How often do you shop only to find that the items you want are out of stock?

This happens from time to time. Some stores are better at avoiding this than others. Where I am from Staples is often is referred to as StOOpleS for OOS (out of stock). I have found that the frequency of items being out of stock has increased since the recession began. Some stores aren't getting the traffic that they were once used to, so they don't reorder stock as often or as quickly as they did previously. Out of stock items tend to happen at popular stores when they have a good sale. It's important to know on which day the weekly sales start, so you are shopping at the beginning of the cycle when stock is high and not at the end when everything could be picked over or gone. Also, shop early in the day if at all possible. Fewer people are shopping earlier, so your chances of success are better. Cheers.

Hello wondericequeen, Whenever this happens to me, I will feel very, very upset. Just about a week ago, I went to a shopping mall to use my free vouchers. I found a pair of nice high heels and after going around all the department looking for a good stuff to exchange with the vouchers, I decided to buy the high heels finally. I went back to the shoes department and asked the salesperson to look for my size. She came back after a few minutes and told me that there' s no more stocks for the size that I want. I asked her again to look for another color but received the same reply shortly after.

That hasn't happened to me at a store lately, but it did happen to me at my favourite restaurant not long ago. I had a major craving for their chicken wings one day, and when I got there, I was informed that they were OUT OF WINGS!!!! What? What the heck? How could a place that specializes in wings be out of wings? AARRGGHH!!

If it is a grocery store I get a raincheck. It happens when they have someone at a really low price. about a month ago they had six packs of soda on sale for $2.00 and they were out of the diet ginger ale. I got a raincheck for it and they never got it back in stock. That really irked me because it was one of the best ginger ales on the market. As far as other things like clothes and office supplies, I hit the sales as soon as they start. If something isn't on sale I'm not too worried about not being able to find it. What was a little odd was that Staples was completely sold out of glue sticks. They didn't even have the house brand in stock. Maybe there's some huge call for them with summer right around the corner.

I too get angry when the stores do put items on sale and them do not order enough in to accomidate the consumers. When it happens in the grocery story you can get a rain check. However, some of the rain checks have a short experation date or you loose them before you can use them. I do not get too upset when the shelves are emply in the grocery store. I do however, get angry at places like Walgreens, Rite Aid, and CVS that run rebates and special sales. When these companies run specials that make products free and don't get enough of the items in that makes me think the company is cheating me. What you are looking for seems to be an item that is not used by thousands of people. Therefore, it would seem this product should be in stock when the few who use it wants it. Then again maybe it is a product that they do not sell a lot of which means they only keep one or two on hand. This means it would be harder for you to get what you need. I think stores need to keep track of their products to know when a certain item sells and when it doesn't that way the items would be on hand at the specific times. There are logs that the store manager can pull up on the computer showing that in June he sold ten of one specific item but in December he sold none. This would allow him to or extra items in during June and less of the item in December. However, it seems companies do not take any specific system to decide what to order into the stores. I wish the stores would get their acts together I could get my items and not so many rain check.

yes, i find that items i need and want to buy are often unavailable. i have begun to call one particular store, where i purchase needed items, to ask if they have what i need in stock, before making the trip there. it is very annoying when things we need are unavailable.

That is going to happen for the reason, stores are cutting back in what they order to put on the shelves. All types of business and services are cutting back or closing around here.. It is going to be happening alot more with the out of stock problem. I hope you find the items you were trying to get.