I tried searching the forums to see if I could find an answer to this question or if anyone else had experienced this before, but no luck. I've been having some problems with my families asking for "different kinds of groceries" even when there are as many as over 1,800 units of food remaining, and I don't know what it is they want. When I buy groceries for my families, I always buy them in equal measures (one each of veggies, meat, dairy, and grains), so it's not as if I'm buying them, for example, only grains to save money.

Makes me wonder if my families are all secretly vegetarians and those left-over 1,800+ units of food are all meat products...lol.

If anyone else has had this happen or could shed some light on exactly what it is they want, I'd sure appreciate it.

Hi Sepphira!

This happens all the time here!

When it does, I usually buy some food and give them.

I noticed that happening when I was buying lots of the same groceries cause they were on sale, but later the message was sent again and I was already buying different kinds of groceries (like you were).

I would not worry with that, probably is just small talk or maybe they just want something fresh!

I have five families, and the same thing has happened in all five. I tried an experiment with one family. I just kept ignoring their requests for different groceries, and let the supply get down to under 100 before I bought any more. When I did replenish their supply, I went back to my usual routine of one each of veggies, meat, dairy, and grains. This seems to have fixed whatever the problem was, at least for the time being. Since I praise my peeps for emailing me, they generally send me at least one message every time I check in, and the last few messages from the "experimental" family haven't said a thing about any dissatisfaction with the grocery situation. *grin*

However...the other four families are still complaining.

It probably sounds wasteful, but at this point, I'm actually hoping for one of the randoms that empties the fridge in these families, just so we can start fresh with the groceries and they'll stop complaining already.

Yeah, I keep getting the same message in Gen 4!! They have lots of money and I buy one of each organic now and then (they've got over 1200 in food), but I still get that message now and then. If you've got enough food in the fridge, don't worry about it!

Thanks for letting me know I'm not alone in having this happen. The thing is, I'm like a puppy dog (without the tail, I mean). I just want to please everyone...even my virtual families, as well as the real one...lol. I'm looking for that pat on the head..."Good girl!".

We all give you the praising glove!! Mine do the same thing. It doesn't matter how much they have. They even ask for different groceries and then tell me about the new baby as an after thought!! Too cute!

LOL...thanks. Wouldn't it be nice if real life had an equivalent of the praising glove? Especially when it seems like we get hit with that red glove all too often. :P

Talk about some food-obsessed people: "We need different groceries!...and, oh yeah, by the way, we had a baby...but don't forget about the groceries!".

One of mine sent me an email shortly after her husband died, and she didn't even bother to mention the death, just groceries. Nice.

i know, they can be so ungrateful. especially after i've been buying organics for awhile.

Tuna Puzzler,
The emails they send are randomized Sweetie. It has no bearing on the peeps personality.

I know. It's still funny.

Oh! That's not very polite... *laughs*

Well, maybe she just wanted to eat as a compensation for the sadness she was feeling. *lol*

LOL! Yes, perhaps the "different groceries" she was looking for are ice cream and brownies

They should totally put in a 5th category of groceries - junk food! You could use it as a reward once in awhile, or you could give it to them every time to make them lazy, slothful and unhealthy.

I praise mine for sending emails too and get at least one email every time I have my families open, but I rarely get this message and since you posted this I've been trying all sorts of things with various families trying to figure out why. The short answer is, I have no idea. XP

I tried switching back to regular groceries, no luck. I tried switching to one bag per family per day, no luck. I even switched one family back to one bag of plain old grains per day and still had no luck. The only thing that seemed to work was when I totally stopped giving them groceries. I got the message at the beginning of one email one day. I gave them one bag of regular grains and didn't get another message about groceries.

I used to get it quite often in first gen on all families and always attributed it to the fact that I would buy them mostly grains until they had enough money for the first workroom upgrade. It always seemed to stop once I began my habit of buying them all four food groups once per day. I do that for each family, every day, usually in organics, no matter how much food they have.

When I get the tiny white ants, $5 trainer or the power outage events, I always take them as a chance to clean out the food and get rid of extra cash (if the family has over 100K in the bank.) So I can't say if that has any relation to the grocery email or not.

So, it seems as long as I keep giving them food before I close them, they stay happy with the grocery situation and don't really care what kind they get. Yet, I still remember when they were new and getting only grains they complained.

I've done something that may help.

I've got one of those events about a power failure and I chose to get rid of all the food I had in the fridge.

When my fridge got empty, I bought the 4 types of organic groceries and from that moment on I'm just buying organics.

They sent me lots of mails, but none complaining about the food.

I don't know if it has something to do with they liking organics most.

Well, I suppose that would explain why mine don't complain. I buy them one bag of each type of organics per day. Maybe they just had so many stockpiled that they didn't complain when I switched them back to regular for a while. :P

Does anyone know how much the refrigerator holds, or it is limitless? I have had over 2000 of groceries at once, but then I let it get down to about 800-1000 before adding more, though I may buy things when they are on sale and hold them in the tray until needed.

That's a good question!

I always stop buying food when it reaches 2000 and then start again when it goes down to 800 or something (I have this crazy thought that the food is going to be old and rotten)

But I think they do have a magical fridge - there is always more room for food in there. It's something like Felix the cat's bag.

Yeah, I've wondered about the capacity of the fridge, too, so I just bought one of my millionaire families a BUNCH of groceries. They're up to over 5000 units of food, and the game let them have them. I won't have to worry about *that* fam for a while!

I'm on my way out now, but I can check mine in the morning (if I'm not up late tonight again) and post which has the most. I can't remember if any have over 10K in them, but I know for sure I have over 8900 in at least one.

Well, I just bought that same family a lot *more* groceries - all the way up to 15014 units. I think they're set for life!

Gosh! 5000? wow!

Yeah, you can feed a whole city with that! *laughs*

I get that message, too, even when they have limitless food and it's some of every food group.

Once my peeps get rich, I always keep their fridges stocked at, at least, 10000 food units. I think the fridge is limitless.

I had a fridge stocked with close to 50000 units of food I *think*. Then I wasted it all by forgetting to pause the game when I went away for the weekend...yeah they had enough food, they just didn't have any CHILDREN so by the time I came back, I had two dead peeps waving to me from the bed, an empty house, and a really full fridge.

Well, the most any of mine have is 17,885.

lol only like 327 i just wish my people made money fast enough

Last night I decided to buy tons of food - then I reached 5000 on the fridge (all delicious, organic groceries!)

What happened was pretty crazy (don't know if it was a coincidence, but...)

- It was nighttime and they started behaving as it was daytime (taking naps, going to the pool, etc etc) - previously they were behaving as it was night.

- After I reached 5000, I decided to buy another pack of organic groceries (veggies were on sale). So I bought it. When I drop it on the table - surprise! - magically a pack of organic dairies appeared there too!!! (and was added, cause I saw the final number of food in the fridge).

Then, as my friend BayouBlonde already knows (*lol*), I freaked out, closed the game and made a backup before starting it again. *laughs*

When I came back everything was fine and they were behaving as "nighties" again. *sigh of relief*

It just happened again - they asked for different kinds of groceries.

I think that happens every time you buy the same pack of groceries twice (I had bought 2 packs of organic dairies).