Chain Reactions

Throughout the pandemic, manufacturers and consumers have had to deal with longer wait times and higher prices. The new normal means everyone is learning to be more flexible

- By Meghan Gunn. Photographs by Getty, Saul Loeb, AFP, Chandan and Khanna

EARLY THIS JANUARY AFTER A long search, Laura Kastner, a 27-year-old consultant living in New York City, found her dream couch: a plush, Joybird brand L-shaped sectional. “It gave me butterflies when I pictured myself laying on it.” She ordered it on January 3 and was told it would be delivered in six weeks. It wasn’t. Now, it’s due on March 16th. The reason? “We are working through delays,” the company told her.

A lot of Americans have been having similar experiences lately. “A sofa is a good microcosm of how everything in the supply chain is impacted,” according to Mark Schumacher, CEO of the Home Furnishings Association. “It’s called a supply chain for a reason. What we have found is that it’s not been a weakness or a single broken link, it’s been many.”

The last few months have made the phrase “supply chain” part of everyday language. According to an Oracle survey, 45 percent of Americans say that before the pandemic, they never thought about how products were delivered. Now, 87 percent say they have been negatively impacted by supply chain issues, with 60 percent unable to buy items due to shortages and 51 percent canceling orders because of delays.

A lot of forces have combined to stress supply chains starting with COVID-19–related shutdowns by manufacturers and shippers. Those pressures revealed weaknesses in the way goods are made and delivered that long predate the pandemic.