’Tis the season for price increases and missing stock

[Bloomberg]( Follow Us [Get the newsletter]( [So, we’re short on some stuff, huh?]( Let’s see. We have shortages of [CO2](, [warehouse space](, [clowns](, [gasoline](, [semiconductor chips](, [cotton]( and [wind](, among other things. That means everything from food to clothing to energy is going to get more expensive. Lots of these shortages (perhaps not the wind) boil down to [supply-chain interruptions](, such as shortages of much-needed warehouse workers and truck drivers to deliver all the things we want. The good news is that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Andrea Felsted reports that [British retailer Next Plc’s CEO has seen steady improvements]( in the supply chain “as shipping backlogs clear and factories return to more normal levels of operation. Prices for shipping journeys in the future were already beginning to fall.” The bad news is Thanksgiving and Christmas may already be ruined (or mighty expensive), and we’re barely into pumpkin spice latte season. Too early to be thinking about Christmas? Too bad: Our advice to you is to start buying and ordering things now before they get too expensive or disappear from the shelves. So what festive staples are in trouble? Turkeys The centerpiece of your holiday feast is at risk. Thanks to a toxic combination of [higher feed prices](, [a CO2 shortage]( and [lack of workers](, there may not be so many turkeys available this year, and those that are there will be pricier. If you’re planning on eating a turkey this year, you may want to get a move on as some people have already procured theirs. One British turkey farmer said orders were [three weeks ahead]( of where they were last year. Christmas Trees Artificial Christmas trees are in an even worse position. Soaring shipping costs could see the price of [fake plastic trees]( shoot up as much as 20% to 25%. The average artificial tree cost $104 in 2019, according to the [American Christmas Tree Association](. This year it’s likely to be more like $131. Importers are paying as much as $20,000 per container, [according to the Wall Street Journal](, and are struggling to find enough of them. It highlights the exposure to disruption holiday items face: Delayed items have to be heavily discounted or put in storage for a year (which might be a problem with the lack of warehouse space). Real Christmas trees won’t go up as much, but shoppers should expect to pay 5% to 8% more this year. Inflated prices for pallets, netting, Christmas tree stands and fertilizer — as well as the shortage of truck drivers — are all making [business tougher for growers](. It may not get easier. Christmas tree prices in Oregon, the U.S.’s leading grower, have already nearly doubled since 2015, largely due to droughts and wildfires destroying acres of crops. [The Oregonian reports]( that one grower lost 90% of his Christmas tree crop to this year’s heat wave.  Holiday gifts Will there be gifts to put under the tree? Yes, but get buying. It used to take 40 days for a pair of sneakers to make their way from Asia across the world; [that travel time has now doubled to 80 days]( because of a triple-whammy of container-ship congestion, virus-related shutdowns in Vietnam and that ubiquitous shortage of truck drivers. That’s going to be cutting it fine for the holiday season, writes Tara Lachapelle.  Retailers everywhere are suffering, with some resorting to [chartering their own ships.]( The upshot is yet even more price increases. A [Salesforce forecast]( predicts that gifts could be as much as 20% more expensive compared to last year. A more expensive holiday season is just a kick in the teeth during a winter where many may struggle to [afford to even stay warm](. But that’s a whole other supply-chain crisis. Further Supply-Chain Reading: - [Bed Bath & Beyond Serves a Warning for All Holiday Shoppers]( — Tara Lachapelle - [Inflation and Supply Shortages Are Waking Up the Bond Bears]( — Mark Gilbert - [Demand Is Not the Economy’s Problem. Supply Is]( — Mohammed El-Erian - [Britain’s Energy Crisis Puts Net Zero In Trouble]( — Therese Raphael - [The U.K.’s Energy Crisis Is an Opportunity for Batteries]( — Liam Denning More Data From Bloomberg Opinion: - [Like the U.S., Germany Is Divided. Unlike America, It’s Coping]( — Andreas Kluth - [State-by-State Vulnerability Guide to Covid-19]( — Justin Fox This is the Theme of the Week edition of Bloomberg Opinion Today, a digest of our top commentary published every Sunday. Like Bloomberg Opinion Today? [Subscribe to Bloomberg All Access and get much, much more](. You’ll receive our unmatched global news coverage and two in-depth daily newsletters, The Bloomberg Open and The Bloomberg Close. 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