Who else has noticed the shops running low on stock?

[PicsInRed]

Anyone else? Clothes shops - sparse stock, what remains is last season's rejects. Furniture and electrical - empty space where goods have sold out without replacement. Even misc in John Lewis, e.g. mirrors etc. Is anyone here in buying/stock management and know anything about this?

I did read that fashion chains cancelled next season orders at lockdown, but with restrictions world wide (and tensions high between UK and China), when will full stock return?

I live in a very touristy area of Wales, and since we reopened last week, the supermarket is empty of bread, lots of fresh produce, milk etc. We're dependent on tourists for our economy here but I wish I could buy a loaf of bread!

I've had cardamom pods on order from Amazon for aaaaages. No sign, and they've now disappeared from Lidl.

I'm now boycotting Tesco because of their support for Mermaids, so no more home delivery (I live in the back of beyond and am shielding)

Yes. I've noticed a few things in shops but my dp is a builder and he has found that for each job he has to do, he has trouble getting hold of certain parts. It's making everything take longer as he has to scout loads of different stores and trade places to get materials on top of the social distancing and queuing. It's probably supply issues worldwide due to orders being cancelled and staff being off work due to illness or lockdowns.

In my chain it is not lack of customers we are concerned about, it is the lack of stock.

We were looking last week for art supplies in high street we gone up to pay a cheque in.

I spoke to shop manager in one shop and till lady in another - they both said had recent deliveries not as much came as usual and they'd already sold the bulk of it.

Came home looked at amason and got what we needed.

I feel a bit as though I'm becoming a bit of a one trick pony, but really what you're seeing now will be as nothing after Brexit proper in December.

The just in time supply chain will dry up overnight, literally, and we have no reasonable/practical trade agreements in place.

Unless you are particularly fond of chlorine washed chicken, and all of the welfare/environmental issues involved. And even that will take months to negotiate, and what do we do in the desparate times in between?

Resign ourselves to being fucked right over, with no options at all, is what.

desparate times. And idiots within us voted for that.

@Lifejacket I'm going to try some other supermarkets to see if I can get her some. She really is upset about it😀 Strange you mention not being able to get tinned carrots. I was only saying to my DH the other day that you don't see tinned carrots in the supermarkets.

This must be the right time for some clever entrepreneurs to start up factories in the UK to make the kinds of things we need and used to make.
Also good to cut China out of supply chain but mostly to create jobs in the UK and get the thing we need into shops

This must be the right time for some clever entrepreneurs to start up factories in the UK to make the kinds of things we need and used to make.
Also good to cut China out of supply chain but mostly to create jobs in the UK and get the thing we need into shops

I like this idea and I work in (non food, non essential) manufacture but a lot of imported items are not feasible to make as cheaply here. We have lost loads of work in the last 10-15 years due to not being able to compete on prices.(although also the quality from abroad is much lower) Some work colleagues had extra work in Feb/March when china locked down and their uk customers were desperate and had no alternatives but I dont think it was permanent.

I would pay much more for British made goods over Chinese imports! 👍🏻

I would also pay more for British over Chinese. Unfortunately an awful lot of people are very strapped for cash and will not be able to say the same.

Marks and Spencers, large city store, very sparse stock. Our local Wilkinson's the same .

Things in Argos are very depleted.

The thing is that what we buy is not always our choice. For example, I used to buy school uniform from a local retail shop. All good, go in and try it on etc. Now I am forced to buy it online by the school and the shop has gone bust. The quality it rubbish and it is overpriced. They send me cust service questionnaires and I totally slate them. I DO NOT want to buy from them, but I am forced to.

In many cases we are forced to buy things that are from China, that are online and overproced/ cheap tat because we have had choice taken away from us.

@MotherMorph

*This must be the right time for some clever entrepreneurs to start up factories in the UK to make the kinds of things we need and used to make. Also good to cut China out of supply chain but mostly to create jobs in the UK and get the thing we need into shops*

I like this idea and I work in (non food, non essential) manufacture but a lot of imported items are not feasible to make as cheaply here. We have lost loads of work in the last 10-15 years due to not being able to compete on prices.(although also the quality from abroad is much lower) Some work colleagues had extra work in Feb/March when china locked down and their uk customers were desperate and had no alternatives but I dont think it was permanent.

Maybe when everything was labour intensive, it made sense to use ultra cheap labour in the Far East etc. But, over the decades, their labour costs are increasing and more is being automated. There's no reason why the automated manufacture couldn't be brought back into the UK.

Just look at the factories we do have, i.e. fizzy drinks, beers, crisps/snacks, chocolate bars, toilet rolls, etc - all mostly heavily automated. If we can make crisps in the UK and sell them very cheaply, then surely we can make other things too by automation. Yes, costs will be higher, but also the transport costs will be lower so should balance out to an extent.

I think it's an ideal opportunity to massively increase UK manufacture, especially with Brexit too.

Only the other evening, there was a report on local news about a new factory that had been set up to mass produce face masks - yes, lots of people, but they were all using automation, i.e. automatic cutters etc rather than actually "hand making" things in the traditional way. If we can manufacture cheap face masks economically and still make a profit, then we need to apply that tech/automation to other clothing items and yes, even to "cheap tat".

@Ingles2

I’m a retailer and am amazed at this thread! When we went into lockdown, everything went into lockdown..manufacturing and distribution. The supply chain is seriously backed up in everything.. obviously we would like full shelves so I wonder where a/ you think this stock is coming from when the manufacturers have been closed and b/ how retailers are paying for all this new stock after being closed for months?

I dont know, that's your problem to solve!

@WhentheDealGoesDown

I've noticed another funny one - cream almost never has the little plastic lid! It has the seal you tear off, but no lid. So if you don't use all the cream at once, there's no cover for in the fridge. I've taken to washing and saving the lids whenever they're included

I think this is an environmental thing rather than Covid as by the cream in Waitrose there is a sign saying something about that they have done away with the lid, less waste

Pain in the backside to keep it from spilling in the fridge though

Yes it is a pain with the cream as I feel it also keeps fresher with the plastic lid

Yes it is a pain with the cream as I feel it also keeps fresher with the plastic lid

Same thing has happened with Greek yogurt. I'm always worried it's going to burst or spill out on way back from the supermarket!

They should sell a reusable lid alongside the cream.. I'd gladly pay!

Asda didn't have any 6 pinters of milk for the past couple of weeks. Tesco seem to have stopped doing it!

I've not been able to get cherry coke (the proper stuff, not the diet crap) for a while now. I know there's worse things but I do like cherry coke!

I can't find icing sugar anywhere

I’ve been looking for it in various supermarkets for the whole of lockdown. Finally got some in M & S last week and then noticed they also had got some in at Asda. Perhaps as more people go back to work/on holiday less baking is being done.

@MrsFezziwig

I can't find icing sugar anywhere

I’ve been looking for it in various supermarkets for the whole of lockdown. Finally got some in M & S last week and then noticed they also had got some in at Asda. Perhaps as more people go back to work/on holiday less baking is being done.

I buy icing sugar most weeks and other than at the start of lockdown they've had it in stock in aldi, there must be local variations.

Yes the no lid on the cream is a pain but I think that's been happening now for a couple of years, especially with the smaller 150ml cartons.

I've got a Sainsbury's delivery coming later, they've emailed to say there are no ham, chicken and salami slices, and they aren't offering an alternative. MIL told me there was no ham in her local ASDA yesterday. (I'm in Kent and MIL is Sussex) Has anyone else noticed this? I'm wondering if it's because some of the food processing/packing factories were closed down due to Covid outbreaks.

We went through a period of no lids on cream back in early lockdown, but they are back now. Not had a missing lid for months.