10 Items Duluth-Superior Grocery Stores Will Have Trouble Stocking Soon

We will have our usual winter where some things will be hard to stock, and the scare of another COVID shutdown lingering, so some people are going to buy some things to have it in stock at home. Some will find there are reasons you can't find something.

I made a call around to different grocery stores around the area and they mentioned some items that will be in short supply again this season or will run low or be out of stock on grocery store shelves. With demand going up, some don't have the necessary supplies to make their products. Some businesses are operating at half staff.

Here are some items that you might see out of stock or in short supply.

Soda And Other Carbonated Drinks

Believe it or not the projected shortages are because of aluminum can shortages. Although I have noticed it is more than cans that are short in convenience stores. I have trouble getting certain flavors and brands. I noticed some of them are diet or low sugar drinks. When I talked to one of the store managers they said they were unaware it was any flavor but that there have been shortages or late deliveries of drinks in cans.

Coffee

I read an article about why coffee is experiencing a shortage. The main reason according to business insider is Brazil is the main supplier of most of the world's coffee, but the country has been experiencing a drought that slowed the production and transportation of coffee beans. So it might be low on grocery store shelves, but when it is there, you will pay more to have coffee at home.

Diapers

Poor babies and babies' families. How long before we go back to cloth diapers?
Households with small children should be aware that diaper prices have increased because of the materials needed to make them. Also, they are needed, so people are buying a few more, according to the grocery managers I spoke to.  So they go missing on the shelves. Diaper manufacturers Proctor & Gamble (Pampers and Luvs) and Kimberly-Clark (Huggies) announced price increases and CNN said parents should be ready for diaper sticker shock and shortages.

Fish Sticks and Frozen Meals.

According to Eat This,  customs dispute at the U.S.-Canada border has kept the Alaska pollock, which is used for fish sticks and sandwiches, in Canada. Also, the borders have been closed, so between the two, both of these will be in low supply or you may see a price increase. I have already noticed a little shortage of some fish sticks at Cub and Super One.

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Toilet Paper

Hey! It's our old favorite toilet paper. People are buying it up again, they don't want to run out and have to get creative I'm thinking. One manager I spoke to said they thought prices would rise on this item to keep them in-store. I don't see that happening. I think people will buy just because they think we will run out.

Snack Foods

One manager of a grocery store summed it up perfectly. More people are snacking, and using it for their kid's lunch that it is causing a huge demand on grocery stores nationally and here in the Northland.

Frozen Pizza

I still see pizza in the freezer but it is significantly lower in volume. You used to see pizza stocked to the freezer door, now it is strategically moved to look like they are all full. One manager of an area store said they think people want fast food but don't want to drive to get it so they stock up on pizza and cook it for a quick meal.

Bread

Everyone's favorite! Everyone goes out and stocks up on bread and freezes it when there is a storm or pandemic. All the grocery store managers said people have been buying out the bread.

Breakfast Foods

I have to explain this one. It's not just eggs, toast, bacon, and sausage. It's Eggos, Jimmy Dean sandwiches, toaster foods like Pop Tarts. One manager pointed out a lot of the foods that are selling fast are lazy foods and foods that can be made fast.

Soup

This would include Ramen and Canned Soup. Again, a trend in food that is easy to make and can be made fast for a meal. Ramen is cheap so it is selling because it doesn't cost much so people of any income can buy it. Canned soup and broth are selling fast. Most managers said Ramen soup and things to make homemade soup are hard to keep in stores.

All of the store managers said there shouldn't be a panic, they aren't running out, it's just sometimes it's hard to keep in stock, or isn't delivered as often.