COVID And Our Supply Chain

[Spike]

So I went to Sweetwater’s website yesterday to buy another set of studio monitors and they were completely out of stock of all sizes and brands except for the Uber expensive ones.

I visited 2 different WalMart stores looking for a heavier set of dumbbells and there were none to be found.

What else have you gone look g for that isn’t on the shelves?

[eicca]

I work at a bike shop. We can’t get ANYTHING. We have zero bikes left under $4450. Been waiting on a shipment of repair parts for a month.

[uwmcscott]

If COVID and our response to it continues as-is, I think the supply chain is kind of irrelevant. Other countries that are adept at dealing with will ( and already have ) start to recover and will step while we are still bumbling about to grab a piece of the pie. Plus, we'll need most of the guitar shipping containers to start piling up more bodies in for a while.

[OMB]

We have had plantation shutters on order for 3 months (yup made in China) and not able to get a solid answer on when. Time to move the manufacturing to another country with cheap labor that Trump doesn't hate.

[rrobbone]

Utah has unique shortage and supply problems. Part of the locally predominant religious organization sees disaster/hardship preparation as a tenet of thier belief system. So I can - on any day of the week - expect to go into a grocery store and find a staple food item literally cleaned out. Soup, cheese, chips, crackers, and other items have been bought out before I got there, even before the pandemic occurred. Specific lengths of empty shelving is a common sight. Oddly, it's always one particular category, as if part of a coordinated effort. (Please note: I mean no offense, it's just something I haven't had to deal with before.)

That said, there are numerous things I've noticed beyond the pandemic related shortage items like toilet paper, facial masks, and hand sanitizer.

Refrigerators under a certian price range are bought out.
We had a heck of a time finding a toaster oven.
It was even worse for a microwave.
Certain brands of beer have disappeared.
There is no Coca Cola within 50 miles of my little mountain town.
For a solid two weeks, no fountain drink machine was in useful operation in the local area due to a certain mystery part that everyone was waiting to have delivered. Maybe that's why there's no Coke.

Many items I normally use as part of my guitar business are also sold out. Everyone's getting to the "honey-do" list as they are quarantined. Certain types of paint, paintbrushes, and sandpaper are harder to find. I was disappointed in the "tonewood" selection at the lumberyard last week as well, so I walked out empty handed.

The main things I've noticed a shortage of is common sense, communication, patience, and kindness - unfortunately even more so than usual.

[ID10t]

Utah has unique shortage and supply problems. Part of the locally predominant religious organization sees disaster/hardship preparation as a tenet of thier belief system. So I can - on any day of the week - expect to go into a grocery store and find a staple food item literally cleaned out. Soup, cheese, chips, crackers, and other items have been bought out before I got there, even before the pandemic occurred. Specific lengths of empty shelving is a common sight. Oddly, it's always one particular category, as if part of a coordinated effort......

Genuinely funny to me.
For the last few years the push has been more to 72 hour bags with considerably less emphasis on long term storage. I live in SLC II AZ (I made that up). Can't swing a bishop without hitting 2 missionaries (probably true everywhere). Also not a member, never was. No offense and I love my neighbors and community.
Oddly enough, we are big Cougar fans, go figure.

[Open G]

The local department store is out of certain items - canned vegetables, oatmeal, burritos. In a month or two those shelves might be full, but something else is missing. I hate shopping.

[eicca]

Being a member of said religious organization, I find it funny that the store shelves are empty despite the emphasis on preparedness. Seems a little backward. If we’re doing it properly the stores should still be stocked just fine...

[Spike]

The main things I've noticed a shortage of is common sense, communication, patience, and kindness - unfortunately even more so than usual.

This is so true.

[Spike]

I have been trying to buy an inexpensive dish washer for a rental unit and I can’t get a solid delivery date for it from anyone.

[Flatline]

Today it was frozen hamburger patties. Last week it was pineapples. Toilet paper was scarce a while back but came back plentiful and now they’re running low again. Seems most of the time they have most things but there is a lack of variety whereas there would be multiple items or brands to choose from. Now you get what there is or nothing. No choice. Want canned corn...they have that, but only one kind on the shelves. It was getting better, but in the last week or so I’m noticing it getting worse again.

Also, bicycles seem to be in short supply. Sometimes they have a few, but on several occasions the racks were empty.

[PoodlesAgain]

Many speciality item productions have slowed down or were stopped.

I was trying to get certain darkroom equipment and chemicals and stocks were limited or not available, like the most popular Epson photo scanner.

Other: I just caught an excellent, long, technical NPR segment about virus families, our current one, and how it fits in the "family tree".
Mind boggling. We better get our stuff together, here, we are facing a formidable force of nature.

[tlarson58]

It's a banner day when the big tub of Skippy's peanut butter (chunky, of course) is available at either of the two stores in town. Other sizes are a-plenty as are competing brands.

Sigh.

[JimyTheAssassin]

I’ve been Doing weekly grocery shopping for my Dad since this all started and the store shelves here are still missing certain specific items like ; Cinnamon Graham crackers or Bounty full size paper towels. Fortunately my dad has gotten over not being able to find EXACTLY what he’s been previously able to buy. These are just creature comforts and not really essential. The baking isles are still marginally stocked, but improved from back in March.

Wood and construction materials are touch and go. Some types of lumber are being expedited and others are not being made at all (so it seems from our local hardware stores intel). It forces us to be a little more creative in finishing home projects or delaying until things catch up.

[nomadh]

I still cant even get an answer if the irs got my late 2018 taxes. Because of complexity of assets we got when my father in law died they demanded we resubmit on paper. I turned in in mar. So no tax return money and no covid cash. And no one there to look in the mail to even tell us they got it. I finally got a hold of a person there for the few min it was open in the ca office and they suggested I do my 2019. I'll probably get it back first.