Supply chain woes are threatening American companies’ bottom lines, causing higher prices and broader inflationary pressures, and making holiday shoppers increasingly nervous. Shipping containers are piling up at ports across the country, which has led to long delays for idling ships and higher shipping costs, with some companies unwilling or unable to obtain the goods (or even the containers) they need. Importers and retailers are especially reeling.

Home Depot, Costco, and others have chartered their own ships, while the Columbia Sportswear Company, Whirlpool, Peloton, and Apple have warned about rising prices and potential shortages. Worse, many import-reliant small businesses that lack the big players’ financial resources have been forced to choose between folding up shop or paying many times the typical shipping rate for things that might arrive in months, not weeks. The disruption is so bad that the American Apparel and Footwear Association urged consumers to start Christmas shopping in the summer. The White House has established a “task force” and “bottleneck czar” to address the situation, while still warning the public of not only higher prices but also holiday “things that people can’t get” at any price.