Container shortages and shipping costs may result in a scramble for must-have gifts
It may be August, but the nation’s toy shops have already issued an alarming plea to parents desperately trying to enjoy a summer break. If you know what your child wants for Christmas – and you want to avoid the most frenetic scramble for presents in years – buy it now and hide it in a cupboard.
Seasoned figures in the toy industry have told the Observer that consumers will face higher prices and greater scarcity on the shelves this Christmas as a result of a “perfect storm” of economic pressures that have disrupted their plans. Despite their best efforts, they warned it was already too late to resolve the bottlenecks in time for this year.
