Covid-19 has had a profound impact on the consumption of goods in the United States. On the one hand, many factors cripple the supply chain of goods imported into the country. Due to other countries grappling with factory closures and worker illnesses. On the other hand, the pandemic has greatly altered our demand for certain goods and services. Over the last two years as our spending behaviors and priorities changed. We constantly hear about the new car shortage. Because there are not enough chips being manufactured and imported into the United States to keep up with the car demand. However, the impact touches many other industries. One that you may not have thought about is washing machines and other household appliances.
Washing Machine Supply Chain and Their Importance in US Households
According to the US Census Bureau, washing machines are found in over 85% of US households. So, they play a big role in the day-to-day lives of Americans. Once the pandemic began and Americans were spending more time at home. They were not only wearing down their washing machines with more frequent loads but also spending more time and money. This was due to renovating their homes and upgrading laundry rooms and appliances. This increase in demand for washing machines coupled with disruptions in overseas supply chains has led to shortages of available washing machine units. As well as an inevitable price gouging. Our overreliance on overseas manufacturing has created a situation where it may take anywhere from several months to a few years to see a regular supply of reasonably-priced appliances filling the shelves and showrooms of box stores again.
Fortunately, there is a way to avoid or limit supply chain issues down the road: buy American. Getting back to supporting products manufactured and assembled in the United States will help curb our reliance on foreign-made products. For example, if the US manufactured in the US, we would currently have more new cars available for sale at affordable prices. Instead of at the 20-30% markups that are commonplace in both the new and used car markets. The same idea goes for washing machines; supporting American-made washing machines like Lightning Clean is a good way to bypass the overseas supply chain issues that are plaguing goods in almost every industry sector. While guaranteeing a steady and reliable supply at an affordable price whenever and wherever you want to buy.