Kickstart: The many ways shortages are continuing to impact daily life

When I was grocery shopping over the weekend, I was surprised to find that the store had apparently run out of produce bags. In every spot where a roll of the thin film bags should be, there were small, thicker bags with handles.

Obviously we all know by now that there are shortages of certain products, including retail and other plastic bags, but it's still unexpected when you reach for something expected and encounter something else. Everyone from manufacturers to consumers have had to adapt, either by using something else or waiting a little longer for delivery.

Expect those shortages to continue. Plastics News Economics Editor Bill Wood noted in this month's Numbers That Matter column that supply chain issues have lasted longer than first expected. And supply shortages are impacting attempts to clearly forecast inflation rates.

"Nobody seems to have a clear picture of how and when the burgeoning problems with this nation's supply chain will be resolved," he wrote. "We all want to believe the current bottlenecks will eventually be resolved, which would render the bulk of the current price increases 'transitory.' But as always, we have to consider for an alternate hypothesis. In other words, any more unforeseen disruptions and I may start to get anxious."

Bill isn't alone.

Zbyszko Tabernacki, economic senior vice president with consulting firm IHS Markit, echoed the concerns related to supply and inflation during an Oct. 26 presentation for Global Plastics Summit 2021.

"Economies were totally unprepared for the tectonic shift in supply and demand," Tabernacki said.

Both economists expect the situation will drag into 2022.

Fans of Adele can also blame material shortages, in part, on the long wait for her album.

In an interview with BBC Radio 1, the musician said the Nov. 19 release date for 30, her new album, was picked in part so she could release it as streaming and on CDs and vinyl all at the same time.

"That's definitely happening," she said. "That's been in the pipeline for quite a while. ... For six months I've been sitting on this date because I'm printing CDs and vinyl. [But] there was like a 25-week lead time, because of COVID and restrictions and so many CD factories and vinyl factories, they bloody closed down before COVID because no one bloody prints them anymore."

She's not the only musician facing wait times for physical copies of their music. The New York Times writes that performers have been hit by delays related to accessing the PVC needed for vinyl records as well as a shortage of machines to produce them.

Vinyl records have been an economic lifeline for musicians because they get a far better payout from physical copies of their work than the fraction of a cent paid in royalties from streaming.

But if someone like you would prefer other options to support Adele and you don't have a record player, rumor has it you can also buy it on CD or even cassette tapes.

Trex Co. Inc., the maker of composite wood products for decks and railings, meanwhile, has no intention of seeing its products become part of the global supply shortage.

As Catherine Kavanaugh writes, the Winchester, Va.-based company is about to start building its third plant, announcing a $400 million investment in Little Rock, Ark., on Oct. 26.

The Little Rock site will join plants in Winchester and Fernley, Nev.

"With the outdoor living category continuing to show strong momentum and our success to date in converting share from the wood decking market, the time is right to further expand our capacity so that we can meet future customer demand efficiently and effectively," President and CEO Bryan Fairbanks said in a news conference announcing the plans.