# Three Shortages. What Gives?



## Binary Code (Aug 19, 2020)

The Can Shortage has been well documented. I've seen it at work. I'm seeing our Can lines run more than I have in 10-15 years where we would just crank out 200k+ cases a day. https://www.usatoday.com/story/mone...r-soda-coca-cola-pepsico-covid-19/5443308002/  My Old Man bitched to me about why he couldn't buy Caffeine Free Coke Cans anymore 2 months before I saw this IRL. Now I'm seeing us bringing in Can Stacks from fucking Brazil. The Local Ball plant can't keep up with demand.  Every one is at home drinking cans? Hell the trend for the last 10 years was everyone wanted their own bottle, and cap. Now Back to Cans? I get 20oz demand down since that is largely driven from Gas Stations, but Can Demand? We are at Can Demand that reflect Thanksgiving levels. 

Coin Shortage? Fuck I have not a clue. My first guess was declining transactions, but wouldn't that leave all the change in the bank? Same for rise in electronic Transactions. I traveled in May and it was the first time I was using actual currency in months. Since then, I haven't used actual currency. So why a Coin Shortage? I just don't get that one. 

Ok the last one is Lumber. Why are we having a crazy shit in the pressure treated lumber market? It's got to be Home Builder Demand driving that. They are the only ones that could stomach that price shock. So that's a neg interest thing?1! I dunno. I think it's desperation

I think we are in for one hell of a crash. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dshtegldnPo


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## Marissa Moira (Aug 19, 2020)

I still can't buy toilet paper.....


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## Boris Blank's glass eye (Aug 19, 2020)

Lemme get my tinfoil hat.
Coin shortage might be artificial, a push towards electronic transactions only.


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## Least Concern (Aug 19, 2020)

Wait, there's a shortage in aluminum soda cans? Really?

Does this explain why Costco hasn't had cases of Diet Mountain Dew recently? Um, not that I'd be the kind of person to buy that garbage by the case. Just something I noticed.

They haven't had cases of their store-brand flavored carbonated water either.

Anyway, so long as there are no asshole government policies in the way, supply will meet demand for cans and lumber eventually, just as happened with hand sanitizer and coof masks. Not sure what can be done about the coin issue without literally printing money, though. As someone who still uses cash for most day-to-day purchases, it's been annoying to periodically see a store with "exact change only" signs on the register.


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## Absolutego (Aug 19, 2020)

One possible contributor to a surge in demand for aluminum cans is that a lot of breweries that were supplying bars as their main income stream (and consequently mostly trafficked their product in kegs) had to switch to packaging their beer to sell directly to customers during the lockdown. Canning is both cheaper and far more accessible to your average brewery than bottling.


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## contradiction of terns (Aug 19, 2020)

I was unaware of the lumber shortage, but saw a news article claiming there's apparently a pepperoni shortage?

Cans is inexplicable, and I honestly don't get the change shortage.

Locally I've mostly been seeing shortages in fruits, fruit related products (like juice) and cleaning supplies.


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## Absolutego (Aug 19, 2020)

contradictionofterns said:


> I was unaware of the lumber shortage, but saw a news article claiming there's apparently a pepperoni shortage?
> 
> Cans is inexplicable, and I honestly don't get the change shortage.
> 
> Locally I've mostly been seeing shortages in fruits, fruit related products (like juice) and cleaning supplies.


The coin shortage is a combination of IRL retail being way down due to coronavirus, and several mints being offline for the same reason, per the US Treasury Dept.


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## Return of the Freaker (Aug 19, 2020)

There's also a consumer ammunition shortage. Gun ownership has surged since the riots plus the copper mines in South America are still shut down apparently


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## Binary Code (Aug 19, 2020)

Good luck trying to buy hollow point ammo. The ammo market is insane


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## I can't imagine (Aug 19, 2020)

Least Concern said:


> Wait, there's a shortage in aluminum soda cans? Really?
> 
> Does this explain why Costco hasn't had cases of Diet Mountain Dew recently? Um, not that I'd be the kind of person to buy that garbage by the case. Just something I noticed.



From talking to our Pepsi rep a little while back, they've been cutting back on the flavor selection they've been canning to ensure having the can supply for the popular flavors.  Which ones are being canned might depend on the plant handling your specific area, but, at least locally, it meant cutting out Pepsi 0, Diet Mt. Dew and a few other flavors.  Most of them are still in 2 liters and 20 oz. bottles, but the cans aren't available right now.

The demand is usually lower for cans after summer and before Thanksgiving, so we'll see if they start with the other flavors after then.


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## 1Tonka_Truck (Aug 19, 2020)

The lumber market got really weird back in May and June. Wholesalers just stopped buying lumber so the sawmills had to stop sawing. It started with the hardwood mills because all the furniture factories were shutdown. For some reason it happened with softwoods in June.


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## murdered meat bag (Aug 19, 2020)

theres a meat shortage
.havent gotten any headcheese or headcheese like products since corona.


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## Agent Abe Caprine (Aug 19, 2020)

contradictionofterns said:


> I was unaware of the lumber shortage, but saw a news article claiming there's apparently a pepperoni shortage?


First the frozen pizza shortage, now the pepperoni shortage. The End Times are upon us.

Glass bottle master race!


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## Dog-O-Tron 5000v5.0 (Aug 20, 2020)

Aberforth said:


> First the frozen pizza shortage, now the pepperoni shortage. The End Times are upon us.
> 
> Glass bottle master race!



Shit. Shit's bad right now. Next we'll be out of burrito coverings.


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## I can't imagine (Aug 20, 2020)

murdered meat bag said:


> theres a meat shortage
> .havent gotten any headcheese or headcheese like products since corona.



Processed meats have been an issue for several months:  sausages, bacon, ham.  Really, most all deli meats, though pork and chicken have been more impacted than beef and turkey.  It's getting back on track, but the more specialized products (like headcheese) are still lagging behind.  Bacon's also still an issue; we can get it, but selection is all over the place in terms of brands and varieties, as the warehouses run out of one just as another comes back in stock.


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## Xarpho (Oct 12, 2020)

Coin shortage is because they stopped up the system.

The usual cycle is that people can deposit coins at the bank, the bank rolls them up and distributes them to retailers, retailers then exchange coins with customers until everyone has a tidy collection of spare change that they can exchange for real cash/numbers.

Without the bank lobbies being open and able to accept coins (the pneumatic tubes aren't designed for coins), everyone is hoarding coins, so less to go to retailers, less to exchange to customers.


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## Pissmaster (Oct 14, 2020)

There's been a rubber glove shortage all year, too.  Harbor Freight wants like $18 for a single box of 50 9mil gloves.


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## Orange Rhymer (Oct 14, 2020)

Pissmaster said:


> There's been a rubber glove shortage all year, too.  Harbor Freight wants like $18 for a single box of 50 9mil gloves.


If you can (like for general COVID hygiene) use washable cloth gloves. Buy a 10-pack of work gloves, wear them to the store, wash at home.

otherwise, yeah. The prices are bad. Check into online bulk distributors. If you have an 'in' with an industrial distributor, you can buy at 1/10th of the Big Box cost.
(example: Grainger, McMaster-Carr, etc...)
You can also get piles of toliet paper. CHEAP.


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## MerriedxReldnahc (Oct 22, 2020)

There's also a mealworm shortage apparently. I found that out last Saturday at the wildlife clinic, there was a note in the baby bird room instructing volunteers to be careful with how many worms we dish out to our birds. I don't know what's going on in the world to make that happen. 

With the coin shortage I've tried to give exact change everywhere I've shopped, I don't imagine giving the candy store my extra quarters will fix the whole shortage but whatever helps!


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## TheRedChair (Oct 22, 2020)

Xarpho said:


> Coin shortage is because they stopped up the system.
> 
> The usual cycle is that people can deposit coins at the bank, the bank rolls them up and distributes them to retailers, retailers then exchange coins with customers until everyone has a tidy collection of spare change that they can exchange for real cash/numbers.
> 
> Without the bank lobbies being open and able to accept coins (the pneumatic tubes aren't designed for coins), everyone is hoarding coins, so less to go to retailers, less to exchange to customers.


They Closed the SF mint this year... And I agree with the Tin foil hat aspect.  Once they get you into a cashless society, the government can track everything you do, your spending habits, where you travel, where you work, who you deal with.  And so on. 

Can shortage is because recycling places are closed due to the coof.  Rubber is people gouging of the system.
I know this to be true because I've seen it with my own eyes.  Got 80 pounds of cans and I can't take it anywhere where I live.

As they say, you can get rich when there is misery around.


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## Disgruntled Pupper (Oct 22, 2020)

MerriedxReldnahc said:


> There's also a mealworm shortage apparently. I found that out last Saturday at the wildlife clinic, there was a note in the baby bird room instructing volunteers to be careful with how many worms we dish out to our birds. I don't know what's going on in the world to make that happen.
> 
> With the coin shortage I've tried to give exact change everywhere I've shopped, I don't imagine giving the candy store my extra quarters will fix the whole shortage but whatever helps!



Thanks for the heads up about the mealworms. Most of my birds have stopped giving a shit, but the wrens have been absolute fiends for them the past few weeks and I'm almost out. I'll have to see if my local shop still has some.


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## Brahma (Oct 23, 2020)

Disgruntled Pupper said:


> Thanks for the heads up about the mealworms. Most of my birds have stopped giving a shit, but the wrens have been absolute fiends for them the past few weeks and I'm almost out. I'll have to see if my local shop still has some.


You've pet wrens? Is that common


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## MerriedxReldnahc (Oct 28, 2020)

Decided to look up what the deal is with the mealworm shortage and the most information I managed to find were a few suppliers and other wildlife clinics stating "yeah, there's a mealworm shortage." What I did find that was interesting is that there's a cricket shortage this year too:
https://charlotteledger.substack.com/p/the-latest-shortage-is-live-crickets
The article says that the shortage is due to a reptile-buying boom relating to people staying home more. The article suggests mealworms as an alternative. A wildlife clinic in Tennessee was posting that they're struggling with the lack of mealworms and aksed for donations of crickets, sooooo the shortages are probably not helping each other.
(You also probably could breed your own, at the clinic we keep our worms in a set of plastic storage drawers in substrate with some kale and sweet potato slices thrown in. We have a mesh bag with newspaper that we keep in the fridge for storing worms long term and keeping them dormant.)


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## Long Tongue Silver (Oct 28, 2020)

Disinfectant spray is another item in short supply, but at least I can understand that one's coof-related. Wipes are slowly coming back in stock at most places.


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