Out of Everything

I’ll admit, I’m a bit of a hoarder. Just am.

I think it runs in my family. My Aunt Mary was well known for hoarding things. BC Powder and popcorn come to mind. She had massive amounts of both. There was other stuff, too. An entire storage shed full. It wasn’t old newspapers either. It was good stuff. She just didn’t want to run out of anything. I think it was her Depression-era mentality. She refused to ever go without again.

I’m getting off track…

I tend to hoard things, too. Toilet paper. Paper towels. Antibacterial wipes. I guess we can call it “Covid Pandemic Mentality.”

I don’t want to be without those things ever again.

Now, to the point of all this…

Do you feel like the world has run out of everything? It’s all of a sudden, too. From meat to gas to microchips and lumber, everything appears to be in short supply.

The meat and gas thing I get. Hackers have interrupted the supply. We have to get a handle on it. Politico reports that President Biden will bring it up with Russian President Vladimir Putin at their summit later this month. It’s widely believed that Russian hackers are responsible for some of this.

The microchip shortage is troubling. Fox Business reports that microchip manufacturer Intel says it could take years to resolve the shortage. What doesn’t use a microchip? My oven. My car. The iPhone on which I’m typing this blog. Everything uses some kind of chip these days.

Other things are in short supply, too. The New York Times ran a piece called “How the World Ran Out of Everything.” Blame the pandemic. Blame Toyota. Wait… Toyota?

It was the Japanese automaker that pioneered the concept of “Just in Time.” This is the idea that parts are made and delivered when they are needed rather than stockpiled. It’s so efficient that other industries have adopted the concept.

Now, “Just in Time” is running late. In the Times piece, the Harvard Business School’s Willy Shih says, “It’s sort of like supply chain run amok.”

Now, I’m not hoarding. Not yet. I still have a nice supply of toilet paper, paper towels and antibacterial wipes. I’ll buy up bottled water soon enough. It’s hurricane season…. Reminds me. I better get some Oreos, too. Could you imagine if we had a shortage of Oreos??!!

My Aunt Mary left her earthly storage shed long ago. The stuff she left behind could stock a store. Mostly with BC Powder and popcorn. I always wondered why she had those things… She was a hoot to be around. We always had popcorn. As I recall, she never had a headache either.