(NewTarget) Social media is brimming with reports of missing food items at Kroger supermarket locations across the country.
A repeat of early 2020 when toilet paper and other essentials ran bare, the start of 2023 is seeing “a lot of empty shelves” at Kroger, according to numerous reports, some containing video evidence of lingering supply chain problems.
Not only are Kroger shelves missing many essentials, but prices for things that are still in stock, most notably eggs, are skyrocketing to unprecedented levels. (Related: Remember when Kroger punished unvaccinated employees by removing their covid benefits and charging them higher insurance premiums?)
On the last day of 2022, a popular YouTube account called AdventuresWithDanno visited a local Kroger store to document any changes in inventory and pricing. Many empty shelves with only a few remaining ultra-high-priced items could be seen.
“We are at Kroger, and are noticing price increases on groceries, and a lot of empty shelves!” the video’s caption reads. “We are here to check out skyrocketing prices and the empty shelves situation! It’s getting rough out here as stores seem to be struggling with getting products!”
One particular area of the store with very bare shelves was the pet products aisle, which was missing most of the store-brand items. The only things left were a few overpriced items of lesser-sought-out brands.
“If you find cat [litter], don’t worry about the price: just get some,” the channel host said. “We’re seeing inconvenience stickers everywhere, and these are fresh. This must be becoming an issue again.”
Will 2023 become the year of mass starvation?
The store’s dairy case was also in shambles with most of the egg products missing.
“It’s exactly what we thought with all the eggs,” the host said. “People are starting to buy other eggs because the store brands – the cheapest ones you can get – are getting really expensive.”
In the inflation department, Kroger appears to be jacking up original prices on items only to mark them “down” from there and pretend they are on sale – even though the end “sale” price is still higher than the original.
A five-pound bag of mandarin oranges, for instance, is now on “sale” for $6.49 at Kroger. The original price, though, was hiked up to $7.99, making it not so much of a sale after all.
