It’s only 64 days until Christmas and many Kiwis are out in droves trying to get their shopping in early as supply chain issues continue to bite.
Will stockings be full, or will toilet paper be the gift of 2021? The Customs Brokers and Freight Forwarders Federation's Chris Edwards says it's all about where you order from. "Supply chains are clogged, there's a lot of congestion so I think people need to understand: if they have ordered from certain place in the world - Europe or Asia - probably, they're not going to see things arrive in time," he said. Edwards believes the issue stems from people panic buying.
"A lot of clients are doing the 'just in case' supply chain, buying three or four times the quantity they used to do." The Warehouse Group's Ian Carter says they've been preparing presents for Kiwis all year. "Planning for Christmas starts before next Christmas," he explained. "We start a good sort of 12 to 14 months in advance." New Zealand's remoteness works in our favour. It takes at least six weeks to get containers here by sea, meaning we're always planning well ahead.
"I think people have seen the stories from around the world. There's no two ways about it - Covid has had a real impact on the global supply chain," Carter said. "New Zealand is sort of, if you'd like, one of the longest supply chain routes in the world anyway, so we plan in advance, we plan for longer shipping times than most other countries would." Edwards said to ensure your gifts arrive in time for Christmas, make sure you buy local, check who the courier is and don't panic buy. "There will be presents under the tree. It may not be exactly what you want and it may not be big and chunky from somewhere like Europe but yes, there will be presents under the tree."
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