A Year of Hard to Find Items

This has been an interesting year to say the least. So many of us have had problems finding everyday things at the store.

It all started back in the spring, when everyone was just being made aware of the coronavirus. That caused many to decide that they needed to stock up on toilet paper. For months the shelves for toilet paper would be empty. Many started to order it online (if available). Many of us were worried that we might use our last roll and not be able to replenish our supply. As part of some unique marketing, some businesses even gave away free rolls of toilet paper if you made a purchase of their products. Throughout the summer supplies improved, but there are still occasional shortages and limits on just how much you can purchase.

Other paper products were also in high demand...from paper towel to tissues. Many of these things were being used to disinfect surfaces and some were probably also used as an alternative to TP when people ran out.

Speaking of sanitizing products, any product dealing with sanitization was in short supply. Finding disinfectant wipes or sprays was almost impossible. Many of these products are still in short supply and some stores limit the quantities that you can buy. Masks and gloves were also in short supply in the early summer.

As people tried to remain healthy, vitamins, zinc, cough and cold remedies all were in short supply.

As gyms and offices closed, home workout products were harder to purchase. Supplies for our home offices also became scarce.

If you turned all your free time into an opportunity to do things around the house, lumber was in short supply and the cost of the wood you could find sky rocketed.

People tried to stock their arsenals at home and trying to find ammunition became an issue.

Coins were tough to find, so much so that many businesses still only accept credit or debit cards for payment and don't dispense change anymore.

Then there were food items. Finding meat was almost impossible in March. Other food sources that were affected included flour, sugar, salt, mustard, pickles, and other foods that could safely be stored for longer periods of time. People were afraid if they didn't stock up, they would run out of these supplies and not be able to replenish their pantries.

Some of the stranger shortages included things like instant rice, canning jars, dishwashing detergent, yeast, Spam, bacon bits, marshmallow peeps, and pasta. (Just last weekend I searched three different grocery stores looking for jumbo pasta shells and never did find any.)

Let's hope that 2021 leads to a bigger supply of the items we want!