Olive oil is a kitchen staple, used for everything from cooking up veggies to delicately dipping pieces of bread. It’s also becoming a more expensive staple due to weather in olive-growing countries Spain, Italy, and Greece. Hot weather, fruit flies, and flooding across those regions mean a much smaller harvest. [More]
shortages
Industry Predicts Eggnog Shortage, Forgets That Anyone Can Make Their Own Eggnog At Home
By 12.22.16
Brace yourselves for the coming week, America: we may have to face the period between Christmas and New Year’s with slightly less commercially available eggnog than you expect available in stores. You might have to drink slightly less, buy a different brand, or perhaps even make your own. [More]
Here’s Why The Reddi-Wip Shortage Is Extra Sad
By 12.20.16
If you’ve been looking for canned whipped cream from Reddi-wip or other brands for your holiday celebrations, you may have come home empty-handed. Canned whipped cream is in short supply right now, and it’s for a reason that is much sadder than the mere lack of whipped cream. [More]
Ruptured Gas Pipeline In Alabama May Mean East Coast Fuel Shortages
By 9.16.16
A spill of gasoline from the Colonial Pipeline in Alabama could mean higher gas prices and even shortages on the East Coast, since the line brings fuel north from refineries in Houston all the way up to New York Harbor. The governors of Alabama and Georgia have declared states of emergency as the pipeline’s repair was delayed, and it may not be back online until next week. [More]
Here’s Why You Won’t Find Aggressive Discounts On Subarus
By 6.3.16
Have you noticed that your local Subaru dealer probably doesn’t offer deep price cuts and entertaining promotions to get customers in the door. like the sellers of other automboile brands? That’s because Subaru has a problem that most businesses would love to have: people are buying their cars as quickly as they can make them. It means that dealers have to hope that customers won’t walk away and buy another brand when the model they want is out of stock. [More]
H-E-B Posting Signs In Stores Asking Customers Not To Buy More Than 3 Cartons Of Eggs Amid Shortage
By 6.5.15
Following on the heels of Whataburger’s recent announcement that it’s shortening its weekday breakfast hours due to the recent egg shortage caused by an especially bad outbreak of avian flu, Texas supermarket chain H-E-B is posting signs in its stores asking customers to please not buy up all the eggs at once. [More]
Lyft Is Too Successful In New York City, No Cars Available
By 7.28.14
In New York City, early adopters of the car-summoning smartphone app Lyft got a special gift: fifty free rides with a fare of up to $25 each in the first fifteen days that the service is open for business. It’s an impressive promotion…or it would be if there were any drivers available. [More]
The Cheesepocalypse Is Nigh: Velveeta Warns Of Coming Shortage
By 1.7.14
Grab your buttered bread and favorite grilled cheese pan close, folks, because we could be in for a doozy: Velveeta has announced it’s facing a shortage and so of course, everyone is panicking adorably over the idea of a (dun dun dun [dramatic noise]) CHEESEPOCALYPSE. Because it’s not like there aren’t any other cheese options out there…. oh, wait. [More]
East Coast Suffers Horrific Ice Cream Bar Shortage
By 6.21.12
Much of the Northeastern United States is currently dealing with a heat wave that has household pets plastered to cold tile floors and local news outlets hauling tired puns out of winter storage. But the real crisis is occurring out where fleets of white trucks prowl the mean streets of suburbia in search of customers. The combination of an exceptionally warm spring and a Good Humor plant shutdown in Maryland mean that vendors are struggling to get hold of some popular Good Humor products. Who is suffering? The children. [More]
Thailand Flooding May Cause Hard Drive Shortages, Price Increases
By 11.3.11
If a butterfly on the other side of the world can cause a hurricane, a flood in Thailand can wreak havoc on hard drive customers. Devastating floods in the country are expected to soften manufacturers’ abilities to crank out hard drives, and analysts say private customers will have to deal with the resulting price increases more than computer manufacturers. Affected companies include Toshiba and Western Digital, which have temporarily shut down Thailand plants. [More]
Wii Fit Plus Shortage May Be Rocking The Nation
By 2.1.10
Marcus wants a Wii Fit Plus game that includes the balance board and retails for $100. Problem is, he can’t find it anywhere. Third-party sellers are charging $150 and more on Amazon for the exercise game, which was the second-best seller in December, and everywhere he checks seems to be out of stock. [More]
Beauty.com Facebook Revolt Quelled Within Minutes With Free Stuff
By 1.30.10
Kim’s Beauty.com order was eligible for a pretty neat “free gift with purchase” deal, but the free item ran out before her order went through. She, and other customers, took to the company’s Facebook page to complain about the situation. A company representative reached out on Facebook, offering to send a new free item out to the dissatisfied customers. This representative turned out to be the company president. [More]
Christmas Light Shortage Sweeps The Nation
By 12.18.09
Maybe there is no such thing as Christmas retreat. Maybe there’s just a light shortage. News outlets across the country have reported on a shortage of strings of lights. Somewhere, Clark Griswold weeps. [More]
Whew: Coke Products Return To Costco On Monday
By 12.11.09
The nightmare is over for Americans who use warehouse club Costco to fuel their copious Coke habits. The retailer and Coca-Cola have settled their price differences, and Coca-Cola beverages will return to Costco stores on Monday. [More]
Potential Canned Pumpkin Shortage Threatens Thanksgiving
By 11.19.09
It might be hard to make pumpkin pie this year. “Soggy fields” and “fungus,” the perennial banes of the pumpkin farmer, have left tons of pumpkins rotting in the field and created the very real possibility that there may be a shortage of canned pumpkin this season.
Kellogg's Finally Explains Eggo Waffle Shortage
By 11.15.09
Consumerist’s quest to find out on behalf of you, our readers, where all of the Eggo waffles have gone has come to an end. The culprit isn’t aliens or unemployed Americans munching on waffles at home while watching Judge Judy. It was a flood at the factory in Atlanta where the waffles are made.
Poll: What Caused The Great Eggo Waffle Shortage Of '09?
By 11.14.09
Clearly, our post about the Eggo waffle shortages struck some kind of nerve. We contacted Kellogg’s about the real reason for the nationwide shortage, and they haven’t gotten back to us yet. So we let our imaginations run wild.
You Can Make Your Own Liquid Tamiflu At Home
G.’s young son was recently ill with H1N1, but no pharmacy in the city where he lives had liquid Tamiflu in stock. (Even the federal government released its stockpile not long ago.) He writes that nearly every pharmacy he called turned him down. Then he learned that the liquid can be made from Tamiflu capsules by pharmacists, or even by parents at home. Why didn’t the pharmacy staff, or his doctor, tell him this?