Phones, toilet paper, Lego sets and giant boxes of chips. These are all things that have been affected by the supply chain shutdown that’s been affecting small and large businesses across America.
During the COVID-19 lockdown, people started excessively buying things in bulk, so much so that it was hard to even find toilet paper. Now, stores are having a hard time recovering from a period where people bought most of their food, and toiletries in bulk, to a period of very little business.

In the Small Business Pulse Survey conducted by the US Census Bureau, 67.5% of small businesses reported having suffered from overall negative effects on their business due to the coronavirus pandemic. With consumer demand much higher than it was during the pandemic, suppliers are having a hard time getting items on the shelf quickly enough. Pre-pandemic, an item would go unsold for an average of about 43 days, but now it’s closer to 33. Suppliers can’t make products fast enough, so stores aren’t fully stocked on the items people are looking for. This has, in turn, affected what other businesses have access to. According to the Small Business Pulse Survey, 38.8% of small businesses reported having (domestic) delays in shipping.
Shipping delays have affected the SPA community as well. Students may have a harder time acquiring technology they require, as well as basic supplies. In classes, teachers are having a harder time getting the supplies they need.
US Science teacher Karissa Baker said, “I ordered some lab supplies for my environmental science classes before school started… and I called the company to make the order… they said ‘Oh, you might get these in November’.”
There is no sure way to know when these delays and shortages will end, as the issue only seems to be getting worse, with shipping prices increasing, the domestic and foreign supplier delays, and people constantly buying things in bulk instead of just as much as they need. It is unknown when or if this shortage will end.