Instacart Shoppers Are Noticing This Meat Shortage
As 2021 steadily moves forward, shoppers have noticed that their favorite stores lack key products. According to Taste of Home, anyone who plans to grab chicken, turkey, pet food, bottled water, and even liquor may have a hard time getting their hands on the items due to lingering supply chain issues caused by the pandemic. The effects of the mass shortages have been felt everywhere — Taco Bell had to inform customers that they couldn't serve beef or chicken for a period earlier in the summer and an internal memo from Starbucks revealed that 25 different drinks might disappear from menus due to the lack of ingredients, per Forbes.
Even Instacart couldn't escape the ongoing cataclysm of the supply shortage. Over at r/InstacartShoppers, one Redditor posted an autocorrect text disaster with a customer regarding a store's lack of poultry. The customer texted the Instacart shopper, "There's no chicken thighs? At all?" and the Redditor responded with "None. The b****es said they won't have any until 9:30 am. Butcher! I am so sorry!" While the customer laughed off the autocorrect mistake, other users related to the lack of products at stores across the country.
Instacart employees feel the pressure
The Reddit thread quickly moved from a discussion of the autocorrect fail to how stores still lack essential goods. Replies like, "Somewhat off point – what the actual h*** is going on with chicken thighs? I haven't been finding any for weeks. Chickens still have thighs, right?" and "Thighs also tend to be cheaper than most other cuts, so given the massive price increases across the board, it makes sense that more budget-oriented shoppers might be snapping up the more inexpensive stuff," have flooded the comment section. Others remembered similar issues earlier this year, responding with, "The same thing happened with chicken wings earlier this year. I had the same reaction then. Lol," and "Last year's Super Bowl, we ended up paying f***ing $8.99/lb for wings. Between the shortages and the increased demand for the game, it was insane. They used to cost $2.49/lb."
If you make your way to your local supermarket anytime soon, brace yourself for a potential poultry shortage. With any luck, you might start to see the return of your favorite chicken products, but in the meantime, cross your fingers that your Instacart shopper can find some available next time you use the service.