Potential Longshoremen Strike Delaying Boatloads of Holiday Items

A slowdown by west coast longshoremen who are considering striking, is delaying boatloads of containers filled with goods and holiday items. Obviously, this could cause shortages of products, especially during the early shopping season.

Thousands of containers normally shipped by boat will now need to be rerouted, and instead delivered by rail and truck. Arrival dates for the goods could be delayed by weeks, because the containers are so large, rail and trucks cannot handle as many at one time.

While full delivery is assured in time for Christmas, early bird bargain hunters may be in for a big surprise, as the quantity of popular items may be smaller than in previous years.