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 Linda Thomas
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Hostess_Rack.JPG
Only a few packages of Hostess Donettes remain at one Ballard convenience store which generally is fully stocked with racks of Twinkies and other junk foods.(Linda Thomas photo)

Hostess hoarding - Finding Twinkies online, not on shelves

November 18, 2012 @ 6:51 pm (Updated: 2:06 pm - 11/19/12 )

You won't find golden sponge cakes with creamy goodness on store shelves, but there are boxes on eBay and Craigslist going for between $15 and $15 million.

Hours after Hostess announced it was closing its factories, people raided store shelves for Twinkies, Ding Dongs, Ho Hos and Zingers.

At a Ballard-area convenience store, the shelves are bare except for a few Donettes.

"Do you know where I can find Twinkies?" an older gentleman asks me. "They're gone from everywhere."

They're online.

On eBay and Craigslist, Hostess products are being sold for outrageous amounts.

One listing says, "Calling Mr. Gates" and includes a $15 million bid for a box of Twinkies, with the money supposedly going to a Santa Ana, California charity that helps neglected children.

The retail price for a box of 10 Twinkies is about $5.

Not everyone is selling their treasured Twinkies for an unrealistic price.

"I happened to have an unopened box around and thought it would be fun to sell as a stocking stuffer," a Seattle woman told me through email. She's listing "One Box of Fresh Golden cream filled Twinkies. Fresh and Unopened with a sell date of Dec. 12, 2012," for $5.

Contrary to popular belief, Twinkies don't last forever. Most bought in stores Friday carry an expiration date of early December.

Twinkies might be back in production by then.

Hostess Brands and its striking union have agreed to mediation talks to try and resolve their differences, meaning the Texas-based baker of Ho Hos, Ding Dongs and Wonder Bread isn't going out of business just yet.

The news came Monday after Hostess moved to liquidate and sell off its assets in bankruptcy court.

The bankruptcy judge hearing the case asked the lawyer for the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union, which has been on strike since November 9, to ask his client if the union would agree to participate.

By LINDA THOMAS

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Comments (7)


  • Add A Comment

  • drone wrote...
    tiger tails
    November 19, 2012 5:00 am
    Did Hostess make tiger tails? That was the only one I liked...dlc
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Country_Dog wrote...
    Apparently in Mexico now
    November 19, 2012 5:44 am
    as there has been a bid by Slim to buy the Hostess brand.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • TYR wrote...
    Bummer man...
    November 19, 2012 7:45 am
    Just when reefer gets legal.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • GloScot wrote...
    RIP Twinkies
    November 19, 2012 7:56 am
    Little Debbie Cloud Cakes are just as good, though, IMHO.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Lonestar wrote...
    You want Ding Dongs and Ho Ho's?
    November 19, 2012 8:36 am
    Just go to Olympia!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Pete in Seattle wrote...
    Competition
    November 19, 2012 1:26 pm
    Time was all the convenience stores had dedicated racks for Hostess. While some still do there is a lot of competition out there. Locally Dolly Madison and Little Debbie have a more prominent presence in many stores, as do Mexican baked goodies. But in the east it was (and still is) Tasty-Cakes. I thought their crimpets were better than Twinkies, and fresher as well. And unlike Hostess the shelf-life dates were usually only a week or so. What will I do without Hostess? I think I am managing quite fine, thank you very much.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • BeenThere wrote...
    Greed
    November 19, 2012 9:15 pm
    Corporate or private, it never ends.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }