Shelves lie empty where there should be toys
People who have left Christmas shopping to the last minute could face difficulties getting their hands on toys as major retailers struggle to get enough stock.
The shelves for toys were nearly completely empty at Kmart Riccarton, Christchurch, and shoppers were reporting gaps at other Kmart stores nationwide.
A spokeswoman for Kmart said the retailer was struggling to stock the shelves in certain categories. Port congestion was affecting the company’s ability to get products into store.
A spokeswoman for The Warehouse said the retailer was confident with its current stock levels heading into the final week before Christmas, despite shipping challenges.
‘‘Delays in international shipping has meant we’ve needed to take additional measures to ensure we have sufficient stock levels to meet customer demands during the peak period,’’ she said.
‘‘We are confident with product availability.
‘‘However, there may be some categories that are impacted by delays in international shipping.’’
Congestion at ports nationwide has plagued businesses waiting for Christmas stock.
On Monday, the co-founders of Invivo & Co wines took to the water to protest what they believed were avoidable delays. The company is still waiting for seven containers of rose prosecco that was supposed to be launched in mid-December.
Ports of Auckland said yesterday the reduction in worker hours in the wake of two workplace deaths was contributing to the container backlog.
The maximum number of hours for workers was reduced from 60 hours to 56 hours in September, and consecutive days off were mandated for stevedores.
Ports of Auckland spokesman Matt Ball said the port had estimated a loss of about 14 per cent of available labour hours, or around 1300 hours a week, as a result of the changes to hours.
According to the Ports of Auckland website, there are 32 cargo ships scheduled to arrive at the port over the next nine days.