Is it true that there is a big shortage of toys this year?

[Anon778833]

Which ones? I can't see much evidence of this right now.

Nope

No.

Why would there be?

@00100001

No.

Why would there be?

I saw it on another thread - hopefully it's just paranoia then.

Potentially due to shipping container shortages and crazy freight costs

Shortage of everything else in the world at the moment

Woman running the tills in The Entertainer told me this yesterday but perhaps she was reading the other MN thread?!

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/expensive-toys-family-shipping-christmas-b1910322.html

There may be shortages and/or price increases yes.
I read somewhere a sensible statement which was something like "the shelves won't be empty, there will be toys available. However if there is a specific item you know you want to buy, it is a good idea to get it sooner rather than later"

containers will be docking any day now and stock will be in the shops shortly after so we will know soon enough.

There is certainly a shortage of silicone which is used to make computer chips, so toys with chips in may be harder to find. And really they should be saving that silicone for useful stuff rather than talking unicorns.

www.theguardian.com/business/2021/aug/15/toys-could-be-in-short-supply-this-christmas-so-get-buying-now-industry-warns

This just sends me cold. I am so fed up of stuff everywhere and production killing the planet etc etc and I just really don’t want to bring any more stuff into my house for Christmas!! Shortage of toys? Good!!

I highly doubt it other than the usual everyone buying the same thing because theres a new fad of over priced tat.
Why would there be?

What does big shortage of toys mean? No Paw Patrol? Teddy bears? Superheroes? Lego? Lol Dolls? Wooden rainbows?

Oh no 😱 A shortage of plastic crap that’ll only end up being played with for 1/2 an hour and eventually end up in landfill - what a shame 🤷🏻‍♀️

My dad keeps telling me to 'buy Christmas now' as everything will be in short supply - food, gifts etc. But he does read the Daily Mail, so I take it with a pinch of salt! 😆

Is Santa aware ? Hope he won’t also get caught out last minute.

@TooBigForMyBoots

What does big shortage of toys mean? No Paw Patrol? Teddy bears? Superheroes? Lego? Lol Dolls? Wooden rainbows?

Well presumably it will be a small shortage of all those things which in total adds up to a large shortage.

@ThreeFlowers

Oh no 😱 A shortage of plastic crap that’ll only end up being played with for 1/2 an hour and eventually end up in landfill - what a shame 🤷🏻‍♀️

Indeed. And if it was only plastic crap which was in short supply I would agree with you. However it will also be much loved toys which are played with for hours and passed down to children and grandchildren, and "worthy" toys like wooden rainbows mentioned above.

@ThreeFlowers

Oh no 😱 A shortage of plastic crap that’ll only end up being played with for 1/2 an hour and eventually end up in landfill - what a shame 🤷🏻‍♀️

🤣🤣 good point

However it will also be much loved toys which are played with for hours and passed down to children and grandchildren...

So if needs must, children can be given toys used by their parents and grandparents. That's lovely.

@HungryHippo11

There is certainly a shortage of silicone which is used to make computer chips, so toys with chips in may be harder to find. And really they should be saving that silicone for useful stuff rather than talking unicorns.

I can only see this as a good thing. It means less time spent searching for the thing at the bottom of the toybox, that I can't find, that won't shut the flip up.

@Thatsplentyjack

I highly doubt it other than the usual everyone buying the same thing because theres a new fad of over priced tat. Why would there be?

www.ft.com/content/841871a7-3dce-421b-909c-ddbefbdbceab Shipping costs have hugely increased and fewer containers available - FT article here but reported elsewhere too

There is a shortage of lorry drivers at the moment. This is because of brexit, as many drivers come from the EU, and because of covid due to large numbers of drivers self isolating. This has been going on for weeks if not months. So the toys which get here aren't being delivered and other things have to be prioritised like food and medication. Although Christmas is a while away, clearing the backlog will take time and may not be done in time.

Children get far too many toys anyway.

I believe there's a shortage of chips which go in electronic goods so maybe it's that

I’m glad! I’ve been trying to tidy my kids’ rooms all week with no joy because of the amount of plastic tat… no more!!

I work in a related industry and I can assure you this is very very true - not just for toys.

There is a major global shipping crisis right now and coupled with the lack of lorry drivers in the UK the delays are catastrophic. I won't even go into manufacturing delays caused by storms and/or Covid or the shortage of shipping containers.

The cost of shipping is sometimes x7 what is was last year. So yes, prices are going up.

It's bedlam right now with store buyers frantically tying to secure delivery dates on key lines but suppliers not even knowing if their products are on the water. This goes for food, toys, games, books....you name it.

Demand has never been so high and supply so low. I am literally turning away hundreds and thousands of pounds of orders from big stores as we cannot get stock into the country. And when we can we can't get it from port to warehouses...and then getting stock out of warehouses into stores...

What you're seeing right now is the tip of the iceberg.

And for those interested the lorry driver shortage is caused by multiple issues namely: Brexit, a change in tax laws and Covid.