesterday and the toilet paper aisle was filled, as was the one with paper towels. (I’m trying to get all my shopping done now, so I can avoid the stores for the next couple of weeks.) ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2021, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/1005 "2021-11-22T12:06:13Z")
We drove by a Sam’s Club yesterday, so I stopped for toilet paper. Pretty much ever shopper had tp in their cart. One package to a customer limit. ---
**Author:** ![GoodOldKJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc79bd/32.png) [@GoodOldKJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GoodOldKJ)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2021, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/1006 "2021-11-23T05:35:09Z")
Rice Krispies have disappeared here in Central Pennsylvania. Mom needs them for a couple of here Christmas treats and has been looking for them gor a couple weeks without any luck. I managed to find a couple boxes of store brand in a Weis store almost a hour away so the holidays are saved! ---
**Author:** ![Ellecram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellecram/32/18948_2.png) [@Ellecram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellecram)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2021, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/1007 "2021-11-23T06:19:28Z")
Western PA checking in. I have not been able to find flavored cream cheese spreads for almost 6 weeks or more. This is for both the national brand and store brand. Today there was some blueberry. I have always enjoyed the brown sugar and cinnamon flavor. The entire shelf at Walmart has been decimated the last three times I shopped. Cannot understand the run on cream cheese in my local area LOL! In general it seems that every time I shop I have to substitute something or go home home empty handed when items are just not available. It’s never predictable either. I have never liked shopping and I like it even less now. I am going to Virginia for Thanksgiving and will see what I can find in that area. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2021, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/1008 "2021-11-24T01:26:12Z")
Weirdly, I found heavy whipping cream hard to find this week, which I only noticed because I need some for a dessert I’m planning to bring to dinner Thursday. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2021, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/1009 "2021-11-24T02:21:01Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > heavy whipping cream If you have whipping cream (or even just 4% milk) I’d think you could incorporate (whip) some melted butter in and use that. Or am I being naive? ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2021, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/1010 "2021-11-24T02:22:17Z")
I don’t think it works that way. And I was able to find whipping cream today, but I had to buy a whole quart. ---
**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:** [November 24, 2021, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/1011 "2021-11-24T02:25:41Z")
I needed to pick up a couple of things this afternoon and went to the market not realizing, like an idiot, that it was almost Thanksgiving. The market was packed and there was plenty of stock. And a couple of hours later I realized that I forgot to get butter so I went to a different market. Same deal. I forgot to check on the cat food though. Next time, I promise. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2021, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/1012 "2021-11-24T02:25:49Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > but I had to buy a whole quart. Strawberry shortcake for dessert/breakfast? ---
**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:** [November 24, 2021, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/1013 "2021-11-24T02:45:20Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Weirdly, I found heavy whipping cream hard to find this week, which I only noticed because I need some for a dessert I’m planning to bring to dinner Thursday. I’ve found that a common shortage for many years in the week before Thanksgiving and the one before Christmas. Demand’s much greater then, cream’s a perishable item, and it’s not practical to increase the supply for a couple of weeks out of the year. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2021, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/1014 "2021-11-28T18:26:12Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > > > but I had to buy a whole quart. > > Strawberry shortcake for dessert/breakfast? **Dewey Finn** , how do you feel about scones? I like [this recipe](https://www.theminiaturemoose.com/post/3-ingredient-quick-scones-with-add-in-ideas) quite a lot, and have used the heavy whipping cream option each time. So far I’ve done raisin - which is why I wanted to try it, no one sells them anymore - and chocolate chip. I’ll probably try cranberries next. Still barely any cat food on shelves. I wish I could get Linden and Poe to complete a survey about acceptable flavors before I do my next big order with Tractor Supply. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2021, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/1015 "2021-11-28T21:08:15Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Weirdly, I found heavy whipping cream hard to find this week, which I only noticed because I need some for a dessert I’m planning to bring to dinner Thursday. I’m noting shortages of sour cream. not sure if it’s holiday related or not. ---
**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:** [November 28, 2021, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/1016 "2021-11-28T23:19:34Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > Still barely any cat food on shelves. I wish I could get Linden and Poe to complete a survey about acceptable flavors before I do my next big order with Tractor Supply. I noticed that the Princess’s preferred assortment of Friskies canned pate can still be had, but had trouble obtaining her preferred dry food (Friskies Seafood Sensations) at the Walmart I visited yesterday. Amazon says it’ll be at my door Wednesday :). Large cans of disinfectant spray may be getting iffy here, based on a Winco trip (didn’t check Walmart). I have enough on hand and on order (arriving Tuesday, I’m told) that I’m not alarmed, just starting to get nervous about whether spring of 2022 is going to look like spring of 2020. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2021, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/1017 "2021-11-29T03:31:18Z")
Carrots update. Bagged whole carrots at my local Jewel are in very short supply. Last week I had to buy the store-brand “baby” carrots which did not taste as good as the whole carrots. FINALLY it occurred to me to try another a store of another chain (insert a large number of :D’OH: emojis here). I checked the local Mariano’s and supplies were only a little low. They also had 5-lb. bags of non-organic carrots, which I hadn’t seen at Jewel since March 2020! The carrots at Mariano’s were Bolthouse brand, which was one of the brands Jewel had carried before they started using their house brand. Curiously, the website doesn’t show the 5-lb. bags. In fact, it only shows Kroger brand 1- and 2-lb. bags, and Bolthouse _organic_ 5-lb. bags. ---
**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:** [November 29, 2021, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/1018 "2021-11-29T04:01:11Z")
Mochi…specifically, the kind formed into balls and filled with tasty paste. Wegman’s was completely wiped out today except for the peanut flavor, which I haven’t tried. Various types of flour seemed to be sold out as well, but that didn’t surprise me post-Thanksgiving. ---
**Author:** ![dummygladhands71](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c0e974/32.png) [@dummygladhands71](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dummygladhands71)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2021, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/1019 "2021-11-29T04:42:21Z")
Heavy cream freezes just fine, I do it all the time, but a sub. for heavy cream, tho’ not for whipping cream that I know of, is melted butter in milk. I use that for sauces. I had to order a case of my spoiled princess’ favorite from Purina. Nada on the shelves. Flavored cream cheese is spotty here in Phoenix What is Omicron going to do to us? is it time to hoard TP? Dammit! ---
**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:** [November 29, 2021, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/1020 "2021-11-29T04:45:56Z")
That was my big reason for wanting to top up my reserves (I did have Lysol and cat food on hand, just not as much as I’d prefer) before Omicron triggers some new panic. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268.md?page=50) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268.md?page=52)