Upon entering pharmacies and department stores around campus for a quick errand trip, the empty shelves and barren aisles created a picture that was eerily familiar to the beginning of the pandemic.

In March 2020, stores felt like a dystopian apocalypse, with shoppers fighting over products as people vied to stock up on basic necessities for lockdown. A year and a half later, consumers are still witnessing desolate stores and delayed shipments while attempting to purchase necessities. 

The supply chain shortage is an ongoing and complex crisis which has resulted in labor shortages, stock shortages and increases in product prices for consumers. The negative reverberations of these shortages have only been exacerbated by the pandemic and are affecting the manner in which Syracuse University students conduct their daily lives. Students must remain patient as the global supply chain recovers.

SU community members face the challenge of receiving needed goods in the face of the shortage due to the student population’s reliance on smaller retailers, such as on-campus convenience stores. 

Julie Niederhoff, an associate professor in the supply chain management department at the Martin J. Whitman School of Management, explained the potential difficulties for smaller retailers during the supply chain shortage, as they have a harder time competing with larger retailers for scarce goods.

SU students, who are highly reliant on laptops, tablets and other devices to complete schoolwork, may also experience setbacks in purchasing new technology due to the microchip shortage. Niederhoff said she believes that students may struggle with obtaining desired technology. 

“If your laptop dies and you need to get a new one, they may be somewhat harder to find in the exact configuration of what you want, or they may be slower or more expensive until components of the supply chain are sorted out,” she said.

Additionally, accessibility to secure internship and job opportunities is an additional aspect of the supply chain crisis that may impact students’ ability to gain workplace experience.

Glassdoor, a website for job searching, reported that internship hiring on Glassdoor for May 2020 has fallen 49% compared to May 2019. “Internships have felt this pain even more than the overall job market,” the article said. 

Fears that internship and job opportunities are on a decline due to company hiring cutbacks are being felt within the SU community. Niederhoff said she shares her concern for her students in business fields, which are frequently seeing hiring cutbacks and positions going remote.

“I’m more concerned about how the supply chain crisis will impact the way companies are working and whether they can bring students on for internships. I’m more worried about the supply of job opportunities for my students,” she said.

Though it can be frustrating when it seems like there are no job openings, when a package takes longer to arrive or when The Halal Shack runs out of crispy chicken, it is important to remain patient. There is no one person or organization to blame for the supply chain shortage, and there is no direct solution to solving the crisis.

While these disruptions can be disappointing for a generation of students who are used to having instant access to their every need, SU students must remain hopeful for future solutions to be made.

“There will certainly be improvement. There may be bumps in the road on the way there, but I think we will come out of this with a new perspective on what truly makes a good supply chain,” Niederhoff said. “It’s not always going to be the most cost effective, but it will be the most resilient.”

Cara Steves is a freshman magazine and digital news journalism major. Her column appears biweekly. She can be reached at cgsteves@syr.edu.

Published on November 3, 2021 at 9:44 pm