Whether you’ve been searching online for some new garden furniture, or have placed your order and are yet to see the arrival of your purchase, you’ll be familiar with the garden furniture shortage we find ourselves in at the moment. From shipping delays to increased demand, there are a lot of factors affecting the amount of garden furniture in stock at retailers up and down the country. We’ll look at why furniture is taking so long to arrive in 2021 and how you can deal with the garden furniture shortage.
Why is there a Garden Furniture Shortage?
Using a simple economics theory, we can see exactly how a garden furniture shortage has occurred in the UK market. Don’t worry, it’s nothing too technical - in fact, it’s more logical than anything else.
Supply and demand are inextricably linked, and when one goes down, the other goes up. That’s exactly what we’ve seen with the garden furniture shortage of this year. Everyone wants to buy some new garden furniture, but there isn’t a lot of it to go around! Both sides of this issue have been exacerbated by external factors, from COVID-19 to changing attitudes towards our homes. So let’s look at exactly why there’s a garden furniture shortage right now.
Demand is High
Firstly, demand is really high. That’s understandable, as we’re still waiting for our summer to arrive in the UK! Many people wanted to prepare for summer by ordering their furniture early, but shortages have been delaying deliveries for months on end now, and it doesn’t show signs of letting up any time soon.
Holding Out for a Warm September
With the reality of an Indian summer looking more likely as we get towards the end of August, demand for garden furniture continues to remain high as customers want to make the most of their garden.
Changing Attitudes Towards our Homes
Having been obliged to stay at home during the multiple lockdowns of 2020, we all had to spend more time indoors. This caused many to want to improve their homes, and particularly outdoor spaces. We’ve all come to appreciate the privilege of having a private garden and outside space that many in flats or shared accommodation don’t have access to, meaning that people want to invest in their outdoor space just as much as they do for the inside of their homes.
Supply is Low
The other side of the coin with the garden furniture shortage is the fact that furniture making supply is extremely limited. This is for two main reasons: costs, and logistical problems. Again, thanks to COVID-19, many industries were forced to grind to a halt, causing a huge disruption to supply chains.
Shipping Costs are Soaring
One of the results of the coronavirus pandemic on shipping was the costs. Many companies are reporting sharp increases in shipping costs to get their products over from suppliers. These increases have meant that business’ costs have soared, dramatically affecting the amount of products they can afford to get over to customers in the UK.
Supply Delays
Additionally, we’ve seen huge delays in shipping times thanks to supply chain delays too. So even if companies have been able to get garden furniture in stock on their own systems, they’ve been left waiting for shipping containers to arrive at UK docks.
Events like the blockage in the Suez Canal in Egypt caused delays of up to 4 months for UK retailers, and these things have had a ripple effect that we’re still seeing today. The volatility of the situation makes it extremely difficult to predict when the garden furniture shortage will end.
Dealing with the Garden Furniture Shortage
The nationwide garden furniture shortage doesn’t show signs of slowing down, with retailers big and small unable to get a hold of goods. It looks like we’ll still be seeing ‘Out of Stock’ banners across product pages, so how can you work around not being able to purchase new garden furniture? We’ve got some suggestions for alternatives to buying new furniture, and other places to look that you might not have thought of.
Do some DIY
You can easily upcycle existing furniture you have at home. If you have old outdoor furniture that still works, but is just neglected and outdated, you can refresh it with some new cushions and a coat of paint. Don’t write it off just because it’s old-fashioned or dirty!
Shop Secondhand
If you can’t buy something new, the other option you have is to buy something old! From charity shops to online marketplaces, you might be able to find what you’re looking for in someone else’s garden. There’s also the option of going into brick and mortar stores and seeing if they have any garden furniture in stock that day.
Find Other Retailers
If you’ve got your heart set on new garden furniture, then there are some retailers out there who have what you need. When you think about garden furniture, it’s understandable that you think immediately of the likes of Ikea, Argos, and Dunelm. And when they were sold out of outdoor furniture, you may have entered a search on Google for garden furniture elsewhere. But even the smaller retailers have struggled with the same issues as the larger ones, being sold out of their collections and unable to deliver to customers.
But it’s not just homeware retailers that sell garden furniture. There are other options too, as many companies that sell bulky products have access to their own suppliers who can get hold of the garden furniture that everyone wants to get their hands on this year. One of those is us right here at Barriers Direct. We have a range of high-quality, beautifully made garden furniture that will make a great addition to your home.
Garden Furniture at Barriers Direct
You might not think you can purchase garden furniture from a firm like us at Barriers Direct. Whilst our main product offering is centred around queue management and storage solutions for commercial properties, we also have a range of products for use in the home.
These range from residential parking posts and driveway gates to garden furniture! If you take a look at our collection, you’ll see that we stock a range of tables and chairs that are perfect for use and storage outdoors. And, best of all, it’s all in stock! So you can have your new set of furniture in no time when you buy directly from us at Barriers Direct.
Our garden furniture is made of aluminum, so all of our products can be easily stored with no risk of rust, corrosion or damage from UV rays. They’re complete with soft cushions, whether you want to dine al fresco in comfort or spend cosy evenings under the stars. And when you purchase a set of garden furniture from us, you can also get peace of mind, with long warranties on our products, as well as help installing some of our products.
If you have any questions about our products, or want to find out more, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us. A member of our team will be happy to help you in any way we can.
