This time, COVID-19 is not 100 percent to blame. There is a shortage of drivers, trucks, and shipping containers to get those items into stores.
Anyone looking to stock up on items like toilet paper, paper towels, water, and cleaning supplies at Costco should note that the warehouse chain has placed limits on them, according to CNN.
COVID-19 is to blame, but also, there is a shortage of drivers, trucks, and shipping containers to get those items into stores.
"The factors pressuring supply chains and inflation include port delays, container shortages, Covid disruptions, shortages on various components, raw materials and ingredients, labor cost pressures, and truck and driver shortages," Costco CFO Richard Galanti said in a statement.
"Various major brands are requesting longer lead times, and in some cases, difficulty in finding drivers and trucks on short notice."
In addition, increased shipping costs are to blame. Galanti notes that there have been price increases for items like paper goods, trash bags, disposable cups and plates, aluminum foil, and Ziploc bags. This also adds to inflation.
Now that there is a limit on certain items, the fear is that some shoppers will resort back to panic buying over concerns that the items won't be available to them.
"Even with the imposed limits on purchasing, we are likely to see a resurgence of panic buying, especially now that shoppers have become aware that current shortages may be due to bottlenecks in the supply chain," Steven Taylor, a professor in the University of British Columbia's Psychiatry Department, told CNN.
