Shortages? Why?

I have a friend in Maine. Last week she emailed and said, “I am noticing in past few weeks big gaps on shelves in the grocery store in next town. In two areas today, all the shelves – top, middle and bottom, for 1/4 length of the aisle – were completely empty! To be honest I don’t know what was there, but it’s not there now. And the prices!!!!!!! Eggs are $4.59, a can of Spam is $4.39. I got a bag of Tostidos corn chips as I am making chili, $4.49! Generics or store brands are also disappearing. I wonder what is going on?”

I asked her to send me photos next time she was in town, and she sent the following pictures, along with a note saying, “Here are the empty shelves in grocery store I was telling you about. They are not even spacing stuff far apart like when the COVID shortages were occurring. The hardware and auto parts stores look the same way. All we hear is it’s because of supply-chain issues. I thought we worked all through that mess already!”

In our local community, we haven’t noticed much by way of shortages. I took a rare trip to the city a couple weeks ago and everything seemed fine. It makes me wonder if the shortages my friend is seeing are a regional thing … or if I’m not seeing shortages because the stores are doing a better job of hiding it.

What is everyone else seeing?