Shipping Delays Impact North Texas Businesses

NBCUniversal, Inc.

If you’ve noticed a delay in shipping, you’re not alone. Increased demand and a shortage of supplies worldwide are having a major impact.

Shipping delays are having a major impact on businesses across the country. From restaurants to retailers, almost everyone is feeling the pinch.

At Blue Fish Sushi in Allen, managers say a limited supply chain is impacting their orders.

“The sushi has been difficult to get in at some points, pricing is going up across the board,” said regional manager Matthew Beeson.

Pricing is up because supplies around the world are in high demand.

“We have fish come in from across the world, some coming in from Japan, New Zealand, Hawaii, so we have a lot of things we’re having to coordinate all at the same time,” said Beeson. “It’s been difficult trying to get stuff in and sometimes it’s been a month on back order.”

According to Todd Thompson, Senior Vice President of MODE Transportation, restaurant owners are not alone.

“There is a capacity shortage of equipment to get products delivered anywhere in the U.S. right now,” Thompson said.

A severe labor shortage in the trucking industry is playing a big role in the supply chain.

“The U.S. could use another 250,000 truck drivers,” said Thompson. "And COVID has had a major impact on that industry."

Limited supply means businesses now must pay more for the products they once got for a set price – which results in an increase in price for customers.  

“We have to keep in line with our budgets in order to make a profit or we won’t be here for the guests at all,” said Beeson. “And that’s the hardest thing, to balance both of those in order to still have the guests have a good time and be happy with the pricing but allow us to turn a little bit of a profit so we can pay everybody.”

From restaurants to retailers - everyone is feeling the impact and transportation experts they don’t see an end in sight anytime soon.

“The feeling coming out of COVID is people getting back to normal wanting to get out,” said Thompson. “There there's a lot of pent-up money to be spent, and we are certainly seeing and hearing that from our customers about their demands are off the charts from what you know they're seeing from their customer basis.”

Thompson said the key for consumers is to order early and expect delays when you order shipping for products of any kind. 

Exit mobile version