As you've no doubt already heard, Hostess Brands announced today that it is going out of business. While Twinkies and other popular Hostess products seem likely to be purchased by other companies, there will be at least a temporary shortage.
Out of (admittedly morbid) curiosity, we decided to visit the supermarket nearest Gut Check International Headquarters, the Schnucks at 6920 Olive Boulevard in University City, to see whether there had been a run on Hostess products.
Not yet.
See Also: - "Vintage, Psychedelic Ads for Hostess Twinkies" - "Hostess to Liquidate, Sell Brands" - "R.I.P. St. Louis Hostess Plant; Most Delicious Field Trip EVER!"
In fact, as shown from the photo above, the store has a display near the produce section of individual Hostess treats on sale for ten for $10. While the display wasn't fully stocked when Gut Check visited about an hour ago, there were still plenty of Twinkies, Ho-Hos and more to go around.
Meanwhile, the display of multipack boxes of Hostess products looked slightly more picked over, but still far from barren, likewise the display of Wonder Bread (not pictured).
We asked whether the sale had anything to do with today's news, but a Schnucks employee assured us it was just a coincidence.
(Apologies for the picture quality. Supermarkets hate when you take photos inside of them, so we moved quickly and as stealthily as possible.)
At any rate, if you're looking for a place to stock up on your Hostess favorites, and you can move quickly, here's a possibility. We wouldn't be surprised to see those markdown signs disappear before the Ding-Dongs do...
