Even the most well-behaved youngsters are likely to have an emotional meltdown this cheery holiday season. Some adults, vying to grab that last hot toy on the shelf, will find themselves devolving into a semi-public hissy fit just the same. FusionOps, a company that distills supply chain information, surveyed about 2,000 adults about the possibility of gift shortages this holiday season. “[Consumers are] less forgiving and more frustrated with manufacturers that can’t anticipate possible shortages,” said FusionOps CEO Gary Meyers.
Here are some of the survey results of what havoc shortages could wreak.
44 percent of parents (of kids under 18) who expect temper tantrums to be the outcome of a gift shortage. On a more extreme note, 10 percent of parents expect runaway threats from their children.
29 percent believe smartphones will see the most problematic shortage. Ahead of the new film release, 24 percent say the problem gift will be Star Wars toys.
8 percent of parents of young children willing to knock down an adult to get the toy they have their eye on. An embarrassing 8 percent are just as willing to knock down a child.
37 percent will put the blame on manufacturers if a gift shortage causes a festive family fight. Next on the chopping block is retail stores, at 27 percent. Parents, on the other hand, take the blame 13 percent of the time.
27 percent of adults are willing to “act unethically” to nab the last toy on the shelf. That number jumps up to 37 percent for parents of young children.
Do you start your shopping early to avoid a catastrophic gift shortage? Should manufacturers do more to make sure the shelves never run empty? Comment below or tweet @MNetKatie.