Anyone notice the stores are out of... (to buy, living in)

[jimj]

Originally Posted by Simple Living

Think of it as a great diet plan.

When I lived in Tennessee, just the threat of snow would close schools. And, without fail, the grocery stores were inevitably sold out of water, milk, bread, eggs and beer. And I only ever recall one time when stocking up was a good idea!

This is an interesting topic to me. Don't "panic purchases" and hoarding end up making things worse and driving prices up? What items do you think would be a would be considered a good idea to stock up on?

Why flour? What would you do with it? Make unleavened bread? As for a case of oil, would it go rancid before you used it?

Well, I'm sad to say we bought Martha's latest cookie book and I've been baking a different page per week. I also tend to bake bread and this weekend due to a birthday I'm making a cake and a pie. I also make all my own sauces (none of that package crud here) and use canola oil for quite a few things, ceasar salad dressing to name one. Our Costco has no flour,rice or beans and told me this AM that they don't expect to get any in the near term. Olive oil jumped from $13 to $25 in the last couple of weeks so when we saw canola oil on sale we bought a case.
Our grocery stores have a small quantity of these but at a much higher price and expect to run out soon. I was preparing to weather a couple of months of this "shortage" and expect once the stores realize there's short stock I expect prices to take off so they can take advantage of this new revenue stream while it's available. Sounds kind of cynical I know but just look at fuel...
Worst case, if it gets anywhere near the end of the shelf life for the oil I'll donate it to the local food bank for someone to use.

[JetMech72]

Originally Posted by jimj

Flour,rice or cooking oil? I noticed Costco in Kalispell was out of flour today and had very litte rice on the shelves and no bannanas for 8 weeks now. I also noticed a very low supply of rice and flour at our local stores tonight, any ideas? I did here some blurb on the news but didn't really pay attention until tonight when I went to get something.

You know, I read this last night and had to chuckle a little. Today I went into Gary and Leo's IGA for a twelver of Bud Light and I thought about this post, so I took a little detour down the dry ingredients isle. Guess what? They were low on Flour....Rice....Cooking oil....and sugar. The shelves weren't empty, but they were the only items that had extra shelf-space. What is this phenomenon?

As far as the bananas....I think we must have gotten your shipment, Jimj. Lots of bananas.

[GLS]

Originally Posted by JetMech72

You know, I read this last night and had to chuckle a little. Today I went into Gary and Leo's IGA for a twelver of Bud Light and I thought about this post, so I took a little detour down the dry ingredients isle. Guess what? They were low on Flour....Rice....Cooking oil....and sugar. The shelves weren't empty, but they were the only items that had extra shelf-space. What is this phenomenon?

As far as the bananas....I think we must have gotten your shipment, Jimj. Lots of bananas.

Costco placed limits (5 bags) on rice starting with a store in Northern California. Since they sell to restaurant's, this isolated incident could have just been coincidental, i.e. restaurants and assisted living facilities buying two weeks supply instead of one. The press picked this up and fanned the flames. This spread rapidly to a number of Costco's placing limits, to which the public reacted by stocking up....and the circle continued chasing it's own tail. There was one report out here of a person buying 50 pound bags of rice who said he doesn't even like or eat rice, but "just in case".

If we magnify this psychology, look at the hoarding attitudes being quickly adopted by other countries who fear a hungry mob initiating a coup. Today Brazil announced they would restrict exporting any rice. Again, I expect this isolationism to spread on a global scale.

Here is one example with a basis in fact. Since we won't drill for oil and we won't get serious about getting energy independent, the middle east continues to screw us, and we let them. When the corn-to-ethanol craze started by the environwhackos became politically expedient for our Congress, we took 5 million acres of corn out of food production. Since we have been giving a lot of the corn away, several countries that can't produce enough began to experience food shortages. Riots are now breaking out in the most impoverished and politically unstable countries.

I don't have a moral or political ax to grind. However, unless our government wakes up to make a commitment to energy independence, we are going to see some weird shortages coming up. If we continue to let Russia, the Middle East, and Venezuela blackmail us, we will become less productive agriculturally and less charitable with our food. We may or may not be "the last man standing". However, in the melee, dozens of countries will find it cheaper to shoot their citizens than to feed them.

So Costco is short on rice...........and that's the rest of the story.

[Stephan_K]

Originally Posted by GLS

Here is one example with a basis in fact. Since we won't drill for oil and we won't get serious about getting energy independent, the middle east continues to screw us, and we let them. When the corn-to-ethanol craze started by the environwhackos became politically expedient for our Congress, we took 5 million acres of corn out of food production. Since we have been giving a lot of the corn away, several countries that can't produce enough began to experience food shortages. Riots are now breaking out in the most impoverished and politically unstable countries.

I don't have a moral or political ax to grind. However, unless our government wakes up to make a commitment to energy independence, we are going to see some weird shortages coming up. If we continue to let Russia, the Middle East, and Venezuela blackmail us, we will become less productive agriculturally and less charitable with our food. We may or may not be "the last man standing". However, in the melee, dozens of countries will find it cheaper to shoot their citizens than to feed them.

I don't expect anything less from our gov !! Leave it to our gov to go into a place thinking they can improve things and then...

And now you know the rest of the story .

[JetMech72]

Originally Posted by Stephan_K

I don't expect anything less from our gov !! Leave it to our gov to go into a place thinking they can improve things and then...

And now you know the rest of the story .

I assume you're referring to Iraq. It is a better place with us there, really. It's too bad that the populous that has now delved into the events there, didn't delve into it back when that country was ruled by Saddam Hussein. We are making a difference there, give our boys...and girls...some time.
But, we shouldn't make these threads political.

[Montana Baby]

In Phoenix buyers bought like 200 bags of 20lbs of rice in half an hour at one of the Costco stores. Crazy! Panic the world - just like Orson Wells did with his radio show and there will be plenty of rice in every home but none in the stores.

[Stephan_K]

Originally Posted by JetMech72

I assume you're referring to Iraq. It is a better place with us there, really. It's too bad that the populous that has now delved into the events there, didn't delve into it back when that country was ruled by Saddam Hussein. We are making a difference there, give our boys...and girls...some time.
But, we shouldn't make these threads political.

As a matter of fact I was not thinking of Iraq at all when making my post. I was referring to all the 3rd world country that our gov seem to think they are going to "save" with our assistance. We aren't saving anyone, we're only hurting ourselves. Like GLS mentioned, sure, we help out other countries, but just as soon as we come up short with our promised and relied upon help, we are the dirty rotten Americans that screwed them and made all their problems worse by not helping them. What a crock of sh*t...

Iraq... I too believe we should be there and do realize we HAVE made a difference. But at the same time I believe the rest of the world should be there too. The US being in Iraq is "protecting" the world so to speak and pretty much the only ones paying for it with blood sweat tears and money ! For doing the "world" such a favor it would be nice if the rest of the "world" would chip in some...

[GLS]

Originally Posted by Stephan_K

As a matter of fact I was not thinking of Iraq at all when making my post. I was referring to all the 3rd world country that our gov seem to think they are going to "save" with our assistance. We aren't saving anyone, we're only hurting ourselves. Like GLS mentioned, sure, we help out other countries, but just as soon as we come up short with our promised and relied upon help, we are the dirty rotten Americans that screwed them and made all their problems worse by not helping them. What a crock of sh*t...

Iraq... I too believe we should be there and do realize we HAVE made a difference. But at the same time I believe the rest of the world should be there too. The US being in Iraq is "protecting" the world so to speak and pretty much the only ones paying for it with blood sweat tears and money ! For doing the "world" such a favor it would be nice if the rest of the "world" would chip in some...

Your interpretation of my intent is completely accurate. Even if you are lucky enough to have a bag of rice, it doesn't taste good cooked in a crock of sh*t!.

[Simple Living]

Well, I'm making my annual trip to Sam's Club tonight. We'll see what they have. I have no intention of hoarding anything because I refuse to be part of the problem. I'll pick up my normal stuff, which does include one of those small, burlap bags of Royal Basmati Rice. (The kind that smells like popcorn when you make it.)

I'll find it hysterical if they're sold out of beans! Nobody I know eats beans (except me) and then, suddenly, they hoard them for emergencies, as if they were gold bars! LOL

I pick up one of those cubes of toilet paper, cube of paper towels, cube of bar soap, razor blades, toothpaste, deodorant, toothbrushes, basmati rice, canned tomatoes, Carnation Evaporated Milk, and chicken broth. Those are my main staples.

I love Indian food so I mostly use flour to make roti and naan breads. I also make chocolate chip cookies that are so good they'll bring Jesus back early!

[GLS]

Originally Posted by Simple Living

Well, I'm making my annual trip to Sam's Club tonight. We'll see what they have. I have no intention of hoarding anything because I refuse to be part of the problem. I'll pick up my normal stuff, which does include one of those small, burlap bags of Royal Basmati Rice. (The kind that smells like popcorn when you make it.)

I'll find it hysterical if they're sold out of beans! Nobody I know eats beans (except me) and then, suddenly, they hoard them for emergencies, as if they were gold bars! LOL

I pick up one of those cubes of toilet paper, cube of paper towels, cube of bar soap, razor blades, toothpaste, deodorant, toothbrushes, basmati rice, canned tomatoes, Carnation Evaporated Milk, and chicken broth. Those are my main staples.

I love Indian food so I mostly use flour to make roti and naan breads. I also make chocolate chip cookies that are so good they'll bring Jesus back early!

Good luck and make sure to let us know if they start hoarding beans. If so, I will boost my retirement account by buying stock in Gas-X or Beano.

PS Jesus is very busy right now. He said I can have his cookie until he gets back.