Once the land of plenty the United States has now become the land of the out-of-stock. If it had happened to me one time in the past week, I would have been okay. The second time, I admit, was annoying. My reaction the third time was similar to the second one. The fourth time was downright frustrating because it was a time-consuming and fruitless effort for me. And the fifth was more humorous than it was upsetting since I didn’t buy anything.

This road to nowhere began at one of the more notable fast-food chains in our city. I don’t want to be too specific because I don’t want to reveal the name of the establishment. But let’s just say they were out of an item they were advertising in addition to not having several side items. I finally asked what they “did” have because that seemed quicker than playing a guessing game on what was available.

The second was another fast-food chain. I ordered an item, admittedly a little late in the dinner hour, and was told they didn’t have any left to cook. At still another fast-food location I was told that one of their most popular drinks was not available that day.

The fourth one, I don’t understand at all. I went to a business that specializes in a certain item. I asked
for a particular product. After much checking I was told, “Sorry, it is out of stock.” I asked for an
alternative item. The clerk asked if I had a photo of the item and then told me he couldn’t help me with that item either.

But the fifth one made me laugh because it was so absurd. A business here in town had a sign informing customers they didn’t have any shopping bags. That would have been okay with some items, but I couldn’t imagine someone having to balance fragile items on the way to their vehicle.

Stocking issues were a major story since 2022 and it doesn’t appear to be waning with items such as eggs, baby formula and even bread on the shortage list.

One item I have trouble finding, at least one of the brands I prefer, is cat food. Consumers were warned
canned pet food would be in short supply due to an aluminum shortage. But even bags of cat food are difficult to locate at times.

I guess we are still in a COVID-19 hangover. More people are active, and it doesn’t appear the country is prepared for that. For me, the one thing that is out-of-stock is my patience