So far i havent noticed this in the part of the UK i am in, but that certainly doesnt mean its not on the way! the best thing to do is to stock up on non parishable foods and long lasting items, tinned and dry goods, water, etc.. gardening is a great idea too, some jars and a pressure cooker and you can store your own fresh fruit and veg.. will absolutely be keeping an eye on the store shelves here! a lot of stores are going under it seems, for instance Woolworths, a big retail type shop here that had been going for many many years had to close down their branches all over the country earlier this year.. more will most likely follow as times get harder..

Most retail businesses work on a "just in time" stocking program. This problem of dwindeling supplies will get worse. This fall and winter retail season, you will see what will soon be the norm. The chain reaction of a bad economy will have to show it's head soon enough.

The credit problem is going to get worse. You can already figure out what's going to happen if businesses can't get credit. This Christmas, you will have a chance to get your last look at some big retailers who are going to bite the dust. How much more indication does one need , to prove we are in a changing economy that will never go back to the way it was, when 100+ year old companies go out of business. You will see that this fall.
By the way, has anyone mentioned the need to stock up now, on your staples that you use regularily. No time like the present. And if our current economic conditions are any indication of things to come, buy what you can now, before prices double. just a suggestion......

Its fine in the UK.

No issues, hell a NEW independent mini supermarket has opened in my nexk of the wood.

Be intresting to see how long it lasts, but their shelves are stocked fine.

Originally posted by Full_Vision
So far i havent noticed this in the part of the UK i am in, but that certainly doesnt mean its not on the way! the best thing to do is to stock up on non parishable foods and long lasting items, tinned and dry goods, water, etc.. gardening is a great idea too, some jars and a pressure cooker and you can store your own fresh fruit and veg.. will absolutely be keeping an eye on the store shelves here! a lot of stores are going under it seems, for instance ] a big retail type shop here that had been going for many many years had to close down their branches all over the country earlier this year.. more will most likely follow as times get harder..

Wollies in the UK was a basket case before the recession !

In the UK its surprising how many few big companies have gone bust !

To be honest i think it might be the quality of management of companies in the UK might well be better.

Most people running businesses in the UK have already through at least one serious recession in the 1990.

Plus we only have about four banks in the UK.

rather than the hundreds of ickle ones in the USA

which makes a difference.

This is kind of a multifaceted issue. Partly credit and partly supply side. I used to work for a company that was a supplier to Walmart and they nearly went under because of it. Walmart is a small company killer. Each and every year Walmart expects its vendors to lower cost and they don't care how. In fact they are one of the greatest reasons so many US companies offshored to China.

They also treat their vendors like snot rags. Use it and toss it there's another one in the box. As small companies dry up and blow away there's gaps in the supply chain while Walmart cons another small company into giving it a try.

Over the past six months it's gotten worse and I'm even seeing signs that the same thing is happening in the Sam's. As businesses fail it will get worse.

Walmart will always go to the strong side meaning that the big boxes that are in the more affluent neighborhoods will always get the lions share of whatever product/s we're talking about and no, the prices aren't the same in each store across the US. It's whatever the market will bear. In areas where the market can't bear much the stores are low on the list to restock.

The area I watch is produce. When you begin to see a lot of empty produce shelves in most stores it's Katy bar the door time. Poor or not you've got to eat so the grocery section generally stays stocked in most stores. If that's not the case then they are allocating resources to the stores that are the big money makers and everybody else can eat ###t.

By the way, I heard the other day that China loaned Walmart a billion dollars. That ought to say something about the shape of our economy. The only reason I dread the demise of Wallyworld is because by the time they go under everyone else will already be gone.

That makes sense. This is a very rural area. Guess we come last.
My computer died a few days ago, and I could not find the gateway or HP I wanted, and even called into the Phoenix stores. This one had an explanation though. The new computers with windows 7 is coming out, on the 22nd. They are not buying stock until the new ones are out so the stores like best buy that have good price are sold out for the whole state. I ended up paying full price for the floor model. He said the new ones will be the same but cost more. I get a free upgrade to 7, but decline to use it rite now as it will make my cameras, cam corder, printer all not usable. Just when you get all set up they come out with a new OS and you have to buy new crap. Who can afford that rite now.

Anway, I go shopping for groceries tomorrow. I am leaving VERY early, as I am tired of driving a half hour into town only for them to be sold of of a lot of stuff.
the sale prices are also no longer there. '

Last year 10 cans of tomato paste for a buck now 79 cents a can.
A can of corn was 89 cents last year, now 1.29. I used to stock up on cans when there are sales and they are just not there anymore,. When there is a sale, they are sold out in an hour, no joke.

Despite this, I am still glad to be rural. When it gets real bad I do not want to be in the city. Majority of people in this area are used to being poor.
In the city there are a lot that are not and I think it will get ugly faster there than here.

I know it's mostly preaching to the converted, and I'm not telling most of you anything you don't already know, but there are a lot of people who simply don't think of the chain that goes on behind the manufacture and supply of something.

So, as I explained to a friend a few days ago, I'll give a rough example. You probably already know this, but there are some who just don't consider it, and it might help them to think outside the box a little.

The making of a leather jacket...

1. Cattle farmer in South America.
a. food requirements.
2. Transport to abattoir.
3. Shipping of leather to India to be tanned.
4. Tanning in India by small company struggling.
a. chemicals needed.
b. And more shipping for those.
5. Shipping to China.
6. Manufacture of Jacket in China.
a. requirement for Cotton.
b. Metal fastenings.
c. More shipping for those too.
7. Shipping of completed Jacket to North America.
8. Arrival of jacket a packaging company.
a. required packaging.
b. labels.
c. more shipping.
9. Transport again from Packaging company to retailer.

Most of these will be experiencing financial troubles. Many smaller companies need financial support through tough periods and they are not being given it by banks.
They have to cut back on staff, meaning their products or services are delayed.

The transport companies being used are (theoretically) larger the further up the manufacturing chain you go, so the one a major brand uses is probably more stable than the one a Leather tanner uses. But that doesn't mean the supply of that item is any more stable prior to its completion.

If we assume that most of these companies began feeling the financial hardship a year ago, the affect it will have on the supply of the item will be delayed by a period. So if the Cattle farmer in South America felt this last year, it could be another few months, or even more than another year before you notice it.
But this is affecting everything from manufacture, to minerals, to materials... you get the idea.

There are a lot more complex avenues to go down which will in turn affect the supply of everything.

Like I said, most of you know this already, but there are plenty who just don't think about it.

[edit on 10-10-2009 by detachedindividual]