As Can Supply Runs Short, Dr Pepper Shelves Go Unfilled

While the rest of us were keeping an eye on the toilet paper at the start of the pandemic, many American consumers apparently had the foresight to squirrel away Dr Pepper. Its parent company has acknowledged the soda is hard to find at stores in certain parts of the country, ABC13 reports. To answer consumers' first question, the company said the shortage involves all flavors and types of Dr Pepper. Charmin, which has been going through something similar for months, expressed empathy. "Welcome to the club," the toilet paper giant tweeted. "We feel your pain."

Besides people stocking up, there's been an increase in demand for canned beverages as people drink less in restaurants and more at home, per CNN. "Beverages in convenient take-home packages like aluminum cans are particularly popular right now," the American Beverage Association said. Dr Pepper said it's doing what it can, tweeting encouragement to shoppers: "We're working on it – hang tight!" The company suggested consumers keep checking with stores. The can shortage would seem to be a potential problem for competitors, too, but Coca-Cola and Pepsi haven't commented. (More Dr Pepper stories.)