Scenes from the supermarket

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This is the sort of thing that makes my brain itch:

These signs were at the meat and deli counter at the supermarket. What I didn’t take a picture of was the other sign apologizing for the deli counter keeping limited hours because of ‘staffing shortages’.

Look, I’m the first to admit that I overthink things. I’ve spent the last twenty years on this blog not saying that the sky is falling, but rather that it is about to fall. Still maintain that.

Let’s look at things objectively. Inflation is among us, whittling away your saved money. Agreed? And fuel prices, which were already moving north, are going to definitely be going up now that World War Three is finally on deck. So..we can agree that fuel prices aren’t likely to come down anytime soon. Agreed? And we know that businesses do not stay in business by operating at a loss. Increases in costs (esp. due to that increased fuel costs) and shortages of material/manpower mean that consumer prices have to go…up.

So what you’ve got here, m’friend, is a virtual certainty that literally everything you buy is going to not go down in price, will likely not stay at its current price, and is pretty much guaranteed to increase in price. Assuming its even available. And not rationed.

I recommend that you cut the fat out of your budget, skip buying the jet ski, big TV, or skip the vacation, and funnel that money into food, ammo, fuel, clothes, diapers, or whatever else you buy often and want to avoid paying more for. Or that you don’t want to risk availability issues.

I’m not saying that because I think T-62’s and Russian paratroops are gonna be landing on our shores. I’m saying it because there’s at least a a half-dozen catalysts (war, inflation, pandemic, etc.) on the loose that by themselves would be cause for heightened awareness and thoughtfulness. But theres more than one..and their effect is synergistic.

If you’ve got a family or partner/spouse who thinks you’ve always been ‘a little out there’ with ‘all that survivalist nonsense’ you’re gonna have a rough time of it. You’re gonna have to decide if incurring the wrath of those close to you is worth giving them the margin of safety that comes from sacrificing the trip to Hawaii and buying canned goods instead. I don’t envy you. But sometimes you’ve got to get all 1950’s and put your foot down and say “I’m doing this because I believe it’s the right thing to do for us, to keep us safe, to keep us secure, and I make no apologies for it.” Lemme know how that works out.

If you’re lucky enough to be in a situation where those around you are ‘on the same page’, then sit down with them (with the TV and phones off) and talk about your-and-their concerns and make plans how youre going to address those concerns. And… Its time to talk to your like-minded buddies and agree to share information….what store has primers in stock? Who has sirloin on sale this week? What gas station did you see with the best price?

In all likelihood at this time next year things will look alot like they do now…we’ll still go to work, we’ll still have hot water and electricity, we’ll still go to CostCo on the weekends. I’d put it at the high 90% range. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t going to be hiccups between now and then. Do the things necessary to smooth out any bumps in the road that may appear.

 

21 thoughts on “Scenes from the supermarket”

  2. The global supply chain system appears to be like one of those spinning top toys that is near impossible to get back in balance once it is perturbed. I suggest considering that food, fuel etc were artificially low in price for many years here in the US relative to other countries. Pat yourself on the back if you bought and stored supplies at low prices. The new higher prices are probably here to stay. I don’t waste energy complaining about it. Time to adapt.

    • Fuel was not artificially low in the US. The difference is that most other countries tax the hell out of fuels, mostly to prop up their socialistic programs.
      It’s also a way to control the public, by taking their money and keeping them on a short leash as far as traveling away from home. Another way they do that is to tax the size of the engine in vehicles, usually when the are imported. Some of them do it by the number of cylinders the engine has. That makes for an easy tax calculation.

  3. A lot of jagged edges coming on. My nightmares of a stumbling drunk on a spiral staircase of social and economic collapse seems real enough.

    PanFamWar seems self-fulfilling as the powers that be bury their crimes and distract the ever-growing anger of the people (soon mob) as the 3 meals to anarchy looms near.

    Trusted family (as sadly most of our families are divided by the propaganda-culture wars), Trusted friends, Skills, seeds, tools and hard teamwork is the path out of this mess.

    I’m not smart enough to worry about saving the Republic from the Traitors within as described so well by Cicero.

    Family first, friends second, God always.

  4. I believe it’s telling that the signs were laminated. No one ‘ran one off’ on the printer ‘just for a couple of days.’…

    Our local store has had similar signs (without all the added stuff) in the pasta section for months.

    I’ve seen others posting similar “just take one” signs too. And when I see that, it has the opposite effect on me. I see it as an admission that they are barely keeping up. If it’s selfish to want to secure my future, and the future of my dependents and loved ones, tell me why I should think of others in preference to them?

    Kith and kin. You can’t help anyone else unless you are in good shape first.

    n

    • Paper is a porous surface. Can’t have porous surfaces in food prep areas. They harbor bacteria.

  5. I own four gas station/convenience stores in Oregon. My cost for gas went up $.20 yesterday. That was preceded by $.10 up on Monday and $.04 on Sunday. Never seen this before in my 38 years in the business.

    • $3.07/gal last week looks cheap,wish I’d had 10 more cans to fill. Hamburger on sale #5/$9.99-5 in freezer. Still stocking tools and generic repair parts. Deli at lower end store closed most of last year,butchers on duty sporadically. Store just installed barriers at doors to prevent “reparations”. Choice Chuck roast on sale,corned beef too-St Pats coming up,keep some celebrations to lighten spirits.

  6. Yup… stock up on key items and supplies. In the long run, even if “nothing” happens you will still be ahead. Went out and got another freezer and it arrives today so the stocking of that will be by this weekend. Don’t forget spare parts and all that maintenance stuff you use too (got enough furnace filters for 2 years).

  7. What’s happening now is scary, what more could happen is frightening. One more ship gets side ways in a canal, more bad weather, hurricane, earthquake (overdue), wild fires, energy grid down, further fuel shortage or even stoppage.

    Crikey, makes a guy consider boxing up the 50 BMG, AK, AR, M1A, a few pallets of ammo and heading off to Ukraine and start capping Russians. Get it over with or come back to a better place with a cuter girl friend.

  8. I’m not one to take the last one of just about anything but, when the sign says consider others, I think others should have already been to the store. Supply hurdles is not new news and probably absolutely nothing has skated by without being affected. Therefore, I believe I will start taking the last one and possibly the last two.

  9. We are officially living in times that the saying – will never be as cheap as it was yesterday – holds true

  10. I am a 70+ yo grandmother who has seen a lot of things come and go. Generally, the bad things come; the good things go.

    Yes, by all means, take the last one on the shelf, kiddoes. Even if you don’t need it now, it will cost a lot more next week. Get your $ out of the bank before the runs begin. Pay off debt. Make sure your “stash” is the way you need it to be and help family and friends get squared away as much as you/they can.

    One bit of info that is NOT getting enough coverage: I became a serious prepper in 2005 when H5N1 Avian Flu raised its ugly head in China, then Europe. Not the first time this happened, of course, but That was the pandemic I truly expected. Outbreaks in flocks have been occuring in China for some time recently (along with Ebola in people), and now several US counties are reporting it in American flocks. It might very well be affecting the chicken availability in your area(s) already.

    What you probably do NOT know is that once a chicken is diagnosed in a flock (via bloodtest or just being dead), all the poultry for miles around are destroyed by various horrible means, whether or not those other farms have shown to be infected. The coops and barns are burned and chicken producers go out of business overnight. Often, ALL the buildings on the property (except homes, probably) are burned to the ground. Unless the chickens have been in the homes – many hobby farmers raise their chicks in the bath tub or keep a pet hen here or there. Pets are not exempted.

    This form of ring containment has happened many times – it almost destroyed the beef industry in the UK when mad-cow and/or hoof-and-mouth was found in even a single herd. Look it up.

    If you have your own flock, restrict access to the poultry to trusted individuals who know how to scrupulously clean their shoes and keep their mouths shut. Don’t go visit other people’s flocks and don’t sell your eggs in Farmers’ Markets. Don’t buy replacement animals who have not been tested and certified safe. USDA does widespread testing at 4H shows – you can probably safely buy from a 4H leader/member. But,
    the fewer people who know you have poultry on your property the better.

    H5N1 is transmittable to humans, is often fatal, and the CDC/USAgDept take it very seriously.

  11. Unfortunately my 80 year old wife has dementia, so getting her onboard with the prepping is extra difficult. She has always been a neat freak who want’s to get rid of anything not used in the last year. She has been through tough enough times in the past before we met, so it wouldn’t be so difficult if the dementia were not a factor.

    I have to put up with a lot of crap, but I WILL do what I need to do to make us as prepared as I can. It just get s frustrating dealing with the dementia on multiple levels.

  12. Most of my family are clueless, any suggestions I make are returned with blanks stares. Some voted for *gasp* the current POTUS. Thankfully the wife gets it to some level and we have been stocking up. I appreciate the blog and the ideas I get from it. I think no vacation this year, just keep squirreling stuff away.

  13. I am fortunate that my wife did not give me shit for buying a firman tri fuel generator and spending the time, energy and money on the shed build and getting NG piped to it, along with the 50ft cord, and associated electrician costs, to allow it to be back fed to home…

    nor did she quibble when i added Goldbacks to PM preps….

    \\NNNN

  14. The local grocery store is no longer bakery giving away their empty food grade buckets because they have to return them to the supplier for re use. They were told that there’s a major plastic shortage in the country.

  15. The labor issues aren’t hard to understand. Modern young people will not risk sickness or the slightest chance of death for what the perceive to be minimal gain.

    Between inflation and the fact that many of them will never marry or own a home they have no incentive to work hard if they can find a way not too. 30% of men 18-35 have had no action in a year

    Stoner or Gamer lifestyles are pretty appealing if you face a whole lot of nothing

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