SASKATOON -- Because of supply-chain woes, retailers are warning Christmas shoppers to buy earlier than usual or they鈥檒l face empty shelves for popular items this holiday season.
Lori Parker, co-owner of Treasure Island Toys store in Toronto, told 麻豆传媒 her one piece of advice is: 鈥淪hop now.鈥�
While her store is currently stocked with popular items, such as bubble-popping toys or squeezable noodles, she鈥檚 seeing early signs that things will change in the coming weeks.
Already, she鈥檚 been told certain toys can鈥檛 be ordered anymore.
And while shipments from other suppliers have trickled in, delays have been far more common than in previous years. For example, an order she placed two months ago for a popular doll has yet to show up, when normally it would鈥檝e only taken two weeks.
Doug Putman, owner of Toys 鈥淩鈥� Us Canada and founder of Putman Investments, said his company has already placed larger-than-usual orders for products this year.
鈥淓very year hot toys sell out, and so this year is even worse," he told 麻豆传媒, adding that he urges parents to start buying now, especially if they have something specific in mind.
Karen Micallef is one of those parents who鈥檝e heard the message loud and clear.
"It is early -- we just heard about the short supply of toys. So I just wanted to get my shopping done prior to going to store and [it] being out of items,鈥� she told 麻豆传媒.
DON鈥橳 EXPECT DEALS IN THE FUTURE: TOY EXPERT
Experts have said that the pandemic has led to reductions in the number of people working in ports and factories, so companies have since had a difficult time resuming full operations.
This has led to a bottleneck in the global transportation pipeline, which is creating issues for hundreds of industries. Experts have already stated that besides toys, items which are going to be harder to find in the coming months include furniture and appliances; clothing, handbags and shoes; as well as winter tires.
Ongoing supply-chain woes have led to big toy retailers and manufacturers taking a big hit financially. Hasbro has said global supply chain disruptions have cost them about US$100 million in lost toy orders in the third quarter.
But a silver lining for some of these companies may be that, when it comes to holiday shopping, a recent survey suggested Canadians are expected to go return to pre-pandemic levels.
The Retail Council of Canada survey found that Canadians say they are going to spend significantly more on shopping and visit more brick-and-mortar stores in the coming months.
But don鈥檛 expect last-minute deals which typically drop closer to the holidays, one expert warns.
鈥淲e are anticipating that due to some of the supply chain issues, some of those discounts may be harder to find,鈥� Andrew Wagner, Canadian Toy Association spokesperson, told 麻豆传媒.
