Member-only story
This Is Why Shortages Make No Sense To Us
‘Microchip shortages? Oil shortages? This isn’t the world I was born in! I want a refund!’
For those of us born in the last thirty-five years in the first world above poverty level (even just slightly above it, in fact), fancy new products were a matter of convincing our parents to get them for us. Video games and computers, much anticipated books and films, tickets to a concert by our favourite artist… maybe we wouldn’t get everything we wanted, but we’d find a way to quench our thirst.
Sold Out?
Well, right now, in 2021, one of the latest game consoles in the market, a much anticipated device that was released less than a year ago, is almost impossible to buy. I only heard someone in passing who was asking for advice on how to get one of them. Admittedly, I was confused enough to go down the rabbit hole for a few minutes: someone wanted to know how to get their hands on a PS5, and there were plenty of threads about how to go about it, from befriending shopkeepers to chasing lucky buyers who sell their new machines on at a profit.
I was so shocked I had to look into it. How could this be? And how come I hadn’t heard about it? This must have been the best selling entertainment device of all time! And yet, I hadn’t seen pictures of…