My goodness. This time of year, the produce sections here are positively bursting with all kinds of peppers I can't even identify. I suspect the ones you are getting in your local grocery store are picked to soon and too old by the time they reach you. Can you grow your own? Some mature very fast. I've been told that these guys have excellent seed.

Maybe you need a care package of whole dried peppers from someone in luckier climes :) They'll go stale slower than ground, and keep practically forever in the freezer.