I suppose it was inevitable and probably happened during previous epidemics but I was surprised to hear that the onward march of Covid is having an effect on supply lines and that we might find ourselves short of various things that we depend on. News like this generally passes me by and I don’t wake up to the reality until I am personally affected. And, even then, I am generally phlegmatic about it, taking my lead from Marie Antoinette who advised the peasants, “If you don’t have bread, then eat cake.”
Marilyn and I noticed the effect of the problem yesterday when we were putting together an on-line order for Coles. The number of items marked ‘Temporarily Unavailable’ was extraordinary but we muddled through. A new question appeared on the Coles website: ‘If some item is unavailable, would you like us to provide a substitute at no extra charge?’ Marilyn liked the idea that they would take that responsibility and I liked the idea that there would be no extra charge, so we ticked the box.
And the order which arrived this morning is generally fine, with a couple of amendments. I’m not sure that a lasagne is a reasonable substitute for Beef Brisket in a tomato sauce with Vegetables, but it’s a meal and we don’t have to make another trip to the shops.
The real problem, though, is that Inghams Chickens has had a disappointing number of their staff ringing in sick. Fewer chickens, therefore, will lose their lives and this will have an effect on supplies to supermarkets. More importantly, though, it will reduce the amount of chicken pieces to be delivered to Colonel Sanders. We might be on the brink of an Australia-wide shortage of Kentucky Fried Chicken! It's not the end of the world but it might be the next worse thing.
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