The supply chain is an unlikely Ghost of Christmas Present

Christmas shopping in October reveals the limits of our instant gratification economy

A boat.
(Image credit: Illustrated | iStock)

This summer, while visiting a stretch of pristine coastline on an island outside of Seattle, I spotted something out of place. A container ship, loaded with sunset-hued cargo, was anchored across the harbor, far from the Puget Sound shipping lanes where it belonged — a hulking, unsightly, and noisy migrant among the bay's resident kayaks, sailboats, and small crabbing boats. Only later would I learn that I'd been lucky to stumble upon just the one unwelcome behemoth: According to local reports, "As many as four container ships at a time have been anchoring in normally quiet Holmes Harbor since last April because of shipping congestion at the Port of Seattle and beyond."

You may likewise already be acquainted with America's port crisis, dubbed the "Great Supply Chain Disruption" of 2021 or, perhaps more fittingly, "the Everything Shortage." If you haven't encountered it yet, you will soon: Stores are urging customers to begin their holiday shopping now, in October, to avoid the inevitable bottleneck that will result from high demand, limited supply, labor shortages, and congested ports.

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.