For holiday shoppers whose wish lists include popular sneakers, must-have toys, or the latest gaming consoles and other electronics, the advice from analysts is: Don’t wait for Black Friday or Cyber Monday. “Shop early, because we’re not sure things are going to make it to the shelf on time,” says Tom Heimgartner of Best Transportation.
Cargo from Asia — like toys and electronics — is often hit by manufacturing and shipping delays. COVID-19 closed factories in Vietnam, chip shortages impacted iPhone supplies and containers off-loaded at the Port of New York and New Jersey encounter another bottleneck as trucks line up for hours. Even Thanksgiving turkeys could be harder to find. Bethann Rooney of the PANYNJ advised, “No reason to panic. But don’t delay and think you’re going to get a better deal down the road, because it may not be there until after the holidays if you wait.”
