On Top of Everything Else, There's a Dr Pepper Shortage

We’re five months into the pandemic, and the world remains a frightening hellscape. If you’re anything like us, you’re trying to find joy wherever you can, even if it’s as fleeting as that first refreshing sip of an ice-cold soda. If that’s the case, we’ve got some bad news: on top of everything else going on these days, there’s a Dr Pepper shortage.

The company tweeted out the sad news on Monday, writing, “We know it’s harder to find Dr Pepper these days. We’re working on it — hang tight!”

We know it’s harder to find Dr Pepper these days. We’re working on it – hang tight!

Note: This applies to all flavors of Dr Pepper – including our newest permanent addition to the family, Dr Pepper & Cream Soda. pic.twitter.com/Kf0UedMuiw

— Dr Pepper (@drpepper) August 10, 2020

“Rest assured we’re working with our local distribution partners experiencing low inventory levels in certain markets to meet this increased demand, and we encourage every loyal Dr Pepper fan to continue checking their local retailer for their favorite varieties,” the company said in a statement.

The shortage is reportedly the result of an increased demand due to people spending most of their time at home as well as an aluminum can shortage caused by customers stocking up on canned beverages back in the spring at the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak.

“Beverages in convenient take-home packages like aluminum cans are particularly popular right now, and beverage company employees are doing all they can to make sure store shelves remain fully stocked,” an American Beverage Association spokesperson told CNN.

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Bonnie Stiernberg

Bonnie Stiernberg is InsideHook’s Managing Editor. She was Music Editor at Paste Magazine for seven years, and she has written about music and pop culture for Rolling Stone, Glamour, Billboard, Vice and more.