MUSKEGON, Mich. — Supply chain issues have told much of the story of 2021, from shortages and shipping delays to price increases, the effects have been nearly impossible to miss. For one store in Muskegon, the issue isn't a lack of products or needing to increase price, it's the exact opposite.
“We don’t want to have the same products year after year," said Troy Wasserman, who co-owns Wasserman's Flowers and Gifts. "We figured we may as well share it with our customers and give them a discount now.”
Wasserman's is Muskegon's oldest business, opening in 1880. Having survived two World Wars and the Great Depression, the store has seen its share of international economic crises, so the owners were ready to handle a difficult year.
"I would say probably 25% of what we ordered has not come in this year," Wasserman said. Even working with three quarters of their anticipated inventory, they have a surplus of merchandise leading into Christmas.
"The supply chain has been so off that even as of yesterday we got five more boxes that came in," Wasserman said. He said typically they order holiday products in January and get them before the summer ends.
Inconsistent shipping has meant they are flush with products to an extent they didn't expect. To counter that, they've taken 20% off of any holiday item in the store, and they've even started drawing names to win free items.
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