Been looking for some new LR stuff - in particular a reclining sofa to replace the 15+ year old one that’s beyond its useful lifespan - but still works. Of 3 area furniture retailers I typically visit, supply is extremely limited. Did manage to grab off a nice wood desk for a bit under the $900+ asking price - but was told it had only been in the showroom for a day or two.
Added - It’s a “show horse”.
They all tell me they can’t keep up with demand. Typically: “We’ll have more after the next truck load comes in next week.” Prices are also rising - if my experience is any example. Two pieces (sofa / loveseat) I looked at last week had gone up $100 apiece over the weekend. Roughly an 8-9% jump. Also, salespeople are beginning to use the pitch - “Buy it now if you can because the shortage will be worse in a few months and prices will be a lot higher.”
Anybody else having similar experience? Thoughts on how this ties in to economy & investing?
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On top of that, this morning's WSJ carries a front page article regarding a huge container ship which has become wedged in sideways in the Suez canal, causing hundreds of other ships to be held up waiting passage. More shortages of almost everything you can think of are being predicted due to that situation.
Shipping rates which are normally in the $200 range are now in the $2000 range. Empty containers are piling up at terminals everywhere because there's no way to ship them back to the producing and manufacturing countries,
OK, take the pent-up world-wide demand for almost every type of article you can imagine- from electronics to furniture to vehicles- as people get their vaccinations and stat to get out and around. Add in all of the stimulus from governments. Multiply times the shipping fiasco.
You think inflation is going to stay low for long?
I don't.
What’s odd here is this part of the state is a summer tourist mecca - many second homes. So, with shortages now before the seasonal residents even arrive, one wonders what the situation will be like here in another 2-3 months time. Also can’t help wondering if the trade war launched by an Ex-President might have reduced imports and led to scarcity.
Excellent summary @Old_Joe - You nailed that one.
“Temporary Inflation” is how they put it. I think they mean it will be like downing a few shots of Old Crow all at once. The glow will be just temporary and wear off over time.
Why this retailer is seeing a triple-digit sales surge
I had served at another station with a family that was subsequently stationed there, and twice visited them. The only transportation to the Farallones was via a buoy tender very similar to the Sundew. On the way out, and also on the way back, the crew of the buoy tender serviced several very large buoys in the shipping channel into SF bay.
That was a real experience- watching that crew handle those huge buoys in a pitching ocean. Those guys knew exactly what they were doing, and did it very well. Quite an experience just watching them in action. As a CG electronics tech I certainly never did anything remotely as dangerous.
In the pic of the Sundew you'll notice a large cutout section towards the ship's bow. That is to allow a crane to lift and swing the buoys onto and off of the ship. When the ocean gets rough it's common for it to wash right through that section as the ship pitches. Unforgettable.
Aerial pic of Farallone Islands
View of living quarters on Farallone Islands
A buoy tender berthed at Yerba Buena Island in San Francisco Bay. Tenders like this also serviced the light station on the Farallone Islands. That navigation light is now automated, and no longer manned. (Peopled?)
The Sundew was also a good ice breaker after they strengthened the hull and added more powerful diesel electrics - probably in the 60s. Watched it in action a few times near shore. Better than its several sister ships that didn’t get the overhaul. They’d swing that boom out over the sides with weight attached to rock the ship. One sister ship, the Mesquite, was totaled in the 70s after the gal at the helm ran it aground in Lake Superior. Gale force winds accomplished the rest. Was eventually towed out and sunk.
Mesquite. I remember this, too; but, December, 1989. The story and short video are from 2019. We were frequent visitors to Keweenaw for many years. Time goes by too fast, eh???
Thank you for your memories and pics. I'm sure, like you; when I review some of the sites I've been/lives, it is hard to believe that damn, that was a long time ago already. These are the circumstances that help build a persons character and knowledge.
I’ll view the video in time. I know from having fished with downriggers on Lake Michigan for around 40 years how easy it is to get tricked by the bottom. Very irregular. Of course buoy tenders are almost by definition operating in dangerous waters.
I’ll check them out. A lot has changed in the 15 years since buying the last sofa. For one, the particular company’s brand name has suffered as they cheapened the product. Pays to read up and research current products. For another, the number of area “furniture stores” has dwindled and selection slimmed. I suspect this relates to more and more people ordering online. Well, the wood desk is cool. While pricy, I compared online prices, including Amazon’s, first and felt the price paid locally was competitive.
Not all yard sale items/non-profit stores are junk or bad; but folks become tired of whatever and other items they can not or do not want to ship to a new home location. Van line services are very expensive. Keep an eye to your area as soon as the weather warms a bit more.
@little5bee- They weren't exaggerating-
From my post above:
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2021/03/26/biomass-carbon-climate-politics-477620?utm_source=pocket-newtab
Stay Safe, Derf