Recently we were reading AARP magazine (hey, don't judge, we're in our 50's, ha). They had a list of six items that are harder to find during the pandemic. Some interesting things are in shortage that we wouldn't have necessarily thought of.
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| Sewing Machine image via wikicommons |
Sewing machines...
All the people sewing masks for first responders and for family and friends has led to a shortage of sewing machines around the country. They also believe that more people taking on new hobbies with time on their hands and/or trying to be more self-sufficient is driving higher than normal demand.
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| Exercise equipment image via wikicommons |
Exercise equipment...
This makes sense. Gyms closed for so long or people just not wanting to go and get exposed has led to a surge in purchasing home gym equipment, stationary bikes, weights, mats, etc.
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| Bikes image via wikicommons |
Bicycles...
Another one we hadn't really thought of. More people now looking to get out of the house and do something different are finding bike riding as a new thing to do. Probably also ties in to the above mentioned exercising.
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| Laptop computer image via wikicommons |
Laptop computers...
Working from home. Home schooling. Job searching. Boredom. Who would have thought laptops and tablets would have a shortage but here we are. Manufacturers were just getting ramped back up when the Fall school season started and now another shortage.
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| Outdoor patio heater image via wikicommons |
Outdoor heaters and heat lamps...
This one confused us at first but then it made sense; restaurants and bars are serving more people outside and as cooler evenings happen this time of year, they are needing ways to keep their patrons warm. Presumably some for home use but in another thing related to that, outdoor furniture (both commercial and residential) has surged as well.
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| Pressure treated wood image via wikicommons |
Pressure treated wood...
Home construction has not slowed down but add in DIY backyard projects such as decks, patio covers, fencing, gardening and landscaping and that has caused companies that provide pressure treated wood to be running the factories 7 days a week to keep up.
Anything else you've found hard to find? Or might suggest before the next lockdown?
As for the sewing machine shortage; I think it has A lot to do with parts to build them. Most manufacturing happens in China and coronavirus ground things to a halt. It's taken awhile for production to get up and running again.
ReplyDeleteI have 3 sewing machines; 1 that I have had for over 50 years (portable Kenmore from Sears)of which I use most often. The other 2 I don't use quite as much that are in sewing cabinets and are stored away.
The bike racks at WalMart are empty; more families are getting out during this time riding bikes as a family.
Not only a shortage in pressure treated wood but price has also gone up.
I would like to say; Happy Veterans day and thank you for all the men and women for your service and sacrifice for serving our country.
We built a deck in June LOL! it was like a scavenger hunt! Add to the list appliances (especially freezers) and generators. They're starting to come back on line now, but manufacturers are predicting they will not be caught up until the end of 2021. Canning supplies and seeds ran out. Freezer bags were short. Fasteners (nails and screws) and plywood are currently in very short supply. Printers and ink were gone for awhile but now flowing again.
ReplyDeleteNot only freezers, but refrigerators. Our garage fridge died and we found a total of 2 after many phone calls ... luckily one was a nice friendly local appliance store we like to support .... and they had a new one out here the next morning. We were totally shocked at this state of affairs!!
Deletetoilet paper, bleach, paper towels, yeast, flour, canned soup were the items to go missing in the grocery stores here during the first wave.
ReplyDeleteCanning jar lids
ReplyDeleteI wish I'd owned plexiglass stock. Every where you go the plexiglass barriers are up.
ReplyDeleteCurrently, I cannot find pint Ziplock freezer bags for love nor money! I bought a freezer and had it delivered 2 weeks later. The sewing machine I ordered was shipped the next day. The thing I cannot find now is quality black serger thread. The thread and freezer bags are driving me nuts. Of course, the wipes, sprays and such just never came back. TP supply is getting spotty again.
ReplyDeleteI just picked up a box of the pint and the gallon size ziplock freezer bags at WalMart this morning.
DeleteCheck at Dollar Tree or Dollar General for ziplock bags. Sometimes they have them cause people don't think about stopping at them places.
Colleen,
DeleteI cannot shop in DT or DG.
I *think* part of the reason for wood products hard to find and price is the trade war 45 decided to start with Canada. Also there's been so many storms all over the country - derecho, 6(?) hurricanes. Those would affect generator stocks.
ReplyDeleteI see canning lids has been mentioned (sort of glad the derecho took out my garden this year). The frozen veggies have been hit & miss, so have some of the canned veggies & beans, pickles were short for quite a while, cake mixes last I looked, various appliances large and small... I think what HASN'T been in short supply at some point since March would make a shorter list. Shortages seem to be due to so many people trying to do the latest "hot" thing or unfounded rumors on social media instead of due to real manufacturing issues.
Another thing that ran out was canned pumpkin because a lot of people feed it to their dogs. And when you are out of pumpkin you have to wait until pumpkin season again. I was able to find freezer bags when I needed them, but there was a limit of two boxes per purchase. Luckily, canning lids and freezer bags are things I had stockpiled. My husband told me to check my inventory back in April when the seed companies had to close down.
ReplyDeleteHome Printers!!
ReplyDeleteI think everyone - including businesses - were buying sewing machines to make masks and sell them on line - my sewing machine broke down right in the middle of a sewing project I was working on - I had to wait 5 months to finally get one - I think things are going to get better soon...
ReplyDeleteTheHub and I had been looking at Class C RV's. Two of our sons live on opposite coasts, while we are in Alabama. I am not going to be flying for a while, so we thought if we had something like that we could make trips to see them, have our own toilet facilities and somewhere to sleep on the way. We did not want to purchase a new one just because of the depreciation, but used ones get snapped up immediately. There is also a very low inventory of new ones. Looks like I am just going to have to be content with FaceTime.
ReplyDeleteOn a larger scale ... we heard from two different parts of the country through friends that motor homes, camp trailers etc... were hard to find for rental or sale.
ReplyDeleteApparently people are getting away on their own away from others so no close contact.