# What are you surprised that there is not a shortage of? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Quarantine Zone\ **Tags:** covid-quarantine\ **Created:** [April 20, 2020, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-surprised-that-there-is-not-a-shortage-of/852193 "2020-04-20T14:38:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2020, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-surprised-that-there-is-not-a-shortage-of/852193/1 "2020-04-20T14:38:15Z")
I was going to say sugar, but then I googled it and apparently there either is a shortage or one is coming. Or maybe that news is from traders trying to jack up the price. So, now I don’t know. I’ve had no issues with fresh fruit and vegetables, so that surprises me a little. ---
**Author:** ![Palo\_Verde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/65b543/32.png) [@Palo\_Verde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palo_Verde)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2020, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-surprised-that-there-is-not-a-shortage-of/852193/2 "2020-04-20T15:03:31Z")
There were problems with some kinds of fruits and vegetables here for a short while. People were having trouble finding potatoes for about 2 weeks, but now they are freely available. Also some fruits like blueberries were unavailable for awhile, but now plentiful. I’m surprised that cold and flu type medicines haven’t vanished from the shelves. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2020, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-surprised-that-there-is-not-a-shortage-of/852193/3 "2020-04-20T15:06:21Z")
My example would be non-perishable sources of protein like canned and packaged proteins like tuna. Especially with the closing of meat plants. ---
**Author:** ![Knavette](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Knavette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knavette)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2020, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-surprised-that-there-is-not-a-shortage-of/852193/4 "2020-04-20T15:10:38Z")
I would have said chocolate, but yesterday I noticed empty shelves where the Lindt, Perugina, Gheradelli, etc. usually reside. But candy seems to be in good shape, esp unpopular candy like black licorice, which I like. So maybe a shortage is coming of chocolate, or maybe it was just happening at that particular store. Our chocolate store had no customers 4 weeks ago when I first began stocking up for my sweet tooth. That surprised me, but that was quite awhile back, in quarantine time. I live in St Louis, MO. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2020, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-surprised-that-there-is-not-a-shortage-of/852193/5 "2020-04-20T15:20:49Z")
Bread. I can’t but bread flour for love nor money, but I can buy freshly baked, artisanal sourdough from basically everywhere. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2020, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-surprised-that-there-is-not-a-shortage-of/852193/6 "2020-04-20T15:36:57Z")
> [@Nars\_Glinley](#): > > I’ve had no issues with fresh fruit and vegetables, so that surprises me a little. If anything, fresh fruits and vegetables are more available now because with so many restaurants closed, everything that was previously going to them is now available for stores. > [@SanVito](#): > > Bread. I can’t but bread flour for love nor money, but I can buy freshly baked, artisanal sourdough from basically everywhere. The main problem with flour (and yeast) isn’t a shortage of the raw materials. The issue is with packaging. Restaurants buy these materials in bulk, so those that are still open don’t have a problem getting it. But it’s difficult for the producers to suddenly shift from the 80-lb bags to a 5-lb consumer size, so store shelves are empty. You can get a 2-lb bag of dry yeast from Amazon in a few days, but good luck finding the individual packets. ---
**Author:** ![Edward\_The\_Head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ce73a5/32.png) [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2020, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-surprised-that-there-is-not-a-shortage-of/852193/7 "2020-04-20T15:38:07Z")
I was out yesterday, there is plenty of chips and such. I would have thought there would be more demand for such things. I also saw a ton of tissues, no other paper products, but plenty of tissues. Plenty of fresh baked cookies too, they were on sale as well. The sugar section seemed to be normally filled. I needed sugar so I picked up what they had. What I’m surprised that was gone was canned soup. I would say it was about a quarter of what it normally is. The ice cream is all gone as well, except for the really expensive stuff. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2020, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-surprised-that-there-is-not-a-shortage-of/852193/8 "2020-04-20T15:44:33Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > Bread. I can’t but bread flour for love nor money, but I can buy freshly baked, artisanal sourdough from basically everywhere. I’m not sure what’s happening here, it may just be a supply line issue. The grocery stores are out of most baking supplies but a friend of mine works for a bakery supply company and they have plenty of flour, corn meal, yeast, and all the usual products. He brought me some yeast to use, but he could only get me a 50 lb. bag of flour right now so I passed on that, I’ll never use it all. Some other people we know might want some and we could divide up that big bag though. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2020, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-surprised-that-there-is-not-a-shortage-of/852193/9 "2020-04-20T16:10:12Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > If anything, fresh fruits and vegetables are more available now because with so many restaurants closed, everything that was previously going to them is now available for stores. Also, hoarding a perishable product doesn’t make a lot of sense. But then, a lot of this doesn’t make any sense. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2020, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-surprised-that-there-is-not-a-shortage-of/852193/10 "2020-04-20T16:19:24Z")
> [@Edward\_The\_Head](#): > > I was out yesterday, there is plenty of chips and such. I have a friend who works at Frito Lay, delivering chips. According to him a shortage is coming. My store was completely out of jelly & jam the first week. There was some peanut butter but jelly and jam was wiped out. ---
**Author:** ![Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/do_not_taunt/32/2968_2.png) [@Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Do_Not_Taunt)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2020, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-surprised-that-there-is-not-a-shortage-of/852193/11 "2020-04-20T16:29:10Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > I have a friend who works at Frito Lay, delivering chips. According to him a shortage is coming. I’m curious what the logic on that would be. I haven’t heard that there’s any trouble getting raw materials, and this doesn’t seem like a case where they’d have trouble pivoting to a retail customer base. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2020, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-surprised-that-there-is-not-a-shortage-of/852193/12 "2020-04-20T16:31:31Z")
I’m surprised that pasta isn’t scarce. I guess it might have been initially, but it seems to be back in stores around here. So why does your friend say there’ll be a chip shortage? ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2020, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-surprised-that-there-is-not-a-shortage-of/852193/13 "2020-04-20T16:36:34Z")
I need alcohol swabs for my insulin injections. Totally sold out. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2020, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-surprised-that-there-is-not-a-shortage-of/852193/14 "2020-04-20T17:05:54Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > I need alcohol swabs for my insulin injections. Totally sold out. I have 40 or so that you’re welcome to if you need them. I’m not diabetic yet. I just check my blood sugar from time to time. ---
**Author:** ![ChickenLegs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecc23a/32.png) [@ChickenLegs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChickenLegs)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2020, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-surprised-that-there-is-not-a-shortage-of/852193/15 "2020-04-20T17:10:08Z")
I speculated that there might be a run on feminine hygiene products. Wrong, so far, I think. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2020, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-surprised-that-there-is-not-a-shortage-of/852193/16 "2020-04-20T17:13:15Z")
The chip shortage was reported to me I think 2 weeks ago. I don’t know if it came to fruition. Frito Lay had told the workers there’d be layoffs. I don’t know if the shortage was a supply-and-demand thing (could be the demand is too high for the suppliers to keep up). Just because there’s plenty of potatoes doesn’t mean that factories can suddenly ramp up to meet demand. I just realized that after reading replies my answer about jelly was contrary to the OP’s original question. What am I surprised is NOT scarce. To be honest, everything I’ve tried to find has been sold out in some fashion over the past 4 weeks. It doesn’t feel like there’s an abundance of anything! ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2020, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-surprised-that-there-is-not-a-shortage-of/852193/17 "2020-04-20T17:35:15Z")
There’s plenty of bacon for some reason. In fact, the last few times I’ve been to the store it’s been on sale. What with all the other comfort foods like ice cream running low, I figured people would be eating bacon too. Especially since it’s easier to cook breakfast every day. Also, it doesn’t seem like anybody is buying gallon-size cans of anything like beans or tomato sauce. ---
**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:** [April 20, 2020, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-surprised-that-there-is-not-a-shortage-of/852193/18 "2020-04-20T17:37:14Z")
I’ve never seen a store sold out of paper towels and/or kleenex. Toilet paper is hard to find, but not these. I mean in a pinch, kleenex can be used as TP as long as you throw it in the trash rather than flush it. Also the cookie aisle is always full. Cookies are high in calories and have a long shelf life. You’d assume people would buy them up but they’re always there. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2020, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-surprised-that-there-is-not-a-shortage-of/852193/19 "2020-04-20T17:40:33Z")
I’m starting to hear some buzz about vitamin D possibly being protective against the coronavirus. It seems to be based mainly on correlation and conjecture. No high quality peer-reviewed research on the subject has been released yet. Even so, I’m surprised that my local Walmart still has vitamin D capsules in stock. ---
**Author:** ![tripthicket](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripthicket/32/297_2.png) [@tripthicket](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tripthicket)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2020, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-surprised-that-there-is-not-a-shortage-of/852193/20 "2020-04-20T17:49:03Z")
I’ve only been to three separate stores a mere handful of times over the past month or so, with shortages or complete absences here and there. I find it amusing to see what brands of a given product are and aren’t gone. F’instance, at multiple locations of different grocery chains: Campbell’s Chunky Soups have mostly been cleaned out, while Progresso soups are gathering dust whilst sitting next to Campbell’s empty spaces. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-surprised-that-there-is-not-a-shortage-of/852193.md?page=2)