SanNico

Is the truckers strike affecting the supermarkets nationwide? I went to my local Carrefour at the weekend and there was no milk, sugar, water, oil, flour or dried beans. The fresh produce, excluding milk, seemed to be normal though.
Mercadona had the missing items but they were missing a lot of fresh produce.

Joppa

I have noticed that too. Particularity of shortage varies among store chains, presumably dependent on how their stores are re-stocked. Mercadona apparently runs its own fleet of vehicles, so provided its regional warehouses are fully stocked, there shouldn't be shortages, though restocking distribution centres relies on contractors, some of whom may be on strike. It's local family-run small to medium transport companies that are the worst affected by the strike.

Rosemary

From what I have read it looks like people are panic buying again. Mercadona have stated that they are restricting the amounts that customers can buy in order to stop there being shortages but apparently Carrefour are not at resemt doing this.

Rosemary

Lynn R

As far as I am aware, Rosemary (and I shop at Mercadona at least 3 times a week) the only thing they have restricted is how many litres of sunflower oil customers can buy, no other items. My local branch has been pretty well fully stocked during the last two weeks, on Saturday morning the only things we couldn't buy were a pack of 3 kitchen rolls (although they did have the packs of 6) and salted peanuts (very few nuts of any kind on the shelf). A strange thing to run short of as I can't imagine people panic buying those!

The Government did reach an agreement with representatives of the transport industry late last week but many of the protesters are saying they will continue with the stoppage as they don't think it goes far enough and as subsidies will need to be claimed it could be ages before they see any benefit. It is reported today that after a meeting to agree measures tomorrow, Sanchez will announce a package of new measures to address rising costs of fuel and domestic energy, and these will extend the reduction in the cost of fuel of 20 centimos per litre to all motorists, not just the transport sector.

https://www.diariosur.es/economia/me...4121-ntrc.html

snikpoh

In the province of Valencia, all of our local stores (Carrefour, Consum, Mercadonna, Family Cash, Economy Cash) have stock shortages. No one seems able to get fresh milk and now all the other milks are almost out of stock.

Rosemary

Here I understand that the sunflower oil is restricted to 5 litres per day and milk to a six pack per day. I have just received my Mercadona order and there was nothing missing at all which surprised me with all the things that are being written in the papers.

Rosemary.

Lynn R

We have just come back from Mercadona and were able to get the two things that were missing on Saturday, plus everything else on our list. There was plenty of milk, both fresh in the chiller cabinet and long life on the shelves. In fact the person in front of us at the check-out bought two six-packs of long life milk so they don't appear to be restricting purchases of it here.

Prices are still on the up - I noticed that a tin of whole plum tomatoes which were €0.50 at the end of last year, went up to €0.55 in January and today they were €0.60.

Rosemary

I guess that deliveries of some items may differ from area to area and like you discovered today what is missing one day is there on another. One of the things that I order every month was not available when I filled out my order but when I added a couple of things and finalized it ready for delivery they were in stock again so simlilar to your visit to the supermarket.

The sunflower oil that I buy has almost doubled in price from the last time that I bought it.

Rosemary

Ronnyone

Just been to a Consum in torrevieja centre. No milk left ,nor sugar. The check girl said that people started panic buying today. They expect it to get bad this week as Government unlikely to budge with accusations that the far- right have infiltrated the lorry drivers and are seeking to weaken the government by blaming it on them. Its basically a political activity that makes it hard for the government to deal with. Local markets will obviously become very popular this week as local produce will move but price rises are going to go through the roof. Buy a dairy cow now!!

Barriej

Carrefour Benidorm had no Sunflower or any other veg oil. No fresh milk either.
Otherwise as normal, although it looked like the baking stuff had taken a hit (as it did in the Uk when the first lockdown hit).

We then went to our local Mas y Mas and it had everything.

I have noticed that for the first time Deisel is now dearer than petrol here (as its been in the Uk for years). And the prices are up one day, down the next...

We only ever but what we need, if we can't get it then we don't bother or find an alternative...

Retired in Euskadi

The optimist in me says that this crisis might make people reflect on the way our food is produced, but the cynic in me says no it won't. For far too long, farmers have been at the mercy of the supermarkets, the ones who set the price on fresh food produce, not the producers. In Britain it's worse as milk is usually sold as a "loss leader", and the dairy farmers are barely paid enough to cover their costs if they're lucky.
Unfortunately, fresh milk cannot be stored, unlike butter or oil. And to tip it down the drain causes immense pollution to water courses, worse than untreated sewage!

Ronnyone

Unfortunately the current economic models look very unsustainable. 60 odd years ago your food would probably add up to 70% of your income spent. Now it is likely less that 20%. Similar with energy costs : for at least a decade cost were low. Interests rates have been literally zero for 15 years. Some persons mortgage repayments have been half of the potential rental rates!!. Phone calls are literally zero, music is free etc. Now it appears to be reverting back. Inflation is growing fast and governments are basically ignoring their own red lines. Energy costs are going crazy. Petrol nearly 2 euros a litre. Looks like we will need to re- evaluate how we view things we have taken for granted before.

Lynn R

Reports are now saying that the protests are becoming weaker following the agreement reached early on Saturday morning. Once the additional measures to help with the cost of fuel and energy are announced by Sanchez tomorrow I think it is inevitable that fewer of the protesters will keep it up, and those that do will lose public support.

https://elpais.com/economia/2022-03-...-gobierno.html

Ronnyone

Yes I agree having seen the news this morning. Sanchez's new package etc and agreement appears to have encouraged quite a few to go back to work- which is good news

Lynn R

I noticed today for the first time that the price of something had gone down again following the end of the hauliers' strike - those tinned tomatoes were back down to €0.55!