supply – The Concordian

Due to supply chain delays some textbooks will arrive late

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect the global supply chain, causing a global book shortage.

The supply chain issue began with a paper shortage triggered by the high demand for wood pulp that is used to make paper. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the cost of wood pulp has gone up 49.4 per cent over the past year, and the cost of paper has gone up 16.4 per cent.

A report from the printing company Sheridan states the price of wood pulp rose from $700–$750 per metric ton in 2020 to almost $1,200 per metric ton in 2021.

A lumber shortage caused delays in obtaining materials to make paper, which led to a price increase. The paper and labour shortages in warehouses caused more problems for the printing industry and further delayed the production of books and shipping. These problems contributed to textbook delays in universities and colleges around Canada for the fall semester.

“This was definitely not a shock or surprise to anyone,” said Rachel Rainville, Concordia bookstore manager at the downtown Book Stop. “We knew it was coming and we just prepared ourselves and I think we were prepared really well there.”

Rainville says there weren’t many shortages at the store. The Concordia bookstores used different vendors and shared stock between locations to ensure that students had access to their textbooks.

“I just made sure to have enough books for everyone. We knew it’s gonna take a while for these books to come in. So we made sure to order for everyone.”

Though some books were delayed, digital books offered a solution.

“That’s been a great support from the publishers digitizing their books and making sure that the materials are always available. So we’re seeing more of a shift to rental and digital sales.”

Among the students who chose to purchase digital books, Camila Caridad Rivas, a third-year journalism student, purchased the digital version of her textbook after an employee told her the book was no longer printed, and she should look elsewhere for a digital copy.

“I looked into it and found the digital book, but it was shocking. What if there hadn’t been an ebook version of an essential textbook I needed? I’m just glad that wasn’t my case,” Rivas explained.

Though the Concordia bookstore did not face many major issues in receiving textbooks, Rainville is confident all students will get their textbooks in time next semester. The staff is already asking professors for their book lists, and they’re starting to place orders earlier than usual to anticipate any delays.

“We always encourage rental as well because rental, you know, really helps the students save money and then they just bring the book back to us, so we still have that book,” Rainville suggested.

Photograph by Catherine Reynolds

Global shipping issues and high demand led to product scarcity in Montreal’s outlet

The world’s largest furniture retailer does not have enough supply to match the demand that comes with the start of the academic year, with many of its mattresses, sofas, beds, and kitchen items out of stock since mid-August.

For some Concordia students returning to Montreal, the move-in process has been more challenging than usual, as the supply issue continues as of the second week of university classes.

Luna Ferrari, a third-year communications student from Italy, has had to rely on her family as a temporary solution, due to missing a bed and a mattress for her downtown apartment.

“I am lucky that my uncle lives in Montreal, so I could stay at his house while the products I wanted were sold out. I didn’t want to spend 100 dollars on an inflatable mattress — which is something that my roommates had to do since they had no other choice,” said Ferrari.

When the student went to IKEA in person one week after an unsuccessful online order, she ended up buying just a kitchen table and a rug, as her other preferred items were still unavailable.

IKEA Canada told The Concordian that its low stock availability is the result of its disrupted supply chain due to COVID-19. Since 2020, the transportation of goods by sea has been unreliable as port closures and cargo ship standstills significantly delayed the delivery process.

“In addition, at IKEA, we are seeing higher customer demand as more people are spending increased time at home. […] We want to thank our customers for their patience and understanding as we work with suppliers to restock their favourite IKEA products,” stated Lisa Huie, the public relations leader of IKEA Canada.

The company has bought its own shipping containers and is chartering additional vessels in an effort to reduce delivery times and meet the historically high demand. IKEA also began transporting its products by transcontinental rail from China, all the way to Europe, to avoid a production crisis.

Montreal is not the only region experiencing such shortages: up to 10 per cent of all furniture items were also out of stock in Ireland and the U.K. as of Sept. 9. Despite the company’s efforts to resolve the global issue, university students continue to feel the impact.

Ferrari explained that, “The problem is not the lack of options in general, but the lack of affordable options. As students, we all have similar budgets, so we all want to buy the same products that would look nice for our apartments while also not being very expensive. It was frustrating to visit a store that I personally like and then leave almost empty-handed.”

The student decided to purchase a bed via Amazon for the first time, which was delivered to her doorstep in just three days. While feeling relieved about finally having a place to sleep in her new home, Ferrari said that balancing studies with furniture shopping has been “nothing but a stressful experience.”

Photo by Catherine Reynolds.