Many Canadian shoppers can't find what they're looking for this Christmas

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A perfect storm of problems. It seems many Canadians are having a tough time finding the holiday gifts they want this year.

AngusReid.org

A survey from the Angus Reid Institute shows this isn’t turning into the most wonderful time of year — especially when it comes to shopping.

And a lot of people are putting retailers on the naughty list, even though there’s not a lot they can do to address the issues.

Nearly half of in-person shoppers who took part in the survey encountered shelves lacking the items they wanted. When it comes to online shopping, 40% had trouble adding what they wanted to their cart.

So, what’s the reason?

There are a few: supply chain issues because of the pandemic, a lack of labour, and production challenges.

That issue is even more highlighted in BC, where extreme weather has caused highway closures.

According to the survey, “on the west coast, the flooding has had implications for the busy holiday shopping season. Ports across North America were already backed up due to overseas shipping issues exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and the damage from the flooding [in] BC [that] choked the flow of goods from the Port of Vancouver, Canada’s largest port.”

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Many Canadians are responding by starting their shopping a little earlier this season.

According to the survey, there is also a lot of holiday stress this year. But the levels of stress vary across the country.

AngusReid.org

Women, especially those under the age of 55, are feeling the most emotional stress, according to the survey.