Supply chain issues, staffing shortages causing problems as Black Friday approaches

PHOENIX - The holidays are right around the corner, and with that comes the hundreds of shoppers packing stores searching for some of those Black Friday deals.

For Black Friday in 2021, some items might be hard to come by due to ongoing supply chain problems that rose out of the COVID-19 pandemic. That supply chain problem has gotten worse in recent weeks for some, like those at Stinkweed's Records in Phoenix.

"With a surge in record sales, there's a lot more people buying records, and it's really hard for us to get represses," said store manager Lindsay Crates.

The reason? There is a shortage on materials used to make records. Crates explains that many of their products are made domestically, but the materials often come from overseas, which makes it hard to keep up with the demand.

"So, it's sending people to online third-party markets to buy titles that are still in print but are unavailable. Then, they're paying three, four, five times the amount that they should be paying," said Crates.

Other stores relying on more locally-sourced goods say they are having less of a problem with the supply chain when it comes to their products, but shipping for simple items like shopping bags keeps getting delayed. 

"Bags, like to package items and to wrap items, I think has been the bigger issue than, like, actual products to sell," said Jade Noble.

All the more reason, they say, to support small businesses, especially during this time of year.

"Just encourage people to come back and to shop local," said Crates.

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