In a year where Thanksgiving food prices have increased and gas prices continue to skyrocket, finding gifts for family and friends this holiday season has become increasingly difficult. Items are being delayed for months, and hopeful families have only been disappointed to find their gifts are not only being shipped late, but still collecting dust in a warehouse for weeks. Prices are rising on a majority of products this holiday season, and the main source of this issue is the global supply chain.

     The supply chain is how we get a majority of the goods and services we desire. This supply chain includes the distribution of products, along with the manufacturing of companies that supply materials to create these goods.

     The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the supply chain in numerous ways- most notably for its toll on supply and demand of individual firms. Several firms across the world haven’t hit their stride (operation wise) since before the COVID-19 pandemic started.

     The supply chain issues all come back to us, the consumers, as we can only buy what’s available. This year, more than ever, consumers were advised to begin holiday shopping far earlier than Black Friday and Cyber Monday to ensure individuals will bank on products they desire. Due to the pandemic, most economists project a decrease in production of goods and an increase in price.

     Along with the inflation of Christmas toys and products, the decrease in production of goods has made it much harder to find and purchase gifts. Senior Jake Clark ‘22 says, “There have been multiple items that I have not been able to buy for myself or others because they have been out of stock.” 

     For families looking to purchase technological gifts, there has been a shortage in production- making it harder to purchase these products. Advisor of The Crimson, Mrs. Hunkele says “[we] tried to get an iPad for my daughter for her birthday and they were all sold out.”

     Shipping and transportation is worse, as many people have experienced an extended wait for online orders. In a poll sent out to the students of Bernards High School, 30.4% of students couldn’t buy the gifts they intended to  because the item was out of stock. An additional 23.9% said that they had to wait at least an entire month for their product to arrive.

     Ava DeMarco ‘24 adds that “lots of gifts I have tried to get for my family and friends have either been sold out or would not ship until after the holidays.”

     In a graphic shown by the Washington Post, “Hot Electronic Toys” now take 180-240 days in time to manufacture and take on average 10 weeks to ship. Whereas in 2019, the numbers were roughly 60-90 days to manufacture and 5 weeks shipping time.

Over time, we’ve seen the rise and fall of different toys each year. Over the past 12 years specifically, families have struggled and competed to purchase the “top toy” on the market. Naturally, both toy and product shopping have transformed over the years, but modern advancements in the marketplace and advertisement have caused purchases for popular toys to soar.