Pump the brakes before you start panic buying...

First it was toilet paper, then it was hand sanitizer. People began to panic buy in the midst of the pandemic, rather than adopting a buy-what-you-need mentality. There's no reason for you to have an entire garage filled to the brim with toilet paper. But, then again, maybe that's just me. I'm no doomsday prepper.

Although several items have been hit or miss for me at the store lately, Dr. Pepper seems to be the next item missing at the store. Many Reddit users have expressed their concern and frustration. I have not experienced this, but I did have my father ask me to buy him Diet A&W Root Beer and it was nowhere to be found. So what gives?

USA Today recently dove into this and found that there is no shortage of Dr. Pepper or Diet Dr. Pepper.

That's the short answer. The real issue is a shortage in aluminum cans. As restaurants and bars closed up shop earlier this year, beverage suppliers had to get creative in how to get their product into consumers' hands. This involved aluminum cans for drink options like Dr. Pepper and other soft drinks, but also for beer and, in some cases, wine.

This would lead me to believe that there are bottled options available at the store. Although, I'm sure those who swear by cans are now dipping into the plastic bottle world since cans may be hard to find. Have you experience any issues with getting your favorite drinks?

I'd also like to point out that Dr. Pepper was notified about this issue thanks to customers phone calls. As far as production goes for D.P. everything is running smoothly. I've never been one to call a company to complain like that and I'm certainly not encouraging you to go "Karen" on these people, but it's nice to know that our voices are heard.

READ MORE: How Much Food Do You Need to Shelter in Place?

More From K99