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U.S. shipping issues could cause trouble for holiday shopping
Analysts are warning problems in the U.S. shipping system could spell big trouble for shoppers this holiday season.
If you've had trouble buying a Halloween costume, Bluetooth speaker or a car in the DMV, you're running into a problem that analysts are warning could spell trouble for shoppers this holiday season.
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Shipping delays are causing supplies to drop and prices to rise, the National Retail Federation tells FOX 5.
President Joe Biden just announced a major bottleneck, the port in Los Angeles that serves as a main entry point for goods from Asia, will now run 24 hours a day 7 days a week to clear a backlog of packed cargo ships that are causing emptying shelves and increases at the register.
"If the private sector doesn't step up, we’re going to call them up and ask them to act," President Biden said. "Because our goal is not only to get through this immediate bottleneck but address the long-standing weaknesses in our transportation supply chain that this pandemic has exposed."
READ MORE: Port of Los Angeles going 24/7 to ease shipping backlog, White House says
The Labor Department reported Wednesday morning that consumer prices rose 0.4% in September.
"You’re seeing price increases across the board on everything that's needed to make the products, on transportation, on labor, on fuel costs," says National Retail Federation's Jonathon Gold. "So you’re seeing a lot of price implications that are affecting businesses."
The Rio shopping center in Gaithersburg doesn't even have Christmas decorations up yet, but shoppers say they're starting their holiday shopping now out of concern that the items they want to buy might not be there later.
READ MORE: DC residents report significant delays in mail delivery
"Now I’m kind of on the earlier end of it because things will get frantic around the holiday time and I want make sure I’m ready for when things get really busy!" one shopper said.
"Everything went higher!" said another. "Especially when it comes to shopping for the holiday season. For example, the Fall decorations and everything related to that."
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In addition to the ports, the Biden administration announced Wednesday that it reached an agreement with shipping companies like FedEx and UPS to move to 24-hour service.