OT: Why are supermarkets still struggling?

[Commander Kinsey]

Surely nobody is panic buying now, so supply and demand should be back to normal?

[spuorgelgoog]

There's still a higher demand for some things now people are spending time at home and not eating out, getting lunch at work, or school meals.

And some things like eggs and flour are having difficulty in repackaging former catering supplies for retail sale.

Owain

[Commander Kinsey]

But the overall demand for those is identical to before the plague. It's just being sent to different outlets.

Those aren't the things that are running out.

[alan_m]

And in the supply industry staff are self isolating. Its not just the old at a higher risk but those with fairly common conditions such as diabetes (4 million in the UK) and perhaps self isolating if a immediate family member is at a higher risk.

[Commander Kinsey]

Actually age doesn't make much difference (unless you're under 18 then you're pretty much immune), it's pre-existing conditions that are deadly.

But aren't these jobs pretty easy to do so new workers can be found pretty much immediately?

[Brian Reay]

There are still a few things which seem to be in short supply.

Flour is one. Senior Management mentioned some other things else she?d been asked to buy for a friend we are helping but I can?t recall what they were, some cleaning stuff I think.

Fortunately, the food parcel scheme seems to be ensuring those who can?t go out for whatever reason don?t go without, even if they haven?t got family etc to help, and couldn?t stock up before the panic buyers stripped the shops.

[Commander Kinsey]

I'm hogging all the home deliveries from Asda, Tesco, and Morrisons. Now if they'd let me buy more than 3 of each thing at once, I could make half the orders and free up the vans....

[whisky-dave]

Mostly due to social distancing and not allowing as many shoppers in the store at any one time. I've seen the queues going into the carpark, I'd need to queue for about 20 mins before even getting in and they only allow you in when someone leaves. So I've been using local shops.

you can tell from the relatively few cars in the car park I;d say only 25% of the cars there normally are.

[Tim Streater]

Not by the supermarkets, though.

Yes they are. Eggs have been low (but not unavailable) for some time. Flour (and yeast to make bread) are simply missing from the shelves. Asda last week, Tesco this: big empty shelf where those items would normally be (and eggs low, as I said above). Supplies of everything else at normal levels.

[Mike Halmarack]

Being a chlorinated chicken, no problem with eggs here since the gender change. Flour though, is like hens teeth.

[tabbypurr]

No need to repackage eggs. Just open the catering pack & let people pick them out. Bring your own used eggbox etc. Print bits of paper with all the legally required info on for people to take when buying.

NT

[charles]

Our village butcher has eggs in open trays (8x8?) and you select your own into 3x2 boxes. Mind you, there are two lots - medium & large.

[Brian Gaff (Sofa 2)]

Really? I think a lot of things are, but there are a lot less drivers, since many have gone down with the virus, I am told. Sounds like an excuse but may well be that the just in time supply chain is disrupted further down the line. One manager was quoted as saying people have reverted to purchasing like they did 30 years ago so products needed are not always as expected. Brian

[tim...]

I'm still seeing almost empty shelves where the tinned veg and meat should be

you tend to find one brand, of one type, in one size (usually the most expensive per weight tin) where there used to be about 15 variants, at multiple price points to choose from

tinned fish is now reasonably re-stocked

tim

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Try finding plain camomile tea. The very expensive sort is still around.

Amazon and Ebay charging about 4 times the normal price for Twinings. Supermarket own brand seems to have disappeared.

[Ophelia]

There are still a few things which seem to be in short supply.

Flour is one. Senior Management mentioned some other things else she?d been asked to buy for a friend we are helping but I can?t recall what they were, some cleaning stuff I think.

Fortunately, the food parcel scheme seems to be ensuring those who can?t go out for whatever reason don?t go without, even if they haven?t got family etc to help, and couldn?t stock up before the panic buyers stripped the shops.

====

I haven't seen bread flour in Asda for ages now, but there were some packets of yeast which was a nice surprise.

I am not desperate for flour because I keep a good supply. I keep a good store because there are no shops near us and we need to go to the nearest town for supermarkets.

We are lucky because we didn't need to worry about empty shelves and I do feel very sorry for those who do:(

[alan_m]

The "recommended retail price" for Twinings was always expensive that's why before the lockdown most of the supermarkets were able to sell it at

50% off most of the time.

[alan_m]

Not necessarily gone down with the virus but in isolation because they, or an immediate family member, is at a higher risk once being infected by the virus.

[Ophelia]

That would do 133 days.

==

LOL I always make our bread! I couldn't work the use like that. I do keep one loaf in the freezer jic, but usually I make one as the one in the bread bin is getting low:))

[Commander Kinsey]

Are you drunk because I can make no sense of that?