Product shortages make most wonderful time of the year most stressful for small retailers
Some of the busiest holiday shopping days of the season are quickly approaching, but ongoing kinks in the supply chain will likely determine what gifts people will be able to find.
Black Friday is only 10 days off, and that's followed by Small Business Saturday. But local boutique owners are hoping this week’s "Pink Friday" – a nationwide effort to get shoppers to shop small before blowing their budgets on Black Friday – will help their struggling stores compete with the retail giants.
“There have been times when I have wondered, 'Is it worth it?’” said Jessica Throneburg, the owner of Little Details, a women's clothing, accessories and gift shop in Garner.
From rising prices to shortages and shipping delays, Throneburg said prepping for this holiday season has been much more stressful than usual.
“It is a hot mess," she said Tuesday. "We ordered product in January specifically for the holidays, and some of those products still haven’t gotten here.
"We won’t have enough items to fill our Christmas section because a lot of our Christmas stuff still hasn’t arrived," she added.
The delays are on everything from tumblers and tops to paper bags at the checkout.
“We got our bag order last Friday. We ordered it in August," she said. "It wasn’t even the bags that we ordered. We had to pay 65 cents extra per bag to get an upgraded bag because our bags are sitting on the ocean and will not be here until at least January."
The three- to 10-month backlogs have Throneburg shelling out more cash to increase inventory – as prices jump by 20 to 30 percent.
"Most people will save money for their rent and payroll, but then to ask them to budget for a lot of product that they are not selling immediately, that’s a challenge,” she said.
A shortage of delivery drivers has also slowed down product getting to Throneburg's store. In one case, she said, it took three weeks for a box of product to get from a local shipping facility to the store.
Supply chain woes also are driving some people to shop early this season.
“I went in somewhere the other day and said, 'Oh, I would love that,' and I came back three days later – all gone," Clayton resident Lisa Begley said. "If you don’t get it when you see it, you are probably going to miss out."
When it’s gone this year, it’s likely gone for good, Throneburg said.
“There’s absolutely no chance I will get any re-stock," she said. "There’s a good chance, after the holiday season, our store could be very empty, and then how will we make revenue in January and February?"
With 40 percent of her business riding on holiday sales, she said she's already turning her attention to next year’s supply.
“We very much will be stockpiling again," she said.
