Pandemic supply chain in your area

[bykfixer]

During the depression there were no food stamps or unemployment benefits. Approx 30% of the population was unemployed with no back up plan or gubment assistance. And talk about supply chain issues...

My mom told a story of how a train loaded with cows derailed near her home and many people in a 20 mile radius ate meat for the first time in months.

My dad was a big fan of turnips. I asked why one day and he said "back in the depression they weren't potatos for supper again."

 

[mickb]

The great depression is always a favorite in these dicussions and usually Americans and Australians quoting it because its the only calamity in our living memory, and it all worked out. Unlike a lot of Europe we didnt even get invaded in WW2. About 130 countries in the world have ongoing situations making the depression look like a picnic. Many of these are being hit harder by the supply chain issues too. You dont need to fluctuate rice or grain supply much to kill a lot of poor folk.

 

[turbodog]

Plenty of poor folk dying each day due to contaminated drinking water, lack of food, various diseases, etc. This applies worldwide but gradually improves over time.

 

[LED1982]

Just Blame Putin, seems to be the catchcry for every problem. Here in Australia some one was telling me the price of house insurance rising is also due to Putin. And transport costs which were rising faster the year before he invaded are due to the grain shortage in the ukraine. I guess its because of australias grain fed horse drawn cart infrastructure. 😂

I finally got up the courage to ask this girl out at the gym, I even impressed myself with how much confidence I spoke with. But ugh she said no. God damn Putin!!

 

[PhotonWrangler]

I stopped by the grocery store today and saw some spotty almost-empty shelves. This is partly because everyone is buying stuff for thanksgiving (this Thursday in the U.S.) and partly because the labor shortage is making it difficult to keep the shelves restocked.even if they have plenty of supplies in the back. The weekend before Thanksgiving is essentially the super bowl for the grocery supply chain workers.

 

[bykfixer]

My local grocery store doesn't even have a place for baby formula anymore. Plenty of Pampers and jars of Gerber stuff but no formula at all. It's like the flashlight section at my local Lowes....gone.

Every year the Mrs buys a 25 pound turkey and half goes into the trash a week later. That's after feeding everybody on the holiday and us eating turkey twice a day for the next week. This year I found a 10 pound turkey at WalMart for $10.

 

[Poppy]

I don't really like turkey, so this year I planned on cooking a chicken instead. We have the same issue where after a week in the fridge, we throw out the carcass.

Fortunately, unfortunately, my daughter got a turkey for free. So... we'll be eating turkey this year.

 

[bykfixer]

I don't really like turkey, so this year I planned on cooking a chicken instead. We have the same issue where after a week in the fridge, we throw out the carcass.

Fortunately, unfortunately, my daughter got a turkey for free. So... we'll be eating turkey this year.

Mrs Fixer prefers turkey at thanksgiving, which pretty much means we eat turkey at thanksgiving. Actually I'd prefer to fry up a few whole chickens but.... since I bought a nice roasting pan last year I suppose it may as well get used.

I did notice a big increase in the price of whole turkeys. Last year the big frozen ones were around 25 cents a pound. This year they were nearly 40 cents a pound. So a 25#'r was still only $10 but time you add a buck for green beans, two bucks for ham (or more), extra cost for potato's and beverages etc it ends up being quite a bit more expensive this year.

Years ago we had about 20 people at the gathering but age and divorce led to people dying or going elsewhere. Therefore the inflation doesn't seem so bad.

 

[PhotonWrangler]

All of a sudden it's hard to find masks in stores around here again. There used to be boatloads of them everywhere. I only found a small quantity of the paper surgical masks at a Target but no KN95s.

I'm wondering if this is a result of Black Friday. I noticed that the standalone kiosks in Target that were usually stocked with masks and sanitizers were instead stocked with scented candles, makeup kits and other gift items. This might be more about shelf space than stock, at least for them. Hopefully things will get back to normal next week.

 

[bykfixer]

So when you no longer see boat loads of masks and hand sanitizers, isn't that sorta back to normal?

 

[Chauncey Gardiner]

Sorta normal, for me, is always being able to purchase a 10-pack of N95 masks with an exhaust valve. They're great for yard work and cleaning.

 

[PhotonWrangler]

So when you no longer see boat loads of masks and hand sanitizers, isn't that sorta back to normal?

Ideally yes, however they all disappeared suddenly, which is odd.

 

[bykfixer]

The Mrs was shopping at a $1.25 store recently, which gave me the chance to look around the place as she compared items she probably had no intention of buying. She'll touch and examine 100 things and leave without buying any of them.

Anyway it gave me a chance to see they have groceries. Lots of groceries. Some of which my local grocery store doesn't have in stock lately. Knowing prices of said items I probably saved $20 by spending $10. Example my brand of juice is $3.79 on sale but it was a buck 25. Ziplox that are $4.39....a buck and a quarter. $7 roll of foil.... yup a buck and a quarter. I was not the only fellow who needed a shopping cart there.

 

[Poppy]

I'm leery of buying food in dollar stores. In the past I noted that they had low cost food wrap, and aluminum foil, but the length of foil in the box was also relatively short.

The last time I bought aluminum foil, I bought 2- 200 square foot rolls. I think the smaller rolls are 50 square foot rolls. I think that the dollar store rolls are perhaps 20 square foot.

Undoubtedly one can get deals at the dollar store, but caveat beware, you often get what you pay for.

 

[turbodog]

Yup. Mfgs make smaller quantity boxes for the dollar stores. Overall unit cost can be much higher.

 

[bykfixer]

Apples to apples I saved at least $10.

 

[turbodog]

Ocean freight costs continue to drop:

From chicken wings to used cars, inflation begins to ease its grip

 

[bykfixer]

The demand for fuel has eased as the world economy cools down. And according to the alphabet soup parrots called news media the supply chain is now suddenly all fixed again.

 

[Chauncey Gardiner]

The demand for fuel has eased as the world economy cools down. And according to the alphabet soup parrots called news media the supply chain is now suddenly all fixed again.

Well, that's "good news"/

 

[ledbetter]

Recent arrest of couple in the South busted for selling stolen baby formula on eBay/Amazon shows huge uptick in shoplifting/organized crime in major retailers (Walmart & Target made announcements) that might affect prices and scarcity of items. This is an interesting new twist on supply chain issues and overall inflation. New laws coming down the pipe requiring resellers to provide tax id # and actual addresses of sales locations.
The normal consumer uninvolved in the black market/underground economy will, as usual, pick up the tab on all this.