It could be that it was just a crazy week. I had to search out what was left on Wal-Mart shelves rather than shop from my list. Tarps-gone, Larger Tents-gone, Porta Potties-gone, Oil Lamps-gone, Emergency Blankets&Whistles-gone, Potable Aqua-gone. I am in this store a couple of times a week and the stuff had been gathering dust before. Who switched on the light bulb?

-- Gia (Laureltree7@hotmail.com), June 02, 1999

Answers

Just a thought - it's the start of camping season. Most of those items are in high demand this time of year.

-- Tweak (jimed@nospam.chatter.com), June 02, 1999.

I thought about that too, but people camp out around here year round and what's the chance they all decided to shop this week? Could be wrong...wouldn't be the first time, or last!

-- Gia (Laureltree7@hotmail.com), June 02, 1999.

We just finished the first 3 day weekend Holiday of the summer. Don't worry. The masses are just a clueless as they have been. It's going to REALLY take something BIG.....alot bigger than 60 minutes, like thier televisions going black, or an incredible "dip" in the market.

-- Will continue (farming@home.com), June 02, 1999.

My local Applachian Trails Outfitter has seen an accceleration of sales to people specifically preparing for Y2K.

You're seeing what happens in a supply system when they stock based on historical demand and get hit by Y2K preparation on top of seasonal demand.

If we don't get a graduated linear increase in preparation buying from here through September, NONE of the automated supply systems will increase stockage sufficient to meet the demand which will be increasing exponentially. They are all based on the same mathematical formulas involving order-to-receipt-time, economic-order- quantity, stockage-level, safety-level, etc. This problem is one of the three BIG Risks of Y2K. If demand doesn't start rising soon at the retail, wholesale, manufacturing and resource production (commodity) levels very soon, we are going to see the outages in food, energy, etc. before Y2K hits.

This problem is why government "spin doctoring" is wrong. They are repressing demand at the point in the production cycle when it could result in stockage which could alleviate suffering when the Y2K logic problem hits, believing they are "preventing panic".

Noel

-- Noel Goyette (ngoyette@csc.com), June 02, 1999.

Where have all the large boxes of kitchen matches gone? Neither the grocery store nor Wal Mart has had any for the past three weeks. I was told by the grocery manager that the factory is out and they don't know when orders can be filled. Anybody know anything about this?

Also Wal Mart is out of oil lamps. Nobody in this town is preparing as far as I know. The city is doing nothing so I am at a loss to explain the shortage of some items.

-- Nadine Zint (nadine@hillsboro.net), June 02, 1999.

camping supply stores around here are still pretty well stocked...though it being DC the prices are not exactly cheap...of course *also* because it's DC, I'd estimate that less than 10 percent of the people are involved in any kind of preparation - they're all waiting until next November or so...

Arlin

-- Arlin H. Adams (ahadams@ix.netcom.com), June 02, 1999.

Even in Hawaii, some products are in short supply. Oil lamps were still available last time I checked, but fewer and dearer. BUT, with seven months still to go, manufacturers have financial incentives to expand their production to the maximum...and help a few more get prepared. We'll probably see much activity like the stored food industry, with 24 hour a day production. IFF (if and only if) they can get the raw materials that they need.

-- Mad Monk (madmonk@hawaiian.net), June 02, 1999.

Also noticed Walmarts out of matches and oil lamps, camping supplies still seemed plentiful. (Kansas City)

-- Wink (lvzinser@hotmail.com), June 02, 1999.