Much of what Spiders are looking for this holiday season might not be available, say economists, as the ability to deliver goods stalls across the world due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

It’s an ironic situation, says professor Tom Arnold, an expert in personal finance, as restrictions ease and people are ready to spend again.

“The consumer is ready to buy merchandise,” he said. “However, supply issues from congested ports and very high shipping costs will be inflating prices and limiting the availability of inventory.”

Everything from toys to basic ingredients like flour or coffee will be harder to find, and if they are on the shelves, they’ll be more expensive due to inflation, according to economist Dean Croushore.

“In retrospect, the Fed and federal government overdid it in terms of stimulating the economy early in the pandemic,” Croushore said. “We have a strong economy with a lot of money chasing too few goods and services.”

A shortage of workers nationwide is also contributing to the problem, said Deniz Besik, assistant professor of analytics and operations. “Because of the cascading nature of supply chains, one tier affecting the other, coupled with labor shortages, the upcoming holiday season is expected to be tough. Certain goods will be hard to find, which will likely cause their prices to rise even more than average.”

This means if you have a specific item in mind to purchase, like a holiday ham or a gaming console, find it now, and buy it, Arnold advises. Waiting for a better deal might mean losing out on the product all together. A good option, though, for holiday shopping in a slow supply chain, is gift cards.

“A gift card bypasses the need to find a specific item that has limited supply,” he said. “However, it does add to future consumer demand, which still might not be satisfied in the near future given the current issues with the supply chain."  

Unfortunately, though, all of them agree that the supply chain issues and the inflation will be around for a while.

“Bottom line,” Besik said. “Whatever you’re asking from Santa this year, make sure to ask him early, or you might not get it.”