YORK, Pa. — Supply chain disruptions are having a major impact on retail stores.
“With the pandemic, the demand for freight has exploded," said Rebecca Oyler, president of the Pennsylvania Motor Truck Association. "Pandemic shopping hasn’t really let up so supply chains are really struggling to keep up with the demand for shipping and purchasing."
According to the Pennsylvania Motor Truck Association, there is a backlog of about two to three weeks worth of freight coming in to the ports.
Another issue, the organization says, is a shortage of drivers.
“We have a truck driver shortage here in the United States," Oyler said. "We’ve had one for some time actually, but the pandemic made it much worse."
Some stores are already having trouble stocking up the shelves to meet demand.
Joshua Kirk, the owner of Willow and Wildfire, a home décor store in Central Pennsylvania, says he’s struggling to get their inventory in -- especially their holiday orders.
“Our holiday orders should’ve been in by August and they’re still floating around in the ocean, or at the dock and there’s no trucks to deliver it to the warehouses," said Kirk.
Kirk says they only have about 40% of the products they ordered in stock.
However, he’s hopeful that the products will be here on time for the holidays.
“But, you know, they’re saying that this is going to continue on into the next year, so hopefully everything we have ordered is here on time, and we can have our shelves full for the holiday season," said Kirk.
Their advice for shoppers? Get out and shop now.
“Shop early and shop in person, that way they can kind of avoid the logistic issues that are happening," said Justin Roth, the Marketing Director for Capital City Mall.