What's breaking down is the "back office capacity" that manages and directs
commerce. Things keep getting on the shelves because the people
stocking the shelves are the last people in the chain to be let go.
The behind-the-scenes truckers, shippers, record keepers, billing, and
bills of lading creators won't be coming back anytime soon. Like
air traffic controllers, they're easy to fire but hard to replace. The
importers who risk the cash they borrow on the knowledge of what
sells vs what doesn't are not easily replaced once the system breaks.
The supply chain relies on many risk takers who, once lost, won't
be back to bring in or find new suppliers. So the shelves will stay
empty for a very long time.
To see what the "back office scene" is like, stay a little longer after
the movie ends and watch the credits roll. Those are
the people who were working 9 to 5 or longer to bring the
movie in on budget. The goods you see on the store shelves
have long stories and lots of people behind them. So, when the
economy breaks, many of those people will no longer be around
and it will take a long time to replace them with people of equal
abilities.
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