2021 Supply Disruptions

[CoreySamson]

I noticed a couple days ago local car dealerships' lots have started to look super bare; so much so that I thought they were going out of business. But they weren't; a bare Nissan dealership had the brand-new 2022 Frontiers for sale.

[abefroman329]

I noticed a couple days ago local car dealerships' lots have started to look super bare; so much so that I thought they were going out of business. But they weren't; a bare Nissan dealership had the brand-new 2022 Frontiers for sale.

Yeah, I'm torn between being happy that we bought our new car when we did and kicking myself in the butt for not waiting to trade in our old car, when we presumably would've gotten more money for it.

[hbelkins]

I just wonder if we may be approaching a "skip" in car model years? Once the computer chip shortage is resolved and all the new vehicles awaiting chips are equipped and those vehicles get to the dealer, there's going to be a glut of product. Will automakers come out with a 2023 model if they have a bunch of 2022 and 2021 vehicles in their unsold inventories?

[abefroman329]

My local Hyundai dealership doesn't have any 2021 models of any car left, and if there's a glut of 2022 models in a year, then they'll probably just do fire sales to clear out their inventory.

[LM117]

Kellogg's workers have gone on strike.

https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/575426-workers-at-kelloggs-cereal-plants-go-on-strike

[LM117]

I feel like people are starting to stock up on groceries.  It feels like the shelves are thinner and there are more products unavailable, and there were definitely a fair number more people than normal.

Same here. A manager at a Food Lion here said that they couldn't order anything anymore, and that they had to just take whatever the trucks bring them.

[hbelkins]

I'm starting to notice more out-of-stock grocery items, and the price of meat has gone up again.

[Bruce]

Steel shortages mean that Spokane's first bus rapid transit line will launch in 2023 instead of 2022:

https://twitter.com/spokanetransit/status/1445878811980034049

Meanwhile, there's a shortage in trolleybus wire that is preventing Seattle from revising some routes to serve our new light rail stations at the front door, forcing a two-block walk for transfers.

[catch22]

I'm starting to notice more out-of-stock grocery items, and the price of meat has gone up again.

We've been out of town for the last couple of weeks, so it had been a while since we'd been in our neighborhood Kroger (western Detroit suburbs) until Tuesday.

The difference in shelf stock was striking.  Low or minimal flour, sugar, rice, bread, ramen, pasta, juice, bottled water, or cereals.  Oddly enough, the paper products aisle was fully stocked.

[US71]

Casey's General Store has run out of Medium  & Large fountain cups (again), so they are pushing x-Large cups.  Anyone opting for the smaller  "slushee" cups  is still charged for a slushee., no exceptions for normal fountain use.

[abefroman329]

Casey's General Store has run out of Medium  & Large fountain cups (again), so they are pushing x-Large cups.  Anyone opting for the smaller  "slushee" cups  is still charged for a slushee., no exceptions for normal fountain use.

Seriously?  That's Casey's problem, not the customer's.

[Scott5114]

Braum's is also out of branded cups, but they've just been using generic Coca-Cola-branded ones that they probably got from the local Coke bottler.

[hbelkins]

My weekly trip to the Dollar General to use the $5 off $25 coupon and a trip to the grocery store yielded these observations:

1.) Paper product shortages are becoming a thing again, mostly for paper towels.
2.) Laundry detergent and associated items (fabric softener sheets, liquid fabric softener, etc.) are also in short supply. Lots of empty shelves.
3.) The price of meat is through the roof. $4.19 a pound for 73/27 ground beef; $6-something for ground chuck. Prices on just about every grocery item have gone up noticeably. I feel like we're reliving my high school years economically.

[snowc]

My weekly trip to the Dollar General to use the $5 off $25 coupon and a trip to the grocery store yielded these observations:

1.) Paper product shortages are becoming a thing again, mostly for paper towels.
2.) Laundry detergent and associated items (fabric softener sheets, liquid fabric softener, etc.) are also in short supply. Lots of empty shelves.
3.) The price of meat is through the roof. $4.19 a pound for 73/27 ground beef; $6-something for ground chuck. Prices on just about every grocery item have gone up noticeably. I feel like we're reliving my high school years economically.

wait a minute... dolgen has ground chuck? 

[hotdogPi]

My weekly trip to the Dollar General to use the $5 off $25 coupon and a trip to the grocery store yielded these observations:

1.) Paper product shortages are becoming a thing again, mostly for paper towels.
2.) Laundry detergent and associated items (fabric softener sheets, liquid fabric softener, etc.) are also in short supply. Lots of empty shelves.
3.) The price of meat is through the roof. $4.19 a pound for 73/27 ground beef; $6-something for ground chuck. Prices on just about every grocery item have gone up noticeably. I feel like we're reliving my high school years economically.

wait a minute... dolgen has ground chuck? 

Two stores. One was Dollar General; the other was an actual grocery store.

[hbelkins]

My weekly trip to the Dollar General to use the $5 off $25 coupon and a trip to the grocery store yielded these observations:

1.) Paper product shortages are becoming a thing again, mostly for paper towels.
2.) Laundry detergent and associated items (fabric softener sheets, liquid fabric softener, etc.) are also in short supply. Lots of empty shelves.
3.) The price of meat is through the roof. $4.19 a pound for 73/27 ground beef; $6-something for ground chuck. Prices on just about every grocery item have gone up noticeably. I feel like we're reliving my high school years economically.

wait a minute... dolgen has ground chuck? 

Two stores. One was Dollar General; the other was an actual grocery store.

True, but I have actually seen tubes of "hamburger meat" in the cooler section of Dollar General. They carry a lot of staples like bread, milk and cold cuts these days.

[Pink Jazz]

Seems like for TP and PT, the brands that sell out are the private label store brands and the premium brands (Charmin, Quilted Northern, and Cottonelle for TP, and Bounty, Brawny, and Viva for PT), leaving behind mostly the mid-tier brands (Charmin Essentials, Angel Soft, and Scott for TP, and Bounty Essentials, Sparkle, and Scott for PT).

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Port of LA will go to 24/7 to try to work through some of the disruptions.

https://www.npr.org/2021/10/13/1045501424/the-white-house-announces-steps-to-try-to-ease-backlogs-at-u-s-ports?utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&fbclid=IwAR1CgjDtNvsZgtKO8gb473DQDYoln8_ISekjMssr06xu6sClRbnmCU6-Uro

[CtrlAltDel]

Port of LA will go to 24/7 to try to work through some of the disruptions.

https://www.npr.org/2021/10/13/1045501424/the-white-house-announces-steps-to-try-to-ease-backlogs-at-u-s-ports?utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&fbclid=IwAR1CgjDtNvsZgtKO8gb473DQDYoln8_ISekjMssr06xu6sClRbnmCU6-Uro

Wow. I would have thought the port was already 24/7.

[Dirt Roads]

Port of LA will go to 24/7 to try to work through some of the disruptions.

https://www.npr.org/2021/10/13/1045501424/the-white-house-announces-steps-to-try-to-ease-backlogs-at-u-s-ports?utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&fbclid=IwAR1CgjDtNvsZgtKO8gb473DQDYoln8_ISekjMssr06xu6sClRbnmCU6-Uro

Wow!  Never thought I would ever see them do that.

When I worked at the adjacent Port of Long Beach, there was a lot of pressure on both POLA and POLB (nifty abbreviations) to switch to 24/7 to relieve the railroad congestion (during rush hour, particularly in the morning).  The stevedores get paid significantly more for night/weekend/holiday work.  The unwillingness of either port to adjust their schedules ended up requiring that most of the railroad crossings be grade separated, hence the Alameda Corridor. 

[LM117]

Oh Deere...

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/more-10-000-deere-co-workers-strike-after-failed-uaw-n1281486

[abefroman329]

Oh Deere...

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/more-10-000-deere-co-workers-strike-after-failed-uaw-n1281486

I can't blame them for wanting some more...John Deere green.

[hbelkins]

It may have been in a story about or related to the Kellogg's strike, but I recently read a list of items that were going to experience production cuts so manufacturers could supply more of their most popular items. One of the food items for which shortages were anticipated was Sour Patch Kids. I think I also read that Swedish Fish might come into short supply.

I'm not one of those who will boycott an item because a company is on strike, so I guess it helps that I'm not a cereal snob. Corn flakes are corn flakes, and crisped rice is crisped rice. Store brands are just as good as the name brands. The only major exception is Cheerios. The Kroger store brand is comparable to the name brand, but the Walmart brand isn't.

[abefroman329]

Corn flakes are corn flakes, and crisped rice is crisped rice. Store brands are just as good as the name brands. The only major exception is Cheerios. The Kroger store brand is comparable to the name brand, but the Walmart brand isn't.

Agreed re cornflakes/Rice Krispies, although Rice Krispies in England are weird and don't taste as good.  I just tried what was marketed as knockoff Crispix (Essential Everyday Corn and Rice Hexagons, no joke), but really isn't at all.  Still good, just not even close to Crispix.

I don't think I've ever tried the Malt-O-Meal line of cereals.  Definitely not as an adult.

[RobbieL2415]

The past two weeks I've been able to get Froot Loops at Stop & Shop, so they keep giving me the store brand. Must have something to do with the Kellog Company strike.