Empty shelves in supermarkets

[EmptshelvesUK]

I must admit I’ve not really been out much these past couple of years due to health reasons but have in the last month been to several different supermarkets.

what’s the reason behind the cardboard advertising boxes where items should be on the shelves in Sainsburys and why in Asda are some areas of the store just empty of food, the biscuit (8 in a packet type snack bars) just empty, nothing, last two weeks exactly the same.

Is it delivery driver issues, or can they not get these products? Or the war in Ukraine etc etc, or is this all part of the Covid pandemic.

I met an acquaintance who'd just walked past our local Co Op and was really agitated and worried. All the fresh salad, veg, and fruit shelves were empty. He was full of doom and gloom. Said "it" had finally happened: food shortages, hosepipe ban, global warming, etc. He was so certain, so passionate, so chock-full of statistics, quotes, facts, I actually began to feel shakey and scared inside, wondering what I would do if the shops really were suddenly completely devoid of food.

On my way home I peered through the Co Op window and every section of the fresh foods display was chock-full to overflowing with fruit and veg! But he wasn't with me!

I normally shop online and don’t often get a substitute but if I do it’s generally acceptable.

I was just shocked at the lack of stock around the shop and these odd cardboard shelf fillers that when you glance down the aisle means you don’t see an empty shelf but it’s then jolly obvious there’s a lack of something when there is all these odd boxes of nothing filling the shelves.

I was hoping a Sainsburys employee that stock shelves might have an answer.

Full fat milk seems to be an issue where I live, today dp had to queue in Morrisons to get milk on Thursday he was only able to get an organic 4 pint and yesterday my 6 pint of full fat got substituted for semi skimmed in my weekly online Asda shop, personally I don't like it but dp and the teens drink loads of milk!

Never seen/heard of a cardboard shelf filler. Anyone have a photo please?!

M56 crazy busy last evening our Lidl was waiting for a delivery that was hours late for traffic reasons. It's a mad time in August

Yep - we've got a place in helston - no issues getting anything in lidl/tesco down there or in aldi in Redruth. Up in Plymouth where we live it's v husky

Definitely the case in my local store where they're on their periodic "people know where to find things - shit guys, mix it up again" rearrangement, combined with the August sprouting of the mountains of Quality Street boxes.

Noticed issues in the ice cream aisle (no idea why!) and issues with chilled cabinets struggling in the heat and having to be emptied out until engineers can come - but other than that it's been pretty much normal.

Happening lots in Cornwall where I live.

Yay! it's been at least three weeks since we've had a panic buying thread.

Petrol prices are going down though and there don't seem to be any shortages.

Apologies for not adding to the DOOM.

You could well be right!

But sadly I think it's more due to the other offenders - Ukraine, covid, brexit, etc etc

I didnt take a photo but I've seem them today, just an empty box maybe with an advert for the product or logo on that makes it look like shelf is full

I haven’t seen any empty shelves at all. And that’s Sainsbury’s, Asda, M&S, though I buy most at Asda.

I only do online shopping. Morrisons is getting worse, this week my order was missing cheddar cheese, lettuce, cream, ready salted crisps, cauliflower, celery and vegetable oil. No subscriptions for any of the items

Aldi had almost no ice creams or lollies in but that is kind of to be expected. Morrisons had a few gaps last week- it tends to be the cheaper products/lines which sell out first.

That is interesting that Sainsbury's is coming out cheaper than Morrisons, Sainsbury’s have always seemed expensive to me. Might have to have a look around soon.

No broccoli or cucumber in our Tesco delivery today and none in Waitrose when we went to get them there.

Weird. The rest of the Tesco delivery was fine.

Morrisons was sold to a venture capitalist late last year. Wonder if that's got anything to do with it? VCs cut costs to the bone.

Shops are a bit hit and miss at the moment - sometimes have everything, other times not. Where the fuck are all the stick deodorants though?

I get mine delivered from Tesco. I book the full 4 weeks in advance, (same day, same time. Less chance of messing up!!). I opt for no substitutes because although they were 'fine' if you're pretty normal, I'm diet restricted for a health issues so sometimes the substitutes were just not ok for me)

it's very rare an item is unavailable but it's not unusual for me not to be able to increase the number if certain items. So I imagine in store there might be gaps.

morrisons are DREADFUL & treat their staff like crap.

I’m genuinely not seeing this locally. Was in tesco and Aldi yesterday and fully stocked, actually I got the last pack of pink lady apples in Aldi but plenty of other types.

It's a mixture - shortages because of the war in Ukraine and logistical issues due to Brexit. All our supermarkets are like that - even if there is stock, there is less of it (as in, back of the shelf is empty and stuff is spread out to make it look like more).

This is going to get worse once full checks on imports and exports to and from the EU are finally implemented. Much of this is indeed down to Brexit.

I got so fed up of missing stock in our local Lidl that I came crawling back to Tesco despite the higher prices.

Eloped with the bog standard, basic, bar soap which apparently doesn't exist now! 🤷‍♀️

I was in Waitrose earlier, there was hardly anything there at all. Husband says it was the same last week, particularly for us today no burgers, burger buns, sausages, deli stuff like potato salad etc, no kitchen roll, hardly any fruit / veg / salad. We don't buy it but I noticed no bottled water at all, even the £££ Fiji stuff was gone

Yorkshire here and it’s awful. There is no salad in either Sainsburys or Morrisons. There are huge gaps everywhere and even if they do have what your looking for there’s only two or three on the shelf. I was only just thinking that as soon as the Xmas things come in I’m going to start buying early this year.