CLEVELAND, Ohio – It isn’t exactly news that some things may be things are hard to get this holiday season. The real question is “What will the next shortage be?”
But if the recent past is any indication — or if supply-chain issues don’t ease up — there’s a few categories of items that are already expected to be in short supply.
Here are some of items that have been running low:
Anything with a semiconductor chip
There’s still a shortage of semiconductor chips, and those little things are in lots of presents.
Semiconductor chips are in everything from computers and cars to toothbrushes and tumble dryers. According to a report from WIRED, the shortage isn’t going away quickly.
WIRED reports that demand is growing faster than chip makers can keep up with. Things like 5G phones or cloud computing are spiking the need, as well the pent-up demand that has drove retail sales .
U.S.-imposed sanctions on Chinese companies like Huawei, a manufacturer of smartphones and networking gear, also prompted some Chinese firms to hoard supply, according to WIRED.
Building new factories is also costly and time-consuming. For chipmakers, it can cost billions and take years to increase their capacity.
The semiconductor shortage was recently blamed for the shortage of vehicles and new vehicles sales at Northeast Ohio car dealerships. The Play Station 5, last year’s hard-to-get item, is still in short supply, CBS News reports.
Bicycles
The bike shortage isn’t new, but it’s still here, says Jane Alley, general manager of Fridrich Bicycle.
She said they sold out in May 2020, and everything that’s trickled in since then was ordered that month.
Alley said the store had about 100 bikes in stock, but would normally have around 1,000.
Bicycling.com reports the shortage could last into 2022, saying the supply-chain and the time it takes to build new factories are to blame.
Clothing & Shoes
Luxury clothing and shoe stores in the Cleveland-area said they’ve had trouble getting items in.
Wally Naymon of Kilgore Trout said recently it’s been woven shirts, but it’s been different items at different times. JB Dunn, of J3 Clothing, said he’s vendors are dealing with their own shortage of raw materials.
“We have a gentleman who makes shoes for us in Italy,” Dunn said. “He said ‘Listen, I can send you as many shoes as you want. They just won’t have soles on them.’”
Meanwhile Dan Ungar of Mar-Lou Shoes has his vendors telling him the exact ship his stuff is stuck on.
Reuters reports that the shortage of new clothes is actually bumping up sales for second-hand clothing stores. According to the trade group, 85% of toys sold in the U.S. are manufactured in Asia.
Toys
Toy companies have been warning of shortages since early October. Issac Larian, CEO of MGA Entertainment (maker of L.O.L. dolls and Little Tikes), told CNBC power outages in China, a resin shortage and higher labor costs are straining the toy supply.
The Toy Association, an American trade group that represents retailers and manufactures, has cited the backup in ports as a leading cause in the shortage.
Alcohol
Whether it’s a liquor that needs to age in a barrel, or a craft beer headed into a can. It could be harder to find.
Fox Business reported that breweries are dealing with a “candemic,” saying beer makers are dealing with a shortage of cans now since production was driven higher by a shift to curbside pickup.
Many companies are also dealing with a glass jar and bottle shortage, reports NPR. David Ozgo, chief economist for the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, told NPR that some distilleries were having a hard time packaging their products.
“We’re definitely hearing that there’s a shortage of bottles,” Ozgo said. “We encourage anybody that wants a special bottle for Christmas to start shopping for it now because you might have to make two or three trips to your local retailer.”
Some liquors generally have to age, meaning production can’t just increase on a dime to meet demand. Buffalo Trace Distillery in Kentucky, said on its website that it “will still be a few years before bourbon supply catches up with demand.” This is despite a $1.2 billion expansion.
“While we are producing and shipping a record amount of product, we understand the frustration from fans that our brands aren’t easy to find or readily available,” said Sara Saunders, vice president of Marketing at the distillery.
“We take pride in the quality of our product above all else, and we believe that there is no substitute for aging. Unfortunately, this lengthens the lead time of getting product into consumers’ hands.”
Previous coverage
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Just how early has Black Friday been moved up and why?
The Link LonkNovember 29, 2021 at 10:29PM
https://www.cleveland.com/news/2021/11/what-merchandise-might-be-hard-to-find-these-holidays.html
What merchandise might be hard to find these holidays? - cleveland.com
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