Rationing of food in US?
By sweetdesign
@sweetdesign (5142)
United States
May 4, 2008 9:35am CST
My SIL told us that the Sams back home (in AR) and wlamart back home is starting to put limits on how much of certain items you can buy (ie. rice and flour). Anybody else seeing this? If so what state do you live in? What items are limited and how much? We live in FL and haven't seen this yet.
3 people like this
8 responses
@rosettaresearch (1285)
• United States
4 May 08
Some Sam's Clubs are limiting purchases of some sizes of rice. It is mostly the very large multi-pound bags. You can buy all you want of the personal, individual sizes.
It is not rationing in the strictest sense of the word. It is a temporary limit to ensure everyone can buy. It is to prevent some people from hoarding the entire supply. If you think about it, it is no different than what you see in stores every week where the sale items are limited to X number per purchase. It's just to give everyone a chance to get the item.
There is not a food shortage. There is no cause for concern. There is plenty of food, it should will cost more for a bit. And you might not be able to buy all you want at the price you want.
2 people like this
@sweetdesign (5142)
• United States
4 May 08
I know we are not having a food shortage....yet. With the prices of gas and food going up though more and more families are going to be going without.
1 person likes this
@coffeebreak (17797)
• United States
4 May 08
Not yet, but certainly on its way to many! And its more than just food shortage ... if there is a shorage of a product, they don't need a staff any longer...which means unemployment for many. It is a literaly snowball on top of the mountain ... starting to roll....
@magikrose (5429)
• United States
4 May 08
Honestly I dont see a reason for these places to be doing this at all. People have the right to purchase what they want in the ammount they want. How does this place know that these peopleare not running a restaurant and need larg ammounts for there meals. That is not right without a good reason.
2 people like this
@sweetdesign (5142)
• United States
4 May 08
My grandmother went through the great depression where rationing was common. If the economy keeps going the way it is then our new generation will get to experience what thier great grandparents went through.
1 person likes this
@desertdarlene (8911)
• United States
4 May 08
I live in California and I've heard that they are rationing the amount of rice you can buy at Sam's Club, I haven't heard of anyone rationing flour. I go to Sam's Club, but I don't really see anything different going on there. But, I don't buy rice or even go down the rice isle. I know a lot of people with Asian ancestry who are concerned about the rice shortage because rice is to eastern culture as wheat and bread is to the west.
@sweetdesign (5142)
• United States
4 May 08
I haven't seen the sams rice rationing here but then again haven't been to sams lately lol.
@kareng (80243)
• United States
5 May 08
I'm in Louisiana and we have the limit on purchasing rice. I think the media is making a big deal over it. Here the limit is on 5 bags of rice. I never buy 5 bags of rice at one time to begin with, normally just one at a time. But I did pick up 3 5-lb. bags last week just in case we get in a crunch with all this food rationings.
1 person likes this
@sweetdesign (5142)
• United States
5 May 08
I haven't seen anything here but then again haven't been to sams club (can't afford the gas to drive there since it is quite aways drive from us).
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@sweetdesign (5142)
• United States
5 May 08
We are fortunate to have a Kmart that is a 3 minute drive from the house, a publix 5 minutes from the house, winn dixie and food lion are 5 minutes from the house and walmart supercenter is 7 minutes from the house. so we don't have to go very far.
1 person likes this
@luvstochat (6907)
• United States
4 May 08
I have not seen any food rationing here yet but I did see on the news that a couple places like Sams Club were rationing how much rice you could buy but it is only the bulk rice like used in restauraunts. I live in Nebraska and have not noticed food rationing yet.
2 people like this
@dandj929 (423)
• United States
4 May 08
I live in Connecticut and have not seen this yet. Although I have certainly seen the price of food increasing each week.
I know many families are buying meat because they can't afford it.
I purchased bread flour yesterday to make some home made bread. The price has almost doubled from the last time I purchased it.
Also the pizza restuarants around here are increasing their prices. A large pizza with two toppings is over $15!
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@sweetdesign (5142)
• United States
4 May 08
Due to the high cost of gasoline food prices are being pushed higher and higher as we have to use gas to ship our food coast to coast. It is getting ridiculous and the stupid "economic stimulous package" is not going to help.
1 person likes this
@Thoroughrob (11742)
• United States
5 May 08
We are in Ohio. So far we have not seen it. We don't see as much on the shelves, though. It is getting pretty scary.
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@sweetdesign (5142)
• United States
5 May 08
As gas prices climb food prices will climb. I hate to think what gas prices will be like next month cause the gas companies always price gouge in the summer months. We are holding steady at $3.53 as of yesterday.
@coffeebreak (17797)
• United States
4 May 08
Haven't seen, but have heard about hte rice and flour. Why rice tho? But I did read that Pres Bush is approving a bill to send something like $72 million dollars in food aid to other countries in the world....and it seemed like it was going to be approved. We could sure use some of that food aid here - although it they'd just stop raising the gas prices into oblivion, we'd have enough! Sorry, off topic, I just get so mad when the government spends so much money helping other countries when we have so many issues in USA that need the same help and money!
1 person likes this
@sweetdesign (5142)
• United States
4 May 08
Right on I agree with you. Can't afford to drive the car much so can't afford to go to the store even if we could afford to buy the food. A very real situation for a lot of Americans. In the land of plenty and starving sad to say that is a reality for a lot of Americans. And it will only get worse as the prices climb.
@sweetdesign (5142)
• United States
4 May 08
Yes but does it always have to be the US who is the only nation helping others? We send so much aid to other nations and neglect our own that is not right. Look around you there are starving, homeless, jobless people right in your own city. Who is helping them? Certainly not other nations. What about the one income family who suddenly finds themselves with no income due to cutbacks? Who is going to help them they are still considered above poverty line and not eligible for food stamps or assistance because for right now they still own thier house and car. What about our elderly on social security? Who still have to pay rent and housing? They can't afford to buy food and meds and clothing. Who is helping them?
1 person likes this
@coffeebreak (17797)
• United States
4 May 08
sweet - you got that right. It is always USA helping everyone. We have starving, homeless etc right here - why is this same type of person more needy in other countries? Katrina people are still struggling - lost literally everything...that $72 million could go a HUGE long way to restore New Orleans and its population. All the giving to other countries is just tearing USA down and once we are down...there is no one to help us back up. I tried for just food stamps once, lived with my parents and all I had was a 5 year old Ford Escort and 2 kids, unemployed husband and no income... they told me cause my car was worth over $2,000 I didn't qualify. I had to sell my car then I could get food stamps...but if I sell my car, the hopes of getting a job are down the drain...of course, they looked at me like a calf looking at a new fence on that one.
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