Paul Nesbit, owner of MATE apparel store on Provincetown, says he knew there would be a shortage of T-shirts due to the pandemic.
He ordered big in October and November.
In the spring he used three warehouses — two more than usual — to store the blank T-shirts and his business has fared well.
Nesbit is one of the exceptions as supply problems have caused a T-shirt shortage across the nation.
Part of the problem locally is unusually high demand, said Sarah Walker, product development manager and buyer for Cuffy’s of Cape Cod, which has stores in West Dennis, Chatham, Orleans and Provincetown.
“We’re seeing more people earlier than we normally would,” she said Wednesday. “Our clothing and T-shirts are going faster than they normally would.”
Despite Walker placing larger orders this year, Cuffy stores are running out of summer merchandise and are starting to put out apparel in colors more associated with fall.
A supply chain at capacity
The primary reason for the shortages and delays is the supply chain, which is currently at capacity, said Jonathan Gold, vice president of the National Retail Federation’s supply chain and customs policy, and Nate Herman, senior vice president of policy for the American Apparel & Footwear Association.
“We’re seeing issues with businesses, both big and small, that are having difficulty getting products to the market,” Gold said. “It starts overseas with the foreign factories that were obviously impacted because of the COVID (pandemic) and have had issues getting staffed back up to be able to meet the consumer demand that we’ve seen.”
There are problems plaguing nearly every step of the supply chain, including the portions that take place in the U.S. Difficulties include getting in and out of ports in a timely manner and lack of equipment. For example, chassis, which are specially designed trailers used to transfer containers from trucks between ports, terminals and warehouses, are in short supply.
“What we’re calling it is a shipping crisis,” Herman said. “That shipping crisis is threatening to leave store shelves empty, which is particularly concerning for our industry as we get closer to back to school and move into the holiday season.”
Walker buys novelty items, everything from candy to toys, to plush animals.
“Shipping costs are exorbitant,” she said. “Factories in China … are fighting for space on shipping containers.”
Plush (novelties) are back-ordered because of the shipping problems, she added.
The higher demand and limited supply goes beyond T-shirts.
Nesbit said he optimized his orders and bought from U.S. vendors in an effort to pay less in shipping costs and avoid overseas shipping delays.
Shifting delivery dates for T-shirt orders
If what Shawn Ritchie, owner of Ritchie’s Sporting Goods in Tallmadge, Ohio, needs is available, it often takes weeks or months to arrive. He recently received the last 13 jerseys for a local softball team — just in time for their last game of the season. Large orders for leagues now dribble in over four or five weeks rather than arriving all at once, making it increasingly difficult to keep track of which orders have been filled.
After having orders with continually shifting delivery dates, Ritchie called the manufacturers to ask about the reason for the delays and was told that U.S. customs was to blame.
“[The wholesalers] said they keep getting these dates from customs saying, ‘Okay, it looks like your stuff is going to be checked in around this date,’ but they’re not hitting the dates,” Ritchie said. “It has been a huge ripple effect.”
Michael Niezgoda, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection public affairs officer, said the agency “is essential and has remained fully staffed throughout COVID-19”
“Additionally, trade operations have not changed and is thoroughly inspected,” he said.
T-shirt shortages likely to continue into 2022
The shortages and delays will likely continue well into 2022, Gold said, and are currently being worsened by another issue.
“We’re now entering peak shipping season, which for retailers is when they bring in all their holiday merchandise for the fourth quarter, which is the holiday season, which is going to make it or break it for retailers,” Gold said. “So, a lot of companies now are trying to move up at peak season, which is going to continue to give back the congestion.”
Gold suggests retailers continue working closely with their vendors and providers while looking for alternate ports to go through. Some of the National Retail Federation’s members have started having their products shipped via airplane.
“This is really impacting everybody across the board: all industries, imports of every size and shape, even manufacturers,” Gold said. “There’s not just one piece that can fix it all, because it’s all one ball built together.”
Nesbit is confident he is not going to run out of T-shirts even though warm spring weekends brought in more customers earlier than normal.
“I can see if businesses were not prepared for the onslaught they’d run out.”
Contact Denise Coffey at [email protected] and on Twitter @DeniseCoffeyCCT. Beacon Journal reporter Tawney Beans can be reached at [email protected] and on Twitter @TawneyBeans.
