Shop Now for Christmas – September is the New December
“A lot of families are not going to be able to get the toys they want” this year, according to the CEO of a toy manufacturer. As we reported yesterday in our post about looming shortages, shop now if you want to get something specific for Christmas. Otherwise, Santa may strike out. This article gives some interesting bits of news: Amazon and Home Depot are chartering their own cargo ships to bring in goods, and publishers are being affected by paper shortages, delaying some book release dates.
It’s Happening Again: Americans are Stocking Up on Toilet Paper
Thanks to Delta, retailers are once again struggling to stock enough toilet paper and paper towels, even as manufacturers ramp up, according to this article from the Wall Street Journal. Clorox says it expects to be able to keep up with demand for its popular wipes and sprays only after significantly increasing capacity.
Worker Shortages Go Global
It is not only the U.S. that is short of workers. According to this Bloomberg article, agricultural workers are in short supply worldwide, and this is adding to food shortages and inflation. (It’s worth noting that the last time food prices peaked, it led to the Arab Spring revolts and other political unrest.)
I wonder at what point the food shortages get so bad that people get up off their couch and go help with the harvest? Probably never. They would rather blame the farmers or the politicians.
The Aftermath in New Orleans
Don’t think New Orleans, Louisiana, and Mississippi got off easy because there were only a few deaths caused by Ida in that area. Almost 1 million are without power. People are desperate for ice, fuel (two thirds of station are out of gas) and food as temperatures soar and shortages persist. Almost 6,000 power poles are 1400 transformers need to be replaced, but the real problem to getting electricity back is that many of the towers holding high tension lines were damaged or destroyed. Replacing them is no simple task as they have to be built on site.
