The supply line shortages during the pandemic weren’t as bad as some of the conspiracy theorists were predicting, but just because we didn’t have a global famine doesn’t mean the effects weren’t damaging.
In fact, out of my friends that own businesses, only one of them survived during the brutal previous two and a half years.
One of my friends was forced to return to school for training in a new career altogether. I felt so bad for him because I cannot imagine having to start over at 35 years old after spending nearly a decade and a half at ingratiating oneself in a particular career and getting proficient at it in the process. Then you have to learn new skills and suddenly become a different person altogether. Between that and all of the people with “long COVID,” the pandemic wasn’t nice to many, and had far reaching impacts that will be felt for years to come. One of the worst supply line shortages was related to building supplies. It was just plywood that was difficult to source through much of the pandemic, but also steel rebar. In fact, some companies that rely on rebar for reinforcing concrete all had their own issues make it through these trials and tribulations. At least the supply of steel rebar has improved in the previous six months, although the cost of rebar has increased just like the costs on nearly everything else that can be bought or sold. My groceries always seem like their prices are increasing, with the price on cheese seemingly fluctuating all of the time.