Bay County Appraiser issued the following announcement on July 20.
Think back to March: Toilet paper, hand sanitizer, disinfecting wipes and dry goods were flying off the shelves as Americans prepared for weeks at home due to the Covid-19 outbreak.
Now, many of those items have returned, but a new crop of products has become harder to find as the pandemic wears on and supply chains struggle to keep up with demand. Consumers might notice fewer choices on store shelves, too.
OUT: Plastic hand pumps, spray triggers
If you’ve had trouble finding your usual hand soap or noticed hand sanitizer packaging looks different, it’s due to a global shortage of plastic pumps typically used for hand soaps and hand sanitizers which has prompted package redesigns, reports The Wall Street Journal.
Many of the hand pumps are manufactured in China, and producing them is a more involved process than making the sanitizer itself. The cost of the plastic pumps and the lead times on orders have spiked.
Companies like Lysol owner Reckitt are encountering similar issues with spray triggers for cleaning products; Reckitt has increased production of the triggers.
In response to the shortage, Reckitt is employing flip-top caps for its Dettol sanitizer packaging, as is Gojo for its Purell bottles. Others are using a pour-control top. Unilever is putting its Radox handwash in shower gel bottles, per WSJ.
OUT: Dozens of choices
While items like toilet paper, flour and pasta are back in stock in many stores, consumers might notice fewer options within those categories than before.
Many companies have trimmed offerings so they can focus on products that are strong sellers and ensure they’re meeting demand, reports The New York Times.
Production has been paused for items like lightly salted Lay’s barbecue potato chips and reduced-fat Jif peanut butter, per NYT. Hershey’s has responded to strong consumer interest in chocolate while seeing a drop in demand for gum.
Nestle has stopped making some less-popular Lean Cuisine varieties, reports The Wall Street Journal. Bumble Bee Foods dropped some of its flavored tuna pouches so it could focus on production of the canned tuna consumers were buying more of.
“We’ve adjusted our operations to be as efficient as possible — and in some cases, we’re making fewer varieties of some products,” Lynne Galia, Kraft Heinz spokeswoman, told the Times.
Certain cuts and sufficient inventory of meat are still difficult to come by in some areas, as meatpacking facilities have dealt with Covid virus outbreaks.
OUT: Outdoor recreation equipment
Demand for outdoor recreation equipment and backyard improvements remains high as many seek refuge outside while social distancing.
Retailers can’t keep bicycles and bike parts in stock, and kayaks and skateboards have become hard to find during this pandemic summer, reports The Buffalo News. Suppliers of swimming pools, playsets and trampolines have struggled to keep up with demand, too.
Many supply chains rely heavily on China, and the pandemic has highlighted the need to diversify, Nallan C. Suresh, a University of Buffalo distinguished professor with the university’s school of management, told the Buffalo News.
But even for products produced domestically, unprecedented demand during the pandemic has stressed all levels of the supply chain, Donna Davis, professor of marketing and supply chain management at the University of South Florida Muma College of Business, told the Tampa Bay Times.
Original source here.
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