LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — If you have been grocery shopping recently, you may have noticed empty shelves or some food items missing. It's a problem that has been hitting stores nationwide.
“I was in Vons the other day, and I was shocked with how empty the freezers were. I went to pick up some garlic bread, and I was like, wow. The whole refrigerator was empty except for one brand of Garlic bread, but the rest was empty," Steven Budin, a financial analyst, said.
And this is an issue many people have noticed.
“You can’t find a whole lot of things that are available, as far as our soaps our tissues. It’s like you have to come and get everything at one time," one shopper said.
Financial analyst Steven Budin says the lack of items on shelves is partially due to a lack of truck drivers.
“I think the nation is short 100,000 truck drivers. I did a financial focus segment on this where somebody looking to change careers truck driving is an option because there’s such a shortage of drivers," Budin said.
The shortage of items on shelves is also what is causing prices on groceries and other items to surge.
“Grocery production is a fairly labor-intensive occupation. Whether it is growing food through farms or preparing meats, you have to transport those meats and then you have to stock shelves in the supermarket with the cost of labor going up because of the labor shortage that’s going to translate into higher prices in the grocery store," Budin said.
Not only are items harder to find at grocery stores, but some shoppers have noticed an increase in prices as well.
“We see prices higher in groceries. Higher in gasoline, higher on everything you need. Everything," One shopper said.
Budin says families can save money by buying things in bulk and using coupons.
But he says there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and eventually, we will see inflation rates go down.
"There's an adage out there that says nothing cures high prices like high prices so there is some hope that this inflation trend will subside at some point," Budin said.
