Wednesday, September 27, 2023

"15 Items That Will Face Shortages This Winter"

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Epic Economist, 9/27/23
"15 Items That Will Face Shortages This Winter"

"It's not just you - everyone is seeing shelves getting emptier in the second half of 2023, and that trend will only intensify as we head towards the end of the year. Our supply chains are in a much more vulnerable state than most people realize. From cyberattacks to labor and component shortages, the production of several items has been disrupted this year, and now popular cleaning products, smartphones and even laxatives are becoming harder to find.

This month, Clorox, the maker of the popular cleaner, and the owner of several brands has suffered a massive cyberattack last month, which severely damaged its internal systems and is causing production and shipment delays right now. The company said it "has recently begun to experience an elevated level of consumer product availability issues" given that it is processing orders at a slower-than-normal rate. Not only consumers are facing empty shelves, but many companies who use its products are also experiencing shortages. In addition to its vast collection of household goods, Clorox serves commercial industries, including hospitals, schools, and businesses. The brand did not say when the operational problems might be resolved, or how long it will take to get its systems back to normal. A representative said the company is seeing multiple items across its portfolio of products in short supply at U.S. stores.

Moreover, it looks like we're going to witness yet another year of Christmas Tree shortages, and growers are highlighting that six to seven-foot tall trees will be the hardest to find. This may be a shocker but the reason why it's getting more difficult to find Christmas trees dates back to the 2007-2008 financial crisis. This holiday season, there will be fewer trees entering the market because farmers couldn’t afford to plant as many new Christmas trees during that recessionary period, explained Jordan Bishop, founder and CEO of Yore Oyster. “There’s been a lot of talk about how Christmas trees will be more expensive this year,” Bishop said. “And it’s not only due to inflation but also due to these larger macroeconomic effects that stretch back 15 years.” Christmas trees of that size take about 15 years to grow, he added, so the impact of the financial crisis began being felt in 2022 and will continue to worsen in 2023 and 2024, Bishop predicts.

If you're tired of leaving the store empty-handed, this video will help you to know which essential supplies are already sold out and which ones are likely to disappear from sight in the coming weeks and months. With multiple shortages hitting thousands of stores, and rampant cases of respiratory infections rising across the globe, things can get really chaotic for retailers and grocers over the next couple of months.

At this point, let's just pray that another global pandemic doesn't occur because things could go south very rapidly. Our food systems are still trying to recover, manufacturing activity has been slowing down for months, and several industries are still struggling to source the products they need. In other words, if another big crisis hits supply chains, we will be far more unprepared to handle the situation this time around. That's why preparedness and emergency stockpiling have never been more important."
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