With just a few weeks until Halloween, shoppers across the country are encountering bare store shelves and "sold out" signs online as they hunt for decorations and costumes.
The lack of inventory is another consequence of the COVID-19-related shipping crisis crippling the global supply chain.
Historically at this point in the year, Spirit Halloween would have delivered some 90-plus percent of merchandise to its stores, the seasonal retailer's CEO, Steven Silverstein, told NBC News. But as of Tuesday, the company had only sent out around 80 percent, he said. The rest should be delivered by the third week in October — about a week before Halloween.
Silverstein said the impact of the shipping delay has been building since spring, putting the company's progress back "about four to six weeks."
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Spirit Halloween opened 1,400 locations and hired 30,000 employees this season.
Read the full story on NBCNews.com here.
