“It’s virtually impossible,” Harris remarked.
SUPPLY CHAIN SNARLS THREATEN HOLIDAY SHOPPING
The White House itself has acknowledged not all packages and gifts people have ordered will arrive by Christmas.
“There will be things that people can’t get,” a senior White House official told Reuters. “At the same time, a lot of these goods are hopefully substitutable by other things … I don’t think there’s any real reason to be panicked, but we all feel the frustration, and there’s a certain need for patience to help get through a relatively short period of time.”
Some of the concessions the White House obtained include Samsung operating 24/7 for the next 90 days, Walmart increasing off-hours operations, and Home Depot committing to move 10% additional containers per week on the Port of LA’s new off-hour schedule, among other commitments.
Harris said that while those actions are marginal compared to the massive backlogs and delays at U.S. ports and shipping facilities, “when it comes to supply chains, sometimes it takes just something marginal to make a difference.”
The Port of LA and the Port of Long Beach account for roughly 40% of U.S. imports. While the Port of Long Beach was already 24/7, opening the Port of LA to nonstop operations will help improve the current situation, according to Angeli Gianchandani, a professor of brand marketing at the University of New Haven.
“It’s [Biden’s] effort to keep things moving, and it will help at least prevent some of the surges in pricing and force on inflation,” she said. “But I do think we will still have an impact on retail because I think once you get around to Black Friday and Cyber Monday, supplies will be limited due to the supply chain challenges.”
Gianchandani told the Washington Examiner that despite customers being eager to shop amid pent-up pandemic demand, U.S. consumers should expect fewer deals and discounts than in the past because of the supply chain constraints.
She predicted it could take anywhere from six to eight months for the supply chain problems to abate fully — well past Christmas.
While supply is crunched, demand is surging.
- October 15, 2021