Improved supply for two weeks in a row !
This week our supermarket had fewer empty shelves, compared with last week. But we struck out on eight items we wanted to buy, which may be the worst "batting average" in the past year. Fortunately, we have been hoarding items when they are available -- buying more than we need for the next week. My overall rating is based on my impression of the product supply in the ENTIRE store -- not just the specific items we wanted to buy, more of which were out of stock today than ever before!
The change from last week was large enough to be more than a random week to week variation.
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.
Ye Editor
Paper towels and toilet paper
Fully stocked for the past several months.
Cream Cheese (product wanted not available)
There were 85 eight ounce tubs of Philadelphia soft cream cheese, where there are usually about 200+. Prior weeks were 82, 84, 81, 111, 105, 93, 38, 78, 73, 104, 58 and 67.
There were 24 Meijer's brand eight ounce tubs in one flavor -- not one I wanted -- where there are normally 50+. Prior weeks were 19, 18, 9, 25, 3, 1 and 12, The cost is $2.19 per tub compared with $4.29 a tub for Philadelphia, which tastes almost te same when smeared on good bread.
There were 21 eight ounce bricks of Philadelphia cream cheese, where there are usually about 100+. Prior weeks were 45, 5, 2, 23, 0, 1, 0, 0, 100, 100, 47, 12 and 0.
There were 12 Meijer's brand bricks where there are usually about 100+, after prior weeks with 2, 77 and none for four consecutive weeks/
Instant Coffee (product wanted not available)
This week there was one Taster's Choice, although not the flavor the wife wanted. It was $9.49, compared with $6.99 one year ago. Also 1 Folger's decaf and 7 Folger's regular. Puzzling that almost all the non-instant coffees remain fully stocked.
Last week no Taster's Choice bottles, as usual, but there were finally 8 boxes of Taster's Choice individual packets, instead of none. $3.99 for only 1.9 ounces total. There were plenty of Folger's, some Nescafe, and one lonely bottle of Maxwell House.
- Prior week no Taster's Choice, 8 Folger's decaf and 6 Folgers regular.
- Prior 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.
Snapple Tea Large Bottles
This week 12 diet iced tea - lemonade, 8 Raspberry with sugar, 6 Peach with sugar, and 10 Diet PeachSeven prior weeks
10 Raspberry with sugar, 9 diet iced tea - lemonade, 5 Peach with sugar and 4 Diet Peach with sugar
4 Peach tea with sugar and one Raspberry tea with sugar. No Diet Peach.
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, compared with 3 of 3 last week and 2 of 3 the week before. The soda row was only 2/3 full, compared with 3/4 full for the prior two weeks. Today had the largest amount of empty shelves in a long time. First time I can remember with no 2 liter bottles of Diet Dr. Pepper available for sale.
Breakfast Cereals - Raisin Bran
This week a very small selection: No Kellog's, unless you wanted the versions with honey, or with cranberries, 3 Meijer's and 3 Post boxes.
Last week: 5 Kellog's, 2 Meijer's and lots of Post brand.
Prior week there was a small supply of Kellog's raisin bran. no Post raisin bran and 2 Meijer's raisin bran boxes. Meijer's is our first choice -- it had had been out of stock for months.
Pickles (product wanted not available)
24 ounce bottles of Meijer's bread and butter pickles were #2.09, while the 16 ounce size was $1.99? With such a good price, I bought 6 of the 8 24 ounce bottles.
Four 24 ounce size were available last week.
No 24 ounce size available the prior week
For the seventh week in a row, the better tasting Meijer's Kosher low sugar bread and butter pickles that I want to buy, in a refrigerated case, were not available. The two spicy flavors of those Meijer's kosher pickles were available, but both too spicy for me.
Yogurt
Fully stocked for seven 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 twelve 34.5 ounce size and no 16 ounce size bottles.
34.5 ounce size in prior weeks: 6, 6, 1 and zero
16 ounce size in prior weeks: 0. 0, 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.
The Planter's honey roasted peanuts are very good/
I wanted the 34.5 ounce size today, but there were none for the second week in a row. Fortunately the usually more expensive 16 ounce size was on sale again. There were five and I bought two
Jif Smooth Peanut Butter (product wanted not available)
All Jif peanut butter was gone due to a recall (for the third week in a row). There was a small amount of regular Skippy, and lots of Meijer's brand -- cheaper, and I bought one last week -- it's definitely not as good as Jif.
Packaged deli meats (product wanted not available)
Fully stocked with ham and turkey (for several weeks in a row). Three brands of salami, but not the low costs brand I wanted to buy, for the second week in a row. There are normally four brands of salami normally. Three brands in stock s the best selection in a long time.
ACE bread from Canada (product wanted not available)
No Harvest Grain flavor loaves available.
Past 2 weeks: 0, 6 and 0.
Ice Cream
About 7/8 stocked, compared with 3/4, 7/8 3/4, 2/3, 7/8, 3/4, 7/8 and 1/2 stocked in the prior weeks.
2 Breyer's no sugar added ice cream were available, compared with 0. 8, 6, 4, 0, 6, 0, 12 and 0 in prior weeks. I bought both.
There were also 6 Breyer's Carb Smart chocolate, a flavor that could be sold as no sugar added. It's got more air bubbles in the product, making it easier to scoop, and that probably reduces the calories. The Breyer's no sugar added ice cream I buy is also made from skim milk and usually freezes into a very hard block, unlike high fat ice creams.
No other brand of no sugar added ice cream available.
Lindt chocolate bars (product wanted not available)
This week 6 of 12 flavors were stocked, compared with 4, 0, 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 of chocolate bars for the third week in a row, after a good selection for the past three weeks.
Candy and gum
The candy section was 7/8 full again this week -- only weak in the chocolate bar section and sugar free candy section. The section was 7/8 2/3, 3/4. 7/8, 7/8, 3/4 and 1/2 full in prior weeks. Candy impulse purchase shelves at the checkout line were nearly full for the second week, compared with 2/3. 7/8, 3/4, 2/3 and 2/3 full in prior weeks.
Cole Slaw Mix:
There were 10 bags of Dole cole slaw mix and I bought 7, which should last two weeks. Last week there was no cole slaw mix of any brand for me to add my special no sugar-added sauce. The prior week there was one very expensive small bag of very expensive "organic" cole slaw mix. The prior week had 6 Dole Classic Mix available -- I bought them all -- after finding none for two weeks in a row before that.
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