Canning Jar Shortage???
 

Is there a shortage I don't know about?? Local stores can't seem to keep canning jars on the shelves. I have filled all of my jars & wanted to buy a few more. I could not find any!! Luckily my SIL had extra so I got some from her. Today another SIL blessed me with 60 pints & 136 quarts!!!! I should be fine for awhile now.

Has anyone else noticed a shortage on canning items?? It seems like more people are putting things up.

We have them around here. That said, canning jars are a mid-summer order item, so most stores are probably USED to seeing tapering off of sales normally about now. I would imagine that there are more people canning this year than normally though since the economy is unstable and food prices are up.

It has been this way all summer here. No one can keep them on the shelves.

Still have lots on the shelves here at Wally world. I got 100 of them at a garage sale the other day to. I loved that haul.:bouncy: I just went on ebay and brought some tatler reusable lids too. So no shortage yet..

They start pulling them off the shelves around here in September.

Most stores don't order a lot at a time because of the amount of space they take to store and it's a crap shoot how many they will sell. They don't want to keep them in back stock.

There probably are more people canning this year than in recent years, but the stores are probably ordering the same numbers they have in the past that were adequate for those years.

If you need jars and want to buy them new, just ask your store to order them for you. Stores place orders at least once a week and can get them to you in about 5-7 days. If you plan ahead, no problem.

They are sold out here with signs saying they won't have more for a month.

Jars I have... but it took me days to find lids!

there are thousands around the country just for the taking, advertize in the local paper and you'll usually find plenty for free or a couple bucks a doz. we've bought over 60 dozen this yr for less than a 100. Craigslist also has them.
after a while word gets around and friends always bring in a few that they pick up at tag sales.

Thrift shops
 

our thrift shop always has some on hand.

The only thing I've noticed different is I had to special order wide mouth half pints. Nobody - grocery, hardware, Walmart carried them this year.

Canning jars are easy to come by in my area. This year we gave away at least 6 dozen jars, and still have plenty. Put out the word to friends and neigbors to save their Classico Spaghetti Sauce Jars. I did this years ago when I was still working, and coworkers overloaded me with them. These are Atlas Mason Jars and are heavier than regular canning jars. They take regular canning lids. They hold 24 ounces and I prefer them to quart jars, since we are now a family of 2.

I heard on a news story a quote from a representative from the Ball/Kerr canning company that sales were up 30% this year.

I wonder why?????? Hummmmm?????

I think I know where I might invest some of this 401K money.

It has been difficult to buy jars around here since July. I usually get a few dozen more each year and scrounge garage sales for them. None at sales this year and if you don't get to the store when the jars are put of the shelf, you miss out.

just be careful buying used jars to make sure no chips in the glass at the top or the flat tops won't seal properly.

I have "cleaned out" the local stores a few times, but in a few more days they put out more. I live in an area where lots of poeple can and have done so all along.

I need to get some more 1/2 pint to make jam/jelly for christmas gifts.

Cathy

Yup.

Retail sales of Ball canning products have increased nearly 30 percent this year, and sales of the company's plastic freezing containers have doubled over last year, according to market data from Information Resources Inc.

http://www.capitalpress.info/main.as...01&TM=62147.47

Winco has been having a half price sale on canning jars for about two months. Regular pints and smaller have been less than $5.00 and wide mouth pints and quarts are less than $6.00. They are having a hard time keeping them in stock but I live in an area where LOTS of people can. It's cool because they have them in stock year around.

We've been getting our lids at sav-a-lot for $1.29 for regular and $1.99 for wide-mouth.

I am set now since my SIL gave me some. I can do more apple pie filling & want to can some meat & beef stew.

Rose, do you take the rings off the jars after they are sealed & have sat for a day? There is no reason to leave them on & actually you are not supposed too. That being said, if you need rings, I have a whole rubbermaid storage tote full of them. I'd be happy to send you some.

Also, check e-bay for lids. I bought bunches of them last year & have enough to last me for years. I paid less than $1.00 a box for wide mouth & regular size.

I just went on craigslist to look for jars. All that are on there are Wanted adds for jars. No one is selling any. It's kinda weird cuz usually there are lots for sale. I checked Dallas and Austin and Little Rock, nothing for sale. Hmmmm, Maybe I was wrong. Maybe there is starting to be a shortage.

I went to DI, Savers and the Youth Ranch thrift stores here on Saturday and found 4 1/2 pint jars that were old peanutbutter jars. That is it. I am looking for them again this week end. There was honestly no canning supplies at all. Usually I can find jars out the ears in any of these places.

I couldn't find pint size canning jars anywhere around here this summer and my mom had the same problem where she lives.

Wow! I noticed this, but I thought it was just our store. Our store stocks all year round and the last month there have been maybe 2-3 boxes on the shelf and NO lids to be had!

YIKES

downhome

Just order them, they aren't hard to find online. As someone earlier said, stores don't know how many they'll sell since canning is a rare activity indeed. If they sell out, it's likely they don't have any in stock since they keep forever, and they take up room in the back as well as being costly compared to regular food goods.

I really can't see getting worked up about it considering the extremely low number of people who can their own goods these days.

I don't think people are "worked up" about it. At least I'm not. I just thought it was odd that in 6 different stores that always have jars, no one has them.

We had them around here but stopped off to see my uncle today and I think my jar problems will be over for the duration, I can get my grandmother's and my aunts next time I'm out that way. AND access to all the grapes next year, apples and walnuts.

Wow, what a great price! The cheapest place to purchase caning jars locally is a bulk store we have-not Costco or WalMart. Lids are just through the roof though...anytime I can buy a case of wide mouth pints for under $9, I buy a couple more cases. Quarts I have seen as high as $15.97

One of our favorite neighbors, a widow lady, asked me if I would help clean out her cellar. She hasn't canned for years and was going to toss all of the jars. She was fretting about having too much for the trash pickup, so I gallantly volunteered to, uhhhh, "dispose of them" for her. She was glad to get rid of them and I was glad to add to our hoard. After I was through washing checking and picking out the good ones I had about 200 assorted two qt., qt, pint, and half pint jars.

I've been to Menards, HyVee, Walmart, 2 Dollar Generals and Fareway and they are all out. HyVee & Fareway usually have them year round. I was told at HyVee today that they are unable to get them at present. The local hardware store had one box of pints but they were almost $9. I guess I'll go Sat. and see if they still have them because I need them NOW.

I hadn't noticed a shortage around here, but then, I have quite the stash of my own already.

I'll be heading out to Farm and Fleet on Monday, and I'll check there on lids and jars both, just to see.

I have a large box filled with boxes of lids that I pick up each time I see them on sale. There are probably a couple years' worth in there for now.

Good luck with your jar searching! I'm always on the look-out for more jars, and as someone previously said, my friends are looking for me too. They know it's the best gift you can give a Pony!

Walmart just put all their canning supplies on sale today. Even there presto pressure canner was only 45.00 compared to 59.00. They had 12 pack of widemouth quarts for 6.00. I got 6 of them. :dance:

No shortage here. The local Wally world has plenty of them.
tamilee

I wonder if they will have them on sale at the Walmart near us, too. $6 for new widemouth quarts is a good price :)

Pouncer
check out FM as I got mine there during the double point week the pints were 7.99. They were still that price on this past sat. Once their stock is lowered it will jump back to the 12.99 price I grabbed 15 cases.

I keep track of sales of items I get and this is the second year in a row that the canning jars went on unadvertisted sale durring the double points days (note note- I got a 10% off coupond for the home dept to use on one box of hangers and the reciept read that by using that coupond I saved 21 dollars.

So, the canning jars rang up from the home dept code. GOOD TO KNOW huh.

Rush to get them now.

This year doesn't seem any different to me than other years.
Its like any seasonal product...you want to get them early in the season or they run out.
I mail ordered some though this website:
http://www.homeandbeyond.com

My local hardware store has plenty. They are priced as if they were already filled with something very exodic and the lids were made of gold.:shrug:

Walmart had a big sign today saying they would not be getting anymore canning supplies in this year. They always carry lids, jars, etc. It must be a regional thing as the other hardware stores that usually have them are out too. I don't need anymore now, but was just curious if they were still out.

The are so many jars out there.
 

My mom and MIL both said come get them all. Canners, squeezo, everthing. We ended up with a lot. I made a comment at work that i was growing a garden and needed jars and by the end of summer, i was given 50 cases of jars and could get 100 cases more if i wanted them. But i work for an organization that has hundreds of wonderful ladies that are mostly retired and grew up in the depression. But my point is that there are lots of ladies that have canned forever and are widows and don't want to garden anymore and would love for someone who would use them to take them away.

Talk to the auctioneirs in the area, they rarely get bids on jars. sometimes they don't even sell. When you go to a garage sale, where the person is older, ask if they have any old canning jars. They are out there.