Earlier this year in late March when the whole COVID mess was ramping-up in my area of the world, this is how the shelves in the stores looked: bare. The sections became empty where toilet paper, paper towels, bleach, cleaning supplies, dish soap, hand soap, etc. were stocked. As soon as a case or two was restocked on the shelves, everything sold out within minutes. I imagine the same was seen in other locations for most folks reading this. It was several months before things returned to normal and the shelves remained almost fully-stocked again on a regular basis.
This week, however, I encountered many bare shelves again. 😱
There was only one case of toilet paper on the shelf. There weren't many paper towels, either. There were only a few bottles of bleach, and the dish soap was heavily picked-over.
The only explanation I can fathom is the upcoming holidays. In some parts of the world, the Thanksgiving holiday is being celebrated this week. In the coming month, the Christians & Jewish religions will be celebrating their big holidays, and then there's New Years' Eve. So, apparently, many people in this area plan to gather with family and friends, which means there will likely be another spike in COVID cases and all that comes with it — further lockdowns, further unrest, further shortages... It's like a vicious cycle. 😕
So, again, we deal with shortages. As I've said before, if everyone would buy these items in reasonable quantities as they have in years past, there would be enough for everyone. 🤦♀
Hopefully, though, this is a short-lived phenomenon with no lasting repercussions. Has anyone else noticed similar shortages of items in your area recently after the recovery of the supply-chain earlier this year?
😊
27-Nov-2020