Sliding downhill again!
This week our supermarket had significantly more empty shelves, compared with last week. The products that were available were often spread really wide in rows that are only one item deep. That had been common for many months, but products were spread out more than ever today, to disguise empty shelves.
The deterioration from last week was large enough so it is most likely NOT a random week to week variation. My overall rating is based on my impression of the product supply in the ENTIRE store. Not just the specific items we want to buy.
We normally shop at 6am Sunday morning when the store opens for business, at the huge Meijer's supermarket in Southfield, Michigan. Previous experiments with shopping on Friday, Saturday and Monday mornings revealed no differences when compared with Sunday mornings.
This morning was a disaster. We filled the cart to the brim with many sale items, like hoarders. This store has reasonable regular prices -- about 20% lower than smaller competitors. The regular prices today were $250, but with the sale that started today, we paid $208. Put all our items on the conveyor belt by the cashier. Suddenly, all the registers stopped working, just as the guy in front of us had inserted his credit card into the reader. We were told to put everything back in the cart, and move it to another register. So we did, and then emptied the cart again. That register also did not work. But it did start working a few minutes later. The guy in front of us paid over $200 for his groceries and then found he was charged twice for an expensive item, in the confusion. He was told to get a refund at Customer Service ... which opened for the day in two more hours!
Ye Editor
Paper towels and toilet paper
The biggest display of paper towels and toilet paper rolls you could ever imagine again -- enough for an army -- mainly to fill up otherwise empty shelves and end caps.
Cream Cheese
There were 84 eight ounce tubs of Philadelphia soft cream cheese, where there are usually about 200+. Prior weeks were 81, 111, 105, 93, 38, 78, 73, 104, 58 and 67.
There were 18 Meijer's brand eight ounce tubs, where there are normally 50+. Prior weeks were 9, 25, 3, 1 and 12.
There were 2 eight ounce bricks of Philadelphia cream cheese, where there are usually about 100+. Prior weeks were 23, 0, 1, 0, 0, 100, 100, 47, 12 and 0.
There were an amazing 77 Meijer's brand bricks where there are usually about 100+, after four weeks in a row with none.
Instant Coffee (product wanted not available)
This week no Taster's Choice, 8 Folger's decaf and 6 Folgers regular. Folger's must be awful -- it's always available! I don't drink coffee, so I don't know.
Last week no Taster's Choice, yet again, for months, 22 Folgers decaf, 1 Folgers regular and 1 Nescafe decaf.
Prior week no Taster's Choice, 8 Nescafe decaf, 6 Folgers decaf, and 3 Folgers regular.
Prior week one Taster's Choice -- a miracle -- after six weeks of none available. It was $9.49, compared with only $6.99 the last time Taster's Choice was available.
Puzzling that almost all the non-instant coffees remain fully stocked.
Snapple Tea Large Bottles (product wanted not available)
This week 4 Peach tea with sugar and one Raspberry tea with sugar. No Diet Peach tea that I wanted.Five prior weeks:
4 Diet Peach tea, 1 Raspberry tea with sugar and 1 diet iced tea - lemonade mix
6 Raspberry tea with sugar and 6 diet iced tea-lemonade mix.
3 Diet Peach tea, 3 Peach tea with sugar and 2 Raspberry tea with sugar.
1 Diet Peach tea, 5 Raspberry tea with sugar, and 10 Peach tea with sugar.
16 Diet Peach tea.
Diet Soda Pop (one product wanted not available)
Two liters bottles of 2 of the 3 flavors of diet cherry cola pop that I drink were well stocked. No Pepsi Cherry Cola again this week. The soda row was only 3/4 full for the second week in a row, after being well stocked the prior week.
Breakfast Cereals
This week's raisin bran: A good supply of Kellog's, a small supply of Meijer's and Post brand.
Last week there was a small supply of Kellog's raisin bran. No Post raisin bran and only 2 Meijer's raisin bran boxes. Kellog's is too sweet. Post is more expensive and usually out of stock. Meijer's is our first choice. Meijer's brand had been out of stock for months.
Pickles (product wanted not available)
This week I wanted 24 ounce Meijer's bread and butter pickles that were a great price last week" $1.89, and not even on sale, $1 less than expected. Glad I bought two. None available this week. There were small 12 ounce bottles for $2.49, 32% more than I paid for twice as many pickles the week before! That's inflation !
Prior four weeks in a row had been fully stocked with Meijers and Vlasic pickles. There had been zero Meijers' brand for five weeks in a row before that.
For the fifth week in a row, the better tasting Meijer's Kosher low sugar bread and butter pickles in a refrigerated case were not available. The two spicy flavors of Meijer's kosher pickles were available, without the "Limit 2" sign this week. Both too spicy for me.
Yogurt
Fully stocked for five weeks in a row. This department had been a disaster in 1Q 2022. And then a miracle in 2Q 2022.
Planter's Dry Roasted Salted Peanuts (product wanted not available)
This week there were 6 34.5 ounce size and no 16 ounce size. I wanted five of the 16 ounce size on sale for only $1.99 each. None on the shelf. Decided to try 16 ounce two honey roasted bottles. About one half teaspoon of sugar per one ounce. Slightly sweet, Very good, glad I tried them. Regular price is $3.69 each! It's still annoying to enter the store on the first minute of their weekly sale and the sale product is not available.
34.5 ounce size in prior weeks: 1 and zero
16 ounce size in prior weeks: 2 and 2
Meijer's brand 16 ounce bottles are always available, but they are only 5% less expensive than Planters, and don't taste very good.
Jif Smooth Peanut Butter
This week all Jif peanut butter was gone due to a recall.
We photographed the notice because we had three bottles on the shelf at home. Meijer's brand was available but it tastes bad. A small supply of Skippy was available, but Jif tastes better. Last week had a different sign: "Limit 2", on Jif smooth which I bought - there were no signs on Jif chunky peanut butter. I liked that sign a lot better than the salmonella recall sign today.
Packaged deli meats
Fully stocked with ham and turkey (for several weeks in a row). But only one brand of salami, compared with two brands last week, and four brands normally.
ACE bread from Canada, baked in the store
Six Harvest Grain flavor loaves after none the prior week, but a good selection for two weeks before that.
Ice Cream
About 7/8 stocked, compared with 3/4, 2/3, 7/8, 3/4, 7/8 and 1/2 stocked in the prior weeks. 6 Breyer's sugar free ice cream available, compared with 4, 0, 6, 0, 12 and 0 in the prior weeks. No other brand of sugar free ice cream available.
Lindt chocolate bars (product wanted not available)
This week zero of 12 flavors were stocked, compared with 0, 3, 2, 3 and 2 of 12, in prior weeks. There had been completely empty shelves for one month before that.
A poor selection of other brands for the second week in a row, after a good selection for the past three weeks.
Candy and gum
The candy section was 2/3 full this week, compared with 3/4. 7/8, 7/8, 3/4 and 1/2 full in prior weeks. Candy impulse purchase shelves at the checkout line were 2/3 full, compared with 7/8, 3/4, 2/3 and 2/3 full in prior weeks.
Cole Slaw Mix: (product wanted not available)
No cole slaw mix available except for one very expensive small bag of "organic" cole slaw that looked dry and had too much purple cabbage it, which is too bitter. The prior week had 6 Dole Classic Mix available -- I bought them all -- after none for two weeks before that. Pre-made cole slaw has way too much sugar in it, IMHO.
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