IT guy here, I've been seeing supply chain issues with desktop and server hardware more or less since the pandemic got going in force in the US 16 months ago, and it hasn't really gotten better by any significant degree.
Im so glad I built my new pc right when the pandemic started. Trying to find a video card now for msrp would be agonizing.
Depends on what card you are wanting, and for what purpose, but yeah it's not pretty. That is less to do with the pandemic and more down to crypto mining though.
It absolutely is due to the pandemic too. Companies cant get enough semi-conductors to make GPU's, or things like the Playstation 5. CPU's are largely unaffected purely due to the lack of the insanely high semiconductor needs.
There’s a general chip shortage due to the pandemic. My friend in the auto industry is facing a shutdown due to it.
I'm not saying it isn't due to the pandemic, it has absolutely caused problems there too. I'm just saying the craze surrounding crypto over the last 12 months or so has made purchasing higher-end cards a lot more difficult than it otherwise would have been if it was solely the pandemic in play.
Absolutely nothing--and I mean NOTHING--at Target and Walmart in Grove City. The associate I spoke to at Target said that Rodimus was expected to be restocked on August 18th, and the Ark on August 11th.
Yep, all because of the semi-conductors. Auto manufacturers cut their orders last year in expectation of a drop in sales and needed parts. So tech companies bought the time slots of manufacturing that the auto makers let go. Then the auto makers wanted their spots back, but there weren't any slots available. Only 2 companies make semiconductors due to complex design and factory needs. The factories that ARE working are running at 100% capacity. 2 companies are making US based factories, but they wont be online until 2023/2024.
You said pretty much what I have been thinking. It sucks but you're more than likely right about it getting worse before it gets better
When my wife and I bought our cars (it was actually cheaper to trade in both of our existing cars and buy brand new, 2020s...) our dealer said he was having trouble getting cars to the dealership. The parking lot in Michigan is still full of vehicles. I'm surprised they don't just scavenge for parts on scrapped cars. Cars can be totaled due to being T-boned or rear-ended, and the chips will still be viable. Might be time to start doing that if I was in control of Ford... Target, here in NEOH, has been turning away trucks because there's no one to work the reset. Trucks were supposed to come but they had to tell 'em no due to a lack of a workforce. I'm guessing that's part of the reason why Target has become laxer about the whole "I can't go in the back and look for you" thing. I've had no problem getting people to come to the phone and check DPCIs and stock items they do have. Before, it was a monumental task to get it done, now? Can't believe it took a pandemic to get 'em to say "Hey, you know what? I'll go grab that for you."... Problem is, there's such a skeleton crew at most Targets now that you can't even find someone working in toys to go look and there's no one in the back processing pallets and orders. People are afraid, people are walking off the job, people are tired. The demands of the world have become too much and the pandemic doesn't seem to have an end in sight, and the world's shipping routes are tied up tighter than a bow. It's insane right now, but once we get used to the new normal (and we will), we'll be able to navigate this much better with some time. It'll suck in the meantime, but we'll get there.
FWIW, Amazon is shipping Core class Soundwave so they apparently got some in, mine is on its way now.
Buyer beware, YMMV, but mine is trash. The knees are ungodly floppy. Won't even stand up. He's in tape mode now, and hes never coming out of it.
Miller Lane Walmart. 1 or 2 RED Starscreams x2 Retro HISS 3 X2 Retro Duke 1 Retro Coco 1 Retro Lady Jay MOTU 1 Merman LoP 1 200x Evil Lyn 1 Faker 1 Fisto
Oh man, I was there this morning and the MOTU stuff wasn't out yet! Maybe it will still be there later... Update: All of the MOTU figures were still there this morning! Grabbed all but Evil-Lyn. Also, the Xenia Walmart has a set of the same MOTU Origins figures as of this morning!
My Target app says the Ark is in stock at Mill Run but based on last week's Bumblebee hunt that means nothing. It's probably "in the rafters"
The Target app says Elyria has one Worlds Collide box. That's too far out for me but someone closer might want to check on that.
