Posted on 04/23/2008 7:32:50 PM PDT by blam
Wal-Mart bans bulk sales of rice
By Our Foreign Staff
Last Updated: 2:42am BST 24/04/2008
The American supermarket chain Wal-Mart yesterday banned bulk sales of rice at its cash-and-carry businesses, as the global food shortage and soaring price of food began to make an impact in the largest consumer nation.
The company's bulk supply division, Sam's Club, announced that it would sell a maximum of four bags of rice to each customer, after Costco, a rival chain, said it would place caps on some rice and flour sales in California.
The limits were imposed after some customers, apparently alarmed by the soaring prices for staple foods, made unusually large bulk purchases after the price of rice in some stores doubled in the past month.
While there was little evidence of "panic" buying, some restaurants and smaller retailers were buying up large stocks in the expectation that prices would soar higher.
Wal-Mart's regular stores, used by millions of Americans, are not subject to the restriction.
"What you're seeing is people who buy in larger quantities, who have a restaurant or a corner store, stocking up because of media reports that prices could go higher," said Dave Heylen, a spokesman for the Californian Grocers' Association.
A statement issued by Sam's Club said the limits were imposed "due to recent supply and demand trends".
James Sinegal, the chief executive of Costco, said the firm would limit only very big purchases.
Any customer wanting 10 pallets of flour probably would be told they could have only one pallet, he said.
I tried that emergency use only with my 2 & 4 year old grandkids and flashlights & lanterns. Didn’t work, they trained me to store what you eat & use & use what you eat & store. ( I hid a couple of flashlights)
Off the floor? We are not hungry yet!
No Bees, no Rice? I’m curious as well why a food shortage out of nowhere?
I understand what you're saying.
My husband and I are in a position where we don't necessarily have to believe the future will be what we want it to be.
Without children, we can think of the worst and prepare. If we had children, well, we'd laugh at all this $hit. We'd have to.
I don't know. I was on subs...we ate whatever we wanted. Steak and lobster each Friday too.
I usually see things for what they are. But now, I don;t know. This is beyond politics. Maybe.
Now I’m just the opposite, with kids I think of the worst and prepare. (My old tagline was Ever Vigilant, Never Fearful). Now if I were single, then I could laugh at it. Although I have noticed where the price of beer is going up as well. ;)
Hope it doesn't come to that, wouldn't want to eat that much rice.
One time when we had steaks a cook used what he thought was cooking oil. Nope. Cans all look the same ya know. A person has to read them on the ship. Well he didn't. Several hundred got a good gut cleansing from the detergent. We kept a hot plate {bottom half of a popcorn popper sold in the ships store}in our shop and had access to the walk in coolers anytime :>}
If things are going to be that dire, then you’d better buy the firearm and ammunition on your way home with the rice.
I’m thinking people with kids want the best future for their heirs, they don’t want to think about what could happen. Preparing for the worst, admits the worst could happpen.
I’m single, but don’t laugh about it, I don’t worry about it either, I prepare, yes, but that is different than worry.
My husband, yes, he noted that hops were in trouble, suggested that I buy extra beer this week-end.
Already have it. Just as soon as talk started awhile back about putting “markers” on ammo.
Surviving is not all about food.
The “Just in time” logistical model of todays supply chains are also a big part of the problem. Consumer items no longer sit in vast warehouses close to the retailer anymore, supply chains are hundreds if not thousands of miles away. Big surges in demand over a short period of time can strain this system to the limit very easily.
Yep. Actually, preparing for something makes me LESS worried.
My old man was on a mine sweeper in WWII. His job, among many, was to get the food supplies. He spoke fluent Norwegian, so whenever they would get into a port he would glass the area for Norwegian flags and take the launch to them all. He said there were always lots of them because they didn’t return to Norway after the Nazi’s took over.
He said the best he had ever eaten was those days in the Navy!
Ok rice is not an american product (more or less). So if there is a problem in supply it is Asia’s problem I would guess.
The media wants to depress AND scare the living hell out of all of us. Don’t buy into it.
There were no aliens in phoenix and this is probably a bunch of BS too.
manipulate back............buy and use things that are on sale... buy in bulk....join with friends and family if getting the large sizes makes sense....store them safely.......grow a garden....eat out less....eat out less...eat out less.....
I agree with you , more media manipulation..It sounds like solid BS to me..
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