CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WV News) — Analysts have predicted a shortage of supplies paired with a shortage of retail employees this holiday season, which could result in higher prices, less variety and delivery delays.
The supply chain has been slowed in the United States across the board in 2021. These complications have caused several issues, such as limited availability of some food items in recent months.
Supply chain woes stand to potentially have a negative effect on shoppers in the next few months when spending typically increases for the holidays.
“I’m hearing from several sources — some of them are people that have already ordered things — that a great deal of what we normally expect to arrive in a regular and timely fashion is not happening,” said Steve Roberts, president of the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce.
The potential complications come from a combination of factors, including staffing and where the goods are coming from.
“The supply chain is handling more merchandise than ever. But that means there are shortages in shipping capacity, warehousing space, truck capacity and rail capacity. In addition, infections from COVID-19 are causing labor shortages in all sectors of the supply chain,” said Jon Gold, vice president of supply chain and customs policy for the National Retail Federation.
“As a result, we are currently seeing issues ranging from factory and port terminal closures in Asia to ships lined up waiting to dock at U.S. ports to congestion at the ports and rail yards impacting the flow of commerce.”
How and if retailers are affected is generally on a case-by-case basis.
“It’s very different, depending on which retailer. I know the supply chains have been disrupted for some time, and it depends on the type of merchandise you’re bringing in. If you’re heavily dependent on shipments from Asia, I know that there’s been a big backlog there. A lot of our retailers, though, have managed to compensate by kind of working their supply chain, looking for different shipping methods and whatnot,” said Joe Bell, director of Corporate Communications for the Cafaro Co.
Cafaro is a shopping center development company that owns Huntington Mall, the largest mall in West Virginia, as well as Meadowbrook Mall in Bridgeport.
“There are issues with the supply chain,” Roberts said. “There are distribution challenges, and some companies can’t find employees. The combination leads to the suggestion that this particular holiday season will be backed up. That people will not have the choices that we’ve grown accustomed to having for retail goods.”
Experts don’t expect the supply chain to see meaningful improvement in the next few months.
“I think the supply chain issues that we’re…
Read More: West Virginia, national industry experts warn staffing, supply chain woes