Supply chain issues leaving Louisville retailers struggling to find inventory ahead of holiday rush

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The holiday shopping season has already started for a lot of retailers and consumers. And in some cases, there's more than just inventory missing from some stores.

Mitchell Nelson, owner of Well Suited on Hikes Lane in Louisville, said things are different than a couple years ago.

“I'm known for having what the customer needs. And if I don't have it, prior to COVID, I can get it in two to five days, hands down," Nelson said. "So it's been a challenge. We've had to make some adjustments here."

These days, Nelson is dealing with the same problems facing retailers across the country.

"We are usually slammed. Inventory is normally packed to the hilt," he said. "(But now), either the merchandise is slow, or I can't get it at all."

Nelson said that includes one of his most popular items.

"I deal with six to eight vendors, and one vendor sent a letter the other day and said we won't receive any white shirts until February," Nelson said. "So that's been a real challenge because of my customer base. "I have churches and professionals, and white shirts are very important."

Businesses across the country and across Kentuckiana have been dealing with supply chain issues since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Eric Schansberg, a professor of economics at Indiana University Southeast, said consumers could have a difficult time finding certain items and the usual Black Friday discounts.

"When producers are having a hard time getting supply, usually you get some combination of higher prices and trouble ... shortages," he said. "And so we're seeing a combination of that. There's upward pressure on pricing. And they're not letting all of that manifest as higher prices. So they're letting some of it be shortages."

And unless there's a holiday miracle, Nelson is prepared to continue doing multiple jobs and working long days.

"I'm doing the pricing, the inventory. I'm doing the steaming. I'm the salesperson," Nelson said. "I'm working 10-12 hours a day, at least."

Some retailers said they may not be able to get what customers are looking for by this Friday, or even by Christmas, but said they will not stop looking and neither should you.