Supply Shortages Don’t Have to Impact Holiday Gift Giving and Exchanges
As a resident of Savannah, Georgia, I understand that the driving force behind our local economy is the port. The Georgia port is the fourth largest in the U.S. and it is also the largest single-terminal container facility of its kind in North America. As I type this post, there are more than 20 container ships are at anchor waiting for berth space at the Port of Savannah.
To put that in perspective as to why that may matter to you…as goods rest in shipping vessels, shippers are losing money. The vessel is stagnant with no way of generating revenues. Unfortunately, this enduring traffic jam seems to be with us for a while to come. And this is not good for shippers, retailers and most certainly not good for holiday shoppers.
E-commerce is booming. As a result, the Holiday gift giving season has been accelerated and is currently underway. Retailers are anxious to restock depleted inventories. The pitfall is that with the accelerated demand has created a logjam at the ports around the country.
This unprecedented demand includes the millions of dollars of merchandise sitting at ports around the country. Cargo waiting to dock, be unloaded, driven across the country and placed in the warehouse facilities of retailers. Given this unprecedented logjam, the question that looms for retailers is what items will be available for them to sell to us so that we may give to our loved ones during the holiday season.
Seemingly it is the way it has always been. As we have in years past, many of us have engaged in the “tried and true” tradition of buying toys and shiny objects for the little ones for Christmas. Retailers are heavy up on their targeted marketing efforts to create interest with children. And as parents and grandparents, we feel compelled to buy the current spate of heavily marketed, must-have toys and games. We do this so that our children can open their presents Christmas morning.
Fortunately, times have changed. There is an opportunity for us to minimize the stress of gift giving. We can reevaluate our relationship with money. We can create an opportunity to provide our next generations with the tools for them to have healthy relationships with their financial resources.
This year a shift in strategy is underway at my household. I have 4 grandchildren, Christian 8, Chase 6, Denim 4 & Zachariah 10 months. As a resident of Savannah, of course I am concerned about the situation at the port. However, I will NOT have to worry about what that means relative to my gift-giving. From the comfort of my den, with a few keystrokes and a credit card, my grandchildren will have gifts that will last for years to come. No cargo pile up- no delays. A gift in hand that will likely increase in value for years to come.
So instead of going to Amazon to buy toys for your children and grandchildren this holiday season, I am suggesting that you visit www.stuffandstock.com and show them how to buy Amazon stock…which will likely hold value far longer than whatever you have purchased directly from Amazon.
Happy Holidays!
R.Rubens, Board Member Stuff&Stock
Owner: Symphony of Leaves Tea