Covid-like shortages for US consumers ‘within weeks’

PLEASE GO PANIC BUY
United States of Corporations

Anything that hurts americans is a good thing.

This rhetoric is just trying to butter us up for the impending next round of price gouging.
If something seems too expensive, don’t buy it and opt for goods with less headway for markup. Start cooking scratch meals and cut out the prefab stuff; you’ll take more time for food prep, but it will save you thousands in medical bills later on.
- Yup. Your new best friends are rice, beans, white sugar, molasses, (did you know that brown sugar is just white sugar plus molasses?), salt, all purpose flour, oatmeal, and lentils. Bought in bulk. And use your local ethnic markets for spices and bouillons; They’re often 3-5 times cheaper than your local grocery store.
  You can just buy one or two things per paycheck, if you can’t afford all of them at the same time. Or hell, get some friends together and split a bulk bag. I have a 10 pound bucket of rice (split from a larger 25 pound bag) that I have been working on for literal months. A 20 pound bag of rice can keep you full for so fucking long, as long as you store it properly.
  Then you just add extra things when you can. Maybe you have potatoes, an onion, a clove of garlic, and some pork this week. So you make a loaded baked potato soup. Also, learn to dress up instant ramen. A scoop out of a giant bag of diced frozen veggies will do a lot. If you can afford it, add a soft boiled egg too.
  “Nobody has time for flour, cuz you need to wait for it to rise!” Use baking powder recipes, or flatbreads instead. Learn to make biscuits and scones, if you want to bake. Tortillas are stupid easy to make; They’re literally just flour and water, pressed flat (fucking use an empty wine or beer bottle if you don’t have a rolling pin) and cooked on a flat hot surface like a skillet. I could literally fit the entire tortilla cooking process, from raw flour to finished tortillas, into an uncut 5 minute TikTok tutorial if I wanted to. Congrats, now you have tortillas for 2¢ each, instead of a 10 pack for $5. And they’ll fucking taste better than the store-bought ones, because they’re fresh and hot.
  “I don’t have a rice cooker so I can’t make rice!” Do you think people have been using electric rice cookers for thousands of years? My brother in Christ, people have been cooking rice using the “just put a fucking vessel over fire” method for over nine millennia now. Will you likely fuck it up the first time, and accidentally make porridge? Yeah. But that’s a learning opportunity, and you only spent like 5¢ making that mistake because the rice is so fucking cheap.
  “I can’t afford fancy cookware!” Go hit your local thrift store. I guarantee they have an entire shelf full of cast iron cookware and baking sheets for like $1 each, that you’ll be able to hand down to your grandchildren.
  
  I havnt finished reading Ive just gotten excited when you mentioned the sugar and molasses information.
  For years I've only bought pure cane sugar. It is interchangeabe with white sugar, it also still has its molasses. If a recipe calls for a half cup of white sugar and a half cup of brown sugar, I just use a full cup of cane sugar. This works beautifully. Even a recipe that calls for caster sugar. I have placed it in the food processor and ran it for a bit to make it more fine, no issue there. It worked in the recipe beautifully. I do have molasses in my cabinet for its purposes, because they are some, but I don't understand why today we need white sugar and brown sugar differentiated when we have regular cane sugar. To bake a white cake (The only instance I can think where you would need white sugar at the moment) is pure vanity, not practicality.
  I'm so glad you've mentioned it here

Some things should suddenly get much cheaper as well, like Pork.
- Curious as to why you say this?
  
  China stopped importing it.
- McRib comimg back!

There any sense on what would be good to stock up on now? When I've searched this, the advice is usually pretty worthless. Just advice indistinguishable from general prepper stuff. I've seen recommendations to stock up on things like flour, things that the US produces domestically in abundance. But some necessities are going to be more vulnerable to disruptions in shipments from China than others.
Anyone find a good guide or have a sense of what basic household necessities are going to be most vulnerable to disruption of trade with China? I'm not concerned with things like consumer electronics right now, those are luxuries. I'm talking basic food and household staples. I don't need the standard prepper list that's meant to prepare you for grave natural disasters. What's really needed is an analysis of precisely what necessities are most likely to be interrupted by this.
Has anyone seen such a list, or have a sense for what necessities are most vulnerable here?
- If you're just worried about the possibility of shortages and not being able to get food easily then stock up on things that will last a long time in the freezer, is something that you will regularly use regardless, and won't break you to buy in bulk.
  Even with some of the prices already going up a little bit chicken is a good example, you can go by huge packs of it at Costco for a reasonable price still at the moment and other similar stores, vegetables like broccoli florets tend to hold up decently in the freezer for a little while (4-6months) and there multiple types of bread that deal well with being frozen and then later thawed out if you use bread a lot.
  Basically instead of trying to hyper optimize like some type of prepper just look at what you generally go through, evaluate what out of that is something that will last in a freezer for a good amount of time, and then bulk up on it and just continue using your food like you normally would. Worst case scenario you saved tiny bit of money by buying in bulk which usually comes with a slight savings. Best case scenario shortly after your bulk buying price is Skyrocket and you can try and ride it out off of your supplies.
  Avoid the toilet paper problem by getting a bidet, I spent money on the nice $300 one it has heated water which I like and now a single pack of toilet paper from Costco is like almost a Year's worth of toilet paper because I only use it to help dry a little faster than the weird but hair dryer does so i use almost nothing
- Keep in mind that flour might be in abundance now, but if everyone in the country buys it, the supply might drop quickly.
  Apart from that, dried beans and lentils are probably a good source of nutrients, easy to store and last for a while.
- I think the tp during COVID was kind of a fluke. It could have been anything. Laundry detergent, some food product etc. TP was just what the news hung their hat on so it's what everyone thought about when they went to the store.
  I'm personally buying rice, beans, and lots of spices to make some delicious meals and wait out the price shocks of food.
  Besides that, I mean what do you really need need when it comes to this stuff? I can think of a few things but it's a very short list. Really we're just going to have to ride it out and hope it doesn't get bad bad
  
  Supposedly the TP issue was that the supply chain was segmented out by office TP and home TP, can't easily switch over easily but everyone was crapping at home.
- If it's really like Covid, toilet paper will be the first thing to go.
  
  I agree.
  90% of toilet paper is apparently domestically produced in the USA.
  Doesn't matter. The shortage wasn't rational then and it won't be rational this time. It will just be the first thing people hoard.
  
  I installed a bidet like two weeks before that entire shortage started. I have never felt more smug about a decision.

If you deposed your dictator this wouldn't be happening.
- Nah, just roll over and yell "FREEDOM".

I have the worst timing …. I’ve been trying to eat my way down to an empty freezer. I bought a chest freezer in covid and kept it full ever since, but it really needs to be defrosted. I still have more stuff in there than can fit in all my coolers and in the fridge.
But maybe I should restock while I can and try again to defrost in four years
- You think things will be better in Trump's 3rd term? 🤔

I feel like these articles might not be true and then we all act like the sky is falling and then it doesn't. Like yesterday I saw posts about Trump wearing blue. But lots of people wore blue. I think there's bait going around
- I agree, the news is just trying to distract and put us against each other. The real problem is the about classes

Let's see how long they can survive on thoughts and prayers.

WTF, this bullshit again.
- Well... look who's president again. Just saying

Everyone ready to start intermittent fasting without choice?
- Food is one of the few things we export more to China than we import.
- It’s one way to lower the obesity rate.
  
  Strategic... They stopped paying for wegovy first to get people desperate.
- Grateful at this moment for my wife who grew up food insecure who stocked up several months of food. That will run out though eventually.
  
  I've been seeing a lot of tiktoks about raising meat rabbits lately
- I'm gonna combine it with intermittent non-pooping.

Any society is three meals from revolution
- This probably won't be a starvation situation. This will be a supply crunch for all the cheap shit at Walmart and Target that Americans love.
  
  Have no fear, Classico Pasta sauce should fare just fine, because their main ingredient is now water! Also now that it's the main ingredient, they can just dial it up as much as they want without it moving up the list anymore!
  
  Hit the Magas where it hurts - Walmart.
  
  All the sugar addicts are going to flip.

As someone who doesn't live in the US, I'm looking forward to watching this unfold.
It's going to hurt Trump. I'm sorry a lot of Dem voters will be collateral damage but honestly, an economic shit storm of biblical magnitude is pretty much the only thing that can save you IMO.
- ...as someone who opposed the fascist-in-chief by civil means and will be wholly caught up in the economic maelstrom, i'm looking forward to watching this unfold, too: it's the only thing which might save us from full-blown armed conflict and martial law...
- Lmao hurt Trump? His cultists will be eating rat soup to survive and insist that the economy is great and America is on its way to being Great Again™, and that rat soup is just a necessary sacrifice on that path.
  
  I hate that you are right about that.
  The cultists at jonestown were perfectly fine to die. The magas will die for him at well without complaint.
  
  The cultists, yes... but they're not the ones keeping him on his throne. If enough rich people lose enough money he will be impeached.
  
  After the great divide and maga has central USA, you guys can get back to work, but unfortunately the civil war is gonna suck
- It's unclear if it's going to save america, considering it's 1:1 out of hitler's playbook. He crashed the economy with tarrifs before going all in.
- As an American I agree, though I have to point out something those of us living this shit nightmare know...
  This won't hurt him. At all. His supporters by and large are what you'd expect from full on Stockholm syndrome victims.
  They excuse, Sanewash, and pretend it's part of some plan to make them great.
  His supporters? They can soak in their own bloodbaths and say it was Obama's fault or some Hillary conspiracy.
  The one issue voters who sat out last time, the middle of the ground twats who thought their vote didn't matter, the Palestinians who thought Kamala's stance on Israel wasn't strong enough... Those are the people who have to suffer enough to motivate them to not be so fucking indifferent to things they don't fully understand.
  
  There's a lot of folks who are either.:
  Vote republican by default, but a shock could change them.
  People who vote for or against the status quo based on how the feel things are going. Trump lost in 2020 in part due to people voting against whoever was in office. Hilary Clinton probably would have lost in 2020 had she won in 2016. Trump won in 2024 in part due to similar sentiment to vote out the current party after the inflation that was likely unavoidable consequence of not collapsing from COVID.
  Yes the MAGA cult is unwavering, and they are a huge factor in the GOP primaries and certainly an asset in the general election, but they are not enough to assure an election.
  
  Agreed. After watching videos of people literally dying in the ICU being told they are passing away soon specifically because they got COVID and didn’t take the vaccine or wear masks and drank horse dewormer or whatever else, and when asked if they were regretful, they all say “no,” I knew we were screwed.
  Hell, I had that same thought happen again when I watched parents whose little children died from Measles were asked “do you regret not vaccinating your now dead children?” And they immediately without hesitation said “no.”
  It is a cult, and they are locked in until they are all burned away like a literal fever.
  
  IMO it's not really the MAGA idiots you need to worry about. It's the influential people in the republican party who are supporting Trump.
  You're right that the stereotypical trump supporter can't be dissuaded by economic hardship.
  However, the people that thought Trump was going to deliver them never before seen profits through de-regulation can very easily be dissuaded be economic hardship.
  An economic hole is forming, and if it's deep enough and wide enough Trump will be unseated.

i blame carter

They really want to pick up where they left off huh

The article is behind a paywall. Do you have other sources?
- https://privatebin.io/?5cf409d77fd9b818#EZAgTaju7ucKxFTkrKwCJkwjLD7tyt6rhwobj8rrcdXa

- I'm going to make another sticker that instead says "You voted for this."
  
  I think the "too much winning" is the best
  
  Tbf, a lot of Dem voters sat it out, allowing him in. Don't forget that special class of virtue signalling moron.

Let me put it this way. Today I spent over $700 on a massive amount of groceries and various toiletries.
- Jesus, Mary and Joseph and all his carpenter friends what the fuck did you spend 700 dollars on? Is that US?
  Like I know you said groceries and various toiletries but the curiosity is tickling me.
  
  Yes, USD. I bought some fresh food (and do so regularly), but also a ton of non-perishables: lots of canned food, various kinds of rice, cereals, oatmeal, lots of water, etc. Protein and carbs. 48 rolls of toilet paper (I have a bidet so this will last me about two years), and so on.
  I'm building up my reserves. I have a large pantry and several large cupboards to keep it all in, and could probably buy another $700 worth and have a place to keep it. I also cook at home for most meals and so I rotate through these food stuffs faster than you'd expect. There's no canned food older than two years, and most items are newer than six months. I generally buy more than I need, but not usually this much.
  I'm not a "prepper" in an "underground bunker" sense, but I do prepare for emergencies and instability, whatever form it may take: political, yes, but I also live on several fault lines, so "the big one" might happen at some point. In the winter, ice and snow occasionally confine me to my home for a week or two at a time. They're all the same to me from a planning perspective.
  The original price was $850, but I clip coupons and maximize sales and brought it down by over $150.
  
  As an individual I spend about 100 a week on groceries. My guess is stocking up for weeks of food which I've been slowly stockpiling myself. Or a large family 4-5+
  
  Jesus, Mary and Joseph and all his carpenter friends what the fuck did you spend 700 dollars on? Is that US?
  Eggs.
  
  A few dozen eggs?
  
  Could actually be a lot of canned goods. The top shelf stuff is like $5 per can 😳
  
  Probably a lot of non-perishables, or like those camping meals with a 10-year life span.
  
  Stockpiling
  
  Last time I was in the states I figured it worked out to about 100 per bag of grocerys.
  So they bought 7 bags. Or maybe 5 now.
  Easy to do.

I'm living the dream with individually wrapped quilted 3-ply tp rolls and $1.75/doz eggs. Current version of the us sucks balls.

Who CARES? I'm a Jesus Loving Church Going American and I FULLY Support this AS LONG as I still get to Bully GAY KIDS!
-LITERALLY Everyone who Voted for Trump since he LITERALLY CAMPAIGNED ON THIS!
- And brown people!
  
  For heavens sake Johnson, didnt your mother teach you that its a wink and a nudge. You dont just say that stuff out loud.
- A really stunning amount of people, when confronted with evidence during the campaign (i.e. project 2025 or tariffs or what have you) simply chose to swallow whatever one sentence dismissal Trump issued; "Oh, he said he's never heard of P2025", "oh, no, we don't pay tariffs, the company does", etc. I know a fair amount of them now that are quietly eating crow and upset with the way things are going. The hot new thing I've noticed with the more normal half of MAGA right now is trying to come up with reasons why Trump is "acting so weird".
  
  I could give them a few reasons if they're struggling to come up with their own.

I bet the US bomb stores are still fully stocked for *srael.
- God that censorship of words you don't like bullshit is so annoying.
- There is such an abundance we will have to use them against our civilian population just to keep from throwing them out.

https://archive.is/VUtGt
rump proves he still has no idea what a tarriff is:
“I am this giant store. It’s a giant, beautiful store, and everybody wants to go shopping there,” he said. “And on behalf of the American people, I own the store, and I set prices, and I’ll say, ‘If you want to shop here, this is what you have to pay.’ ”
- And then he makes the surprized picachu face when people shop elsewhere.
- Thanks for sharing the archive link!
- It's hysterical how he compares the US to a department store, a kind of store that is all but dead in 2025.

Y'all are gonna roast the shit out of me, but I really have a strong urge to buy toilet paper before all the weirdos start clearing the shelves (which I am fully aware makes me one of the weirdos)
- I did. I live alone, so a single bulk pack will set me up for another year - and I was down to one inner-pack left from last year's purchase. So, fuck it, I'mma lock in my next year's worth of shitter paper at today's prices.
  Went ahead and grabbed bottled & jugged water too - Not because I think I'll need it in the next 4 weeks of market downturn, but because if anything DOES go wrong (spring tornado, cyberattack on utilities, etc.) at least I have some on hand.
  Doubled my canned good stash as well - Usually I keep 2 cans each of "my usuals" on hand and replace them as I use them, so I made room and stuffed the cabinet full for this spring/summer.
- I mean this is the reason there are shortages. People fear shortages, so they buy extra so they wouldn't be hit with the shortages, actually causing the shortage.
  The whole toilet paper thing was hilarious
  
  Which is why I didn't say I was going to do it. I just said I had the urge to do it, and admitted it was silly and weird, we're saying the same thing.
- I invested in a bidet shortly after the pandemic mania. I laugh in the face of toilet paper.
- Bidets are good, decreases your TP expenses long term. Just a bit to pat dry.
  
  I wonder where most bidets are manufactured
  
  Having just spent 2 weeks in japan, I'm not looking forward to my first poop at home. Am going to be looking at cost of upgrading.
  
  I want one so bad, but I can't get the husband on board. I have considered just buying it and installing it myself via the "do it anyways and ask for forgiveness" method, but dunno if butt spray is a battle I'm willing to choose yet. I just want to convince him it's a good idea.
- Just wipe your arse on the curtains.
- Still have my emergency supplies from covid. During the really scarce time, I ended up buying some of those massive rolls that go in public toilets, totalled 2.4km of tissue paper in the box.
  
  I also have a box of sandpaper
  
  Is that the stuff that needs 3ft per tear before it resembles some sort of protection against stinky finger?
- We chose to do a little bit of "buying ahead." Where I would buy one pack of TP, I bought a second one, and when we use the first I'll get another. Nothing we're not going to use within a few months anyway, not looking to build a TP throne but just a bit of cushion. We were already mostly doing this anyway since covid because it seems like there's random shortages here and there that didn't happen prior, or at least not enough to notice.
  Really, nothing beyond what I'd want to have for a natural disaster where we're on our own for a few days. Trying to be prudent without being a weirdo.
- Buy a fucking bidet
- Just take a shower of you're out of tp, you twat.
  
  You're so aggressive for no reason. I didn't even remotely suggest I actually bought the TP I was just commenting on my silly thoughts. Lighten up. It has to be miserable being so miserable.

Glad I've lived poor. Can easily weather the tide
- I've always thought this shit was pretty funny. Like, oh, we're going to have spaghettio's again? I guess it's fucking Wednesday.
- It's kind of a sad superpower, isn't it? Especially when you see people who have always been coddled living in luxury, start complaining.
  
  I grew up poor as hell. I broke the cycle in my family just in time to have to deal with this shit. My garden is looking like it's going to do well this year and if meat starts getting scarce I can go hunting from time to time or get some yard birds from the friends I get my eggs from, but god damn (or maybe I'll go vegetarian, wouldn't be the first time), I just wanted a little more time not having to live hand to mouth.
  But I'll make it as long as flour doesn't get to be the price of beef. And I'll complain the whole fucking time.
- Have slowly cultivated my family's love of potatoes, carrots, and pasta for just such occasions
  
  Rice and Sriracha for dinner again!
- When there is a shortage of choice, with the same amount of people buying from a smaller supply, do you expect prices to stay the same?
- https://youtu.be/vSpn8HesfBE

Why is he being allowed out of his room?
- _sad _richmond _noises
- They even let him back on twitter.

- It’s all the drinking of liberal tears. And the drinking of conservative tears. And the drinking of the tears of the middle class. And drinking of the tears of poor people. And just eating fucking crow all the time cause he’s a goddamn moron. I’m sure there’s a lot of otherreasons. Those are just a few.