Shop talk: How pandemic supply and demand puts presents in peril
With global supply chains under continued pressure from the pandemic, hot-ticket items on holiday wish lists could be harder to find this year, which is prompting retail experts to encourage shoppers to get a head start this season.
Andrew Wagar of the Canadian Toy Association says if you want to make sure those coveted presents make it under the Christmas tree this year, you’ll want to start crossing items off your shopping list a little earlier than usual.
"Every year in the holiday season there are certain hot toys that sell out faster than others," says Wagar. “It is expected that those certain items are going to sell out faster than normal, they’re going to be replenished slower than usual.”
While you might be tempted to wait for last-minute holiday deals, those could not only be more difficult to come by than in years past, costs could potentially climb instead.
"So right now, early on in the season, is a really good time to shop," says Wagar. "There’s a good supply of products on the shelves, people aren’t actively holiday shopping as they usually would and prices are good."
The issues and disruptions in the worldwide supply network are being further fuelled by worker shortage, and Jim Cormier of the Retail Council of Canada says these problems could last well into next year before being ironed out.
"Retailers are buying in bulk now more so than they ever have in advance of the holiday shopping season, they want to be prepared," says Cormier.
The cost of groceries is also rising, especially at the meat counter. Both beef and chicken are up about 12 per cent while pork is up about 6 per cent. One of the reasons for the increasing price tags on food items is the increasing costs of transportation.
According to food distribution and policy professor Sylvain Charlebois of Dalhousie University, because the Atlantic region gets so many of its products shipped in by truck and train – when logistical costs go up, it can potentially impact our region more than others around the country.
“Oil is up and that makes to move anything at all really will cost more," says Charlebois, “and so prices are being adjusted as a result."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.