@Wherediditgo
It won’t have a massive impact on supply chain of food.
But what will is all the fucking morons who will immediately start panic buying because people are telling them that it will.
See there has been a problem for several weeks about stuff getting through in a timely fashion. This is in part because they have been getting through extra due to possible no deal. So we have extra on this side of the channel.
However. Where there is and has always been a problem which has been long stressed is with Just In Time manufacturing (which covers things like cars but also food processing) and with fresh produce which can not be stored.
So theres no fucking point stockpiling because anything that you could stockpile is well covered and we have lots of. Or its fresh so will spoil. Or its going to manufacturing so you aren't going to notice that immediately (theoretically this means that anyone stockpiling should be stockpiling ready meals or things containing milk products rather than pasta, bog roll and tins of flaming tomatoes).
In some respects things happening this week is better than last week as many factories do a full Christmas closure so it could be worse. I have been hearing from friends about Just In Time production issues for the last couple of weeks already, so its likely to make the problem worse.
Its also likely to be manufactured non perishable goods (like toys and furniture) which is more likely to get delivered as it wont even be put on lorries now. Ikea have been having a nightmare with stock, but their problem now is that if they send more stock they face huge extra unplanned haulage fees for sitting in a giant traffic jam.
So it does mean potentially more empty shelves. Just not in the tinned goods and pasta aisles which is where everyone with freak out and rush to because they dont get it and aren't paying proper attention.
Tbh if you were ordering anything large that might come from Europe you definitely should have thought about it weeks ago due to Brexit and the likelihood of issues.
My prediction is we will see MN go into melt down over undelivered Christmas presents plus the usual howling about supermarket substitutions, not full on food shortages in the supermarket. Provided we do not have panic buying (most people who can be well stocked are well stocked already at this point in the pandemic / before Christmas / before Brexit which is a plus).
Thats next week...