# The Everything Shortage



## Zara the Hork-Bajir (Nov 12, 2021)

Well it seems like the pandemic has caused shortages in a wide range of things. I thought it would be interesting if anybody wants to share what they can't get during the everything shortage?

For myself the meal supplement I use for my morning milkshake is out of stock everywhere, even the manufacturer is out of stock.


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## Ennui Elemental (Nov 12, 2021)

I'm going to go shopping tomorrow and I'm wondering if TP will get shorted again.


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## KimberVaile (Nov 12, 2021)

I'd love to get a new Graphics Card and ditch this old POS. Though, it seems I'm stuck polishing this decrepit thing up, spending I don't know how many hours now, cleaning the contacts and reapplying the thermal paste on it. A big thank you to scalpers and crypto miners. You're all terrible.


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## NutmegsBigAdventure (Nov 12, 2021)

Ammunition! I work in the sporting goods store and i can't even grab a box before the horde buys it up.


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## Firuthi Dragovic (Nov 12, 2021)

Seconded on graphics cards although mine can last a little bit longer.

The closest McDonald's actually stopped selling orange juice in the morning... which I could only possibly attribute to a shortage like this given I can't find any evidence of this being a company-wide move.  How a McDonald's runs out of THAT, I have no clue.

I've actually been kinda lucky in avoiding shortages in stuff I actually bother getting so far.


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## Pomorek (Nov 13, 2021)

Aside from things that are rare on the global scale (such as electronics), Poland doesn't seem to be facing material shortages. Even the damn natural gas which gets so problematic across Europe was stocked up in sufficient quantities for winter. Stores are full of stuff pretty much as always, although the galloping inflation (which, I heard, we share with the US) makes shopping an annoying experience. 

However, there's something else. It's as if the pandemic caused the biggest shortage of any sane reason in this society. From the lowliest dudes to the highest echelons of the country, everyone's been acting batshit fucking insane since it started. Sure there has been a lot of stupidity going on before that, but it looks as if the pandemic brought out the _worst_ in so many people, it's frightening. _Good that I'm currently "engineering" my way out of this place..._


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## GarthTheWereWolf (Nov 13, 2021)

Have noticed a lack of stores carrying my brand of TP. Don't know if this is because of actual manufacturer shortage or just people making toilet paper thrones again.


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## Rimna (Nov 13, 2021)

Thankfully there are no shortages of food, clothes, basic hygiene products and medicine here.

On the other hand, things like certain smartphones are very hard to find. I was looking to get a Xiaomi Mi 10 for 6 months before I finally found a store that had only _two_ left in stock. Some wrist watches seem to be on high demand and virtually no supply as well. There was a specific model that I've been trying to get for 10 or 11 months now, and yesterday, I decided to open the German amazon website and I saw only _*two*_ of it left in stock there! Two! In the entire amazon.de!

Also, like Kimber mentioned, video cards are basically gone or they cost more than a car. Good luck building a new PC.


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## AppleButt (Nov 13, 2021)

There hasn’t been a shortage of anything I care about yet.


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## The_biscuits_532 (Nov 13, 2021)

AppleButt said:


> There hasn’t been a shortage of anything I care about yet.


Same tbh. Even with Brexit doubly fucking us over. 

The big one was Petrol but I don't drive.


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## quoting_mungo (Nov 13, 2021)

Nothing's really had a direct effect on me personally, but I keep seeing indie artists reminding people to buy their small business Christmas gifts like, yesterday, because shipping is so fucked up (and because USPS will hike prices for the Christmas season), and a fair whack of mentions of their stuff taking extra long to get from manufacturers because of shipments to the factories are slowed down.

Plus, of course, the whole "paper shortage for books" thing. Buy your Christmas gift books early or you might not be able to find them at all! (This isn't a huge issue for me because my book buying budget is pretty much in the negative, and I tend to buy books that I suspect don't have a huge stock turnover when I do shop for books.)

I don't know if pandemic's had anything to do with a lot of pharmacies only having half my prescription available when I come in. Maybe? (I get two boxes per refill on one of my meds, and like... every other refill, at least, seems to be "we only have one box in stock, do you want to get a partial refill?") Didn't use to be like this, but they can usually order it for a couple days later so it seems more like "for some reason we keep less of it handy than we used to."



The_biscuits_532 said:


> The big one was Petrol but I don't drive.


Oh god don't remind me. >.< I drive a diesel, after years of driving a hybrid, and I'm seeing prices over 19 SEK per liter. Seen it under 19 like once recently, and I wasn't in a good position to gas up at the time.


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## Minerva_Minx (Nov 13, 2021)

NutmegsBigAdventure said:


> Ammunition! I work in the sporting goods store and i can't even grab a box before the horde buys it up.


That's one thingwe have a dirth of, but Texas is 20 min away so go figure.

Our shortages are climate change related: water and food scarcity mostly.  Skilled labor is probably the most pandemic related.

Saw sane people.  True, but that's always true and we live in a desert so that usually resolves itself.


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## Ennui Elemental (Nov 13, 2021)

quoting_mungo said:


> I don't know if pandemic's had anything to do with a lot of pharmacies only having half my prescription available when I come in. Maybe? (I get two boxes per refill on one of my meds, and like... every other refill, at least, seems to be "we only have one box in stock, do you want to get a partial refill?") Didn't use to be like this, but they can usually order it for a couple days later so it seems more like "for some reason we keep less of it handy than we used to."


When the pandemic was in full swing earlier getting Rxs in general was a crapshoot - supply chains were fucked, pharmacies were just dropping the ball left and right due to staffing issues, and a lot of people were just clogging things up with Rxs for this that and the other.  The one pharmacy I used for filling pet Rxs completely failed to even get an antibiotic Rx into the system back in... late 2020? That likely cost one of my mice her life.  I was livid.  Any inclination I had to be understanding about it was washed away by the fact that I had to bury the poor girl.  I outright told the pharmacist that sorry doesn't fix a damned thing.


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## Minerva_Minx (Nov 13, 2021)

I'm lucky with a base nearby, so prescriptions aren't so bad.  The area is built on agrarian economics, so water is primary concern as the tables are low.
A bigger issue is truck drivers which will hurt later on.  A lot.  Milk, eggs, cheese, etc are super cheap becauss so much of it, but we can't get it out.  Construction materials will be the next big thing as repairs are still needed from the recent storms.


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## Attaman (Nov 13, 2021)

Still have shit luck with my prescription, but that's what happens when the main producer of your medication is _also_ the main international producer of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Have an alternative, just... not as effective. Since went from delayed release to not. Which entails both having to ensure I take the medication with a meal (at least unless I want to add ulcers to my list of medical woes) and the medication giving out earlier due to metabolizing it faster.


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## TyraWadman (Nov 13, 2021)

Where I'm at everything is in shortage but I think it's just because it's so isolated. When I worked at the drug store, things like feminine hygiene products, diapers and goodnights were impossible to get. Enfamil was hard to keep stocked. People need specific versions of the brand, but ended up having to settle for whatever we had in stock. Hospitals were buying it up in bulk as soon as we got it in a lot of the time.

Before I left Ontario, TP was kind of following the same trend as the U.S, and later on, meats. As soon as some dummy on the radio announced meat was gonna skyrocket in price and be harder to get, everyone went and bought it all up. Made things very annoying for me. But I think it's safe to say people have chilled the fuck out. Or at least, I hope they have, because I'm moving to the city next month and I'm so done with this no-name brand garbage. ToT


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## Miles Marsalis (Nov 13, 2021)

Shortages haven't been too bad here and our household usually buys groceries for the month, so we were in decent shape. The lines to grocery stores were really long early in the pandemic mainly due to social distancing (which was necessary), which was a little annoying, but there were three of us, four when my sister was living with us, so we took shifts waiting on line. We starting order items for delivery to cut down on going to the grocery ultimately. 

Also, about the toilet paper shortage: https://marker.medium.com/what-everyones-getting-wrong-about-the-toilet-paper-shortage-c812e1358fe0


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## Ennui Elemental (Nov 13, 2021)

Already seeing runs on TP at store (shelves half stocked and people rolling around with a lot in cart).  A lot of meat is hideously expensive.  Produce is mostly out of season anyway.  Rice starting to tick upwards again.


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## Kinguyakki (Nov 13, 2021)

There will probably be more shortage of Kellogg's cereal brands for the moment, due to the strikes, and I'm totally okay with that.  Kellogg's has done their people dirty and I hope they lose a ton of money over it.
Before that, I saw a lack of some other snack foods when Frito Lay and Nabisco had strikes. 
Some shortages may also be a result of supply chain interruption.


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## Frank Gulotta (Nov 13, 2021)

Is it the pandemic tho? weird it would only happen nearly two years in


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## Ennui Elemental (Nov 13, 2021)

Kinguyakki said:


> There will probably be more shortage of Kellogg's cereal brands for the moment, due to the strikes, and I'm totally okay with that.  Kellogg's has done their people dirty and I hope they lose a ton of money over it.
> Before that, I saw a lack of some other snack foods when Frito Lay and Nabisco had strikes.
> Some shortages may also be a result of supply chain interruption.


I actually can't remember the last time I bought Kellogg's cereal anyway

If I buy cereal at all it's usually those cheaper bagged cereals that are knockoffs (but taste the same or better)


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## Firuthi Dragovic (Nov 13, 2021)

Frank Gulotta said:


> Is it the pandemic tho? weird it would only happen nearly two years in


If I had to guess, demand for a lot of this stuff sunk HARD earlier on in the pandemic.  Lack of funds with the job suspensions most likely.

Between that and a lot of jobs that would make these things just... stopping under the mentalities of "avoid the spread", "essential work only", and in a few cases repurposing for pandemic-focused goods, supply is way down.

And now that things are easing off in some areas, demand is moving back to pre-pandemic levels MUCH faster than supply is.

That's the short version, I'll let others handle counterarguments.


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## Minerva_Minx (Nov 13, 2021)

It's a ploy to get this political and the thread collapsed for his lulz.


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## Ennui Elemental (Nov 13, 2021)

It seriously looks like people in GENERAL were not prepared at all for serious shakeups to supply chains, sometimes it's not something that could realistically be helped, or there are so many variables that you'd need a Cray to plan it

Other times, yeah, people were fucking dropping the ball


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## Attaman (Nov 13, 2021)

Firuthi Dragovic said:


> If I had to guess, demand for a lot of this stuff sunk HARD earlier on in the pandemic.  Lack of funds with the job suspensions most likely.


I think it was a thinly veiled jab at The Subject That Shan't Be Mentioned. Even though at least two users who've posted in here thus far live outside the US.  And "Disruptions to the global supply chain can take years to be felt" should be a no-brainer (see: Look how long it took for the disruption caused by the Ever Given to really take effect and strike ports).

Subtlety is a lost art these days.

That said,


Firuthi Dragovic said:


> Between that and a lot of jobs that would make these things just... stopping under the mentalities of "avoid the spread", "essential work only", and in a few cases repurposing for pandemic-focused goods, supply is way down.
> 
> And now that things are easing off in some areas, demand is moving back to pre-pandemic levels MUCH faster than supply is.
> 
> That's the short version, I'll let others handle counterarguments.


Another huge aspect is ports being understaffed even moreso than usual. Both for loading / unloading, drivers, all the logistical steps in between (both before and after)...

The long-distance freight driver issue is one that's been ticking for years. It's just coming home to roost particularly harshly, like many other issues - wage stagnation, "Just in Time" business models, reducing staff and increasing multi-area training to 'make up' for the deficit, etcetera - , thanks to COVID exacerbating things already pushed close.

Long story short increasingly pushing things to the point that they _only just barely_ work so as to reduce short-term expenses has a very real snag in that once something breaks the whole thing goes tits up. And not in the fun way you like to hear the expression 'Tits up' either!


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## Minerva_Minx (Nov 13, 2021)

Hey!  I resemble that remark!

Also, all of that.


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## Ennui Elemental (Nov 13, 2021)

Attaman said:


> reducing staff and increasing multi-area training to 'make up' for the deficit


Something I'm already dealing with at current job

They did a last minute rolling together of two adjacent job specifications under a department into a single one (and pissed a ton of people off)

They're also apparently doing a massive external hiring surge where normally most "hires" were internal transfers


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## Minerva_Minx (Nov 13, 2021)

Multi-area training led to significant safety issues at my job (i was hospitalized briefly and took 4 days to recover).  It's in fashion at the moment, but it will definitely not help the worker situation in the long run.  We shall see, though.

But doing more with less is a unique American thing.  Now, for groceries and hoping the stocker/cashier/janitor washed their hands.


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## Ennui Elemental (Nov 13, 2021)

Minerva_Minx said:


> Multi-area training led to significant safety issues at my job (i was hospitalized briefly and took 4 days to recover). It's in fashion at the moment, but it will definitely not help the worker situation in the long run. We shall see, though.


I'm already seeing issues (though some are apparently long-standing ones that I'm coming into).


Minerva_Minx said:


> But doing more with less is a unique American thing. Now, for groceries and hoping the stocker/cashier/janitor washed their hands.


Washing your veggies and fruits is always in style, now more so than ever though


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## Attaman (Nov 13, 2021)

F***ing Hostile said:


> Something I'm already dealing with at current job
> 
> They did a last minute rolling together of two adjacent job specifications under a department into a single one (and pissed a ton of people off)


Humorously - after bungling this terribly _last_ year - my employer has been trying to fix that this year with regards to the logistics line.

They're _failing_ because they failed to increase wages to keep up with other local logistics facilities (specifically the only sign on bonuses are for referrals, and needless to say competitors running things like "$3000 sign-on bonuses for temp work" kind of cuts the wind out of technically offering, like, $2 / more per hour for explicitly seasonal positions), but they _planned_ to hire something like 400 people for temp logistics positions so as to not have a repeat of the prior year's "Okay two hours into the shift we'd like _half_ of [pick] to go over to [pack] for the next eight hours", so I'll at least give them an A for effort.

In some regards this is going to come back to bite me since I'm system management and accounting so once the year's said and done I'll have _fun_ cleaning up first inbound's mess then inventory counts. But at least they're smart enough to realize "Hey, you know how we move... like, literal millions of dollars worth of product at this time of year? Maybe we should leave that to the people whose job it is, is to keep track of that stuff? Instead of trying to pawn it off to whoever?".



Minerva_Minx said:


> Multi-area training led to significant safety issues at my job (i was hospitalized briefly and took 4 days to recover).


Hope you made a full recovery.


Minerva_Minx said:


> But doing more with less is a unique American thing.  Now, for groceries and hoping the stocker/cashier/janitor washed their hands.


Having said it before (due to having over half a decade of past experience working grocery), I'll say it again: While there's many grocery clerks I wouldn't trust as far as I can throw them, they very much _are_ the thin line between "CEO's chasing margins" and "Customer's safety". You would not believe the things that grocery workers are told to do for the sake of profit that are then disregarded (be it at an individual level, a specialist level, or - if particularly lucky - a store manager one) because "ahaha you're going to get somebody killed and I ain't having that on my conscience for $10/hr."


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## Outré (Nov 13, 2021)

I’ve been remodeling during the pandemic. I have had a hard time getting almost everything that I need. It took me 7 months to get the appliances I ordered. I even had a hard time getting som Sheetrock.


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## Minerva_Minx (Nov 13, 2021)

Attaman said:


> Hope you made a full recovery.


I'm better.  Thanks!


Outré said:


> I’ve been remodeling during the pandemic. I have had a hard time getting almost everything that I need. It took me 7 months to get the appliances I ordered. I even had a hard time getting som Sheetrock.


Trade you some sheetrock for plumbing supplies..


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## Outré (Nov 13, 2021)

Minerva_Minx said:


> I'm better.  Thanks!
> 
> Trade you some sheetrock for plumbing supplies..


Haha. Oddly enough plumbing supplies was one of the few things I didn’t have a hard time getting.


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## Dirt Mom (Nov 14, 2021)

i live in a farming community.

no shortages here.


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## Yastreb (Nov 14, 2021)

The only shortage I have encountered was when I needed some prescription medicines couple months ago. At the first pharmacy I was told they were out and that some more was coming next week but before that I could also try asking from different places. At another pharmacy they said it would take until February before they got any, third place put the date in the indefinite future, and when I went to the first place again they said the medicine I needed would not be coming, ever! I was offered another product with the same active ingredient in the same dosage but three times the price.


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## TyraWadman (Nov 14, 2021)

Yastreb said:


> The only shortage I have encountered was when I needed some prescription medicines couple months ago. At the first pharmacy I was told they were out and that some more was coming next week but before that I could also try asking from different places. At another pharmacy they said it would take until February before they got any, third place put the date in the indefinite future, and when I went to the first place again they said the medicine I needed would not be coming, ever! I was offered another product with the same active ingredient in the same dosage but three times the price.


Sounds to me like they forgot the word discontinued. I heard a lot of medication was being discontinued too, but I'm not sure if it was deemed unsafe or if it was pandemic related.


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## Fallowfox (Nov 15, 2021)

Despite the huge variety of supply chain problems in the UK, I have not had any serious problems. 

The most serious problem that is affecting people I know, is that hospitals are constantly at full capacity and their ability to provide quality care has been massively undermined.


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## Shyy (Nov 16, 2021)

Largest shortage that we are experiencing at work involves acquiring wood stoves and parts to install/ maintain them- some things <might> be available in February. Might be available... farking stove pipe to help get the smoke and soot out of the house has a 3-4 MONTH lead time... WTF...


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## Minerva_Minx (Nov 16, 2021)

Can.... hmm...  can we....omg
Can we also call a general lack of understanding and common sense a shortage right now?  I'm not belittling thus, because there are issues, it just seems this was entirely preventable right up there with 21st century plague.


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## Pomorek (Nov 16, 2021)

Minerva_Minx said:


> Can we also call a general lack of understanding and common sense a shortage right now?


Sure we can, I did that already. From my perspective, this pandemic situation is just breeding dangerous stupidity all over the place.


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## Outré (Nov 16, 2021)

I’m experiencing a shortage of patience today.


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## Filter (Nov 16, 2021)

A shortage of time? I have so much going on in my life at once that it's almost humorous. The shorter days aren't helping, either.

In other news, we're more overworked and underpaid than ever. The standard cost of living bonuses aren't keeping up with inflation. My house is apparently worth a lot now. If I wanted to sell it I'd make a small fortune, but then where would I live? Everything is expensive these days.


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## Ennui Elemental (Nov 16, 2021)

Minerva_Minx said:


> Can.... hmm...  can we....omg
> Can we also call a general lack of understanding and common sense a shortage right now?  I'm not belittling thus, because there are issues, it just seems this was entirely preventable right up there with 21st century plague.


Has common sense ever been common


Filter said:


> A shortage of time? I have so much going on in my life at once that it's almost humorous. The shorter days aren't helping, either.
> 
> In other news, we're more overworked and underpaid than ever. The standard cost of living bonuses aren't keeping up with inflation. My house is apparently worth a lot now. I wanted to sell it I'd make a small fortune, but then where would I live? Everything is expensive these days.


It cracks me up when people call Americans lazy
Stupid? Maybe.  Prone to exceptionalism and chauvinism? Sure, I'll give you that.

Lazy?


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## Connor J. Coyote (Nov 18, 2021)

For us - paper towels...... as a lot of the local stores were out of them for weeks...... right after the pandemic hit.


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## sushy (Nov 20, 2021)

Yeah I hear lots of shortage in the news. They say there is shortage in healthcare workers, food service workers and technical workers. I wonder if there is a shortage though because I have looked at listings of those jobs and they are very demanding...

As for supplies, I couldn't get brightener at the super market, but then I went to a different one where they had it. So I am not sure if there was a shortage.


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## Shyy (Nov 20, 2021)

It's still a spotty thing, even where I live- fycking Amish have very, very <bad> habit of coming to town and buying all of the yeast packets for making bread, ALL of my favorite brand of beer cheese, most of the eggs, flour, etc...local store doesn't put a limit on quantities, so, of course they are self serving assholes about it... (both sides)


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## Minerva_Minx (Nov 20, 2021)

Nope, still common sense here.  Vaccinating children is now at if COVID-19 came from bats, then vaccinating children could transmit it to cows and we lose herds.

*face palms*


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## quoting_mungo (Nov 20, 2021)

Minerva_Minx said:


> Nope, still common sense here.  Vaccinating children is now at if COVID-19 came from bats, then vaccinating children could transmit it to cows and we lose herds.
> 
> *face palms*


So what I'm gathering here is COVID wouldn't have been a thing if some numbnuts hadn't decided to try to vaccinate bats against coronavirus(es)? :V

I guess they don't give their dogs rabies shots either, then. Since by their moon logic that would transmit rabies to their children and/or livestock.


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## Minerva_Minx (Nov 20, 2021)

I'll trade you the US for Sweden.  You can get the cat fixed up and I can go to Luxembourg.


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## quoting_mungo (Nov 20, 2021)

Minerva_Minx said:


> I'll trade you the US for Sweden.  You can get the cat fixed up and I can go to Luxembourg.


No deal. The US is firmly a “visit” place, not a “permanent resident” place. You can crash on my couch on your way to Luxembourg if you want, though.


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## Minerva_Minx (Nov 20, 2021)

quoting_mungo said:


> No deal. The US is firmly a “visit” place, not a “permanent resident” place. You can crash on my couch on your way to Luxembourg if you want, though.


Damn it.  It make so much sense now.


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## Pomorek (Nov 21, 2021)

Minerva_Minx said:


> Nope, still common sense here.  Vaccinating children is now at if COVID-19 came from bats, then vaccinating children could transmit it to cows and we lose herds.
> 
> *face palms*


How about this one: a fake pandemic was introduced so that the world's governments could exchange all the birds for surveillance drones during the lockdowns when nobody was watching. Probably the most extreme tinfoil theory I encountered.

And as we still don't really have 5G in this country, other nutjobs claim that the vaccine injects microchips which will activate when that 5G is finally turned on, with various scary effects.

This and other kinds of bullshit was allowed to circulate freely in the public space with very little public activity to counter it (apparently antivaccers overlap a lot with government's core voters, go figure). The effect: half of the population refused to vaccinate themselves, welcome to the fourth wave of pandemic now. 

*bigger facepalm than yours*


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## Crimcyan (Nov 21, 2021)

I haven't really noticed that big of a shortage of much due to the pandemic, the most I've notice was a impact of availability for heavy machinery/agricultural equipment and parts.

I am thinking there will be a much greater impact of availability from the current flood disaster in my area wiping out all highways and farms.


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## Minerva_Minx (Nov 21, 2021)

I think we share Texas and Florida...

Why can't they be in shortage?


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## Simo (Nov 28, 2021)

Things haven't been too bad here. Not a ton of variety as far as citrus fruits go, and for a while I couldn't  buy chevre (goat cheese) anywhere...definitely first world problems!


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## Ennui Elemental (Nov 28, 2021)

Pomorek said:


> How about this one: a fake pandemic was introduced so that the world's governments could exchange all the birds for surveillance drones during the lockdowns when nobody was watching. Probably the most extreme tinfoil theory I encountered.
> 
> And as we still don't really have 5G in this country, other nutjobs claim that the vaccine injects microchips which will activate when that 5G is finally turned on, with various scary effects.
> 
> ...


A real pandemic absolutely happened, the response to it in the US was so badly bungled it dulls Hanlon's Razor and I don't blame people for thinking there's funny business afoot, even if they're coming up with absolute crackpot theories about the exact nature of it.

There were always going to be more waves due to the nature of coronavirii, the only thing that can really change is how hard those waves hit.  Anyone who told you this virus could be soundly and completely defeated was an utter fucking moron who had no business telling you that.

The idea of 5G-activated microchips is hilarious when you remember 5G can be thwarted by your average pre-stressed concrete office building, 5G is awful for range and signal strength through dense materials, it will likely never be a thing outside densely populated cities festooned with dozens of little 5G towers trying to make up for those shortcomings.  3G may have been effectively sunsetted but 4G is not going away any time soon for a damned good reason, we still use 2G and 3G btw - it's just that most cell carriers will not bother with those at all unless there's absolutely NOTHING ELSE in the area.  Emergency calls will go out over 2G when there's no other signal available, and carriers will frequently kick you to 2G if you hit a data cap on 4G.


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## Attaman (Nov 28, 2021)

Being fair @Ennui Elemental , there was a way to effectively kill this virus. It’s just that they involved more effort (see: Immediate impact on business earnings and expansion of yearly gov’t budget) than many countries were willing to implement, and would have involved acknowledging the problems of “Just In Time” organization.

Unfortunately, it turns out that public health and services often runs perpendicular to things that make money, and push comes to shoves we now know what most businesses and governments will prioritize.

Tl;dr the way to throttle the virus in its proverbial crib was contact tracing, masking up, temporarily “shutting down” (non-essential / safely distancing) economic activities for a couple months, combined with measures to ensure the above didn’t cause (too many of) it’s own issues as well as kicking Just In Time to the curb yesteryear and preparing various health services not for what an average year looks like but what you need to have in reserve to last you long enough to deal with a shock both to numbers and supply. Alongside a couple other policies, but the more nitty gritty one adds on the more it treads towards the subject that shan’t be mentioned on the forums.


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## Ennui Elemental (Nov 28, 2021)

There are way too many points of failure that are out of the control of anyone with the necessary knowledge and ability.  Coronavirii are mutable and prolific, and SARS-CoV-2 is even more so than other coronavirii.  We would need to enact such draconian measures on such a large scale that it's absolutely unrealistic to expect this thing to go away permanently.  Hindsight is 20/20 and this case is no exception.  How it affects our preparedness going forward is the more salient matter and typical human imperfection at every level will almost certainly mean we will never win this Red Queen race, we will just find ways to lose less.  MAYBE.

Virii are unthinking, unfeeling propagation machines who have been around longer than most sentient life, and will likely continue to be around in various forms even if sentient life disappears.  They are far better at their part of the game than we will ever be at ours.


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## Pomorek (Nov 28, 2021)

Ennui Elemental said:


> There are way too many points of failure that are out of the control of anyone with the necessary knowledge and ability.  Coronavirii are mutable and prolific, and SARS-CoV-2 is even more so than other coronavirii.  We would need to enact such draconian measures on such a large scale that it's absolutely unrealistic to expect this thing to go away permanently.  Hindsight is 20/20 and this case is no exception.  How it affects our preparedness going forward is the more salient matter and typical human imperfection at every level will almost certainly mean we will never win this Red Queen race, we will just find ways to lose less.  MAYBE.
> 
> Virii are unthinking, unfeeling propagation machines who have been around longer than most sentient life, and will likely continue to be around in various forms even if sentient life disappears.  They are far better at their part of the game than we will ever be at ours.


Agreed. Around here, we had our fair share of draconian measures implemented in March 2020, huge shutdown of _almost everything_, ban on traveling, ban on people's presence in all but the most necessary public spaces (in practice, only stores with food remained accessible), wide contact tracing etc. They had to let go after two months or so, when it became clear that the society & economy will fall apart if they continue, and the virus doesn't want to go away regardless.


Ennui Elemental said:


> A real pandemic absolutely happened, the response to it in the US was so badly bungled it dulls Hanlon's Razor and I don't blame people for thinking there's funny business afoot, even if they're coming up with absolute crackpot theories about the exact nature of it.
> 
> There were always going to be more waves due to the nature of coronavirii, the only thing that can really change is how hard those waves hit. Anyone who told you this virus could be soundly and completely defeated was an utter fucking moron who had no business telling you that.
> 
> The idea of 5G-activated microchips is hilarious when you remember 5G can be thwarted by your average pre-stressed concrete office building, 5G is awful for range and signal strength through dense materials, it will likely never be a thing outside densely populated cities festooned with dozens of little 5G towers trying to make up for those shortcomings. 3G may have been effectively sunsetted but 4G is not going away any time soon for a damned good reason, we still use 2G and 3G btw - it's just that most cell carriers will not bother with those at all unless there's absolutely NOTHING ELSE in the area. Emergency calls will go out over 2G when there's no other signal available, and carriers will frequently kick you to 2G if you hit a data cap on 4G.


I know my biology, worry not. But indeed the question is in how severe the wave gets. And this one, with half-assed vaccination of the populace, is stronger than it had to be. Add to this the fact that the health service system is strained and drained after the previous waves, in the situation where it has been severely underfunded since forever, to begin with. In such context, the antivaccer bullshit contributes to overburdening of hospitals and starts having real consequences.


----------



## Fallowfox (Dec 5, 2021)

It's going to be interesting to see how the world eventually does get past this virus, and whether it gives us a toolkit for fighting the next one.


----------



## quoting_mungo (Dec 5, 2021)

Fallowfox said:


> It's going to be interesting to see how the world eventually does get past this virus, and whether it gives us a toolkit for fighting the next one.


And whether that toolkit summarily gets thrown out during spring cleaning just in time for the next one. :V


----------



## Minerva_Minx (Dec 5, 2021)

quoting_mungo said:


> And whether that toolkit summarily gets thrown out during spring cleaning just in time for the next one. :V



SARS, H1N1, Bird Flu, Texas measles...  
I gave up hope on Americans learning from anything, much less pandemics and their prevention.  We have become the petri death test environment of the world.  Oh, look!  We're bringing back AIDS...

We have a definitive shortage of science and understanding thereof.  Seems when religion is up, science is down and vice versa.

Shhh!  My common sense is tingling...


----------



## Raever (Dec 5, 2021)

I just want some fucking cream soda, man.


----------



## Nexus Cabler (Dec 5, 2021)

Unfortunately, some hospitals in my state are short on Nurse workers, and there are also staffing shortages in pharmacies.


----------



## Firuthi Dragovic (Dec 5, 2021)

Minerva_Minx said:


> We have a definitive shortage of science and understanding thereof. Seems when religion is up, science is down and vice versa.


I... may actually have a better explanation than that.

It's not so much that science is being supplanted by religion (the whole "religion is up, science is down" thing).... so much as science has BECOME the new religion.

Since I notice the scientist in the room has stepped in, I'll clarify that my understanding of how this is even a _thing_ amounts to the fact that most people don't seem to understand how the scientific method works.  My understanding of the scientific method amounts to this: Describe the problem, make a hypothesis, test the hypothesis, then draw conclusions AND REFINE THE HYPOTHESIS.

Too often people are stopping at "draw conclusions" or not even bothering to run the "test the hypothesis" step - or they will simply shut out the people who HAVE "tested the hypothesis".  The shortage is more specifically "patience" and "diligence" (and I'd argue "kindness" as well) than a simple shortage of science and understanding proper.

(If you're going to ask me how someone gains an understanding of science without having patience and diligence?  Rote memorization.  Having it pressed on them by a higher know-it-all.  And so many other methods that don't allow for thought.)

I tend to notice it more with stories from the medical field that are not pandemic-specific.  (Though "bad diet advice" is hardly the worst case.)


----------



## Attaman (Dec 5, 2021)

It's less a matter of religion (though it can tie in at times) and more...

Well, to reiterate what I said before (and why I feel like the majority of this pandemic's negative impacts were entirely avoidable): Proper responses cost _money_.

Not a lot of money. Relatively. Gods no. It's estimated that ending Homelessness in the US (for an example, and trust me it ties in) would cost approximately $20 billion, while the Eviction Crisis _just last year_ is estimated to have caused anywhere from 350,000 to 500,000 excess cases of COVID across the country (along with between ~9,000 and 12,500 deaths). 350,000 to 500,000 cases and 9,000 to 12,500 deaths, solely looking at this _singular_ aspect of homelessness (slash threat of homelessness) intersecting with COVID, disregarding how COVID impacted People Experiencing Homelessness themselves (the best number I can find for confirmed cases among the homeless is ~10,000 cases. Which may sound nice / low, until you realize that: 1) It's believed to be _horrendously_ undercounted, and 2) Among that ~10,000 cases, there were _263_ confirmed deaths, or a mortality rate approaching 3% when you stop rounding up). To say nothing of _every other benefit_ that ending as much would provide. Or the costs one can attribute both short and long term to 350,000 - 500,000 people contracting COVID.

One can very likely, even with just a napkin and pencil, do some math that would make up a _significant_ chunk for the ~$20 billion just looking at the 9,000 to 12,500 deaths. Hell, putting my money where my mouth is: Average yearly income of ~31,133. Presume 20 years of work per person (a nice round middle, as opposed to the elderly who died post-retirement and the young who died with another 30+ years until retirement, if they intended to or could retire at all). Approximately $7.8 billion USD _right there_. And if you presume labor is typically performed at a _discount_ (since businesses tend to be in the business of making money, not losing it), you can probably round that up to $8 billion, $9 billion, or even a nice neat $10 billion. Then we have the costs for funeral services. For clearing out the dead person's former residence / otherwise resolving the matter of their estate. Whatever economic consumption they would have had in those averaged ~20 years.

But all of that costs $20 billion USD. Maybe not _now_, per se, but probably within... like, a 5-10 year window.

And nobody wanted to spend that $20 billion USD. And now we have 350,000 to 500,000 more cases (as a _bare minimum_) as a result, along with 9,000 to 12,500 deaths (again, as a minimum when looking at the unknown total number of cases among the ~580,000 homeless). Cases which, themselves, will have lead to even _more_ cases (as, for clarification, this math for cases caused by the crisis dates back to _December of 2020_).

It's the same "Spend a little now to save more later" woes of "Just in Time" shipping. Of choosing to open things back up early (in many cases without even vaccine or social distancing mandates!) instead of footing the bill for just a couple more weeks / months and further precautions. From many states contracting Contact Tracing to the lowest bidders. In refraining to ship out masks to everyone via the USPS. In allowing health services (from infrastructure to personnel to equipment to... well, you get the idea) to languish for years under a mix of "Just in Time" and otherwise general "Optimum Condition" organization.

I could go further (I would really, _really_ like to go further), but doing so will no doubt invoke a Pink Avian's Fury From Above as while the above is fairly apolitical in its explanation (Hell, it's heartlessly apolitical: It condenses humanity down to bare economic numbers of 'How much do they produce' and 'How much do they spend' and 'How much will we spend on them'), explaining _how_ we've got to such a situation is bound to ruffle many a person's feathers.


----------



## Zara the Hork-Bajir (Jan 4, 2022)

Well in celebration for the new year my local grocery store has been out of 1% milk for more than a week which is kind of strange since they have every other kind. I guess they just ran out of 1% cows or something .


----------



## Minerva_Minx (Jan 5, 2022)

We're officially out of good pain medication.  Good news, recreational Marijuana is legal here.  Bad news, federal employee.

Save me, Pinkie...


----------



## Comfy-Girl (Jan 6, 2022)

i could get hold of lots of stuff where i was, because the stores sell local brands, not chain store stuff.

no problems with food or toiletries thank goodness.


----------



## KimberVaile (Jan 7, 2022)

Ended up finding a GtX 980 for around $230. Things have gotten that stupid for Graphics card, that that feels like an almost reasonable find, lol. I'm sure that would have been half the price without the GFX shortage. First world problems maaaaaaan.


----------



## Ramjet (Jan 7, 2022)

NutmegsBigAdventure said:


> Ammunition! I work in the sporting goods store and i can't even grab a box before the horde buys it up.



So much this it's ridiculous.

I'd do unspeakable things for a couple more boxes of 6.5 Creed rn.


----------



## Minerva_Minx (Jan 8, 2022)

12ga slugs are close to finding a unicorn


----------



## Jubatian (Jan 8, 2022)

Fig rolls


----------



## Kellan Meig'h (Jan 9, 2022)

Ammunition; I'm finding it everywhere here in Central Indiana. 12ga slugs, 6.5 Creed, 9mm of every type, "Good" 44 mag stuff, too. I bought 5,000 rounds of Winchester .22lr 36gr CPHP for regular prices.


----------



## Zara the Hork-Bajir (Jan 10, 2022)

Kellan Meig'h said:


> I bought 5,000 rounds of Winchester .22lr 36gr CPHP for regular prices


 Wow, you can actually find 22lr in the big boxes, my local Cabella is right now only selling it in the 10 round boxes. I am surprised they haven't started selling them individually.


----------



## Ramjet (Jan 10, 2022)

Zara the Hork-Bajir said:


> Wow, you can actually find 22lr in the big boxes, my local Cabella is right now only selling it in the 10 round boxes. I am surprised they haven't started selling them individually.



We get hosed up here in Canada, alot of dealers have orders from last year that are just now being stocked on the shelves, only to be gone days later.
American orders will always take first priority before anything trickles up here.


----------



## Kellan Meig'h (Jan 10, 2022)

Zara the Hork-Bajir said:


> Wow, you can actually find 22lr in the big boxes, my local Cabella is right now only selling it in the 10 round boxes. I am surprised they haven't started selling them individually.


Actually, your comment made me count the boxes. 2 cases of of the 333 count boxes, 6,660 rounds. Right around $400 after taxes @ Rural King. Our Cabela's has the 333 boxes but Muncie is closer than Indy/Castleton Mall. The price was the same for the 333 count but as an aside, Cabela's was up maybe 75¢ higher on the 100 count boxes than RK.


----------



## TyraWadman (Jan 22, 2022)

Just went shopping today and for some reason frozen fruits shelves and waffles are extinct. Except the gluten free waffles of course, those had a whole spot dedicated to 'em! 

People love their ghetto crepes.


----------



## Borophagus Metropolis (Jan 22, 2022)

Can’t find any good motorcycle boots in size 10 for under $200. Everything is out of stock. So I spent $300. Damn, people.


----------



## Borophagus Metropolis (Jan 22, 2022)

TyraWadman said:


> Just went shopping today and for some reason frozen fruits shelves and waffles are extinct. Except the gluten free waffles of course, those had a whole spot dedicated to 'em!
> 
> People love their ghetto crepes.



Gluten free waffles should be illegal.


----------



## JacobFloofWoof (Jan 22, 2022)

I'm having a shortage of braincells for the past 2+ years. Thinking about purchasing booze to kill the mental pain before that too becomes sold out, or priced unjustifiebly high for cheap brand store shit.


----------



## quoting_mungo (Jan 22, 2022)

Everywhere (offline) seems to have stopped carrying our favorite fake bacon. It’s marvelous stuff, and it’s still listed on the manufacturer’s website so presumably they still make it. But we can only find it listed online, never in the freezer section at stores. So frustrating!



TyraWadman said:


> Just went shopping today and for some reason frozen fruits shelves and waffles are extinct. Except the gluten free waffles of course, those had a whole spot dedicated to 'em!
> 
> People love their ghetto crepes.


It’s not waffles, but I’ve found American pancakes freeze pretty well. You could probably get them pretty consistently toaster-appropriate-sized if you cooked up a batch to thaw out for breakfast over time.

Not that I used to have a bunch of baggies of pancakes in my freezer or anything. >.>


----------



## TyraWadman (Jan 22, 2022)

quoting_mungo said:


> Not that I used to have a bunch of baggies of pancakes in my freezer or anything. >.>


<_<


----------



## quoting_mungo (Jan 23, 2022)

TyraWadman said:


> <_<


They’re just for personal use, I swear, officer!


----------



## Fallowfox (Jan 23, 2022)

The most important one is _medical appointments_. Family with urgent medical problems being told that the earliest appointment is 6 months away.
It just makes me very thankful to be healthy.

Miscellaneous items in the shops are routinely running low and getting more expensive. Apparently the cost of day to day things is rising more quickly than at any point in my life.


----------



## quoting_mungo (Jan 23, 2022)

Fallowfox said:


> Miscellaneous items in the shops are routinely running low and getting more expensive. Apparently the cost of day to day things is rising more quickly than at any point in my life.


I wonder to what degree Brexit might have a compounding effect there, especially for the price part?


----------



## Frank Gulotta (Jan 23, 2022)

quoting_mungo said:


> I wonder to what degree Brexit might have a compounding effect there, especially for the price part?


Likely no part whatsoever as this inflation wave appears to be worldwide. It would be nice if that one political issue wasn't constantly used as a boogeyman by some types.


----------



## BluefoxLongtail (Jan 23, 2022)

For the most part, things are locally in good stock, but baggies, Nestlé cereals, and some finished dairy products have been impacted moderately. In general, Aldi is better stocked than other stores. The only thing that I haven't been readily able to get sometimes is sandwich-size baggies. They've been out of stock at a lot of the local stores for a week or two.

Normal price ammunition is also hard to come by last I had experience with that (which was in December).


----------



## Fallowfox (Jan 23, 2022)

Frank Gulotta said:


> Likely no part whatsoever as this inflation wave appears to be worldwide. It would be nice if that one political issue wasn't constantly used as a boogeyman by some types.



The British government's own analysis is that Brexit is causing reduced real income in the UK. 
It is common sense capitalism, because the time and costs of additional bureaucracy between trading partners are ultimately passed on to consumers, or result in reduced consumer choice. 

Ideologues who are invested in the propaganda around this issue become very angry if anybody dares to talk about this, but it's the reality we have to live with- so we do have a right to speak.


----------



## Frank Gulotta (Jan 23, 2022)

Fallowfox said:


> The British government's own analysis is that Brexit is causing reduced real income in the UK.
> It is common sense capitalism, because the time and costs of additional bureaucracy between trading partners are ultimately passed on to consumers, or result in reduced consumer choice.
> 
> Ideologues who are invested in the propaganda around this issue become very angry if anybody dares to talk about this, but it's the reality we have to live with- so we do have a right to speak.


Pretty sure both ideologues I was addressing were talking about prices and trying to blame the increase (which is due to inflation) on their boogeyman, I must've missed the part where the goalpost suddenly switched to income instead.


----------



## Fallowfox (Jan 23, 2022)

Frank Gulotta said:


> Pretty sure both ideologues I was addressing were talking about prices and trying to blame the increase (which is due to inflation) on their boogeyman, I must've missed the part where the goalpost suddenly switched to income instead.



If your income rises inline with inflation, you can manage increases in the prices of goods.
If prices rise and your income is rising *slower* than inflation, those price rises matter.

Currently the UK's experiencing the same global causes for inflation as everybody else, such as a global increase in the price of energy.
But we're experiencing additional costs associated with importing goods, and our trade situation has suffered a specific disadvantage.

Trade levels across much of the world recovered to their pre-pandemic level late in 2021.
This _still_ hasn't happened in the UK though; neither our trade with Europe or other Global markets have recovered- British sectors such as steel production even face tariffs in other markets that _do not apply_ to our European neighbours, and those industries are moving production to continental Europe.


----------



## PLEASE DELETE ACCOUNT (Jan 23, 2022)

It's a very American problem, but I've been having to rethink what a practical car is and reached the point where I think a 4 door is better than a 2 or 3 door for our current life situation.

So I wanted a 4 or 5 door sedan/estate that was manual, and could preferably run wvo that's better for the environment, the engine, and the pocket book. But you can't touch a decent mechanical diesel car now for less than about 10k usd even being 30-40 years old with an odometer that's measured in moon trips. Doesn't matter if it's American, French, German, Japanese, or Swedish.

So I said fine, I'll look at the gas models of the same cars : same price.

So I said fine, I'll look at priuses with 250k Miles... Still about 8-10 grand.

You need a car in most of America to get by, but you can't hardly buy even a highly used car at a decent price right now.

I have never seen a car market like this before.


----------



## The_Happiest_Husky (Jan 23, 2022)

I can't get...  

...a life ayyyyyy
*audience booing*


----------



## Hoodwinks (Jan 23, 2022)

A weird mixture of stuff, dependent on at what stage in the pandemic we are talking. 

2021: Toilet paper, paracetamol, any meat products whatsoever, bread, fresh vegetables, soap. 

Now? It's not so bad, we have also had supply issues in the UK from Brexit screwing up our import routes and regulations. We had a mass fuel shortage, a shortage of meat and veg too. 

This last year I've noticed other changes too, perhaps not pandemic based I'm unsure. Maybe it's a coincidence but a lot of electronics such as laptops and tablets have been out of stock and hard to get hold of and uh...our house prices have certainly been impacted by the pandemic too. The price of rural homes has gone up a lot due to the shift to remote working.


----------



## Borophagus Metropolis (Jan 23, 2022)

I have a shortage of fucks to give right now.


----------



## Ramjet (Jan 25, 2022)




----------



## Jackpot Raccuki (Jan 25, 2022)

Borophagus Metropolis said:


> I have a shortage of fucks to give right now.


Wait, you guys are getting fucks to give?


----------



## Nexus Cabler (Jan 25, 2022)

I'll pay you $80 to give me a fuck

And no, I'm not a cop


----------



## TyraWadman (Jan 25, 2022)

Ramjet said:


> View attachment 126660



I don't shop at walmart if I can help it but that's the worst I've seen it! 
They tend to have empty-er shelves than most places I've been to, and it can take them months to replenish for whatever reason.

... Do people still throw out food if there's possible contamination?


----------



## Ramjet (Jan 25, 2022)

TyraWadman said:


> I don't shop at walmart if I can help it but that's the worst I've seen it!
> They tend to have empty-er shelves than most places I've been to, and it can take them months to replenish for whatever reason.
> 
> ... Do people still throw out food if there's possible contamination?



Lol, I have no idea.
I personally haven't seen any meaningful shortages where I'm at either, just some stuff like you said takes longer to get replenished.

It's just an over the top meme I found funny


----------



## Stray Cat Terry (Jan 26, 2022)

Good meetings.

I'm losing hope on having good meetings anymore...


----------



## Miles Marsalis (Jan 26, 2022)

Stray Cat Terry said:


> Good meetings.
> 
> I'm losing hope on having good meetings anymore...


How so?


----------



## Rimna (Jan 26, 2022)

Stray Cat Terry said:


> Good meetings.
> 
> I'm losing hope on having good meetings anymore...



Terry, if you ever want to talk to someone, please send me a DM in discord. I'm usually working during the day but I do check my discord often. I can always find time to reply to a friend.


----------



## Baron Tredegar (Jan 26, 2022)

So in 2020 I told my mother about the Guardians of Ga'Hoole concept art book.




She decided to get it for me as a Christmas present and ordered it sometime in late June early July. It shipped from Australia and didnt arrive until the first week of January 2021.


----------



## Rimna (Jan 26, 2022)

There appears to be a severe OwO and UwU shortage


----------



## Baron Tredegar (Jan 26, 2022)

Rimna said:


> There appears to be a severe OwO and UwU shortage


UwU


----------



## quoting_mungo (Jan 26, 2022)

Rapid COVID tests have been in hella short supply here - to the point where heads of pharmacy chains have been interviewed for the news. Can still get the free ones that take a few days to come back, and last we needed one they were pretty readily available - though around Christmas/New Year's the bookings were ludicrously full. And it seems like the wait for results on the slower tests has gotten a bit longer, too.


----------



## Stray Cat Terry (Jan 26, 2022)

Miles Marsalis said:


> How so?


Honestly, I dunno about other regions.. But South Korea? They restrict the members or even disallow you from entering any public spaces possible if you haven't got vaccinated.

Does that work though? Haha.. Nah! The infection rate is skyrocketing, could be those nightclub douches doing the job or whatever else. At least this system is giving people Placebo Effect, I suppose.

I never meet people, not to mention simple furry meetups, and not even close friends I used to meet. I know I have to do this for my sake and everyone's sake. 

But still, the fact that it seems not to be helping the whole situation (I don't trust vaccinnes because the government stated indirectly that we're the test subjects), and the fact that the whole Covid thing is totally ruining my finally-here freedom as a legal adult is horrible, doesn't get off.


----------



## Fallowfox (Jan 26, 2022)

@Stray Cat Terry I would advise asking your GP for advice about vaccination and any concerns you have.


----------



## Stray Cat Terry (Jan 26, 2022)

Fallowfox said:


> @Stray Cat Terry I would advise asking your GP for advice about vaccination and any concerns you have.


I didn't wanna sound like a lunatic renegade... But well... I did take my first shot and it almost killed me while my workplace didn't allow me to take a day off--because the law never told us to, while they force us to take shots.(Which is up to debate that it violates the constitutional law)
Fortunately, as I used to be, my near-invincible health managed to get back on track later.

Anyways, I also didn't wanna take this to a serious political level(nor the Korean politics stuff are worth talking any further, if you sensed it in my previous words). I was just explaining what's going on, I'll quit it here.

I could get some help as you suggested, thankies, dear Fallowfox!


----------



## Fallowfox (Jan 26, 2022)

Stray Cat Terry said:


> I didn't wanna sound like a lunatic renegade... But well... I did take my first shot and it almost killed me while my workplace didn't allow me to take a day off--because the law never told us to, while they force us to take shots.(Which is up to debate that it violates the constitutional law)
> Fortunately, as I used to be, my near-invincible health managed to get back on track later.
> 
> Anyways, I also didn't wanna take this to a serious political level(nor the Korean politics stuff are worth talking any further, if you sensed it in my previous words). I was just explaining what's going on, I'll quit it here.
> ...



My experience with a course of 3 injections, was no noticeable symptoms from the first 2, and 24-hours of flu-like symptoms from the 3rd.


----------



## Miles Marsalis (Jan 26, 2022)

Stray Cat Terry said:


> I didn't wanna sound like a lunatic renegade... But well... I did take my first shot and it almost killed me while my workplace didn't allow me to take a day off--because the law never told us to, while they force us to take shots.(Which is up to debate that it violates the constitutional law)
> Fortunately, as I used to be, my near-invincible health managed to get back on track later.
> 
> Anyways, I also didn't wanna take this to a serious political level(nor the Korean politics stuff are worth talking any further, if you sensed it in my previous words). I was just explaining what's going on, I'll quit it here.
> ...


I'm not a doctor, so I'd urge you to consult your doctor about what's best for you, like Fallowfox said.

That said, I was talking to someone we both know who is in the medical profession and she pointed out that a lot of people get mildly ill after the first and second shot, which leads them to think the vaccine is harming them.

However, that is vaccine making your body produce the antibodies in the way it will need to protect you against severe illness from COVID-19.

Consider finishing the vaccine regimen since I don't want you to be unprotected.


----------



## Borophagus Metropolis (Jan 26, 2022)

Two feet of snow expected in three days.
Stores are already out of snow shovels, bread, and milk.


----------



## Kellan Meig'h (Jan 26, 2022)

I think I ran out of fucks to give. The city decided to skip my street for salting. The day after our mini-snow flurry, the snow had been driven on and it is now ice. It snowed again the next day, just a bit, enough to recharge the ice. It was a lost cause trying to de-ice the front walk and now days later, I had to go to a doctor's appointment. Spotted the ice at an intersection, a four way stop, and literally slid more than one hundred feet to a stop, just slightly across the stop bar. d00d behind me slides into my truck, the hitch punches a hole in his radiator and mangles his front end. No damage to my truck. He's out ranting about he needs money to fix his car, so I said, I'll call the police, that's over $500 USD in damage. He gets in his car and jams, sideswiping a car on the way. I called the cops anyway, they just wanted me to file a report of hit-skip.
I get out of my doctor's appointment and check my phone that been vibrating like mad, discovered on the community page there's my d00d's car and face, up on somebody's lawn, front of the car in their living room. I gave a report to the Po-Po and said screw it, no more fucks to give. BTW, that ice is still there. Hasn't gotten warm enough for it to melt.

REason for this rant? Some city d00d said we're short on sand and salt so some streets were passed over. Yay sand and salt shortage.


----------



## Frank Gulotta (Jan 27, 2022)

Fallowfox said:


> If your income rises inline with inflation, you can manage increases in the prices of goods.
> If prices rise and your income is rising *slower* than inflation, those price rises matter.
> 
> Currently the UK's experiencing the same global causes for inflation as everybody else, such as a global increase in the price of energy.
> ...


Doesn't change my point tho


----------



## Fallowfox (Jan 27, 2022)

Frank Gulotta said:


> Doesn't change my point tho



Quoting Mungo asked me whether Brexit is having any affect on price and choice available to british consumers. 
You said it isn't, but it does have one; the costs of additional paperwork and a british labour shortage are ultimately passed on to consumers. It's simple economics. 

I think you became confused and believed that I suggested brexit is the _only_ factor increasing the cost of goods for british consumers. It is one of several.


----------



## quoting_mungo (Jan 27, 2022)

Fallowfox said:


> Quoting Mungo asked me whether Brexit is having any affect on price and choice available to british consumers.
> You said it isn't, but it does have one; the costs of additional paperwork and a british labour shortage are ultimately passed on to consumers. It's simple economics.
> 
> I think you became confused and believed that I suggested brexit is the _only_ factor increasing the cost of goods for british consumers. It is one of several.


I'll also add that Brexit has had an effect on price and availability of at least one item I have no choice but to get from the UK. I have no good way of keeping my dumb cat from hurting himself (he scratches due to allergies) short of putting claw caps on him. I want to get the original SoftClaws caps, and not cheap knockoffs, both because I want to support the people who actually developed the product and because I've seen reviews here and there suggesting the knockoffs come with subpar glue for application or similar. Can't find them listed on e.g. German/French/Swedish Amazon, can't find an EU distributor, best I can do is order from the manufacturer's UK website.

And a couple of small businesses (artists creating physical merch) have sadly lost me as a customer as the flat fee our postal service adds when they charge import tax is prohibitively expensive. Like, often doubling the price of the item. I would have loved to keep supporting them and buying their really cool stuff, but there's only so much money I can afford to throw at the postal service to bail my parcels out of customs jail.

_And_ I'm watching a loved one deal with the fucking nightmare that is getting registered as having lived here pre-Brexit and as such qualifying to stay as though they still were an EU citizen.

So yeah. I was curious about what you were seeing in the way of knock-on effects, considering the ways it's been a pain for me. Never suggested it would be the singular reason, or this would be the "British Everything Shortage" thread.


----------



## Frank Gulotta (Jan 27, 2022)

Fallowfox said:


> Quoting Mungo asked me whether Brexit is having any affect on price and choice available to british consumers.
> You said it isn't, but it does have one; the costs of additional paperwork and a british labour shortage are ultimately passed on to consumers. It's simple economics.
> 
> I think you became confused and believed that I suggested brexit is the _only_ factor increasing the cost of goods for british consumers. It is one of several.


No, I became confused because you and this other person were talking about prices, not extra paperwork
Perhaps it wasn't really worth breaking the no politics rule for that


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## Kellan Meig'h (Jan 27, 2022)

quoting_mungo said:


> I'll also add that Brexit has had an effect on price and availability of at least one item I have no choice but to get from the UK. I have no good way of keeping my dumb cat from hurting himself (he scratches due to allergies) short of putting claw caps on him. I want to get the original SoftClaws caps, and not cheap knockoffs, both because I want to support the people who actually developed the product and because I've seen reviews here and there suggesting the knockoffs come with subpar glue for application or similar. Can't find them listed on e.g. German/French/Swedish Amazon, can't find an EU distributor, best I can do is order from the manufacturer's UK website.
> 
> And a couple of small businesses (artists creating physical merch) have sadly lost me as a customer as the flat fee our postal service adds when they charge import tax is prohibitively expensive. Like, often doubling the price of the item. I would have loved to keep supporting them and buying their really cool stuff, but there's only so much money I can afford to throw at the postal service to bail my parcels out of customs jail.
> 
> ...


You can order Soft Claws from the USA, possibly. They say $19 USD per pack of 40. Soft Claws


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## TurbidCyno (Jan 28, 2022)

Apparently Distilled water. How? No idea.  Plenty of purified water. No distilled. I get that it's humidifier season but really? Went to 2 Walgreens and the local supermarket.


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## quoting_mungo (Jan 28, 2022)

Kellan Meig'h said:


> You can order Soft Claws from the USA, possibly. They say $19 USD per pack of 40. Soft Claws


Unfortunately that’ll still run into the same problem with packages potentially ending up in customs jail. I guess the up side is that with me using them for back feet, I get five applications out of each package, so that’s more than half a year covered with the order I placed yesterday. 

So yeah, technically the US is a choice I have, but not one that solves the problem of having to go outside the EU for them. It is what it is; I do appreciate you trying to help.


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## Fallowfox (Jan 28, 2022)

Frank Gulotta said:


> No, I became confused because you and this other person were talking about prices, not extra paperwork
> Perhaps it wasn't really worth breaking the no politics rule for that



Administrative costs are a cause for increased prices; people don't do work for free.
I am sorry you feel unable to deal with this _apparently political_ observation, but nobody was forcing you to interject yourself into the conversation I was having with quoting mungo.



TurbidCyno said:


> Apparently Distilled water. How? No idea.  Plenty of purified water. No distilled. I get that it's humidifier season but really? Went to 2 Walgreens and the local supermarket.



If you want distilled or de-ionised water, I think the company 'Milli-Q' sells models that do this.



quoting_mungo said:


> I'll also add that Brexit has had an effect on price and availability of at least one item I have no choice but to get from the UK. I have no good way of keeping my dumb cat from hurting himself (he scratches due to allergies) short of putting claw caps on him. I want to get the original SoftClaws caps, and not cheap knockoffs, both because I want to support the people who actually developed the product and because I've seen reviews here and there suggesting the knockoffs come with subpar glue for application or similar. Can't find them listed on e.g. German/French/Swedish Amazon, can't find an EU distributor, best I can do is order from the manufacturer's UK website.
> 
> And a couple of small businesses (artists creating physical merch) have sadly lost me as a customer as the flat fee our postal service adds when they charge import tax is prohibitively expensive. Like, often doubling the price of the item. I would have loved to keep supporting them and buying their really cool stuff, but there's only so much money I can afford to throw at the postal service to bail my parcels out of customs jail.
> 
> ...



This might also be because of other British decisions surrounding taxation of digital sales. 
Those changes were not a necessary consequence of Brexit, but I suppose they may not have happened without it. 

My brother, who I've mentioned before, is now having to settle for living in the UK and doing his job over the internet, because consular services to help him emigrate are still not being rendered.


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## Matt the Terrier (Jan 28, 2022)

Speaking as somebody who works at a gas station, there's been a huge shortage of ketchup packets and an oddly selective shortage of chicken products: there were/are times where certain chicken products are unavailable while others are plentiful.


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## quoting_mungo (Jan 28, 2022)

Fallowfox said:


> This might also be because of other British decisions surrounding taxation of digital sales.
> Those changes were not a necessary consequence of Brexit, but I suppose they may not have happened without it.


Nah, the ludicrous customs jail bail is 100% Sweden (and now the EU as a whole) being anal about taxing any parcels from outside the EU. Well, that and the government giving the postal service free reins setting the flat fee. 75 SEK per parcel on top of the duty owed. I don’t mind paying the VAT, but the flat fee gets nasty!

So Brexit is a factor because it meant UK was no longer in the EU.



TurbidCyno said:


> Apparently Distilled water. How? No idea.  Plenty of purified water. No distilled. I get that it's humidifier season but really? Went to 2 Walgreens and the local supermarket.


Have you tried auto parts places? “Battery water” for cars should be plain distilled water, and is what I get for cleaning my fountain pens. I don’t know if it’s the same where you live, but here I find it in the car section of our… I don’t know what non-Swedish chain to compare it to. They used to be car-centric and now sell car stuff, tools, outdoorsy stuff, bit  of kitchenware, some dog/cat stuff. I guess kinda similar to Canadian Tire?


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## Miles Marsalis (Jan 28, 2022)

Matt the Terrier said:


> Speaking as somebody who works at a gas station, there's been a huge shortage of ketchup packets and an oddly selective shortage of chicken products: there were/are times where certain chicken products are unavailable while others are plentiful.


I went to Wendy's for lunch a few times and they had run out ketchup packets. Thankfully they had the barbecue sauce packets, so I just dipped my fries in that along with the nuggets.


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## Connor J. Coyote (Jan 28, 2022)

I so gotta get milk at the house later today.... we're almost out of it, which kinda sucks.


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## TurbidCyno (Jan 28, 2022)

quoting_mungo said:


> Have you tried auto parts places? “Battery water” for cars should be plain distilled water, and is what I get for cleaning my fountain pens. I don’t know if it’s the same where you live, but here I find it in the car section of our… I don’t know what non-Swedish chain to compare it to. They used to be car-centric and now sell car stuff, tools, outdoorsy stuff, bit  of kitchenware, some dog/cat stuff. I guess kinda similar to Canadian Tire?



The auto parts stores around here don't stock it.

 Kind of odd that there's no shortage of other waters. It's not a difficult process, so you'd figure it would come from the same supply chain for the most part.


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## quoting_mungo (Jan 28, 2022)

Miles Marsalis said:


> I went to Wendy's for lunch a few times and they had run out ketchup packets. Thankfully they had the barbecue sauce packets, so I just dipped my fries in that along with the nuggets.


Heathen! Burger joint fries should be dipped in milkshake! (or ice cream, but I figure getting a shake with your meal is probably more common than ice cream, so...)


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## Miles Marsalis (Jan 28, 2022)

quoting_mungo said:


> Heathen! Burger joint fries should be dipped in milkshake! (or ice cream, but I figure getting a shake with your meal is probably more common than ice cream, so...)


My girlfriend and my mom both have that habit, lol. They dip in their Frosties.


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## ConorHyena (Jan 28, 2022)

quoting_mungo said:


> Nah, the ludicrous customs jail bail is 100% Sweden (and now the EU as a whole) being anal about taxing any parcels from outside the EU. Well, that and the government giving the postal service free reins setting the flat fee. 75 SEK per parcel on top of the duty owed. I don’t mind paying the VAT, but the flat fee gets nasty!
> 
> So Brexit is a factor because it meant UK was no longer in the EU.


If you find a seller who declares and pre-pays custom for you, or uses a carrier that has a pre-payment service to arrange this you can get around the fee. I used to pay north of 70€ in fees for Fedex when ordering car parts from the US (my daily is an amerikanski vehicle that was never sold on this side of the pond) because I was paying after delivery - if you pay the customs fee beforehand there's usually much less.

That or use ebay. they have a really good global shipping program that also deals with all the fees and taxes for you (at least UK->Europe. Again, car parts)


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## Zara the Hork-Bajir (Jan 28, 2022)

Kellan Meig'h said:


> REason for this rant? Some city d00d said we're short on sand and salt so some streets were passed over. Yay sand and salt shortage.


That is an interesting coincidence, I was just out trying to get sandbags and they were completely out. 

The electronics shortage is getting so bad, that basically my entire time at work is just hunting down alternate parts at sketchy Chinese suppliers. Parts are now at 2023 delivery time, I really don't know how other companies are dealing with it.


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## Minerva_Minx (Feb 2, 2022)

S*** got real.

Coffee and creamer...


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## quoting_mungo (Feb 2, 2022)

Minerva_Minx said:


> S*** got real.
> 
> Coffee and creamer...


Come here; we've got plenty.

I learned that the grocery chain we usually shop at probably stopped carrying one product we usually make sure we have at home in the freezer. Just... someone at the top somewhere decided vegan bacon (we don't care whether it's vegan, as long as it's vegetarian, but this was good stuff) wasn't good enough for any of the stores in the chain to carry. UGH. Because two stores that used to have it no longer do, and the girl working at the store that I asked said if that's the case it's probably a company decision.

Fuck that shit now I have to email the manufacturer to help me find a place that sells it.


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## Filter (Feb 2, 2022)

quoting_mungo said:


> Heathen! Burger joint fries should be dipped in milkshake! (or ice cream, but I figure getting a shake with your meal is probably more common than ice cream, so...)





Miles Marsalis said:


> My girlfriend and my mom both have that habit, lol. They dip in their Frosties.


That sounds good. I'll have to try it sometime.


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## Miles Marsalis (Feb 11, 2022)

Fresh roses have been a little hard find and reserve. I'm debating whether to wait for Monday.


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## The_Happiest_Husky (Feb 11, 2022)

lil box of non latex gloves was like $40 at Ace, tf? Good thing I don't need those lol


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## Miles Marsalis (Feb 11, 2022)

The_Happiest_Husky said:


> lil box of non latex gloves was like $40 at Ace, tf? Good thing I don't need those lol


It's better to buy things like from the wholesalers if you can.


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## The_Happiest_Husky (Feb 11, 2022)

Miles Marsalis said:


> It's better to buy things like from the wholesalers if you can.


Yeah, I was just there cause I broke my pliers (don't ask lol). Noticed the gloves on a shelf and did a double take


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## quoting_mungo (Feb 11, 2022)

We’ve been ordering our gloves from a cleaning/business supply place (I have Issues with touching certain types of things, mostly greasy stuff, so I use gloves for baking things like scones or pie crust, as well as for putting lotions/creams on things), same place boyfriend gets his hydrogen peroxide from. Both gloves and masks have had maximum numbers per purchase - not sure if that’s still the case.


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## Minerva_Minx (Feb 12, 2022)

Staying At a hotel.  Swear there is a soap shortage since none of them seem to carry hand soap anymore.


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## Kellan Meig'h (Feb 12, 2022)

Harbor Freight aka "Hobo Freight" - 9 mil nitrile gloves. They gave all of their gloves to the hospitals (so they say) so any real 9 mil or so gloves are non-existant. I tried to order some from another source, they sent me ten pair for basically $1.00 USD per pair. Was supposed to be a box of fifty, or twenty-five pair.


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## Miles Marsalis (Feb 12, 2022)

Minerva_Minx said:


> Staying At a hotel.  Swear there is a soap shortage since none of them seem to carry hand soap anymore.


It's not a soap shortage; a lot of hotels cut back on housekeeping staff and services during the pandemic, so it is not being laid out like before.


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## Regret (Feb 12, 2022)

Just got back from yet another grocery run and I have not noticed any shortages since spring of 2020.


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## Minerva_Minx (Feb 12, 2022)

Miles Marsalis said:


> It's not a soap shortage; a lot of hotels cut back on housekeeping staff and services during the pandemic, so it is not being laid out like before.


Totally get it.  I'm just complaining because some of the samples are really good. Used to get free Bath and Body, Pogessi, Lanvin, Coral, etc frou-frou samples when on business trips.  Now it's strategy with what to pack in my travel backpack. It was nice changes to normal as the stuff is outside my normal budget.


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## Miles Marsalis (Feb 12, 2022)

Minerva_Minx said:


> Totally get it.  I'm just complaining because some of the samples are really good. Used to get free Bath and Body, Pogessi, Lanvin, Coral, etc frou-frou samples when on business trips.  Now it's strategy with what to pack in my travel backpack. It was nice changes to normal as the stuff is outside my normal budget.


At work, we've mostly cut back on business trips in favor of remote working where possible, but other people have noted what you're seeing with the hotels stateside. I understand, though; I used to pack soap and body wash to take with and use, but sometimes the soap bar in the bathroom would walk with me.


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## JacobFloofWoof (Feb 12, 2022)

Shortages getting worse over here.


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## Minerva_Minx (Feb 12, 2022)

If we get a trucker blockade in the US, I will lose my s***.
Then they will lose my support for better wages and conditions.


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## Regret (Feb 12, 2022)

Minerva_Minx said:


> If we get a trucker blockade in the US, I will lose my s***.
> Then they will lose my support for better wages and conditions.


You wouldn't want working class conditions to improve for an entire industry because they are protesting?  Those who are not protesting and just happen to work in the industry deserve their current conditions and wages because of the actions of the vocal few?

Seems a bit extreme and callous.


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## Miles Marsalis (Feb 12, 2022)

Regret said:


> You wouldn't want working class conditions to improve for an entire industry because they are protesting?  Those who are not protesting and just happen to work in the industry deserve their current conditions and wages because of the actions of the vocal few?
> 
> Seems a bit extreme and callous.


Digressing with the digression, the Canadian trucker's and teamster's union both condemned the unlawful actions of the "Freedom Convoy"; the protestors are a small percentage of Canadian truckers, the majority of which are vaccinated.

Going further, the mainstream conservative establishment in Canada and the majority of Canadians disprove of the protests, particularly since the protests have become violent in many cases, disrupted trade between Canada and the US, kept Ottawa residents up all night, and frozen essential traffic into the city.

These protestors aren't interested in improving working conditions; they're pure ideologically and fringe at that.


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## Fallowfox (Feb 12, 2022)

Minerva_Minx said:


> S*** got real.
> 
> Coffee and creamer...



I *think* there is a global coffee shortage at the moment? 

I think it is also anticipated to be under threat in the long term from changing weather patterns.


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## Minerva_Minx (Feb 12, 2022)

Fallowfox said:


> I *think* there is a global coffee shortage at the moment?
> 
> I think it is also anticipated to be under threat in the long term from changing weather patterns.


Yes!  We must stop climate change so we can haz coffee!

Or tea.  But definitely Im in it for coffee!


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## Punji (Feb 12, 2022)

We seem to also have a shortage of adherence to the No Politics rule.


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## Minerva_Minx (Feb 12, 2022)

I need coffee....


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## cyan_oj (Feb 13, 2022)

we're doing alright for household goods here but the price of steel has shot up and it's affecting a lot of our materials for work. we've had to raise prices to compensate and it's just rough on everyone down the line. :T

really in general we've mostly seen the effects of shortages in the form of prices rising here, rather than stuff being totally missing.


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## JacobFloofWoof (Feb 13, 2022)

Starting to see PS5s in stock online. I am really close to getting one. A month or so away, and I can maybe try to grab one.


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## TyraWadman (Feb 13, 2022)

Cereal.
All the stuff I like hasn't been on the shelf for over a month now.


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## TyraWadman (Mar 13, 2022)

I'm not sure if it's due to the shortages but my preferred brand of TP went from 20$ for a large pack, to 30-35.
Kinda shocking, but at the same time, it lasts me months when I buy it...


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## Kellan Meig'h (Mar 16, 2022)

Vacuum tubes. There are only three major producers, one being the factory in Russia owned by Ernie Ball. The sanctions mean no more tubes from them. The other two major factories are in China, one just had to move so that really farks things. I needed a set for my bass ampifier so I had to order a matched set from a place online. The price wasn't too bad, about $30 USD per tube. Over on Reverb, the same tube was going for over $100 USD. A-Fucking-Mazing. Fukkin' tube hoarders.


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## unamedfloof (Mar 25, 2022)

motivation to do anything --__--


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