Lisa Anderson was quoted in the San Francisco Chronicle on how supply chain disruptions might impact the holiday season.

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Supply chain issues not a problem this holiday season as shoppers hit stores, websites early

Cardboard boxes of holiday merchandise — gifts, toys, decorations — fill every square inch of Katie Dhuey and Dan Melin’s San Jose home, consuming both spare bedrooms, the garage and the crawl space. Every day when they go to work at Affordable Treasures, their Los Gatos store, they load boxes into their cars to unpack onto its shelves.

The couple were determined that supply chain woes wouldn’t wallop their store, which sells party items, decor, gifts, novelties, toys and crafts. They placed their holiday orders back in January — and when the deluge of goods arrived early, they stored them at their own home and the Soquel home of Melin’s parents, who founded the store in 1986 and sold it to the younger couple in 2000.

Lisa Anderson, president of LMA Consulting, which specializes in supply chain management, said big-box retailers clearly stocked up early to ensure that goods wouldn’t be stuck on ships from China.

Still, she said, there could be some smaller supply issues as the season wears on.

“The last-minute shopper might have to concede to buying No. 2, 3 or 4 on their list,” Anderson said. “You can always give someone a picture of what you plan to buy them, if you’re really stuck on a certain specific thing.”

Belt-tightening is clearly a theme.

To read the full article, click here.