Another entire category of shortages I hadn't thought of til last night: home improvement and hardware.
Back story - doing some painting and re-carpeting in our garage, and as usual hubby and I are weighing our options on our "dream reno" - where we go down to the studs and make our house the way we want it (because while we love our property, neither of us loves this house).
Over the course of several trips to Lowe's, Home Depot and Ace, and after speaking with a store manager at Lowe's in particular, I'm here to warn you -- ALL such inventory is running out, with no replacements on the way. 90% of everything is made in China.
If you need a new big ticket item like a fridge or stove, it's a 6 month waitlist. Basic hardware, like brackets and hinges, is running low (we needed a particular size bracket for something - all sold out, they only had one size of a particular bracket, meaning 7 other sizes/types were gone). Kitchen and bathroom reno stuff - cabinets, toilets, faucets, etc., are starting to run low.
Flooring of all kinds will start to present problems too. We ordered new w/w carpeting a week ago, and to date no one has even called to come measure the space to create the actual order. We're giving Lowe's a couple more days, and if not we'll cancel and rent a steam cleaner instead.
Eventually, even basics like drywall and screws may be effected. Lumber should be ok, as it's mostly US and Canada supplied. But there's no point in framing out a room or house if you can't get drywall and flooring. I have heard rumors from others that some roofing supplies are starting to be more difficult too.
So hubby and I have decided to "keep our powder dry", we're probably not going to do a big reno here, or even redo the kitchen or bath. We're looking at Zillow instead...
Just wow! I am so glad you gave us a heads up. I had heard that air conditioners were hard to come by but my friend just got a new one and said she had no problem. Perhaps it is the type.
Is the supply chain simply stopped as in nothing is in the pipeline, or is it just taking a long time because it had stopped for some but materials are finally on the way?
New home construction is going to be a big problem too. Yikes!
My impression is that it's a combination of supply chain problems and a trade war in the midst of the pandemic. Most hardware & building supplies come from China. They are manufacturing less, and not exporting to the US as much, and then everything is taking longer to clear customs once it does get here.
I wonder if these shortages in appliances and supplies, could lead to the end of planned obsolescence, and a return to buying things that we repair year after year, and a rise of community repair shops. I sure hope so.
Was getting ready to make my fig preserves... they are ripening... and ... I was given a big basket of apples I am going to make apple butter with. Went to get new rings and lids for my jars and a few new jars...yeah... that is not happening. I remarked about it on my Facebook page and a friend is getting me some she has stored and is not using. I will repay her kindness with the sweetness of the preserves and jellies I am making...but take note... order now.. it will take several weeks to get them . They are as scarce as yeast was this past Spring.
Wow! Thanks for the heads up!
My daughter has been trying to find a desk for over a month now for her new place. She told me each one which fits in the allotted space is out of stock until October. Furniture is still gong to be an issue for people. Desks, that makes total sense doesn't it? Everyone who didn't have a desk before the pandemic certainly has one by now if they are working from home.
She is currently using a card table. At least she has a card table right?
I just read about the possibility of a propane shortage this fall due to people driving less.
"About 20% to 25% of propane is created from crude oil refining (the remainder of production comes from natural gas wells). So reduced consumer travel this summer means less demand for gas which, in turn, is reducing refining and eventually causing crude oil wells to be shut down."
https://www.agriculture.com/news/crops/potential-propane-shortage-could-occur-this-fall
Why in the world is there a shortage of soy sauce? Is there some kind of idea that it is a cure for something more than bland rice? Every store here is cleaned out of it.
We have been starting a food garden and plan to do intense cultivation in our yard, and get chickens. We have also been leaning a lot more heavily on the rural region we border, whereas before, we spent our time in the city. We shop at the farm stands and we go to the local, independently owned stores such as the Chinese market and the halal market (which we shopped at before, but never as much as we do now) where we're so much more comfortable with the social distance and hygiene. The rural region we border is getting a lot of business right now, and the local services and stores are going at a steady clip, and there is all kinds of cottage business (like sewing and seeds/plants) because many people don't want to interact in the big stores here if they don't have to. There are fishermen selling their catch.
We use Facebook Marketplace and the neighborhood groups we're in.
We use Amazon more than we did before, and we still use the local supermarket and PetSmart. But we are relying a lot more on local independent businesses and suburban and rural cottage industry people than we ever have before.
There really isn't as much free time, we're always busy working on the garden or researching the garden (because this is a crash course for us; like, I was an urbanite). We are very busy. Everyone around here is very busy, whether they're working or not. Public spaces have gotten harder to navigate (we do a lot more driving than we used to) and things have become more difficult or cumbersome to access. All of our local small businesses have been a million times easier to navigate, plus there is the benefit of learning the neighborhood gossip or seeing someone familiar to wave at.
We're starting to recognize the people at our favorite farm store and start to get to know, a little, the people at a couple of nurseries. I also know a farmer through my local religious congregation I'm sometimes part of. Maybe this really is as good as it could possibly get for a lot of people.