Material Shortages...

Business it tough enough, lets add material shortages/backorders to the list.
I used to sell cabinets from one manufacturer that had delivery 4 to 5 weeks.

Due to COVID-19 the factory was closed and their schedule went to 12 weeks.
Some of my orders were switched to another manufacturer with similar product at a 6 week schedule. I'll get around that problem.

Tile we used to get from a local distributor no longer has inventory. Now, it comes from a warehouse a few hundred miles away. Add 2-3 days to get things we used to pick up the same day as ordered.

One of my clients is in Florida 5 days a month and I coordinated all the work to be done while they are away. We started the bathroom renovation, but the tub and faucet aren't available for 3 weeks so we will halt the work, clean the area and continue when they leave.

Quartz slabs for a countertop were ordered 4 weeks in advance and the ship date fit into our schedule. Now, it's backordered another 3 weeks and the completion schedule must be revised.

At this point, we must notify clients of changes due to factors beyond our control and get orders in as quickly as possible.

My brother had an all-important video conference scheduled. A week before the event, his webcam stopped and nobody (local or online) had stock to ship a replacement. I pulled one from my system and sent it overnight.

It's a dog-eat-dog world and not like hoarding toilet paper, a word to the wise, when shopping, if you see something on the shelf that you'll need in the future, but you think you can get it later... don't. Get it now. It may not be in stock when the time comes that you actually need it.