DENVER — U.S. shipping ports are located on the coasts--a long way from landlocked Colorado.
Jack Buffington, director of the University of Denver's supply chain program, said that's causing additional problems for us in the Denver area.
"Denver isn't a great city for transportation because we don't manufacture a lot here," he said. "Truckers like to be able to take something to a city and take something out of a city. So it's an additional challenge from these ports to Denver, given that we're landlocked and we're not a big manufacturing hub."
One solution could be to shop local, but Buffington said local businesses are not necessarily immune from supply chain issues.
"If it's a Colorado manufacturer, they still need raw materials to produce the goods," he said. "If it's a Colorado retailer, then they're getting their products from somewhere else."
"These are smaller retailers, and they have greater price shocks because they're not doing things at scale," Buffington said.
Buffington's advice, if you're looking for holiday gifts, is to get your shopping done now. If you're looking for deals, wait until after the holidays. He said we will likely see some big price cuts once companies catch up with demand.
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