Why Are Some Grocery Shelves Empty?

“There is no energy crisis,

Food crisis,

Environmental crisis.

There is only a crisis of ignorance.”

-Buckminster Fuller

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If you watch our Instagram stories you will have noticed that we cook most of our food at home, we rarely go out to eat. Not only is it expensive, but most restaurants also do not cater to our dietary restrictions. We cannot eat dairy or gluten among other things. So we spend a considerable amount of time grocery shopping. It would be safe to conclude that others are also spending more time cooking at home versus eating out. Heddy DeMaria, chief insights at HUNTER, said, “They (Americans) continue to channel their energies into the kitchen, adopting habits that bring joy, spark creativity and strengthen family bonds. As we eagerly look forward to a post-COVID era, the data suggests these new habits will stick around and become part of our new normal." This would explain why Forbes has reported on the struggling restaurant business. During our ventures outside of the house, we’ve noticed that some shelves are considerably empty.

We’ve shared many videos of the empty shelves and some angrily retort claiming they’ve never seen an empty shelf in their grocery store. Assuming these people aren’t lying for the sake of being contrary, it may be possible that some stores and areas of the country are not having this problem. People believe in many things they have never seen themselves. For instance, we believe that people have visited the moon despite the fact most of us have never done it ourselves. Well, maybe that’s not a great example because there are people who deny this. We know that other countries have cultures different from ours although we’ve never visited. Italy is known for its love of pasta, pizza, and fine wines, while Germany touts a good stout, sausage, and potatoes.

Why are some stores suffering from empty shelves while others are not? We noticed that the local co-op is always well-stocked. Costco is stocked to the ceiling and there is plenty for everyone to purchase. Meanwhile, we have observed that some locations of Walmart and Target are bare. There have been reports across the nation of disgruntled workers leaving their jobs, dubbed as “The Great Resignation.” Employees are quitting even if they have no backup plan. Our local co-op, Lakewinds’, employees always look happy and busy. They freely express themselves in unique clothing from their jewelry down to their masks. They even dress up for the Holidays. It seems like a fun working environment. We all know that Costco is a leader in the country for employee satisfaction. Walmart has been highly criticized for how they treat and pay their employees. Perhaps Target is not much different?

There are whispers of grumblings across the internet blaming President Biden for the shortages. While the evidence may not directly point at Mr. Biden, he is not blameless. There is more he could do to help the average everyday worker. For instance, re-instate pandemic unemployment benefits, issue a stimulus and Hero pay, and more worker protection laws.

As Omicron spreads across the country people are getting sick and are unable to work. In an effort to curb time away from work due to Covid-19 the CDC keeps lowering the amount of quarantine time. But this doesn’t eliminate people’s fear of Covid. We are intelligent beings capable of reasoning. We know how dangerous this virus is. Is it worth it to risk the lives of our elderly and loved ones with co-morbidities by going to work with the public? According to The National Grocers Association, “Hiring and retention are the top marketplace concern, ahead of wage increases and government regulations. Hiring during the pandemic is a challenge, according to 71% of independents, and 64% reported it had a negative impact on retention.” This not only effects the workers tasked with stocking the shelves but the truck drivers. Rising gas prices make it more difficult to pay to transport goods.

Grocery stores are not the only ones facing labor shortages. The factories themselves are. Not only are people no longer willing to work for starvation wages, but factories are also reported as breeding grounds for the virus. According to the USDA, “Meatpacking-dependent counties observed nearly 10 times more COVID-19 cases in early May (2021), compared to other manufacturing-dependent counties.”

How do we fix this? Well, there is not one answer. We need to find a way to stimulate the economy to encourage people to start spending money again. For example, if you are a restaurant worker this entire situation is going to negatively effect your ability to make money. The next thing we need to do is improve morale across the country. People need to feel like they are being heard. We also need to be included in what’s going on. Our political leaders could speak to us more and ask for our input. And, once again, a stimulus would improve morale. Our poor essential workers have worked themselves ragged, and often to the grave, in order to keep this country going. Not only have we barely shown them appreciation, but we’ve also given them no extra money. Lastly, shop at the stores you know love their employees. Get that Costco and co-op membership. Spend a little extra money to support those businesses that deserve it. Spread the wealth around. We would never boycott Target or Walmart, but we don’t shop there exclusively.

We hope that you enjoyed this piece. We put a lot of time and effort into researching this. Please support our work by subscribing to our YouTube channel and Facebook page! And of course, we always appreciate a coffee! If you have any tips for us please email them to thegalafam@gmail.com.