# Supermarket Shelves Are Empty



## CulexPipiens (Nov 17, 2010)

Actual photos I shot today.




























Approaching storm? Terror threat? Food shortage?

None of the above. Simply a regional chain that is closing down their stores. At this point they had marked everything down 50% and the shelves emptied out really quick. This morning they changed the alcohol from regular price to 30% off. Sales started at noon and 6 hours later you can see the results in the image directly above.... and this was with just 30% off!

On the plus side if you shopped with an eye towards prepping instead of filling your cart with cheap booze there were still a few goodies left.


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## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

I would have grabbed the lids as well. I always visit the discounted bins at the stores. I have gotten many canning lids at reduced prices this way.


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## CulexPipiens (Nov 17, 2010)

I should have also mentioned that with no restocking and motivated buyers the old "Shelves will empty in 24-72 hours" saying is definitely true. Even knowing that it's still fascinating to see it happen pretty much right in front of you.


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## Sentry18 (Aug 5, 2012)

You could tell that those photos weren't of an actual emergency situation because there wasn't a little old lady knocked out on the ground, panicked people shoving whatever into carts and two people fighting to death over a box of fruit loops. Just the same the pictures are a little ominous.

We had a small grocery store that has had going out of business sales twice but yet never actually went out of business for another year.


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## Caribou (Aug 18, 2012)

Grocery stores are a low margin business. My guess is that they had more than fifty employees and the math did not work for this location.


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## dixiemama (Nov 28, 2012)

E went to pick up some things for Bubs Christmas party (they have a VERY strict 'no home made' rule) and he said shelves were bare and there were tons of ppl. Not the norm for us the week before Christmas. They are forecasting snow and ppl panic here.


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## bacpacker (Jul 15, 2011)

Our local Kroger looked like that back in the summer. Of course it was only half the store while they were remodeling. I cant find anything there now.


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## ZoomZoom (Dec 18, 2009)

IMHO, the best deal in that store is still sitting there. Those shelves.

We had a K-Mart around us close several years back. Yea, we went and bought some items on sale but then I tracked down the manager and asked about the shelving. I ended up buying a lot of it. 

In the back was their warehouse shelving. 2'x4' shelves and 10' high. I bought all they had and those now run the perimeter of my shop(s). 

I bought two of the isle shelves (with shelves on both sides). I cut the uprights in half vertically then mounted to the walls in other out buildings. They now store misc stuff. Very nice as the shelves are easily configured based on what I need at the time.

Picked up their shoe storage from the warehouse. Steel shelves with little cubby holes for shoe individual shoe boxes. Works outstanding for storing smaller items which would otherwise go on shelves and get lost or out-of-sight.


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## LAROKE (Nov 20, 2013)

Looks like the USSR in their heyday.


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## Tirediron (Jul 12, 2010)

ZoomZoom said:


> IMHO, the best deal in that store is still sitting there. Those shelves.
> 
> We had a K-Mart around us close several years back. Yea, we went and bought some items on sale but then I tracked down the manager and asked about the shelving. I ended up buying a lot of it.
> 
> ...


Glad you got a good deal, we went to a "store closing" sale, thinking we could get a deal on shelves, they wanted more than the shelves would have cost new :brickwall:


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## CapnJack (Jul 20, 2012)

Love clearance bins at the grocery store. I find tons of dented cans that are half off, and still good on the date for 2-3 years. Bread that's about to hit the sell by date in a day or two, take that home and throw it in the freezer. Found a bunch of dirt cheap citronella candles that I took home once. I am not surprised at all at the pictures showed in the original post. Clearance sales will bring all the people out of the woodwork. But in a SHTF situation, I believe the shelves will look that way in less than 12 hours. And Grandmas WILL be laying on the floor, caught in the crossfire.


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## GrinnanBarrett (Aug 31, 2012)

Store closeouts can be very tricky. I have an old friend who went out of business the first of this month. He started closing down in July and finally shut down five months later. During his "Closing Sale" he made more money than he had in the last four years. He was constantly restocking and selling at a marked down price. GB


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## JayJay (Nov 23, 2010)

ZoomZoom said:


> IMHO, the best deal in that store is still sitting there. Those shelves.
> 
> We had a K-Mart around us close several years back. Yea, we went and bought some items on sale but then I tracked down the manager and asked about the shelving. I ended up buying a lot of it.
> 
> ...


Best deal for us--Gene's friend moved and sold him a 2' X 8' X 8' shelving from Goody's stock room for $25. Had to cut the top 4 steel posts to get it in the room I use to store food.
I wish I had a few more.


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## goshengirl (Dec 18, 2010)

Tirediron said:


> Glad you got a good deal, we went to a "store closing" sale, thinking we could get a deal on shelves, they wanted more than the shelves would have cost new :brickwall:


That's been my experience, too.


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## Woody (Nov 11, 2008)

Tirediron said:


> Glad you got a good deal, we went to a "store closing" sale, thinking we could get a deal on shelves, they wanted more than the shelves would have cost new :brickwall:


What I have found more than price, is that the sale of shelving and storage contents has already been made. I never pressed to see if it was true, I just walked away.

But GREAT SCORE on shelving!


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## Plainsman (Nov 29, 2013)

I've always thought that the heavy duty, welded metal grid that forms the shelving at our local Sam's Club would make an admirable fortification against home invasion, for my house windows.

If my social skills were better at 'the common touch' with people, I'd try and induce some employee to exchange a few pieces of it for an agreed upon compensation. :sssh:


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## CulexPipiens (Nov 17, 2010)

@ Sentry... I intentionally left out the people and waited until no one was in the shots before taking them. The store was actually quite crowded.

@ Caribou... it's a chain that is closing (Dominicks, their parent company is Safeway)... 68 stores and around 6600 jobs. A handful have already been bought by rivals and will reopen in a few months, most are closing with no further plans at this time.


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## dahur (Dec 18, 2009)

I saw pictures like that from Japan right after Fukushima.


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

The Krogers that is down the street from my folks house closed down about 5-6 years ago. They finally rented out the space and a Sprouts organic market is moving in. Wish we had a Sprouts here. They have great prices...

Anyway the Krogers didn't bother with a sale and just shipped all their product to the store about 6 blocks away. Shelving too. Wish they had a closing sale.

I do hit the clearance/mark down section at the grocery store when ever I go. Most times I luck out but more times than not it is just seasonal decor that is just plain tacky.


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## Woody (Nov 11, 2008)

I LOVE the discount carts and discount produce shelves! I usually shop there first and build meals around what they have. And yes, most of the discount carts have seasonal crap buy I have found many great items. A few months ago there was a ton of first aid things: gauze, tape, large bandages, compresses, slings... They were good items, just not stocking that brand anymore.


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## CulexPipiens (Nov 17, 2010)

Woody said:


> ... just not stocking that brand anymore.


When I see surprisingly good sales at stores I'll ask why and sometimes they mention that they're not going to be carrying XYZ brand any more. If it's something I use instead of stocking up I usually clean out the shelf.


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## piglett (Dec 10, 2010)

dixiemama said:


> E went to pick up some things for Bubs Christmas party (they have a VERY strict 'no home made' rule) and he said shelves were bare and there were tons of ppl. Not the norm for us the week before Christmas. They are forecasting snow and ppl panic here.


if my wifes home made goodies are not good enough for them then i guess i would not wish to attend their silly little party


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