In reference to my last post on a trip to the city, a long-time reader sent an email detailing her recent shopping experience. She lives in the Silicon Valley area of California, and helps care for her elderly in-laws. Her email is posted with permission.
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I went grocery shopping for two households today. I'm terrible at taking photos, so I didn't take any.
I went to three stores and there was no broccoli in the produce department in any of them, except the pre-washed packaged florets. There was plenty of celery in the first store; it was in its own place AND in the place for the broccoli. Most of the other produce was either very low stock or missing entirely.
There were huge gaps in stocking all over the stores. The packaged meat and poultry refrigerator units were very sparsely populated, and there wasn't much more in the butcher departments. Dairy had big gaps, and the egg refrigerator units had very little in them. There were only two packages of toilet paper, the four-roll ones, at the first store. There are signs about supply chain issues in the pet supply aisle at the first store, mostly related to the kibble types.
The third store was necessary because Mom asked for bacon and hot dogs. That store was the only one that had them and the stock was definitely low. The aisles that seemed to have the most stock were the sugar cereal, junk food, soda, and liquor. Oh, and store-brand baked goods. That was at Safeway. Of the other two stores, one had plenty of junk food, the other had plenty of liquor (they have an exceptional wine and beer section). One of my friends is making a trip to the local Costco soon. I'll ask her for a report.
I have noticed over the last few months that the butcher departments at all these stores are shrinking, and the produce departments suddenly have lots of room to move around. The stores appear to be trying to hide the problem with rearranging and removing gondolas/bins/etc., and fronting all the stock regularly. Questions about product availability are met with a blank look and mumbled answers about deliveries. Some customers are starting to get a bit vocal about their displeasure. Prices are going up by leaps and bounds, but most people appear to be more concerned about availability than price (a Silicon Valley thing?).
Mom said that my normally clueless sister-in-law has actually noticed and is quite frightened.
We're definitely living in "interesting times"! God is sovereign, however.
California is probably the most left state of all. The lockdowns and mandates are draconian to say the least. I've heard that many truckers won't go there. And if there is more money to be had from government handouts than from work, why work? And if you don't want to conform to the vax and mask mandates, you can't work. Sad that the citizens there have been so overwhelmed by the communists in power. I grew up in San Diego and I miss the good ol' days.
ReplyDeleteI'm in San Diego and what you say rings true. Some employers will waive the Vax mandate to work for religious reasons, but not all. I will say though that the supply issues have been much less noticeable here. The cost on the other hand is horrifying. I read an article today stating the cost of rent here has gone up between 16%-21% in just one year! The cost of groceries doesn't seem to be far behind either.
ReplyDeleteKinCA
God is indeed sovereign. I have been warning this was coming for decades, and even said when. My rantings were eerily accurate, but I'm still a tin foil hat wearing kook.
ReplyDeleteThis country has forsaken God, shown Him the door. It is on the verge of stabbing Israel in the back, a huge no no. God never gave up on His chosen people. The US has been sowing the wind, and is about to reap the whirlwind. So will the rest of the world as well. A days wages for a days worth of food for a single person is upon us. God allowed me to see these things starting back in the late 70s, early 80s. Known unto God from the beginning are His works.
Buckle up, the ride is about to get violent, and billions of people are going to die. The survivors may envy the dead. Few will be untouched. They will almost all be hurt, maimed, raped, enslaved, suffer sickness and disease, left homeless, and more. It's begun. And as I've said many times over the past few decades, it only gets worse from here for several years.
I would really like to hear your details on this, please.
DeleteIs it due to war?
Not war as we generally think of it. More the result of plain evil, though a war may become part of it. It is the result of godlessness and the pain, injury and misery that people inflict on each other. In past history God has used disaster, sickness and disease in an effort to get peoples attention, but this time it will be as a result of Satan finally taking hold of the earth. We are seeing the clues now. Crime is allowed to go unchecked and in cases encouraged. Lab created illnesses that are used on enemies. Moral changes that we are coddling and encouraging rather than trying to alleviate. People living by "my way or the highway'"
DeleteI'm going to have to write a reponse in more than one box as it won't allow me to post over more than a certain number of characters. this is part 1
DeleteYes, I meant war. And it starts soon.
The US will be nuked, and invaded. And I hear it now, can't happen here, they wouldn't dare, etc. It's going to happen.
Part of that war will almost certainly include an EMP attack on the US. That part I'm only 99.999% certain of though. I know what the most modern thermal nuclear weapons look like. The pictures of Kim Un inspecting his gives me concern. It's real. And the size and profile of his testing of it fits an EMP. Something you won;t hear your leaders admit to. Maybe you should ask them why.
The federal government released a study saying that if the US were to be hit with an EMP or coronal mass ejection(we're about due), 90% of you will be dead in the first year. We know how they tend to give optimistic reports though, so probably more. And it would take at least 10-20 years to rebuild, and that's only if we were not being shot at by an enemy.
And of course we keep pissing off the world. A well know muslim terrorist group promised us 2000 suicide bombers in Washington DC just recently. They ain't alone. Even our allies are getting irritated with us.
part 2
DeleteBut more than war as well, and starting before it. We have a small lead time yet before the bullets start flying.
We are headed into a time of global famine. Not global warming, but global cooling. Solar cycle, sun is getting a bit cooler in every bit of the spectrum. You won't see it with your eyes because of the way your eyes work, and because its such a small change. But it's measurable. It's already lead to a measurable decrease in output from solar farms ability to generate electricity. This will lead to climate chaos. Flooding where it was dry, drought where it was wet. A heat dome over the western states while Texas and even parts of Mexico freeze sound familiar? Jet stream going out of place because of the solar cycle includes the sun's magnetic field decreasing. Growing belts will shift. North Africa and the middle east will start to be farm land over the next few years, while China, Europe, and north america will go offline for the most part. Far less food will be grown though. At first it will be blamed on supply chain disruptions. But we had a horrible harvest in grains these last three harvest seasons. Want to know the real reason you can't get much pasta? It's made with durum wheat. Most got wiped out before this last harvest. China is on the world market hoovering up what ever it can find, and for good reason. Most of the last three years they had flooding wipe out most of their homegrown crops. They now have a bit more than half pf the worlds grain stocks, because they know what is coming with this grand solar minimum. They've been paying attention the last few thousand years. They have bought up large chunks of arid desert in Africa, and build rail lines out to it, because they know it will become viable farm land. They don't want the cycle to cause them to be booted out of power the way it's gone down every 400 years in the solar minimums.
Starvation will mean your body won't have the strength to fight off disease, which leads to pandemics (and plandemics). What do ebola and corona viruses have in common? Answer: patents on both. And they ain't the last in the que. This will also kill a huge number of people. I've been monitoring the current one since 2019. There are more on my radar now. Bubonic plague is on its way back. It claimed the life of a little girl here in the US last year. Utah if I remember right. There was an explosion in a lab in Russia and small pox is probably back in the wild. And others we don't even know what they are yet have popped up globally.
Deletepart 3?
DeleteThrow in natural disaster of all sorts coming in hot and heavy, in increasing frequency and intensity, and more will die from them. Hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, volcanoes. Do you understand how many volcanoes are currently going off? Scientists are concerned. The number and magnitude of earthquakes as well.
And yes, social upheaval as well. When people are starving, they will kill you for that crust of bread you have in your hand. They'll kick in your door hoping to find something to eat. Bible described the mindset of people in the last day. The description seems to fit what we now term as sociopath or psychopath. Been watching the news lately?
It's already started, but most have been ignoring it, so far. Most prefer to believe their leaders and trust them. How many times have I heard "It can;t/won't happen here. This is AMERICA!" We'll see, and soon. How did the old song go? No one blinder than one who just won't see?
Please, this has nothing to do with God. Take your preaching to a street corner. And why don't you sign your own name?
DeleteI'm in southern CA as well. My wife does most of the food shopping, but I'm noticing the shortages too. The produce aisles are hit & miss, and when you "hit," it's second rate produce. I had to pick through what few serrano peppers were available to find ones that weren't wrinkled up. Same went for the tomatoes. If they weren't banged up they were under-ripe. And this is at a major grocer. I also noticed that the stores are trying to hide the shortages by frontloading the shelves. For instance, I wanted club soda. I grabbed the ones in front and there was nothing behind them.
ReplyDeleteI'm retired military. My wife just got back from the commissary and reported much the same, so it isn't just a "Commifornia" issue. She reported that the biggest gaps were in the refrigerated aisles. She also said that the meat counter was sparse and expensive. The cuts were lousy. She reported gaps in the shelves all over the store.
Funny, there never seems to be a shortage of alcohol... This is in keeping with .gov's "Keep 'em stoned, stupid, and entertained" attitude.
Gas prices? They leveled off at somewhere around the outer rings of Saturn. Thanks, Joe.
I went to fill some 5-gallon water bottles. The cost to fill each went from $1.25 to $1.75; a 71% increase in the space of a week! Yeah, I know. Bottled water sounds like a luxury, but it's really not. For one, the water quality in my town is awful. Second, the bottled water is my emergency water store. Using one or two bottles a week lets my cycle my stock.
Folks, if you see it, think you'll need it in the future, and have the room to store it, buy it now!
As they hey say aboard ship; "Stand by for heavy rolls as the ship comes about!"
May God's blessings and mercy be on all of you!
I'm in southeastern WI and just went shopping this morning. The stores are stocked as full as previous times and there are no obvious open spots. Stew meat on sale $5.99 lb., dairy items full, cereal, bread and lots of fresh veggies and canned goods.
ReplyDeleteThere appears to be no panic buying and gas is only $2.95 gal. I've seen pictures of almost empty stores in other areas of the country but not around here.
I live in Republican Alabama, so shelves are barish, skimpy. Produce at Publix and The Pig are abundant and fresh.
ReplyDeleteNorthern California Sierra Nevada foothills: rural gold rush town. All our groceries are fully stocked, no limits on anything. I have always shopped the sales, and they continue. However, my PG&E (power) bill went through the roof this month, due to natural gas inflation. Two weeks after an historic snowstorm, some folks are still without power, and downed trees and branches are slowly being removed (where to put it all?). Regarding 'commiefornia' -- all northern, eastern and farming counties are conservative; it's the urban areas that impose their woke politics on their rural neighbors. Real estate is very hot here, due to city folk leaving their rotting cities. Unfortunately, they bring their failed tendencies with them.
ReplyDeleteStay close to the Lord and pack your barns, with enough food to get by while growing more food to survive, barter, and charity. Water may become a serious issue. Fall back on knowledge that electricity, toilet paper, internet, are NEW invention, and people can live without them if and when necessary. I advise people to use your prepper skills...of you have NOT lived a month without toilet paper, it's only theory, not a skill. If you have never made a meal in your open home fireplace, it's only theory, not a skill. If you have never retrieved water, purified it and used it to drink, it's only theory, not a skill. I have been writing down scriptures that give me courage, assurance and comfort, to keep in my heart. Ps 37-18&19 Day by day the Lord takes care of the innocent, they shall have an inheritance that lasts FOREVER, THEY WILL NOT BE DISGRACED IN HARD TIMES-EVEN IN FAMINE THEY WILL HAVE MORE THAN ENOUGH.
ReplyDeleteActually, all the storms and such have taught many lessens in preparation and at least in that sense were/ and may continue to be a blessing. My washer went kaput a few years ago and I started washing many things by hand. And because I had washed too many heavier items in the washer, causing it's early demise, even experimented successfully with washing those things in large tubs outdoors. Laundromats are not convenient in the country. Anyway, I've since gotten a new washer, but am treating it as a wonderful luxury.
DeleteA hurricane knocked out our power for a week about a decade ago. I had put every available tub, pot, storage bin under the eaves to catch run off from the roof. They filled up, none blew over weighted with the water even though winds went up to 126 mph, probably partly from being sheltered by the house, and that water flushed toilets for the week. If necessary it could have been filtered and used, but I'd filled the tub too and it lasted long enough.
Having a screened porch proved to be the best prep though. Inside the house was unbearably hot and the porch was a great place to live comfortably with no power.
So use storms to practice preparation.
Yes for sure!! We all learn alot from those times when ever something hits the fan!!
DeleteHere in north Mississippi I've not encountered any shortages of any kind lately. I'm still trying to gather up foodstuff and the like, I have enough for about a month so far. Aware that things will ultimately get worse, I'm keeping up with news from across the country and planning accordingly.
ReplyDeleteChicken flavored Stovetop stuffing was in at least 6 different isles filling empty space. Ritz crackers along with soda water were also in random places. No Shelves were empty. The store did a great job filling empty space. You had to look close to see that items were missing or short.
ReplyDeleteI live in Virginia and it is the same here.
ReplyDeleteSince you are relatively close to the Canadian border...this might interest you.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.zerohedge.com/personal-finance/make-preparations-canadian-vaxx-mandate-cross-border-trucking-now-effect-domestic
If you don't have a garden, this is the year to start. Ours is behind the house - several of our neighbors have had produce stolen out of gardens that are visible from the street.
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