There have been many different shortages or price increases this year. After deciding to give up soda, I discovered how much of a shortage of materials there really is.

After parting ways with sodas and deciding to get some Topo Chico with lime, I was able to finish a whole case of the sparkling water within a week and a half. I decided to go back to the store for more, but discovered that wouldn't be as easy my first trip.

There was no Topo Chico to be found at the store, so I decided to check other stores in the area. No luck. There was none in stock. I checked every grocery store, liquor store, even online forums of Lubbock with people having the same experience. There was no Topo Chico flavored waters anywhere. I found some old articles about a shortage that happened in previous years. This seemed to predict that a future shortage was imminent, so I went straight to the company, Coca-Cola.

After waiting a few days to get into contact with a representative, I received an official confirmation that what has happened in previous years had once again happened this year. Due to extremely strong consumer demand and a shortage of raw materials, Topo Chico stock is temporarily tight.

Topo Chico's mother company tried to reassure me that they were working on implementing a contingency plan to keep the shelves as stocked as possible. After a month and a half without Topo Chico, I think that contingency plan is still in the works.

Don't worry or be alarmed if you drink plain Topo Chico, because that seems to be on the shelves (for now, anyway), along with some of their plastic bottled items and hard seltzers. The last shortage of Topo Chico was just last year when the same issue occurred with a lack of supplies to blame again.

Resellers have gone online and started selling the drink for more than retail asking prices, with some trying to sell 6-packs for $57.

There's currently no time frame for when Topo Chico should be fully in stock at regular shelf prices. All we can do is be patient and not give in to online resellers asking outrageous prices.