花粉小姐的部落原文標題：
‘No toilet paper, again?’ Brace yourself for a new wave of shortages
“又沒有衛生紙了嗎？” 為新一輪的短缺浪潮做好準備
原文連結：
https://reurl.cc/7yW0Gl
發布時間：
Thu, April 1, 2021, 12:05 AM
原文內容：
Who can forget last year’s empty store shelves and pandemic panic shopping,
right? Cleaning products, hand sanitizer and toilet paper were all but
impossible to find, and only recently have name-brand disinfectant wipes and
sprays begun showing up in stores again,
Well, brace yourself, because another product shortage is looming — and yes,
it may very well become tough to find toilet paper again.
Major problems with international shipping are likely to make t.p. and some
other items scarce, and could bring a return of hoarding. Here’s a lowdown on
the situation, plus some tips on how to keep getting what you need, and at
the right price.
Two crises at sea
Products are having difficulty getting to their destinations around the world
because of twin crises on the high seas that have simultaneously bogged down
global commerce.
For six days, Egypt’s Suez Canal was blocked by a giant cargo vessel that got
stuck and held up hundreds of other ships on a route that handles about 12%
of world trade. The Ever Given — about as long as the Empire State Building
is tall — was finally freed Monday, but analysts say it could take more than
a week to clear the backup.
Meanwhile, a shortage of shipping containers also is causing problems in the
cargo transport industry. Many of the factories that build the giant metal
boxes are in China — and a number of them shut down in the early days of the
COVID crisis, cutting supplies short.
The companies that produce the containers were caught off guard as
international trade started to rebound from the pandemic during the second
half of 2020. A wide range of things, including cars, clothing, toys and raw
materials, ship in the containers, so manufacturers are having difficulty
getting their goods to market.
Which products will be affected?
Grocery prices were already rising faster than inflation. Now, shortages
related to the shipping troubles could push up prices for an array of items —
and force you to find creative ways to save.
Given the situation in the Suez Canal and the container crunch, several types
of products could become harder to find before long.
1. Toilet paper
One of the companies impacted by the container crisis is Suzano SA. The
Brazilian company is the world’s largest producer of wood pulp, used to make
toilet paper, and it’s warning that the lack of containers could slow
shipments to its production partners.
Suzano CEO Walter Schalka told Bloomberg his company shipped less product in
March than anticipated and has been forced to delay some shipments into
April. A global shortage is possible.
Dreading a return of last year’s barren toilet paper aisles and inflated
prices? To help relieve supermarket stress, use an app when you shop that
rounds up your purchases to the nearest dollar and invests your “spare
change.” Then, you just watch the money grow.
2. Furniture
Deliveries of furniture are being affected by the shipping industry issues.
La-Z-Boy recently said on an earnings call that customers can expect to wait
for their new sofas and chairs anywhere from five to nine months after
placing their orders.
Congestion at ports in Southern California, where many containers from Asia
arrive, has been an issue for months.
And the Suez shutdown held up shipments of furniture from Ikea, which is
based in Sweden. “The blockage of the Suez Canal is an additional constraint
to an already challenging and volatile situation for global supply chains
brought on by the pandemic,” Ikea said in a statement.
3. Cheese
The wholesale club chain Costco recently blamed a shortage of imported cheese
on the shipping container shortfall. The retailer cited issues at ports along
the West Coast, from Seattle down through California.
“Overseas freight has continued to be an issue in regards to container
shortage and port delays,” Costco chief financial officer Richard Galanti
told analysts on a call in March. “This has caused timing delays on certain
categories.”
Galanti said Costco also has had trouble keeping its giant stores stocked
with furniture, sporting goods and lawn equipment, in addition to other
imported food items like seafood and olive oils.
4. Coffee
The Suez Canal blockage has stalled some shipments of coffee, specifically
the type used to make instant coffee like Nescafe.
The Suez is a major shipping route from Vietnam — the world’s largest
producer of robusta coffee, used in instant coffee — so a scarcity of beans
could soon be felt at coffee shops and in supermarkets.
If you plan to stock up on java, be sure to use an app that rewards you with
cash back on your grocery shopping — just for snapping photos of your store
receipts.
Stay ahead and shop smart
As we saw last year, retailers may put limits on high-demand items that are
in short supply — to keep shoppers from filling their carts with every last
package of toilet paper or bottle of olive oil on the shelves.
If you do decide to make a few big grocery hauls, be careful with not to
overextend yourself on your credit cards. If you’ve been relying heavily on
your plastic during the pandemic, consider rolling your balances into a
lower-interest debt consolidation loan, to help pay off your credit card debt
more affordably and quickly.
Watch for deals and rewards to get the most for your money, even if the ol’
law of supply and demand puts pressure on some prices. For example, you might
download a free browser extension that will automatically hunt for better
prices and coupons whenever you shop online.
And this might be the most important tip of all: Don’t panic. The Suez Canal
should be back to normal soon, and the production of shipping containers will
ramp up. In the meantime, there are plenty of stores and product suppliers —
so if one retailer is out of toilet paper, just keep looking and asking
around. Trust us, you will find some.
機翻如下：
誰能忘記去年空蕩蕩的商店貨架和大面積的恐慌性購物吧？清潔用品、洗手液和衛生紙都
找不到，直到最近，名牌消毒濕巾和噴霧劑才又開始出現在商店裡。
好吧，請做好準備，因為另一種產品短缺正在逼近
未經允許不得轉載：花粉小姐的部落 » [新聞] ‘No toilet paper, again?’ Brace yourse
