What's with these sweet onions sold in supermarkets now?

[aftermidnight]

I don't have a big enough garden to grow my own onions so have to buy them.
Lately all the sweet onions I've bought have been tough, not just the skins but throughout the whole onion. Beautiful onions to look at but so disappointing, you need to use a some elbow grease to cut through them.
They all have a little label saying they're sweet but no variety name. Is this a new variety grown commercially to stand up to rough handling, longevity?
We used to like putting a whole slice in a cheese sandwich but it is too hard to bite through and.... before you ask I still have my own teeth. What the h*ll, even simmered in a sauce all afternoon they don't break down. What's up?

Annette

 

[so lucky]

I don't usually buy sweet onions, so I don't have any experience, but I bet it is a new variety that ships better. Maybe if enough people complain, the grocer will stop getting them; go back to the previous kind.

 

[digitS']

DW just went through the onions this morning. The Walla Walla are growing! Shoot.

I don't buy onions, either. You sure you don't have room for onions, AfterMidnight? They can be crowded in fairly well. If we have anything, turns out that it is onions.

Toughness, I'm wondering if it is the result of storage. We still have Bartlett pears in the soopermarkets. How many months ago were those picked?!

Steve

 

[aftermidnight]

@digitS' Every available space I have I plant beans , I have to scrounge space for a few beets and other must haves, don't even grow carrots anymore because I'm trying a couple of perennial veggies for the first time, my sunny spaces are pretty much used up. A good portion of my small garden has become quite shaded over the years. This was done on purpose as unfortunately I have to stay out of the sun.
Maybe this onion is a variety bred for long storage? I don't know but when you pick one up it's a hard as a rock, the 'thick' layers inside look juicy when you cut into them, these layers are thicker than the sweet onions I used to buy. I have the feeling if you dropped one on a concrete floor you wouldn't even bruise it.
I like sweet onions for eating raw and but lately I've been using for cooking because of the milder flavor. I used to be able to buy Walla Walla and sometimes Vidalia but I haven't seen those in quite awhile.

Annette