There is a much more dangerous shortage at Toronto's gas stations - and it's not gas. You can't find road salt anywhere. To be honest, only in the past two years did I become a consumer of salt for walkways. Especially this winter. I've had nightmares of my tenants litigating for falling on a slippery walkway.
I ran out of salt after a recent cold snap and went to a gas station to buy more - it's only $3 for a 10 kg bag. Nope, no salt. Another gas station... no salt. Another. And another. Then two big box stores and another station. After checking nine places, I put together the pieces. The main distributor's supplies had run out and that was it for this winter.
After going through the effort of looking for salt, I might be inclined to pay triple the cost for a bag. Maybe I'd pay six-times the amount to have it dropped off at my house right now.
But I wouldn't. There's always sand as an option, or chiseling away the ice.
How many perceived shortages do we go through over a year? How do these effect our resolve to save? If our regular grocery store is out of a particular type of ice cream, will we pay double if we find it elsewhere? It's the difference between $3 and $6 dollars. No biggy?
Most of the time, shortage is only a perception. Unbridled, it leaves us prone to gouging. Let's look for alternatives, be patient, and not spend only to satisfy our fears.
