SUPPLY CHAIN SURVEY: Sunday morning at the local supermarket

Last week I announced here that the empty shelves finally did not seem to be getting worse, and I will say the same for this week.  Not getting worse, but also not improving.

To fill empty spaces this store -- the huge Meijer's supermarket in Southfield, Michigan -- displays ridiculously large quantities of whatever they do have, in redundant locations, and they display extra wide rows of products they have, that are just one item deep. For example: Kraft Ranch Salad Dressing bottles in 12 rows, but all the rows are only one item deep.

Meijer scent-free laundry detergent:

None in the store, again. Small quantites of name brand scent-free detergent were available, that would cost about 50% more. We'll eventually have to buy them.

 

Kraft 8 ounce chunks of cheese:

About 80 where there are usually 200

Spread wide in one item deep rows.

 

Phiadelphia 8 ounce tubs of soft cream cheese

About 60 where there are usually 200. Spread wide in one item deep rows. ... Meijer's 8 ounce blocks of plain cream cheese just went on sale for only $1, but there were none in the store. This was in the first hour of a new weekly sale.

 

Coffee and Tea

This was the first time that row was decimated, with an incredible amount of empty shelves. Lucky that I previously stocked up on tea when there was a sale, and they had what I wanted.  

Breakfast Cereals

Lots of empty shelves, but they finally had Kellog's Raisin Bran, for the first time in a month. 

 

Soda Pop

Still lots of empty shelves but two litter bottles of Diet Doctor Pepper were on sale for only $1 each, and there were plenty left after I bought five.