What odd items are you having trouble finding in the stores?

[Nick1994]

I looked at chewys prices! Holy cow! No wonder they can ship free.

$60 for Nutro Ultra, same price as Petsmart with free shipping (Petsmart owns Chewy).

But I usually get it from Amazon.

 

[joegreen]

My store was out of any brand cream cheese. I noticed usually whole sections of items will be missing then show up then another section will be missing etc.

 

[Chris142]

$60 for Nutro Ultra, same price as Petsmart with free shipping (Petsmart owns Chewy).

But I usually get it from Amazon.

I was looking @ canned cat food. PetSmart is very expensive. We buy from the local grocery store.

 

[DwightFrye]

I have not seen Marie Calendar's frozen pot pies in the Chicken Parmesan flavor for months. Last time I was at the store they didn't have beef flavor either. The only flavors were chicken and turkey, both of which taste foul (no pun intended) to me.

I also have not seen Hormel canned tamales for months. The meat coolers were on the sparse side too on my last shopping excursion.
But, there was plenty of toilet paper.

 

[1000MPH]

Went for sushi this week and the bar didn’t have quail eggs. That’s the last straw!

 

[Touring5]

Soda Crackers (ie saltines). For at least a couple of months they've been a rarity. Multiple Kroger stores, nearby Meijer, and even Walmart. I've resorted to buying multiple boxes of whatever brand I can get my hands on.

Sporatically I've been unable to buy beef broth, head lettuce, and even preferred variety of bread. I tried Walmart 2 days ago and there were several shelves empty of a given product or brand. I've never seen anything like this.

 

[Yah-Tah-Hey]

Softener salt. We have purchased groceries from Walmart for most of the pandemic, and overall, I have to say the service is a bit better than what I expected. Last order, they didn't have the Morton's softener salt. Told my wife that there are pallets of it right up in front. Employee just didn't want to handle #40 bags. Went in store same day and first thing I see are pallets of salt. I think some of the employees just don't want put the effort into finding some items.

 

[PimTac]

Campbell's Cream Of Asparagus Soup. My wife uses it in her chicken soup recipe. And for some reason it's always a PITA to find. Albertson's is the only grocery store in town that carries it, and even they don't have it over half the time. And if they do, it's just a few cans. (Her recipe takes 3 cans).

You can find enough Cream Of Mushroom, and Cream of everything else to sink a container vessel. But for some reason Cream Of Asparagus is about as rare as a Pick 4 winner. And when I ask why, they tell me it sells really well. Well then why don't you order more? They just look at me like I'm from Mars.

Cream of asparagus is good soup but probably not a big seller. We have used it in casseroles and such.

 

[PimTac]

The top things I have noticed shortages of lately:

Meats. Lately the store has been arranging packages of meat in a single layer to make the case look stocked. Usually packages are stacked on top of each other.

Cereals. Lots of gaps in the box cereal area.

OTC medicines. Lots of gaps in cough and cold preparation, heating rubs, and so forth.

Frozen foods. Lots of empty cases.

Soups. Lots of gaps especially with instant ramen soups.

The other areas will be hit or miss. Cleaning products are like this. Things like toothpaste. One day our favorite brand is missing in action. Next week it’s back.

 

[CleanSump]

Toothbrushes. Not much selection, just tons of kids' cartoon character ones.

 

[97prizm]

It must ba a regional thing. The local Safeway here has a ton of tortilla chips. Red Bull is out everywhere.

 

[Kruse]

My store was out of any brand cream cheese.

My wife has a birthday right around Christmas and every year for her birthday I bake her a cheesecake with genuine Philadelphia (brand) cream cheese. I normally take no shortcuts and I do it all by hand. A month ago, the Philadelphia (brand) cream cheese was available, but each 8 oz. package was $4. When the recipe calls for four packages, that amounts to $16 for the cream cheese alone. Instead, I bought four house-branded cream cheese packages for $ .99/each. The cheesecake turned out fine.
Gotta draw the line somewhere.

 

[andyd]

Soda Crackers (ie saltines). For at least a couple of months they've been a rarity. Multiple Kroger stores, nearby Meijer, and even Walmart. I've resorted to buying multiple boxes of whatever brand I can get my hands on.

Sporatically I've been unable to buy beef broth, head lettuce, and even preferred variety of bread. I tried Walmart 2 days ago and there were several shelves empty of a given product or brand. I've never seen anything like this.

Haz Aldis nearby? They sell soda crackers in these neat 28 oz green tins.

 

[Warstud]

Check your Dollar Stores

 

[mjk1967]

Can't read this entire thread, but here is one for you.... Orange Gatorade. Just found it this week, been several months since I've seen them.

In general, Gatorade stock has been low. Also, Monster Energy drinks. I think Coke distributes it, and some local gas stations are having a hard time getting a Coke driver to the door.

Locally, Holiday gas stations could not get Hot Chocolate, until just recently.

 

[AutoMechanic]

Certain coffee has been hard to get. Heard there was a shortage of that pretty much everywhere as coffee beans are hard to get right now. Also half and half for the coffee which I can’t do coffee without cream or sugar so if there is none of that then I can’t do coffee. Hot Wheels cars too I collect them and there has been very limited quantity at the stores here recently. Honestly what isn’t there a shortage of right now though? Just about everything is in shortage come to think of it some more than others. Tools are in shortage, food, clothes, everything.

 

[eljefino]

Can't read this entire thread, but here is one for you.... Orange Gatorade. Just found it this week, been several months since I've seen them.

In general, Gatorade stock has been low. Also, Monster Energy drinks. I think Coke distributes it, and some local gas stations are having a hard time getting a Coke driver to the door.

Locally, Holiday gas stations could not get Hot Chocolate, until just recently.

Funny, I was at a BJs that only had 3-flavor packs of Gatorade. They had the orange/ lemon-lime/ fruit punch. My kid only likes the lemon-lime and frost flavors.

Hit up another BJs and they only had flats of lemon-lime. Win! Not sure why they couldn't give both stores a pallet of each, though.

 

[Slow Car Sport Mode]

Waiting for an Aisin timing belt kit to be in stock on rockauto.

Honestly, I bought one of those three weeks ago from Amazon. It even came in a timely manner. I was stunned.

When I tried to buy it in summer, 10 days shipping time turned to two weeks, two weeks to three, then they cancelled my order.

Try Amazon.

 

[2010Civic]

Honestly, I bought one of those three weeks ago from Amazon. It even came in a timely manner. I was stunned.

When I tried to buy it in summer, 10 days shipping time turned to two weeks, two weeks to three, then they cancelled my order.

Try Amazon.

I bought a kit from rockauto in December to do a friend's van and it was $169. Amazon wants about $100 more. I am going to do my van this spring so I have some time but would like to get one reasonably soon.

 

[Slow Car Sport Mode]

I bought a kit from rockauto in December to do a friend's van and it was $169. Amazon wants about $100 more. I am going to do my van this spring so I have some time but would like to get one reasonably soon.

Oh, the price. Well in that case...

Ironically, I have to mail a return, maybe two, to RockAuto on Monday. Parts were not needed.