TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — For Dana Broer of Knotz and Maze at Railroad Sqaure, the holiday shopping season is her busiest time of year.
"Buying retail is expensive," said Broer. "That's the hardest thing having the bottles and jars needed for my medicine."
Getting glass bottles to hold her homemade medicines that she says makes perfect gifts is nearly impossible however.
Originally paying 50 cents per bottle, she will know pay about $1.10 more to buy her supplies after resorting to buying from retail stores that increase on some of her most popular products will cut into her bottom line affecting the much needed relief she needed after the almost two year long pandemic.
"It hurts a lot," said Broer. "It hurts the bottom line. I have employees I have to pay and I have expenses that I have to cover so anything so anything that affects my profit affects my whole business."
With the pandemic halting production of many goods like glass bottles, toys, food and other popular holiday items, Steve Pasierb of the Toy Industry Association says the high demand and limited people to haul goods has created a perfect storm of supply shortages.
"That combination of online shopping, COVID shutdowns, resupplying things that were out of stock and the holidays together have all combined into what you know really is a crisis of shipping and a crisis of consumer products," said Pasierb.
The shipping and trucker shortage is also impacting The Great Bicycle Shop off of Thomasville Road.
"Having these bikes shipped in we'll go weeks without getting any bikes in, then we'll just get slammed with a bunch of bikes," said Clayton Goldsberry who works at the Great Bicycle Shop. "So shipping is definitely something to consider if you're ordering a bike. Definitely something to consider is shipping rates."
Goldsberry says that although bicycles may make the perfect Christmas present for family members, a parts shortage may make it difficult to get the bike worked on if it breaks-- with that shortage also plaguing the industry.
"If any piece is missing or gone," said Goldsberry. "You can't really have a full bike. So lots of things missing, parts wise, bikes wise."
Goldsberry's last piece of advice when trying to navigate the supply shortage this holiday season?
"Start looking early, purchase early," said Goldsberry. "You'll have a better chance at finding the one you want."
