What is your favorite part of the holidays? You may say spending time with your family or getting to sleep in, but I know what you’re truly thinking: you love receiving gifts. I can’t blame you, but what I can say is that you might be disappointed this year. As a consequence of supply chain issues, your gifts may be delayed.
At this point you may be thinking: where is my gift right now? It’s safe to say that I don’t know and that you probably don’t either. According to USA Today, it could be on a ship stuck in a traffic jam in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. It could be loaded on a stationary truck that’s not going anywhere soon because of the shortage of truck drivers; you also can’t forget the shortage of people to unload these trucks. It could be stuck in an overcrowded port or warehouse. It could end up delayed because of an insufficient number of shipping containers.
These are the major issues causing your gifts delays, and with these delays come price increases as well. Vox mentions that since October last year, there has been a 6.2% average price increase for consumers buying goods. Some items that are going to be especially expensive or hard to find, according to CBS News, include: TVs, gaming consoles, toys, laptops, iPhone 13s, jewelry, books, clothing, and artificial Christmas trees. Shortages of materials to make some of these items and factory shutdowns are also a major reason for price increases. For example, there is a shortage of Apple’s M1 chips that are featured in the iPhone 13, so Apple has had to decrease production of their iPhone 13 by 10% this year. Fashion brands, such as Michael Kors, have also been affected by factory shut-downs due to Covid-19, and less supply means a higher price.
So, if you haven’t bought your Christmas gifts yet, what should you do? Don’t worry there is still some hope. Try shopping locally at thrift stores or small businesses near you. According to Business Insider, if more people shop domestically, it can help ease supply chain issues. You can also always buy gift cards, subscription boxes or even make a homemade gift. Some suggestions include: a scavenger hunt, a home-made ornament, a decorated picture frame with a picture of you and the gift receiver, baked goods, or a meaningful card. And don’t forget the classic: printing out a photo of a gift that has not yet arrived. Happy shopping!