Friday, May 12, 2023

"15 Items That Became Impossible To Find At Retail Stores"

Full screen recommended.
"15 Items That Became Impossible
 To Find At Retail Stores"
By Epic Economist

"The shortage of everything is making its way back into U.S. stores. Retailers left and right are facing empty shelves of key products, and consumers are being forced to pay more for the items they need as demand continues to exceed supply. Conditions are getting so extreme that you may not find some summer favorites like ice cream, tequila, burgers and beer at you local supermarket in the coming months.

On top of that, farm-grown fruits and vegetables were some of the biggest victims of the fertilizer shortage that erupted during the pandemic and exponentially worsened after the conflict between Russia and Ukraine broke out, and the world lost two major producers of NPK – which stands for nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, the three primary ingredients plants need to grow. At the peak of the shortage, farmers were seeing fertilizer prices shooting up 700%, and that was right when planting season began. Consequently, many small producers that could not afford such exorbitant costs started abandoning their less profitable crops. Drought also played a major role during the summer of 2022. And now we’re seeing the effects of this at the grocery store, with produce aisles barer than normal.

Similarly, batteries have been in short supply for quite some time now. The global production of steel, zinc, manganese, potassium, and graphite – all components that make the alkaline batteries we find at our local stores is still going down in 2023. The situation doesn’t look any better for lithium or even solar-powered batteries given that demand is significantly outstripping supply worldwide. On top of that, the cost of producing batteries went up by 156% since 2020, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. This means that not only they are getting harder to find but prices are already climbing. Batteries are usually one of the first products to disappear during an emergency, so if your battery stash is running low, you should probably restock it now before inventories drop even further.

Don't wait until everyone starts rushing to the stores to get the supplies you need because by then it may be far too late. Make sure you store your products properly. During the summer months, supply and demand problems become more acute, which means that many other items are also at risk of vanishing from sight. Pay attention to empty shelves the next time you go grocery shopping so that you know which shortage is getting worse and which products to purchase before things get even more complicated. Our struggling supply chains are still coping with one challenge after the other, and this crisis may persist for longer than we're prepared for, so the time to restock our pantries is now. While some staples are already nowhere to be found, others are still available, but not for long. That's why today, we listed a bunch of products that are in short supply right now so you can make preparations for what is coming next."
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