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5 strange supply shortage casualties, from cream cheese to peppermint

Dec 10, 2021

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Is there anything more New York than a bagel with cream cheese? The news bagel shops are suffering from a cream cheese shortage is the talk of the town. That got me wondering: What other everyday items have become supply chain shortage casualties?

#5: Cream cheese

This schmear shortage is serious stuff. Bagel shops order thousands of pounds of raw, unprocessed, unwhipped cream cheese — not the stuff you buy in grocery stores. But right now those bulk orders are coming up short. Kraft Heinz has said demand is part of the problem, but distributors say the issue is at every point of the supply chain. It’s possible cheesecakes could be the next casualty.

#4: Glass bottles

Your liquor shelf could look a little different this holiday season. A bottleneck in the glass supply chain has booze companies scrambling, especially since a big part of their signature look is the shape of the bottle. The stranger the shape, the harder it is right now to source.

#3: Peppermint

“We’ll buy local if it’s available through suppliers, couldn’t find it there. We went to the big box stores, we couldn’t find it there,” St. Louis coffee shop owner Dale Schoette said.

He’s been hard pressed to find some hard holiday candy. From peppermint mochas to candy canes, what’s Christmas without it? But it too is a supply chain victim we may not have noticed till now.

#2: Acetone

Is your nail salon starting to charge you to take off last month’s nail polish? Or doubling that rate? Acetone is in short supply, and that’s causing a cost crisis for nail salons, which go through gallons a week.

#1: Chicken tenders

It’s the missing item that could make children wail.

“When I come home from the store and I don’t have chicken tenders, my kids are not happy,” Scottsdale, Arizona mother Molly Edmunds said.

We already know meat has been harder to come by but industry experts say chicken tenders are especially tender to the problem because they require more processing to package and sell.

SIMONE DEL ROSARIO: IS THERE ANYTHING MORE NEW YORK THAN A BAGEL WITH CREAM CHEESE?

THE NEWS BAGEL SHOPS ARE SUFFERING FROM A CREAM CHEESE SHORTAGE IS THE TALK OF THE TOWN, WHICH GOT ME WONDERING WHAT OTHER SUPPLY CHAIN CASUALTIES ARE OUT THERE WE ALL TOOK FOR GRANTED UNTIL IT WAS GONE.

THAT’S TODAY’S FIVE FOR FRIDAY.

WE’LL START WITH CREAM CHEESE BECAUSE I ALREADY GAVE IT AWAY. BUT THIS SCHMEAR SHORTAGE IS SERIOUS STUFF. BAGEL SHOPS ORDER THOUSANDS OF POUNDS OF RAW, UNPROCESSED, UNWHIPPED CREAM CHEESE, NOT THE STUFF YOU BUY IN GROCERY STORES. BUT RIGHT NOW THOSE BULK ORDERS ARE COMING UP SHORT.

AT NUMBER FOUR: GLASS BOTTLES. YOUR LIQUOR SHELF COULD LOOK A LITTLE DIFFERENT THIS HOLIDAY SEASON. A BOTTLENECK IN THE GLASS SUPPLY CHAIN HAS BOOZE COMPANIES SCRAMBLING, ESPECIALLY SINCE A BIG PART OF THEIR SIGNATURE LOOK IS THE SHAPE OF THE BOTTLE. THE STRANGER THE SHAPE, THE HARDER IT IS RIGHT NOW TO SOURCE.

DALE SHOETTE: WE’LL BUY LOCAL IF IT’S AVAILABLE THROUGH SUPPLIERS, COULDN’T FIND IT THERE. WE WENT TO THE BIG BOX STORES, WE COULDN’T FIND IT THERE.

SIMONE DEL ROSARIO: DALE SCHOETTE IS HARD PRESSED TO FIND SOME HARD HOLIDAY CANDY. NUMBER THREE ON OUR LIST IS PEPPERMINT. FROM MOCHAS TO CANDY CANES, WHAT’S CHRISTMAS WITHOUT IT? BUT IT TOO IS A SUPPLY CHAIN VICTIM WE MAY NOT HAVE NOTICED TILL NOW.

NUMBER TWO IS ACETONE. IS YOUR NAIL SALON STARTING TO CHARGE YOU TO TAKE *OFF* LAST MONTH’S NAIL POLISH? OR DOUBLING THAT RATE? ACETONE IS IN SHORT SUPPLY, AND THAT’S CAUSING A COST CRISIS FOR NAIL SALONS.

TAKING OUR TOP SPOT: CHICKEN TENDERS. PARENTS COULD HAVE TO GET USED TO HEARING THAT.

MOLLY EDMUNDS: WHEN I COME HOME FROM THE STORE AND I DON’T HAVE CHICKEN TENDERS MY KIDS ARE NOT HAPPY.

SIMONE DEL ROSARIO: WE ALREADY KNOW MEAT’S BEEN HARDER TO COME BY, BUT INDUSTRY EXPERTS SAY CHICKEN TENDERS ARE ESPECIALLY TENDER TO THE PROBLEM BECAUSE THEY REQUIRE MORE PROCESSING TO PACKAGE AND SELL.

THAT’S YOUR FIVE FOR FRIDAY! SHOP EARLY AND ENJOY THAT SUNDAY BAGEL AND CREAM CHEESE WHILE YOU CAN. I’M SIMONE DEL ROSARIO FROM NEW YORK IT’S JUST BUSINESS. I’LL SEE YOU MONDAY.