Is it just me, or does it seem like NOTHING is in stock online?  Bass Pro and Tackle Warehouse seem to be out of stock on everything I get interested in. Did the pandemic create a severe shortage or something?  Can I assume more people took up outdoor activities like I did myself?  That’s in fact how I got into fishing. Figured it was a Covid friendly activity. 

Covid can be blamed for pretty much everything. 

There are many factors going into why we're having the shortages.

 

At the root of the problem: raw materials and imported finished goods are lower than even normal demand - and demand on fishing goods went up with so many people having more free time due to labor cut-backs and even layoffs.

 

So - lack of supply combined with higher demand means lots of empty shelves/distribution centers.

 

Ya, it's gonna take a bit to get back on track.

 

One example

I tried ordering some more Plano 3607-10 boxes....nobody has them and even Plano doesn't have any to order direct.

 

Any more of an in depth analysis would likely violate the no politics policy. All I’ll say is things are bad all over. 

1 hour ago, bgaviator said:

Is it just me, or does it seem like NOTHING is in stock online?  Bass Pro and Tackle Warehouse seem to be out of stock on everything I get interested in. Did the pandemic create a severe shortage or something?  Can I assume more people took up outdoor activities like I did myself?  That’s in fact how I got into fishing. Figured it was a Covid friendly activity. 

 

Hope you don't need to buy any lumber soon!

 

scott

1 hour ago, softwateronly said:

 

Hope you don't need to buy any lumber soon!

 

scott

or tires

3 hours ago, softwateronly said:

 

Hope you don't need to buy any lumber soon!

 

scott

Yeah I’ve heard lumber has gotten bad. I really need my deck stairs rebuilt too soon. ?

COVID has supply chains in pretty much every industry in complete disarray right now. I definitely think there are some other factors at play in some industries, but the global shutdown/slowdown of pretty much everything is going to take quite sometime to recover from.

www.hellenicshippingnews.com/no-relief-global-container-shortage-likely-to-last-until-2022

 

And fwiw, 3 Chinese companies produce 80% of the world's shipping containers and they aren't increasing production. 

 

We can't unload the ones coming to the west coast fast enough as it is.

you want to start any reply to the OP's question with, Ya Think ???

Toilet paper?  

 

From where the situation was exactly one year ago, everything has improved dramatically, though still has a long way to go to be anywhere close to 2019.  Inventory is quietly creeping back up, e.g., Crowder is making and shipping rods again.  Many new products have been introduced and have found their way to many of our hands.  

 

One thing that happened - Japan shopping grew exponentially over the past 12 months.  At least in part because international express courier was the only reliable domestic delivery for the first 6 of those months.   So much more traffic that FedEx created a new nonstop route from Sennin-Shi to Memphis. 

 

In a way, the shortages have made shopping online easier.  Begin with "In Stock Only"  

 

 

 

While it may be relatively minor in the grand scheme of things, the pandemic has created a big increase in people taking up fishing as a hobby.  More people fishing means more products being sold, thus decreasing stock.  Supply and demand.  Furthermore, some of the spots I typically fish had very little traffic in the past, but now they tend to draw far more people.  It has made me seek out new and more remote areas, which isn't necessarily a bad thing I might add.  Part of the fun of fishing for me is the adventure aspect, finding new water is exciting.  I've found myself traversing a fair amount of two-tracks and logging roads the last year.

 

My best advice, if there's something you want that isn't in stock, sign up for email alerts through whichever retailer it may be and jump on it once you are notified.  A lot of the time, I find the retailers obtaining little stock of whatever it is I may want, so I have to act fast.  

The answer is 90% political and 10% lack of common sense which means it's 100% political...I'll wait for this thread to be locked. 

Yes, shortage on everything!

 

I work in the lumber/building material industry and it's awful, both prices and supply.

 

On another note I tried to go buy a new bike yesterday and they're not going to have one in stock until August!

I'm going to disagree with politics having anything to do with it - zip - the whole nature of work has changed. When I contact suppliers and clients, their phone systems have been modified to route calls to their worker's homes.  

There's no politics involved.

4 hours ago, walleyecrazy said:

COVID has supply chains in pretty much every industry in complete disarray right now. I definitely think there are some other factors at play in some industries, but the global shutdown/slowdown of pretty much everything is going to take quite sometime to recover from.

I put an order in for an oven March 3.  Expected delivery March 15. 

 

I was told late last week: expected date is now September 15.  Then they told me the best part: September 15 is when it is scheduled to be made in the factory!

 

Good think I have a grill and a toaster oven!

4 minutes ago, bulldog1935 said:

I'm going to disagree with politics having anything to do with it - the whole nature of work has changed. When I contact suppliers, their phone systems have been modified to route calls to their worker's homes.  

  

  This has to be the truth.  A global system that runs on the narrowest of timing and margins is going to be long term effected by a flaring/simmering global pandemic coupled with one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world shut down for over a week.  No one government can mitigate these circumstances.

 

scott

9 hours ago, bgaviator said:

Did the pandemic create a shortage?

Yes.

1 hour ago, Deplorable Fisherman said:

The answer is 90% political and 10% lack of common sense which means it's 100% political...I'll wait for this thread to be locked. 

LMAO

 

The pandemic definitely played a role.  But it was more the match that lit the forest of kindling that no one thought could ever be a problem.  What the business world doesn't really want to admit, is "just in time" inventory management was a huge mistake.  And everyone fell for it.  You see, a while back it became all of the rage to switch to JIT inventory to lower overhead.  They used computer algorithms to predict how much and which raw materials and parts they needed to run whatever industry at peak efficiency.  This kept them from having to invest lots of money in inventory, and kept them from having to store and manage all of that inventory, and worry about inventory getting damaged while in storage.  So, for the last two decades or so, it's been a real money and time saver.  Why pay to store stuff you won't use for months, if you can have it reliably shipped whenever you need it?  So everyone switched over to it.

However, what no one realized is that when every company switched over to JIT inventory, it made the entire system extremely delicate.  One tiny wrench thrown into the system could now disrupt an entire industry.  Just in Time inventory is efficient, but not at all robust.  And COVID was a HUGE wrench that hit every industry at once.  So what we're left with is a supply chain system that collapsed at pretty much all fronts at the same time.  Just about every company had ditched their backup plans because they were too costly to maintain.  Their backup plans became "hope it happens to the competition at the same time it happens to us".

 

So COVID wasn't the cause of the problem, so much as the catalyst that kicked off the chain of events that lead us here.  

well theres no shortage of trash. As for food prices i always when at wallmart buy from the deli the cooked chicken breasts fresh off the frier and they are cheap at $1.45 each.

 

Well this week i bought them and the price went up to $1.70 each. Its gettin bad out there with the food manufacturers blatantly reducing the size of all packaging and some even admitting they are raising prices due to their costs.

Politics?  Religion and the tilt of the earth probably have more impact.  Better block the 5G with your tinfoil hats because it's all an inside job.  lololololol.  Sheesh, you guys really want this thread locked don't you. 

 

News flash: politicians are way too stupid to have this kind of pull. 

1 minute ago, J Francho said:

News flash: politicians are way too stupid to have this kind of pull. 

Stupid, yes, but they sure managed to destroy plenty of peoples lives and businesses without having any pull...? ?‍♂️

I can take every scenario of the last year and break it down right to political decisions and lack of common sense by politicians. And I was just waiting for the thread will be locked as it should, because I know that I for one almost can't help myself it's so infuriating and I find the lack of awareness disturbing. I'm out though...I'll be good. ?

And we're done here.  Good job!

I think the current state of things has made a shortage of people at work (not necessarily a shortage of work) and made them want to get outside more.  It seems the outdoor activity industry has a boom going on as well as a lack of raw materials and available workers.  In my place of employment, we sell and manufacture outdoor manufacturing tools and we can't answer our phones fast enough or make enough product to sell.  We and others in our industry are experiencing growth we are not sure how to account for.  It sure is interesting times.

8 minutes ago, FishTank said:

I think the current state of things has made a shortage of people at work (not necessarily a shortage of work) 

 

The Gov doling out unemployment to everyone that applies is what has caused a shortage of people at work.