Weird. I had a hard time finding the specific model of sewing machine I wanted around when the pandemic started, but we haven’t had any problems with any construction or appliance related shortages during the past 6 months. We had planned to start a number of home improvement projects right before the pandemic hit (flooring was first). But other than having to coordinate installation with masks and distancing, we had no delays and all supplies were available on time. We purchased a new range from Costco with no delays and quick installation, and then had a new shower and glass enclosure installed as well as new windows on one side of our house. All materials were available super quickly and the workers were busy with other work lined up before and after our jobs were done. I was totally expecting to have many delays and shortages, but it never happened. Thank goodness.
eta: We put in a few new electrical switches last month. Home Depot had plenty of what we needed. Maybe it’s a regional thing?
This article from the Wall Street Journal in August provides a good explanation of the paper towel shortage. Definitely learned some things I did not know previously. Who knew it can take years to assemble the central piece of machinery needed to produce paper towels?!?
It also gives a good overview of the “lean manufacturing” or “just-in-time inventory” practices that American businesses have been operating under for the past couple of decades and how adherence to those practices, with no back-up plans, exacerbated the shortages started by a sudden surge in demand due to the pandemic.
I finally found a bottle of hydrogen peroxide at our local Walgreen after a major hunt at area stores.
I have had trouble, off and on, finding Bran Buds (cereal) in stock.
My brother and I go target shooting at the gun range every week or every other week, and it’s been VERY difficult to find the ammo we need.
I was looking for a particular revolver to purchase and it was sold out everywhere locally AND I could not find it online (to ship/transfer to a local firearms store).
Glad somebody else brought up corn. There seemed to be no fresh corn on the cob this summer. Usually during the season, you see them everywhere at as low as 10 for a dollar. This summer, there was very little and high priced.
I bought corn at an actual farm early in the season for a dollar per ear, which sounded outrageous. But it was delicious. Since then, the price has gone down in most markets to 75 cents, but it’s been flavorless and I’m was glad to stop paying that.
I am still ordering groceries for pickup so cannot be sure if some items are not offered for pickup or not available. Meat is still seeming to be hit of miss, for example if I order hamburger or chicken breast 2 weeks in a row, I am unlikely to get it that 2nd week. Starbucks chilled coffee is the same way (mocha, vanilla latte, etc.)
We have plenty of paper goods in the stores but disinfectant wipes and other cleaners are sparse and purchases are therefore limited even if a store has the item.
Diet caffeine free coke was hard to get until I ordered in plastic bottles rather than aluminum cans.
I need to have a wooden exterior door replaced but I am hesitating due to the hassle. It sounds like I should just wait until spring for better pricing and feeling a bit more comfortable with an installer coming to my house. I had a hard time with 2 HVAC servicemen showing up without masks and touching all kinds of things without hesitation. One guy put his estimate binder right on top of our garbage can lid to discuss the pricing. Gross in any times but especially now!
I’m curious, why would pricing be better in the spring?
Maybe I’m off but I’m not working under the assumption that everything returns to normal any time soon, even if there’s a vaccine. Lots of businesses shuttered and supply chains disrupted. You can’t just flick a switch and everything reappears.
@chmcnm Not necessarily a better price for the door but the person to put it in. There are LOTS of home improvement projects going on in my neighborhood right now and some have shared with me that the contractors are backed up with projects. It took my BIL the entire summer to get a bathroom tiled on a tike today that was already underway before the pandemic began.
Gun sales are soaring in the U.S., thanks largely to first-time buyers, industry analysts say. The FBI has conducted 28.8 million NICS background checks on prospective firearm buyers in the first nine months of 2020, a 41% increase versus the same period last year. So far this year, more people have requested NICS background checks than in the whole of 2019, which was itself a record year.
More:
Historically, gun-buyers have been white, male, and politically conservative, according to industry experts and academics.
However, this year, many first time buyers are women, minorities, and politically liberal, says Reuters, citing similar sources.
On Sept. 3, the CEO of Smith & Wesson Brands said that first-time buyers accounted for about 40% of gun sales this year.
Outdoor sporting goods retailer Sportsman’s Warehouse estimates that 5 million Americans purchased firearms for the first time in the first seven months of 2020.
Unrest over police killings, large street protests, fears about the spread of COVID-19, and concerns over the result of the election may be prompting people to buy guns, says Reuters.
Nearly half of white men in the U.S. own a gun, compared to about a quarter of non-white men, according to a 2017 study by the Pew Research Center.
According to the Geneva-based Small Arms Survey, there were around 393 million firearms in the U.S. in 2017 – more guns than people.
I know lots of people that have been stockpiling guns and ammo for years, but I think it has definitely increased with all of the current events. Honestly I don’t have any disposable income to spend on stuff like that, but would like to buy a newer, more lightweight handgun if I had the money. Besides, it has gotten difficult to find ammo for the one I have, especially for a decent price. Most people I know have multiple guns but I think my friend from high school (who is former Marine special forces) could probably open a store with his stockpile.
I’ve stopped in a few gun ranges while traveling over the past few years. Every time I’m more surprised that it’s a very diverse mix of gender and race. Young and old and everything in-between. I hope all these new owners take some classes and get some range time.
You can currently get plenty of shotgun ammo for wingshooting. I’m tempted but I don’t think my 10 year-old Lab is up for it and my Shepherd mix would chase all the birds. Lol.