Just anecdote, not empiricism, but there seem to be a lot of empty shelves locally in stores that particularly rely on cheap Chinese crap. The photo above is in the local Dollar Tree, and while this is an especially empty section, this kind of empty shelving could be seen throughout the store. The Hazard Fraught had some emptiness too, although not to this degree, and so did another discount store I visited the other day.
Grocery stores do not seem as barren, though, and at least toilet paper does not seem to be I short supply. But things just seem off in the retail sphere here. What's going on?
Tensions seem high, too. I witnessed a COVID Karen self-righteously demanding extra space while proclaiming she did not need a mask herself. It was surreal for someone who lives in the sticks and where life is largely normal to see these slightly more urban people acting weird.
This is why I avoid town. They are nuts here. And if the chinamart crap I want is in short supply, I see little need to sojourn here more often.