that was shocking...

Good morning... wait is it morning?  That was sure the shortest night ever.  Or at least it felt like it, nope, it was really just a short night. I had some canning to finish before I could go to bed and then Belle decided that mommy should wake up when Daddy does.  There is something very jarring about a 40+ pound puppy deciding to wake you up by jumping repeatedly on you with her favorite toy in her mouth.  She just wants her family all together all the time if she is awake. 

Oh well, I wouldn't trade those puppy pounces for the world, but it is going to make for a really long day. 

So, yesterday I wrote about gardens and how they could make such a difference for folks of all means. Yesterday I ran out of the small jelly jars and still have a lot of jelly to get made, I seriously picked a lot of berries and still have a lot of oranges to process that were gifted to me. Hubs and I were calling everywhere to find jars.  Even ordered them from one store, only to be notified that they didn't really have them.  After calling around I found some at Target, only 3 boxes, but it should be enough to get those berries put up.  I also forgot to order wet puppy food, no worries, according to the website, they had plenty in stock at the same store, and for less than my normal purchase from Chewy.  

No problem right?  I also had a short list of items I needed for another recipe that I wanted to make.  Hubs loves curry and I decided I wanted to make a batch.  Nothing fancy, just a few veggies and the curry paste. I figured we could pull off some quick one stop shopping and be done with it. 

Again, no problem right?  Now mind you I have been hearing about some of the shortages we can expect to find, but nothing really prepared me for what we saw.  I felt a bit bad buying the three boxes of jars, they were all they had left.  I do not want to waste my berries, so... I'm sorry to anyone out there looking. But I was stunned by what I saw in every place we looked.  Aisle upon aisle were barren.  Not just low, I mean barren.  And no this store is not undergoing a renovation, it just had one not too long ago. This was all they had. 

These pictures are of the pet food aisles.  I also literally bought all 13 cans of puppy chow.  Again, I felt bad, but considering I couldn't buy it anywhere else and my puppies go through two cans a day along with their dry food... with the holiday, I needed enough to get us through Tuesday.  Or risk not having any.  Buying puppy food wet or dry in this city is a nightmare.  Chewy is doing a bang up business and maybe that is the plan.  But with diesel as expensive as it is and the other issues going on associated with diesel, how soon before that isn't a viable plan?

I would think that they simply hadn't stocked recently, but truthfully, it is one of the few places that carries the mini-milk bones that my babies go nuts over and each time we've been lately there is less and less in these aisles.  So much of it is a random bag or box, and then nothing. 

As we headed over to look for the tomatoes - which I didn't buy because no, I am not paying $6 for two small tomatoes - what caught my eye was the milk coolers directly behind. 

Those cases were simply empty.  There was a small cooler with a bit more not far away, but literally that was it. 

I'd also heard that there is a shortage on women's sanitary products.  I don't tend to look in those aisle any longer, but as we passed them and the paper products I was stunned. 

This is a store in a fairly heavily populated area.  Not too long ago the shelves were packed to the point that stuff would fall off if someone walked to closely. Oh yeah, not the place to get cold medicines if you find yourself feeling ill for an extended period of time either. 

We couldn't help but notice that the toothpaste was literally one box deep on the displays and many other aisles looked like the stores did way back at the beginning of March of 2020.  It's hard to believe it's been over two years of chaos and it is only getting worse.  

I remember going to a store back in March of 2020 and only finding a single case of spaghetti sauce in an aisle, the woman stocking was staring in absolute shock as a woman and her kids asked if they could open it and take one bottle.  I will forever remember the awe in her voice as she said, you aren't going to take the whole thing like everyone else?  And the woman's sweet reply that there wouldn't be some left for others if she did. 

I will tell you if you need toilet paper or paper towels, those aisle's are incredibly over stocked.  My guess is that folks are still using all the stuff they horded way back when.  But that is definitely the place to go if that is what you are in search of. 

I am finding more and more stores are looking the same.  The prices are going way up and the shelves are empty more and more.  I no longer go to our Schnucks, they are far more interested in masking people up than they are in filling their shelves.  But even the Dierbergs has been getting leaner and leaner.  And there are items they keep telling me they can't get in, even though they order it. 

I am not picking on these shops.  What I am trying to point out, is that they keep telling us that shortages and food insecurity is going to be a big thing.  Yet another official stated yesterday that dramatic food shortages are going to occur soon.  That people are going to go hungry.  Another food processing plant in Kentucky this time, just announced it could not afford to keep it's doors open and unless they could find a buyer for their plant they are closing at the end of August. 

We are far too spoiled, too many people do not know how to preserve their food.  They don't grow it, or know where to purchase it if it isn't the corner grocery store.  There are simply too many things that are not adding up.  And shamefully the media that should be giving you the updates are stuck in loops of the stuff they want to beat into your brains.  They are not in the business of giving you information that you need.  They are nothing but propaganda on instant replay. 

I know that we do not need all of the "stuff" these mega stores have in them.  But they have forced the small mom and pops out of business.  If they aren't providing the basics... then what? It seems if you are decorating your home, you are still in luck.  If you are looking to get all of the non-essentials, they have you covered and then some.  But if it is stuff that is required for living, that appears to be in shorter supply. 

I know I'm on a soapbox... but it's my blog and if I feel I need to share what I am seeing and learning about... that is my prerogative.  Maybe where you are living you aren't seeing or feeling it.  Here in the Lou, it's starting to get super noticeable. Not too long around everyone was losing their minds because they couldn't find canned biscuits, FYI those are back in stock, are they not noticing the rest of it?  Can they not see what is right in front of their eyes? If you disagree, that is your prerogative and I will respect it. 

It's time for me to stop venting and sharing.  I have a lot of things on my to do list.  A lot of things that are important.  Especially in the face of what I witnessed yesterday, if I had any doubts in my mind of the state of things, a quick trip out reaffirmed my concerns. 

have a great one... love and peace...