Here we go again. Walk into a U.S. supermarket, and chances are you’ll see some empty shelves once more.
It’s an unwelcome throwback to earlier stages of the pandemic. Remember in 2020 when panic buying and a sudden frenzy for baking hit grocery aisles hard? And last year, when supply chain snarl-ups led to shortages of everything from cat food to Lunchables? This time around, the poor availability is due to a convergence of both issues.
There are a few reasons to expect this latest crunch to be temporary. Record inflation, for example, will likely take a bite out of consumer demand and thus ease supply constraints. But don’t expect the problems to end there.