As the East and Gulf Coast port strike enters its third day with no sign of talks restarting, some consumers are starting to worry about potential shortages of groceries and other basics. But so far, experts say only a fraction of perishable goods are likely to see an impact in the short term.
These include fresh fruit, especially bananas, and some alcoholic beverages and seafood, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation, which represents the agricultural industry. A significant chunk of these products are imported from abroad, and they enter the U.S. at many of the affected ports.
For the most part, though, grocery aisles will look like they normally do unless the work stoppage grinds on for weeks, industry experts say.
“We are a very lucky country,” said Andy Ellen, president and general counsel of the North Carolina Retail Merchants Association, which is simultaneously dealing with fallout from Hurricane Helene. “You may not be able to buy the exact brand of ketchup and peanut butter that you want, but there’s going to be ketchup and peanut butter on the shelves.”
The AFBF said feedstocks that go into other food products, including soybeans, cocoa beans and sugar cane, could also be affected, but consumers aren’t likely to feel a hit from these immediately. Furniture and other manufactured goods, especially machinery like farm equipment, vehicles and auto parts, could also be disrupted, the lobbying group said.
Most daily essentials like toilet paper, paper towels and toothpaste, by contrast, typically are either made domestically or come through Canada, Mexico or West Coast ports that aren’t affected by the strike, experts say.
“There’s no reason for people to go out and do like we did during Covid and hoard,” Ellen said.
There’s no reason for people to go out and do like we did during Covid and hoard.
Andy Ellen, President of the North Carolina Retail Merchants Association
But pandemic-era panic-buying remains a vivid memory, said Joseph Agresta, who directs the supply chain analytics graduate program at Rutgers Business School. And already rumors of looming shortages of essential items have been spreading on social media, leading to reports of panic-buying in some areas — an impulse Agresta called an “overreaction.”
Social media users have been turning to each other for advice — trading unconfirmed reports of long lines and shortages, messages to tamp down excessive concerns or a mixture of both. On TikTok, @tammytheblackprepper told her followers to “save something for others.” X user @ninadelaflores posted that “panic-buying supplies in bulk because you fear a shortage causes more shortages.”
Agresta echoed calls for caution. “There’s no reason to panic,” he said, adding that many companies and freight operators have spent months preparing for the strike. Major retailers have already built up their stocks ahead of the holiday season.
Walmart, for example, has assured customers that it’s well positioned to keep operations running smoothly. “We prepare for unforeseen disruptions in our supply chain and maintain additional sources of supply to ensure we have key products available for our customers when and how they want them,” the company said in a statement this week.
Late last month, Costco executives also indicated they were ready. “Our buyers are all over it,” said CEO Ron Vachris on the company’s latest earnings call. “They’re watching it closely and we’ve taken as many pre-emptive measures as we could to prepare for this.”
Alternative shipping methods exist for essential goods, like pharmaceuticals, which are often shipped by air. Agresta advised consumers to consider similar products and local options if shortages arise for perishable goods, including produce.
According to CNBC, there is still no sign that the International Longshoremen’s Association and its primary employer, the U.S. Maritime Association, are back at the bargaining table. With the two sides still at odds, ships are already being diverted so they can unload elsewhere, which in many cases raises shipping costs for goods that have to be trucked overland to their destinations.
In addition to increased wages, the union has been pressing its demands for greater protections against automation.
“The ILA is steadfastly against any form of automation — full or semi — that replaces jobs or historical work functions," it said in a statement Tuesday. "We will not accept the loss of work and livelihood for our members due to automation.”
