For a few months, finding disinfecting wipes, toilet paper or hand sanitizer was like striking gold because stores were sold out.
But as toilet paper returns to shelves, many other items are missing. In many cases, they are less popular brands that people nevertheless love.
Libby Turpin couldn’t find her favorite brand of hot dogs, Kahn’s.
“That’s just one of the hometown favorites my family has always loved,” she said.
Viewers have reported in recent weeks that they have been unable to find these items in some stores:
- Diet Mountain Dew
- Caffeine Free Dr. Pepper
- Barq’s Root Beer
- Certain Lean Cuisine frozen meals
- Less popular varieties of Jiff, including their Reduced-Fat Peanut Butter
- Campbell’s Healthy Request soups
- Kahn’s hot dogs and wieners
All those items are still being made, but are harder to find in many stores.
In addition, many cleaning products have been hard to find since March, including:
- Lysol wipes and spray
- Formula 409 spray
- Clorox wipes
- Scrubbing Bubbles
- Purell hand sanitizer — though watery no-name brands are now becoming plentiful
There’s a reason shoppers can’t find some of their favorites — manufacturers say they are focusing on the most popular brands during the pandemic.
A report by MSN says stores and manufacturers have put some slow-selling brands have been on hold for a few months to keep the major brands flowing.
A website called Instok may be able to help shoppers locate hard-to-find favorites. The service helps shoppers look up grocery items at stores in by zip code.
Unhappy? Send an email to the brand’s website, or post on their Facebook page. Let them know that you want them back, so you don’t waste your money.
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