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Shoppers Report Items Increasingly Out Of Stock At Walmart Due To U.S. Supply Chain Problems

Shoppers Report Items Increasingly Out Of Stock At Walmart Due To U.S. Supply Chain Problems

supply chain

Almost empty meat counter shelves at Walmart, a mile from the Tyson's meat processing plant in Emporia, Kansas, April 29, 2020. Credit: Mark Reinstein/MediaPunch /IPX

Shoppers are complaining on Reddit and Twitter that more and more goods are out of stock and some prices have been hiked “almost overnight” as Walmart stores across the U.S. face supply chain issues.

Analysts are blaming supply chain constraints on the global market. However, Walmart Global Communications Director Lauren Willis said availability can vary “depending on what’s happening in the local area.”

“ALL Walmarts are low on stock,” wrote Reddit user @KittensofDestruction. “The Boise stores have roughly ONE THIRD of the stock they had two years ago. The Walmart nearest me has been functionally empty since the beginning of this year. If I stop there with a list of twenty things, I might find TWO of them.”

“F this formula shortage,” em@hotgluequeenn tweeted. “It’s getting worse and worse. Every target and Walmart in my city is out of my sons formula and sams and H‑E‑B don’t carry it at all anymore. What are you supposed to do if you literally can’t find formula?!?

A spot check at Walmart and H-E-B retail chains by CBS-affiliated TV station KENS5 in San Antonio, Texas, showed that the missing items were linked to food and supply chain shortages.

“We are seeing pockets of lower-than-normal availability in some communities on some items, depending on what’s happening in the local area,” said Walmart Global Communications Director Willis, in a response to KENS5. “We will continue to keep a close eye on product availability and work with our supply chain to help meet customer demand.”

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A surge in shopping demand as economies reopened from covid restrictions boosted by vaccine availability in 2021 have been blamed for pressure on the global supply chain network and shortages of consumer goods.

The supply chain problems have intensified in recent weeks following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the lockdown of major manufacturing hubs in China after the outbreak of the stealth omicron BA.2 covid-19 variant, Bloomberg reported.

“Given the difficult circumstances with supply chain across the nations, our stores are in good shape due to our great procurement team,” H-E-B spokesperson Julie Bedingfield told KENS5.

The latest food supply chain update by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) insisted that there were “no nationwide shortages of food”. The USDA acknowledged that, in some cases, the inventory of certain foods at the grocery store might be temporarily low before stores can restock. 

https://twitter.com/MonikHuerta1/status/1492626042326036481?s=20&t=txfhvgMOGmI-E-ZUB7UKNw

Photo: Almost empty meat counter shelves at Walmart, a mile from the Tyson’s meat processing plant in Emporia, Kansas, April 29, 2020. Credit: Mark Reinstein/MediaPunch /IPX