MISSION, Texas (ValleyCentral) — The Christmas season is normally a time of joy and cheer, but for T&E Treasures, it’s been full of stress.
Store owner Erica Saenz said her distributors weren’t able to ship to her as they were waiting on their own shipments. She was waiting on a bulk supply, but mainly Disney plush toys.
Saenz added that the toys she ordered were even harder to get as they’re all rare collectibles.
The pricing on the toys increased by 30% as a way to make up for the short supply of inventory.
However, Saenz told ValleyCentral the shipments are slowly coming in, so she’s able to price the toys back to their original price.
Saenz wants to encourage her customers to “shop now, don’t wait, especially when you see something you love. Grab it as soon as you can because once it’s gone, it’s gone.”
We asked Rio Grande Valley residents via Facebook if they were concerned with the toy shortage heading into their holiday shopping. Most said no as they deemed Christmas to be a time for family and celebration, not gift-giving.
In an interview on Nov. 16 with UTRGV Supply Chain Management, Bryan Kerrick told ValleyCentral supply issues are likely to get better after the holiday season, but it won’t go back to normal until mid to late 2022.