The Latest Shortage: Fireworks – But Not for Reasons We Might Guess

This summer should be pretty great, as many American are expected to be fully vaccinated – which means we can, mostly, take off our masks and gather in public, like we used to, pre-pandemic.

But there’s one new issue now, even ahead of Memorial Day:  It’s a shortage of fireworks.

THE UPSIDE:  We are likely to see far fewer catastrophic injuries, like damage to (or loss of) eyes, hands, fingers, etc.  

According to a statement posted by Brooklyn Fireworks on May 5th, the fireworks industry is facing a “massive product shortage.”  The company says that more than 60-percent of the fireworks ordered by companies in the U.S. for 2021 will not actually arrive this year due to the shortage.

The main issue is increased shipping cost—Brooklyn Fireworks says shipping costs have increased by more than 100-percent, just over the last year.  The company explains, “Many distributors tried to wait until the freight prices were low again, creating a massive fireworks shortage that our industry has never seen before.”

Other contributing factors:  The Suez Canal disruption, port closures in Canada, the pandemic’s temporary shutdown, and new restrictions for production at Chinese fireworks factories make distribution beyond difficult.  Our last president made tougher trade requirements of China.

All of this means that fireworks, which have made it here, will be more expensive, since supply is so low and demand is so high.

Learn more, here:  (BestLife)