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Shortages

Some restaurant chains deal with supply shortages by trying to pivot

by Andy Uhler
Jun 29, 2021
If chicken wings are hard to find, maybe offer thighs?
The chain Wingstop just launched a brand focused on another part of the bird, calling itself "Thighstop."
Scott Olson/Getty Images
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COVID-19

What’s driving all of the shortages in the pandemic?

by Kai Ryssdal and Minju Park
Jun 21, 2021
“We have a really fragile global supply chain that had been overly leaned out,” said Dr. Nada Sanders, distinguished professor of supply chain management at Northeastern University in Boston.
Many companies rely on just-in-time systems, which involve having companies receive goods only as them need them for the production process, which reduces inventory costs. But as companies shift away from just-in-time models, inventories have been growing.
Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images
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Supply chain woes have retailers thinking ahead

by Marielle Segarra
Jun 9, 2021
They're already placing orders for the 2021 holiday season, but some things are easier to buy well ahead of time than others.
Some things (like decorations) are easier for retailers to purchase ahead of time to guarantee they'll be stocked for the holiday shopping season and avoid supply chain disruptions.
Jack Taylor/Getty Images
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From semiconductors to containers, “every day, it’s a different problem” on the supply chain

by Kai Ryssdal and Maria Hollenhorst
Jun 2, 2021
A conversation with the CEO of an importer caught in the crosshairs of global business disruption.
A cargo ship is loaded at a Chinese port. India Hynes, CEO of Vinotemp, said getting product onto vessels in China is among the biggest problems facing her company.
STR/AFP via Getty Images
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The chip shortage is hitting just about anything with a plug or battery

by Samantha Fields
May 19, 2021
The list includes refrigerators, video doorbells, light bulbs you can turn on with your phone and even lower-tech things like kids’ toys.
Semiconductor chips go in everything from cars to children's toys.
Matthew Lloyd/Getty Images
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What part of a new house costs 4 times as much as a year ago? Lumber!

by Sabri Ben-Achour
Apr 19, 2021
Demand for new U.S. homes is at a record high, and existing homes are old and need repairs.
Lumber prices had risen for a while before the pandemic spurred a renovation trend and boosted prices further.
Scott Olson/Getty Images
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Durable goods orders sidetracked by February storms and pandemic shortages

by Sabri Ben-Achour
Mar 24, 2021
Despite disruptions caused by bad weather and limited semiconductor supplies, durable goods shipments are up 2% year-over-year.
Durable goods are big-ticket items that last for three years or more, like clothes dryers and vehicles.
Mario Tama/Getty Images
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Appliance shortages hold up home improvement and new construction

by Amy Scott
Mar 23, 2021
Homebuilders are passing the costs of delays on to consumers because demand for houses is so high.
Customers who order appliances such as refrigerators are waiting months for delivery.
Sean Gallup/Getty Images
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EEC: Econ 101

The economics behind why toilet paper is sold out

by David Brancaccio and Rose Conlon
Mar 19, 2020
Coronavirus household shortages, explained.
Raising prices might curb panic-buying, but it’s also price gouging.
Daniel Slim/AFP via Getty Images
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Brought to You By

Christmas time during WWII, Americans were encouraged to ‘Make do and Mend’

by Daisy Palacios
Nov 24, 2016
Sarah Archer explores the material culture of Christmas in post-war America in her book, "Midcentury Christmas."
A Office for Emergency Management War Production Board poster and a window display at Marshall Field & Company, circa 1943.
National Archives and Records Administration, Chicago History Museum
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