UPDATE: COVID-19 and its Affects on Furniture Inventory
It is no surprise that COVID-19 has caused shortages in many aspects of our lives. Many of us may remember not to long ago standing in long lines to buy the the small amount anything left on the empty shelves because their was nothing substantive to buy. I particularly couldn't quite comprehend why everyone rushed to buy toilet paper and bottled water as if the virus was going to give you the runs. Anyway...
Hopefully the panic buying is over and behind us. COVID has left some interesting and unprecedented supply chain issues within the furniture industry. For example, due to meat consumption interruptions in Brazil, there are major shortages in leather used for living room furniture.
The United States has taken a pause on economic productivity which has created many unintended consequences on the flow of goods between continents. For example, the ports in California are full empty cargo boxes that would normally be full under a economically productive country. China and most developing Asian and European countries are continuing their production full pace, with or without us, but its caused many to challenges, like what to do with boxes coming to America full, and returning empty instead of being full of American goods. Their are many empty boxes that California ports are at capacity.
Lumber has nearly tripled due to a mixture of increased demand from construction, home improvement projects, inflation as well as decreased supply from COVID-19 spread concerns at lumber mills and logistics.
Logistically speaking, there are additional supply issues with drivers and labor to move freight. Issues like the Texas freeze created shortages in the chemical industry which has created foam shortages for the next several months. Foam is produced for use in mattresses, cushions, etc. I just heard that Ford has shut down their manufacturing plants due to electronics shortages.
These conditions are not excuses, but I decided to write this article to help customers and individuals understand some of the challenges faced by the furniture industry. And its frustrating for everyone.
As a result, many of our suppliers are experiencing delays over the next 1-2 months as supply normalized. Our manufacturers tell us that these shipments sell out before they are manufactured and ready to ship, so its wise to place your order ASAP to keep your spot in line. We do not collect $$$ from customers until the product is ready to ship. Nobody wants to tell a customer that their product will deliver in 6-12 weeks. I just ask after you've read this article to be patient with us as we do our best to continue delivering the best customer service!
Stay healthy and get some Vitamin D from the sun!