So how are your grocery stores? Eerie for me

[KellyAnn]

Just got back from picking up a half-gallon of milk (we forgot to get it this weekend).
The Kroger had no half-gallons in skim, 1% or 2%, the only kind available in a half-gallon was the whole milk.
A lot of empty fridge space in the milk section at Kroger.  I'm hoping I just caught them in the middle of restocking or something, but it sure was spooky to see.

(I know gallons are cheaper, but we don't get through them quickly enough.)

[TexDaddy]

I make it a point to go to the grocery store on Friday mornings. (I have an odd work schedule.) All aisles, display cases, etc. are always jam packed in prepeation for the week end shopping. It almost always takes them until Wednesday to get restocked from after the weekend. Mondays and Tuesdays usually have the barest shelves.

[Shaunypoo]

I always shop Monday evening because in my experience that is when they are least busy.  My Kroger is almost always well stocked.  There may be a spot where a particular brand of a particular product is missing, and I have seen the milk case empty before, but they stock almost every night at mine.  There are also lots of good sales earlier in the week on the real food items, while items like beer and Doritos go on sale for the weekend.

[TexDaddy]

Here, the Kroger doesn't even try to start restocking unitl Monday night. But, yeah most of the time they are in pretty good shape. No where near as empty as some of these folks are talking about. It's still a little early to push the panic button, IMO, but of course it is certainly time to continue stocking up.

[frugalcountrymom]

My sister from Calif just came down to visit she said she just likes standing at our meat dept at HEB here in Tx and look at all the variety of meats we have compared to what they have down there and it dosent look good back in Calif their meat she said. I have noticed that the bread, milk & eggs cost is the same here since last summer but everything else has sky rocketed up, best not to buy pre packaged foods those R the ones I noticed that has gone up and fresh fruit & veggies.

[Avlor]

It's been interesting here in eastern South Dakota.  Shelves aren't empty.  I live on the less populated side of town, so my stores don't run out as often.   But I can't always find the things I like best.  (Tazo tea is often not there and something else is stuck in it's place on the shelf.)  Prices are going up.  Milk is up to $4.25/gal.  (Though it was up to $4.50 last month.)  But most things aren't going up as much as milk.  It's weird because SD is a farm state.  Why milk? 


I think this "don't keep stock in the back of the store" policy is really dumb!  Almost all our stores are doing this now.  Any sale + coupon item at Target will be sold out in a day.  Walmart is almost as bad.  Do they enjoy the crazy rushes and grumpy customers when winter storms come?


Having another grocery store chain coming in will be a blessing.

[Cedar]

I think this "don't keep stock in the back of the store" policy is really dumb!  Almost all our stores are doing this now.  Any sale + coupon item at Target will be sold out in a day.  Walmart is almost as bad.  Do they enjoy the crazy rushes and grumpy customers when winter storms come?

I think they cannot afford the 'overstock'?

Cedar

[Avlor]

Yes.  That makes it scary.

[Hilltopper]

I just noticed a local grocery store here in Canada under the Save On brand had the smallest 2 inch , lowest grade Gala apples I have ever seen for sale ever and at $1.97 /kg yet .  They are either the lowest grade dregs from the southern hemisphere or the very last of what was in storage  here and cheapest for the store to buy ?  I am not sure but I know our own highest grade produce always use to leave the country to go to japan when their economy was flying high .  I am glad for some sunshine and hoping my apple trees get pollinated and bear this year . 

[LibertyBelle]

Our stores used to always have full shelves, regardless of the time of day.  But I've been noticing that in the past few months there are times I've gone in and seen almost entire shelves empty.  Sometimes the stock is sitting in back, waiting to be shelved, but more often than not they are waiting on the trucks to come in.   I picked up two bags of Gala apples last week for 5.89/kg.  Granted, they were organic, but still that's double what they were this time last year. 
I can hardly wait until my own trees really start bearing...     

[MissAnthrope Plant Nerd]

Grocery stores around here stopped doubling coupons years ago.  About a decade ago I could buy a 100 coupons online and take them to Kroger and have them double/triple them all in a single transaction.  Those were the days.  Then they limited us to a couple coupons per item, then one coupon per item doubled.  Now, nothing - face value only.  I don't coupon anymore, but those were grand days 10+ years ago running full speed with stacks of coupons!

A few months ago I started going to town around 5 -6 pm and was shocked at the crowds.  I usually go to town in the mornings.  The late day crowds along with store stocking when they get their trucks - every couple of days - would explain the low stocked shelves.  It is out of vogue now to keep an inventory in the back of the store - costs a bit more.

My big concern is the rising food prices.  It is my understanding that food prices are no longer computed into the inflation number?

[Morning Sunshine]

My big concern is the rising food prices.  It is my understanding that food prices are no longer computed into the inflation number?

and neither is gasoline    they are both too volatile to factor in

[TexDaddy]

Well, I know it's a crisis now. Kroger was completely out of my favorite red raspberry preserves this morning. 

It is a good thing I still have quite a few stashed away. 

[oktheniknow]

Wife and I had an interesting experience this weekend. Were at a mega HEB for groceries. Was packed with people. A lady comes on the speaker address system and says that their registers were down due to a power problem and they would not be able to handle any transactions until an electrician comes to repair. Some people just left their full carts. Others headed towards the registers to stand in line (like that would solve anything!). We just milled around and looked at their selections that we don't normally look through. Overheard some saying that the stores' backup power to the registers was down as well.
It was quite strange walking through the bare aisles where previously they were packed. We envisioned what it would have been like with a real crisis where people would have been grabbing stuff off the shelves and running. After we left the store without being able to buy anything, saw where they weren't letting people into the store. Also had their gas station shut down. Bet that electrician was charging a pretty penny to fix. Might have been a good exercise to wake up some of the sheep about what could happen and to start thinking about prepping.

[Cedar]

We had a brown out the other day. Second time I have ever seen one of those. If you don't know what one is, it is when there is a tiny bit of electricity at your house, but there is not enough to really power anything. Candles give out more light than a light bulb.

So we had to head into the larger town the other day anyway and when we passed our little store, we saw they had the generator out and the cord through the window. We guessed they had to do this often and it was not even abnormal. I do remember when I was little and even maybe when I was not that little, when power went out in the store, they still could ring up or tally up your groceries and you paid with cash or a check like most people did then normally. Probably no hope of that now with ATM cards, credit cards and everything on scanners.

Cedar

[LibertyBelle]

I do remember when I was little and even maybe when I was not that little, when power went out in the store, they still could ring up or tally up your groceries and you paid with cash or a check like most people did then normally.

When I was a teen, my grandparents owned a little country store (hardwood floors and all) and their register was manual, as was their deli scale. While electric models were readily available, my grandfather was "old school" and reluctant to change with the times.  He had a sign on the glass of the front door (which, btw, had a round door knob) that said "cash or local check only," although I know he also accepted the paper food coupons for those on welfare.  And he frequently accepted fresh local produce in exchange for dry goods.

[summer98]

When I was a girl (and this was back in the 80s -I'm not that old) the one grocery store in the town where my great-aunt lived still let people buy things on credit. She would stop in every week after church to get her groceries, put it on her tab, then write one check to cover it all when her money came in on the first.

Of course, the store owner knew where every single person in and around that town lived, and they would have had to look him in the eye if they ever stiffed him.

[LibertyBelle]

and they would have had to look him in the eye if they ever stiffed him.

Yep, that's how folks were back then. Nowadays it seems like most people wouldn't even bat an eye about doing that.