Beverage out-of-stocks soar as Christmas and New Year's Eve get closer

The out-of-stock level for beverages has been running around 13 percent compared to five to 10 percent in other grocery categories. This has happened as a result of shortages of ingredients, packaging materials and truckers. Prices are also higher. “When vaccines needed to be moved by refrigerated trucks, overnight refrigerated trucks were not available or were more expensive,” said Bill Creelman, founder of Spindrift Beverage Co. “Overnight, our truck prices doubled. There’s a trickle-down effect, of us not always having what we want, and the just-in-time nature of our supply chain.”