Pandemic-related shortages seem to be hitting many industries, and analysts say multiple issues throughout the supply chain are to blame.
Duquesne University supply chain professor Dr. Matthew Drake said supply chain issues are common, but typically isolated to a few industries at a time.
As more people in the United States return to normalcy following the pandemic, Drake said the issues are widespread.
"What we're seeing now is pretty unique," he said. "It seems to be hitting many industries, if not all industries."
Statistics seem to support that.
"There's only eight percent more inventory across the entire retail industry than is actually being sold," Drake said.
Drake believes one of the biggest culprits is not enough supply to meet a spiking demand, but there are other factors at play.
He adds a worker shortage in some industries and lacking shipping capacity are also to blame.
One of the industries hit hardest is cars thanks to a computer chip shortage. Some dealerships are struggling to get new cars onto the lot, driving up the prices of pre-owned cars.
"In 2020, a lot of auto makers decided to reduce the number of cars they were making because they weren't really buying cars since they couldn't really go anywhere," Drake said. "Then when the auto makers wanted to re-up their orders, the semiconductor said 'hey, we've allocated those chips to mobile phone manufacturers and computer and tablet.' That increase of demand then that we've seen from those sorts of devices has limited the ability of auto makers to get the chips they need."
Drake believes the supply chain will begin returning to normal near the holidays.
Though July may seem too early to start Christmas shopping, it may not be a bad idea.
"If people see something on the shelves that they want to get for the holidays, they should probably get it then," Drake said.
