walk around a supermarket in the us or europe and you will see some empty shelves once more this isnt due to people panicbuying toilet paper as they did early on in the pandemic rather its because supply chains are clogged at almost every stage between asian factories and grocery stock roomsbut rising prices and patchy availability mean its only a matter of time before shoppers start purchasing in bulk again this time to avoid future sticker shocksupply lines are struggling as producers such as vietnam responsible for making everything from sneakers to coffee are hurt by covid restrictions surging virus cases and consumer demand are leading to congested ports shipping containers are in the wrong place sea freight costs are up tenfold if goods do arrive at the destined ports there are too few truck drivers to transport them to retailers shortages of workers to harvest and prepare foods are also adding to the pressures advt some sectors are bearing the brunt worse than others beverages for example have been hurt by a shortage of packaging including aluminum cans in britain a lack of c02 amid spiraling energy costs has also put supplies of carbonated soft drinks at riskin some areas issues have been compounded by elevated demand coffee and tea are hot commodities as many americans continue to work remotely why visit starbucks corp when you can still be a barista at homemeanwhile inperson learning has fueled a rush for school supplies including those that go in lunchboxes following a year quaintly characterized by homebaking and the return of family dinners parents are now in a frantic state because of a run on kraft heinz cos prepackaged lunchables kraft heinz said the almostcharcuterieboardlike snack packs are experiencing doubledigit growth for the first time in five yearspet food is another challenging area purina maker nestle sa has already ramped up capacity some grocers are reporting a struggle to find enough dog treats and cat biscuits to meet the demand from all those new pandemic petsretailers have been reengineering their supply chains to avoid the pinch points some including walmart inc and target corp have been chartering their own ships amid a shortage of drivers some british supermarkets are using their own trucks for deliveries that previously would have been carried out by suppliersbut more adjustments will be needed stores may have to cut back on the varieties of goods to reduce complexity meaning fewer product choices for consumers grocers need to plan for the worst with the system so fragile now what would happen with further spikes in prices demand and panicbuying advt in the us special offers are already being reined in and some everyday prices are beginning to rise according to data provider iri energy drinks eggs meat and soft drinks are all getting more expensive iris consumer packaged goods inflation tracker showswhen prices go up consumers tend to get proactive and change their habits shoppers first switch out of pricier products to cheaper ones that