Global supply chain issues hitting home for local business owners

Shortages and shipping delays hit the Desert Southwest - 13 On Your Side's Luis Lopez reports

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - During the holidays, both businesses and customers are ready to buy and sell, but this year doing both will be a bit more difficult. Local businesses are playing catch-up thanks to global supply chain issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The issue has made life difficult for business owners like Donnie Bennett of Mr. B’s Bicycles. Bennett says that his costs to order product has gone up, and that even the things he can order aren’t coming soon enough.

“From bicycles and parts and accessories, and it all goes back and it starts at the raw materials, that has been backed up six months to three years actually and consequently with all the shut downs in China, Cambodia, Taiwan, Vietnam, it’s just been a big chain reaction,” Bennett says.

Bennett also mentioned that the issue began for him around March 2020. Around the same time that Houston’s Yuma Furniture says they experienced issues. General Manager of Houston's, Brian Litz says that they’ve experienced product delays as well, and that customer response to the issue has been mixed.

“It really varies widely, we get some customers that understand the pandemic and then we do get some customers that, it’s almost as if they don’t know the pandemics going on, we just try to be as honest and forthright with them as we can,” Litz said.

Some companies like Mr. B’s and Houston's ordered much more product in advance to combat the shortage, so they say they’re stocked for the holidays, but experts expect the global issue to last well into next year.