Shayna Kosalsky
Supply chain
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I personally have experienced shortages at stores. This has especially changed since COVID-19. I began to notice many things being out of stock that you would not expect to be as popular. Things as simple as toilet paper have been out of stock. I have also noticed many products that I love to use, like my moisturizer, has been going out of stock due to becoming so popular over the internet. I believe this has to do more so with supply chain than the product distributor. If I was working for a company I would definitely try and keep up to date with the info of our products online. When things become more popular people instantly want to order it. With COVID-19 getting in the way, I think most business did not see this coming. Prior to the pandemic businesses did not have masks or other protective materials like other countries may have. So with so many orders coming in, suppliers simply dont have the materials to provide enough so fast. Working at Walmart in a time like this, I would definitely try and order more things that we see going out of stock as of lately. In crisis like these I would rather have more than less.
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Blake Anderson
Supply Chain
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During the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, there was an obvious shortage of multiple everyday products, that a lot of people including me experienced. Whether it was toilet paper, different types of canned products, or cleaning supplies, most stores were practically out. Many people had to go to multiple different stores for example, to get things as simple as toilet paper and hand sanitizer. While this could have been caused to some sort of supply chain shortage, this problem was predominately due to the uncertainty of people, and them stocking up on certain products much more than they needed to. Another example of a shortage that was experienced during this time, was one of my friends was looking for a bike for when he went back up to school and we were both very surprised when they were much harder to get than previously. Even now, bikes are in high demand and low supply, which makes them harder to find than most things now.
Maria Delucas
Supply chain
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In early March when the pandemic was casting fear, I did want many other people did which was running to the store to get essentials. The first couple of weeks I was well supplied with baby diapers, formula, wipes, and child medicine. After a month of running out of supplies I decided to go to the store to pick up diapers for my 6-month old baby. I was shocked to find the shelves of diapers, and wipes to be completely out of stock. My first thoughts were what am I going to do? I need the brand of pampers since those are the only diapers that didnt give my son rashes since he has very sensitive skin. After going to several stores as far as an hour I was finally able to find diapers. However, that was a limit of how many boxes and wipes I could get, and It wasnt even the right size of diapers I needed
According to an article the diaper manufactures couldnt keep up with demand they were months behind to have their usual range of sizes and brands (Guyynn,2020) Many parents turned to cloth diaper as a backup, an alternative that doesnt work for everyone (Guyynn, 2020). It wasnt something I wanted to do since I was still a full-time student it was going to take up time to rewash diapers after every time. Another issue was there was no clothes at the stores. Everyone was buying them to make face mask limiting the soft, cotton materials needed to make diapers to be comfortable while still absorbing. I continued to shop online whenever I got an alert of arrivals of diapers, I would buy them even if they were big sizes. I had to make it work. As for baby wipes I watched videos on how to make them from paper towels. It angered me knowing most of the wipes were being taken by adults who had no kids and using them for an alternative of toilet paper sine it was gone. It resulted for many babies (personal experience) to get bad rashes since other towels arent as soft and smoothing to their skin.
As a supply chain manager, I would have companies prioritize the most essential products. In a second wave that we are seeing its efficient to start ordering excess to prevent shortages. Customers will be buying essential products we can assume they will leave the shelves. Stores are equipped with the demand for customers its how much people are allowed to stock up. In order to limit shortages, there should be a limit of how much a person can buy. While it can be hard especially personally being affecting its giving everyone the opportunity to receive essential products as well. We have to realize its not just your needs it everyones else as well.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2020/04/27/coronavirus-diapers-wipes-shortage-when-will-baby-products-return/3023234001/
Benjamin Feldpausch
Supply Chain Problems
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The most obvious shortage that I think everyone has experienced was the shortage on toilet paper when Covid-19 became an issue in the US. People were stocking up and buying large amounts of toilet paper so they would have plenty for quarantine. Because of this, I had trouble finding toilet paper, as I expect most of you did as well. Aside from toilet paper, the products I am still having trouble finding are a majority of cleaning products. For example, I have been to many different stores, and have been unable to find something as simple as a Swiffer or Clorox wipes. It’s obvious that the pandemic has had a large impact on the cleaning supplies and the entire industry as a whole. Because of the pandemic, it makes distribution harder, as some countries are still limiting flights. It has created many issues with transportation, especially internationally as that can raise worries about the spread of the virus. As a supply chain manager, this can be very difficult to adjust and handle. You could place larger orders, but that won’t stop how fast they sell and the amount of supply that is needed to consistently meet the demand. Increasing the amount of orders may also not ensure a quicker delivery for your products, in fact, it could even slow them down. Being able to prioritize what is necessary or not necessary is key for selling goods. This may delay the delivery of other products that customers order or are seeking, but it will help to reach the supply levels necessary for essential goods that consumers need on a daily basis. With another surge in the virus recently, 57% of consumers surveyed say theyre stocking up on supplies, but retail experts say dont panic. Stores and food manufacturers are much better equipped to deal with demand (witn.com). Although they may say this, with over half of consumers “stocking up”, will they really be able to keep essential products on shelves enough to meet demand? There is a lot of uncertainty and adaptability that must take place for businesses that rely on other countries to help with their international business.
https://www.witn.com/2020/11/02/covid-19-resurgence-leads-to-concern-over-essential-goods-shortage/
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