If you’re planning on hosting Thanksgiving dinner this year, you may run into some trouble getting all your fixings.
Staple items are being impacted by several factors this holiday season including supply chain issues, staffing shortages, scarcity, or higher cost of production.
While Butterball doesn’t expect a full-on turkey shortage to affect families looking for a traditional bird, those that are hoping to pick up a smaller sized bird could hit some roadblocks.
"Typically a 10 to 12 pound [turkey] up to 14 pounds is going to be more difficult. Anything over 16 pounds -- they'll certainly be more readily available," Butterball CEO Jay Jandrain told “Good Morning America.
The recommendation overall is to start grocery shopping earlier rather than waiting till the last minute.
“We are already seeing some pretty brisk sales at the retail level, particularly with regard to the smaller turkeys," he continued. "Really it's brought about because of the challenges we've all experienced with COVID and the labor shortages that we've had."
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The reason there’s a bit of a shortage in terms of smaller birds is because the facilities had less staff to process turkeys, which means that the birds were “at the farms longer than they normally would have been and grew larger, so that's really the reason we're seeing larger birds this year."
However, he encouraged people to look on the brighter side -- “if you have a larger turkey, you have more leftovers. And who doesn't love leftovers the next day?"
Unfortunately, there isn’t better news when it comes to side dishes.
Ocean Spray has been transparent about a “supply chain challenge” when it comes to its cranberries simply due to a shortage of packaging, including a shortage of aluminum cans.
The packaging issues apply to desserts as well such as cans of pumpkin or pre-made pie crusts.
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If you do end up finding your turkey-day necessities, you may be surprised that the bill is much higher than anticipated.
According to the American Farm Bureau Association, food prices are up 3.7% this year.
"Many of the Thanksgiving items are also running around 5 to 10% higher than what they got last year," Krishnakumar Davey, president of client engagement at IRI told the outlet.
Raw vegetables for healthy sides and salads could run more expensive because the cost of fertilizer has shot up, WGN notes.
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“It’s one big expensive circle,” said Rodney Holcomb, a food economist at Oklahoma State University, referring to a rise in fertilizer cost, which, in turn, affects the price of corn to raise chickens, turkey, and other livestock.
Holcomb suggested being flexible when it comes to your dinner menu this year.
“If there was ever a time where you have said, ‘maybe I should mix things up and drop one of the traditional items and try something new,’ this would be the year to consider it,” he explained.
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Retailers are sending the same message -- if you want certain goods on your dinner table come November 25, you need to start shopping early.
And that goes for Christmas as well!
As winter approaches, experts warn that the U.S. may see a shortage in gifts this holiday season due to supply chain issues.
"There have been massive backups of cargo ships off the coast of California, there are also shipping container cost increases and a shortage of trucks and truck drivers," Nathan Burrow, deals editor for Wirecutter at the New York Times, told KCBS Radio. "This year we're expecting that there could be delays, central shortages and we’re advising shoppers to look out for deals now."
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Some products that may be hard to find include new hot toys, new apparel, Apple technology and game consoles. "A good rule of thumb is that if you're noting sellouts, if you're noticing shortages for any given product category that you’ve had your eye on, move sooner rather than later," he advised.
Decking the halls might also put a strain on your wallet this year.
According to TODAY, several factors may contribute to the rise in Christmas tree costs this holiday season, including weather disruptions and shipping issues caused by the pandemic. These factors are driving up costs, which are being passed along to consumers.
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The problem likely won’t be remedied with the purchase of an artificial Christmas tree either as the demand for decor is driving up the price.
Wholesalers note that they are already seeing supply shortages, which are bumping up retail prices anywhere between 20% to 30%. The National Christmas Tree Company's most popular trees are expected to cost between $200 and $300 this year.
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