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Their comments I recently noticed on social media-
"OMG! La-Z- Boy says it will take 6 months to get a new sofa. It must be the Suez canal blockage!"
...
"OMG! My oven broke and it will be 6 months before the part comes in for a replacement!!! WTF? Am I going to need to use my conviction oven for everything now?"
...
"Wow! I have to wait a year for my new home to be built?!?!"
And not only were we warned, these are mostly trivial First World problems. @Dannyboy has a healthier attitude--- accept the reality, and wash the dishes by hand.
I also wish people would consider buying used more often. Especially when it comes to furniture. Yard sales, estate sales, thrift stores--- there's tons of good stuff out there if you bother to look. It's much better for the environment.
As I've been getting my garden ready a little bit later this year (just a week) I was confronted today with the latest shortage. Every store in town was out of zucchini and summer squash plants and seeds. Normally that's half my garden. I tried Home Depot first and when they didn't have any, I went to our local nursery (they're more expensive which is why I usually buy the bulk of stuff at HD even though I prefer to support local - we're often talking twice as expensive!) - They told me they've been out for weeks, barely got any in to start with, and don't know when they'll be restocked. No seeds in any store.
Guess I'll have to try something different in the garden this year! Stupid shortages!
EDIT: I opened the "sweet things to hide from the daughters" cupboard and after a little rummaging, came across two seed packets - Zucchini and Summer Squash that I bought last season when I realized stores were going to be closing and it'd be hard to get in and out. Going to try planting them. Amazing serendipitous moment! Thank you spirit for that one!
@dannyboy Is it a shortage or just that due to climate warming, people are planting earlier? Just wondering. I don't know.
I've noticed this happening:
We need a new couch. I was about to order it at the beginning of April and the delivery date was Mid May. I'm sorry I didn't order then because I checked again two days ago (May 31). Now the delivery date is mid November! From a six week delivery to a six MONTH delivery. Is that due to a shortage?
@jeanne-mayell There’s a lot at play with the furniture issue. My cousin (the one who had COVID and is now doing much better thankfully - had a mild long haul case but is able to work again) manages one of the local mom and pop furniture stores and they’re backlogged with orders from the pandemic - partially due to shipping, partially due to manufacturing shortages in several related industries. Their store, which used to be a “See something you like, we’ll deliver it for you from the floor today” place is now at a bare minimum and functioning as a showroom only for pieces that can be ordered. But - I can walk into the chain furniture store down the road and there are couches and appliances a-plenty ready to take that day so I don’t completely understand it myself.
I don’t know what the cause is for the plants - it might be a general labor shortage at the nursery’s (but they had plenty of tomatoes so I don’t know!).
@jeanne-mayell A suggestion for that couch--- see if you can find something with "good bones" at a thrift shop and have it reupholstered. It could be cheaper and better quality than new.
Regarding garden plants: I purchased a few veggie plants at HD about 3 weeks ago-- 5 tomato, 4 cucumber, 2 zucchini and various herbs (parsley, basil, oregano, thyme, mint). There was plenty of stock so maybe it is a localized thing. I am in Central NY. I have not even checked the Farmer's Market but plan to stop by there this Saturday.
We have been doing some home improvement-- we were able to purchase the hardwood flooring (from a Canadian mill) we desired and there was not a hike in price. Also, no shortage of the base molding. I ordered a couch and side table about 6 weeks ago from Wayfair and it was delivered faster than I expected. I also ordered 3 light fixtures and they were delivered in a timely fashion. So far, I have not encountered shortages.
In July/August, I expect to be purchasing a new vehicle so I will update you all on the progress of that. I have read there is a shortage. The homes around our neighborhood are selling really fast with cash on top and waiving inspections. This is really unheard of in my region--we missed the 2000's real estate bubble. I expect that once the mills are producing again and the supply chain has recovered, new construction will begin in earnest and the bubble will deflate --probably within the year.
@rowsella One thing i've noticed on car lots - we have a ton of them in our town and while they look full, they're parking everything right up alongside the lot that butts up to all the major streets. If you actually pull in like I did to get an oil change, what used to be rows of cars is empty space. It's surreal.
Used car lots aren't faring much better - the ones that are left on the lot have often been left there for a reason (case in point, i'm paying way too much for my Jeep Cherokee because the GMC Acadia I traded it in for wasn't paid completely off but was a lemon. That was two years ago and that Acadia has been sold and traded back three times by my count (once to a former student, twice to different strangers - it had a very distinct rust spot on the back from an accident) I wish you the best of luck if you're looking for used - but if you're going new there are cars - but you might sacrifice a few of the creature comforts we've come to expect in vehicles unless you're willing to wait.
Jeanne,
Yes, there is a supply issue causing shortages for furniture. Much of us is due to shipping container shortages. Even companies who make furniture in N. America are having issues because fabric is from overseas. So many shipping containers have been backed up in the ports for months.
My parents ordered a tv counsel in Feb and it isn’t going to arrive until September. When they first ordered it is was a 6 week wait which became 7 months.
And appliances are worse.
@ana. Good suggestion. Rehabbing an old couch is better for the environment. Buying anything used, i.e., clothes, housewares, furniture, is so much better for the environment. 20 years back a friend helped me reupholster the couch I am now planning to toss and she grabbed a long plank from our garage and added it to the inner structure to give the couch extra strong "bones". I might go ahead and reupholster it again.
@jeanne-mayell. When we moved to our home two years ago we searched the area for a new couch and could not find one that we liked better than our 30 year old couch. Nowadays they are huge and very deep for larger people, I think. So we reupholstered ours and had the cushions replaced and we are so glad we did! It cost less than a new couch and we still have our old friend in our home. ?
Many of the basic materials are in short supply or are behind in making the end products from raw materials. Lumber prices have gone insane. Much like the toilet paper shortage and others... hoarding is a bit of a problem as well. For the current times and in to the near future I will be following the creed of "Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without" which has been my motto most of my single motherhood raising two children on my own. I see it as a chance to develop my creativity and ingenuity in repurposing things. Sadly ... modern household items were made with "planned obsolescence" in mind and do not last as long as many items that used to made for durability. There was a purpose behind that. Make people want to buy the latest and greatest..or..if not wanted to ..forced to.
Sadly ... modern household items were made with "planned obsolescence" in mind and do not last as long as many items that used to made for durability. There was a purpose behind that. Make people want to buy the latest and greatest..or..if not wanted to ..forced to.
I bet the "HGTV home makeover-industrial complex" has a hand in this trend. I'm only being partly facetious. My mom watches those shows; from an observer's standpoint, I wouldn't be surprised if they activate the same neural pathways as pornography.
Sadly ... modern household items were made with "planned obsolescence" in mind and do not last as long as many items that used to made for durability. There was a purpose behind that. Make people want to buy the latest and greatest..or..if not wanted to ..forced to.
The really insidious problem about "disposable everything" is the environmental price we pay for it. The most obvious of the prices is the increased load on landfills when we have to throw out useless, un-repairable crap.
But also, every time new items are made, raw materials are consumed, and fuel is required to manufacture and transport the items. Recycling helps a little bit-- but not enough, and the recycling process itself requires energy. My parents were children of the Depression and of WWII when everything was "use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without". So I was raised with that lifestyle being normal. Most of my furniture is second (or third or fourth) hand, things I can't find second hand, I buy at the unfinished furniture store where everything is 100% actual wood that won't melt in water. That stuff will last longer than I will.
Sadly ... modern household items were made with "planned obsolescence" in mind and do not last as long as many items that used to made for durability. There was a purpose behind that. Make people want to buy the latest and greatest..or..if not wanted to ..forced to.
I bet the "HGTV home makeover-industrial complex" has a hand in this trend. I'm only being partly facetious. My mom watches those shows; from an observer's standpoint, I wouldn't be surprised if they activate the same neural pathways as pornography.
I confess I watch these shows sometimes. I yell at the TV when the perpetrators start smashing kitchen cabinets with sledgehammers, reducing them to splinters that can't even be reused as garage storage.
I do like it when they get creative by working with what is already there-- painting, refinishing, arranging furniture creatively, maybe altering the use of rooms.. etc. "Rehab Addict" is probably the best show for actually preserving and respecting the existing elements of a house while still making it nicer and more functional for modern life.
I am also annoyed by the website houzz.com. They have forums where people ask for suggestions on how to redecorate or rework their homes... some of the answers are sensible but there are also a bunch of professional decorators who think everything more than 10 years old needs to be completely ripped out because --OMG-- it is "dated". One told me-- upon seeing a picture I had posted for a question about furniture arrangement-- gave me the unsolicited advice that I needed to replace my floors because they were outdated. I said, yes, they were outdated if you consider 120 year old original antique heart pine outdated.
from an observer's standpoint, I wouldn't be surprised if they activate the same neural pathways as pornography.
I subscribe to "Old House Journal". My husband calls it my "porn".
I enjoy HouseHunters International and Caribbean Life. After a long work day they are easy to watch without having to invest brain power. It’s interesting watching the different couples and what they think is acceptable. So many first world problems to contend with. Ugh. The first time I returned from Honduras I couldn’t watch those shows for a month. I felt horribly guilty.
I don’t consider it “porn”. It’s more people watching and observing, and learning about different places in this beautiful world.
Part of the issue is greed, another part is keeping up with the Joneses. Manufacturers used to build things to last. If they didn't last, the items didn't sell. Slowly but surely, quality decreased for a few reasons-partly cheaper imports competition, partly because US companies realized that if they decreased lifespan of products, they could turn customers into repeat customers soonerz increasing sales & profits. When you add in the keeping up with (or outdoing) the neighbors, it's a recipe for mass consumption at the expense if the environment and our pocketbooks.
The up & coming generations will correct this trend. They are more ecologically aware, and they are less concerned with such materiality. They are being priced out of home ownership and many other facets of what older generations felt was normal. I have china, silver & crystal-long desired acquisitions in my generation, which you can't give away to the next generation.
Oh, the times they are a changin.
The up & coming generations will correct this trend. They are more ecologically aware, and they are less concerned with such materiality.
...
Oh, the times they are a changin.
May it be so.
My porn comparison was overly biting. I get that a lot of people watch these shows and like them for innocent reasons. Like a lot of other programming on TV, they seem to blunt the daily grind of late consumer capitalism.
Now the Food Network, that is porn ?.
Nowadays they are huge and very deep for larger people, I think.
This is so true. 3 of us in our family are under 5'4". Modern couches our not our friends.
Part of the issue is greed, another part is keeping up with the Joneses. Manufacturers used to build things to last. If they didn't last, the items didn't sell. Slowly but surely, quality decreased for a few reasons-partly cheaper imports competition, partly because US companies realized that if they decreased lifespan of products, they could turn customers into repeat customers soonerz increasing sales & profits. When you add in the keeping up with (or outdoing) the neighbors, it's a recipe for mass consumption at the expense if the environment and our pocketbooks.
The up & coming generations will correct this trend. They are more ecologically aware, and they are less concerned with such materiality. They are being priced out of home ownership and many other facets of what older generations felt was normal. I have china, silver & crystal-long desired acquisitions in my generation, which you can't give away to the next generation.
Oh, the times they are a changin.
Also very true. Buying cheaply made items for "trendy" reasons might save you money, but in the longer run they are costly in many other areas. That doesn't mean updating your home or wardrobe is a bad idea, but who can truly do this on the level society deems and "normal".
Personally I like furniture made from REAL wood and clothes made from NATURAL fabrics whenever possible. I also like chairs that don't break after a few months and appliances that outlive their warranty by MANY years.
And sofas I my feet can touch the floor when sitting upon.
I have high hopes for this new generation and for my generation to some degree.