I’m not sure when I first heard of this major issue, maybe early in the summer, but the supply chain disruption has and still is affecting retailers heavily. And we can thank that to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Everything you can think of you buy, from canned soups to your favorite clothing brand, has been affected by the supply chain. We now live in a world where we can get anything we want by the click of a button. Remember when there was no toilet paper or hand sanitizer in stores, or it was going for hundreds of dollars online because it was so valued? That was the start of it all. The supply chain is what makes this world go round. People in Alaska don’t have winter coats, people who need food delivered can’t get it on time because airplanes have been delayed. The supply chain being “broken” is casting a major domino effect on everyone's way of life.

Why haven’t factories been producing more?

That’s the thing. They did. This major increase in demand caused major troubles with transporting goods to factories in need. When all these products were being finished (mainly in China), they were just collecting dust in the warehouses because there was a shortage of shipping containers. One offset affects everything down the line. And now consumers are freaking out for the holidays. What if their favorite retailers don’t have what they want in time for Christmas or Hanukkah?

The supply chain disruption is a huge part of the consumers decision to start their holiday shopping very early. And retailers are struggling to keep up. Favorite brands like Lululemon and L.L. Bean has merchandise on backorder that could take months to come in.

The real question is when will this end? Consumers aren’t happy, and retailers are definitely not either. Maybe 2022? 2023? 2024? No one really knows. Retailers have a real issue on their hands and I hope they can resolve it as soon as possible.