Supply chain woes lead to early holiday gift deals

Updated: Oct 5, 2021 / 10:47 AM CDT

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CHICAGO (NewsNation Now) — Thanks to supply chain chaos caused by the pandemic, everything from furnace filters to Furbies, lightbulbs to Legos are in danger of being in short supply this holiday season.

Money and finance expert Matt Sapaula told “Morning in America” host Adrienne Bankert store owners (even online ones) are all facing the same issue: goods just aren’t coming in fast enough to keep the shelves stocked, which means many hot items may no longer be in stock for last-minute shoppers … or even three-weeks-ahead shoppers.

According to Sapaula, everything from iPhones and gaming consoles to Pokemon cards come from China, and right now there are hundreds of thousands of shipping containers on ships waiting to be unloaded at U.S. ports.

“The ships have to dock, get unloaded and then the goods have to get to retailers,” Sapaula said.

Sapaula said to capitalize on the shortage, entrepreneurs are expanding the “Black Friday window” and starting deals as early as now to sell off the stock they do have and draw the most customers.

Sapaula warned, “If you wait until close to Christmas, prices may skyrocket because there’s just not going to be enough product on the shelves to purchase.” He hopes that even the traditional last-minute shoppers might take heed and not wait until Christmas Eve to do their shopping.