Gransnet forums

Ask a gran

Supermarket items out of stock

(141 Posts)
Stoker48 Fri 15-May-20 07:45:10

After the initial panic, it’s very reassuring that most items are readily available. I live on my own and am quite minimal in my needs, so no complaints from me.
I’ve had the same breakfast for twenty years ( apart from Holidays) and have recently run out. I’m a Kellogg’s Fruit and Fibre addict and there’s not a box to be found!!
Yes, there are the own brand cereals but I’ve never found one that comes anywhere near the branded product.
Anyone else missing their favorite items?
This is certainly not a moan, just an observation, by enlarge plenty of items in the shops and queues not too long as a rule.
Cheers, all. Beautiful morning here x

blondenana Fri 15-May-20 09:36:40

I put an order into Iceland online,as theyu were delivering fairly quickly, i orgerd 2 bottles of Domestos, on offer 2 for £1.75,
Was told if no items in stock they would be substituted,
Well guess what they substiuted domestos with?, a 2 litre carton of milk, as i already had ordered one i had more than i needed just for me,and no room to freeze, but why not some other cleaning product?

harrigran Fri 15-May-20 09:37:56

Eggs are always missing from my internet order.

Calendargirl Fri 15-May-20 09:38:06

If eggs are not available in Tesco, our two butchers shops seem to have them always.

No brown sugar in Tesco for a couple of weeks, but our local Artisan bakery has just re-opened, so if that trend continues nationwide, all the home bakers might have had enough.

Karen27 Fri 15-May-20 09:39:55

It is a pity that M&S don’t do online deliveries I a friend who works in a food hall on a shopping outlet she says they have plenty of everything she says best time to shop is pm as early morning long queues
She also says marks used to do 3 bakes a day but now only do 1 as worried that might end up not selling it
Also pleased to say anything left at the end of day goes to homeless shelters

TwiceAsNice Fri 15-May-20 09:41:09

Only flour really. Even when in stock on line by the time the delivery arrives it’s not there. I also like the precooked frankfurter sausages and can’t get those either

baggiebird Fri 15-May-20 09:45:45

I work at Asda and live over the road from Morrisons both stores have been bagging up flour from the bakery and selling it 60p a kilo both plain and self raising if this is any help to anyone.Also everyone seems to be baking now and in the home baking aisle most supplies are very short including condensed milk and brown sugar . If you cant see flour at either store it's worth asking at bakery as Asda bags it and puts it where flour is kept but morrisons have it near the entrance sometimes ir at the bakery I believe they sometimes have fresh yeast for sale also. I would try less conventional stores also like poundland and b and m and home bargains as people probably aren't looking there for those items.

b1zzle Fri 15-May-20 09:45:56

Dried chickpeas and split peas! I have a very restricted diet and these are an absolute must-have for me - but can't find any anywhere (well, there are none in my local Sainsbury's and that's the only supermarket I can access as I have no transport and can't place any order online. All slots seem to be taken for the foreseeable future).

Missiseff Fri 15-May-20 09:48:04

Bran Flakes have been readily available in Aldi!

goldengirl Fri 15-May-20 09:50:50

Like others I'm learning to cope with not getting exactly what I want. However I've discovered a farm shop which not only sells wonderful meat but fresh fruit, veg, and dairy products too. It's not cheap - but I can get the amount that I need and they provide a delivery service.
It's made me concentrate on recipes for things that I can get hold of and as I have IBS I'm finding life much easier.
I still use a supermarket delivery service but not for food. At least the lockdown has provided me with this bonus and I plan to keep it up.

Jillybird Fri 15-May-20 09:51:18

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

NotSpaghetti Fri 15-May-20 09:58:33

Coco51 there is NO shortage of flour. There IS a shortage of the bags and bagging equipment for the smaller bags.

If you google 16kg of flour there are dozens of options.
Even 3kg bags are available. It’s just the 1kg and 1.5kg bags that the struggling to keep up with demand.

So many people have discovered baking in lockdown! Especially bread.

I have been buying flour in larger quantities with no problems.

rockgran Fri 15-May-20 10:01:04

I asked for Tesco's own brand cornflakes and they gave me Kelloggs! They also gave me "focaccia" flour instead of bread flour. I think it is much the same the thing but more expensive. Can't complain!

georgia101 Fri 15-May-20 10:04:17

Eggs are sometimes unavailable, and it's because of a shortage of egg boxes. Hopefully now people are going back to work they will be making and distributing them again. Shame for so many eggs to have to be ditched.

Anrol Fri 15-May-20 10:05:05

Tunnocks caramel wafers seem to be in short supply here in Surrey. The 93 yr old I do shopping for keeps asking for them and she doesn’t quite grasp that somethings are in short supply.

BlueSky Fri 15-May-20 10:06:38

Blondenana really! Milk instead of Domestos! That beats my frozen lasagna substituted with a pot of Hummus dip! grin

jacalpad Fri 15-May-20 10:10:14

I have been having food deliveries, but I cannot get plain or SR flour, or dried yeast. My daughters look out for things I cannot get, and I try to order things for them if they have had problems. We couldn’t get bread flour, so did an online order for 10 bags and shared with my daughters, but it took almost 3 weeks to arrive. The thing I miss more than anything is being able to do a little shop at Marks and Spencer’s. There are a few things I buy there that I can’t get elsewhere, or of similar quality elsewhere. I have not been to a shop for almost 8 weeks, but I think I might drive to M&S one day next week, and be ‘alert’ during the shopping. Following advice on here (thank you) I will go pm. I will get a few birthday cards while I am there too!

nipsmum Fri 15-May-20 10:10:42

I can get most cereals but our Sainsburys still doesn't have plain or self raising flour. Can't get tinned fruit there either.

grannypiper Fri 15-May-20 10:17:16

Here in S.W Scotland we had a few weeks without pasta,flour,tinned tomatoes , handsoap,cleaning products but in the last 2 weeks everything seems to be back in stock. I haven't been a supermarket since lookdown and have all of my shopping delivered.

jandrayson2 Fri 15-May-20 10:17:19

I'm really surprised that people keep to the same brands of products, have you tried any stores own products, which are usually made by the same people who make the original product anyway, ie: bleach, Domestos might kill all known germs, but so do any stores' own bleaches, & most cereals are produced by the same manufacturers, but have a stores own label. I buy whichever is the cheapest, & I've never been able to tell the difference.

tidyskatemum Fri 15-May-20 10:23:03

I managed to get some bread flour last week but still no yeast so it's sitting forlornly in the cupboard. My next door neighbour is knee deep in self raising flour - her nephew got her a 40lb sack!

Aepgirl Fri 15-May-20 10:26:54

Got excited today - click and collect from my local supermarket. However, sweet potatoes are the size of my head, parsnips are smaller than carrots (but carrots missing from order), milk date expires tomorrow. How disappointing. Why can’t they get it right?
Of course no flour or rice available.

Bookr Fri 15-May-20 10:27:49

@blzze saw dried chickpeas and split peas in Waitrose the other day (not a place I go to at all regularly due to higher prices though)
Hope this helps!

Puzzler61 Fri 15-May-20 10:28:51

Flour is the obvious rarity - but I’ve got some in the cupboard and I’m not a baker so minimal use.
Espee All-Bran has been on the shelf in our Tesco - DH has been getting it without trouble.

Rosalyn69 Fri 15-May-20 10:34:43

Cleaning products are in short supply and no disposable glove - I keep getting size small Marigolds!
Most other products I seem to get or at least an acceptable substitute.

Northernandproud Fri 15-May-20 10:40:47

This is a weird one it's Rose's lime cordial, its for my very elderly mother who loves it mixed with lemonade, apparently other brands aren't the same, im not sure if the lack of it is virus related or not but i havent seen any in my local tesco or sainsburys