(MY NORTHWEST) – Yes, it’s bit much that the Pumpkin Spice Latte comes out in August and that my local grocery store has had a special Thanksgiving aisle set up for weeks. But when I tell you that now is the time to start your holiday gift shopping, it’s because if you don’t buy soon, supply chain issues may make it tough to get what you want later.
There are labor shortages and COVID outbreaks that have closed down factories, and kept workers from unloading shipping containers and driving trucks. H&M, Bed Bath & Beyond, and Nike are all underwater. One toy maker told Bloomberg that around $8 million worth of its toys are sitting in a factory in China because of a shipping container shortage. One of the country’s largest toy companies said it had more than 600 containers filled with toys that were stuck in the port of Los Angeles for six weeks waiting to be unloaded.
But Americans are buying; we’re expected to spend 7-9% more than last year’s holiday season.
